xxxHolic Kei (2008)

xxxHOLiC◆継
Type: Supernatural, Seinen
Year: 2008
Studio: Production I.G
Overall Rating: 3.9
Recommendation: Just for Entertainment

What a long hiatus! I finally finished Holic Kei a few months back. Let me stress that I’m reviewing this series independent of Season One, which I did not watch. But this anime stands alone as a series of its own and attracted me with its whimsical, supernatural touch and entertaining characters. The story revolves around the central philosophical concept of “hitsuzen” which translates loosely into something like “fate”, that I sometimes find too deterministic. At times, the subject matter can be a bit dark e.g. Kohane’s story, but nothing beyond the usual range of Japanese dramas. Although the rating for the series is high, I did not find the subject matter highly compelling or relevant.

Visuals: 4.5
Music: 4.5
This series is set apart by its distinctive stick-like figures, which I personally found unique amongst mainstream anime, but not always appealing. I couldn’t help noticing how the character’s faces lacked depth and dimension, but still, xxxholic can be considered a brakthrough of sorts. I liked the music by Suga Shikao, which is sensual, jazzy and as unique as its art.

The 3 Faces of Watanuki.

Setting: 3.0
Plot: 3.0
A lot of Clamp works revolve around spirits, supernatural, fantasy and special powers of some sort. Clamp characters seem to live in an alternate universe that has little to do with viewers. A central plot which binds all episodes together seems to be missing or weak. However, the animators managed to keep the tension and suspense going, with the exception of a few stray episodes e.g. 4, 7. My favorite was episode 8, where they built up teh suspense quite nicely.

Characters: 4.0
The characters rose in my esteem with the conclusion of the story. The girl whom I saw as a typical shoujo character in teh begining of the series, has surprising and tragic depth. The authors chose to strengthen the bond of friendship, instead of opting for romance, allowing the story to escape shoujo cliches. Himawari is not my favorite character. The interaction between Doumeki and Watanuki is also appealing to a fangirl. Yuko and her two servants however, remain decorative plot devices, and are not truly developed as characters.

Dour Domeki and the usual thrust of his relationship with Watanuki.

Food is worth watching out for. Watanuki is such a housewife.