Search - xxxHOLiC: First Collection on DVD

Not My Cup of Tea

David Stapleton | California | 05/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This is the first set of episodes, so the viewers need to be a little forgiving of the necessity to spend extra time introducing all of the characters and providing adequate background so that subsequent episodes can actually get on with the story. However, there is a thin line between holding the viewer's attention and doing back work.

I just cannot get excited enough about this series after watching the first collection to watch any of the follow ons. The art is interesting in the overly tall, thin caricatures of people (almost like walking stick figures). The personal interactions of the main characters is almost stereotypical in the adolescent and more mature woman formula with its oedipal implications. Add to that the excessive use of cartoonish emotional outbursts by the male lead (Watanuki), and this is just a little over the top for me. While the female lead (Yuko) is drawn with a little more curve than the rest this is no fan service series either. I would have to say that this is primary fare for those that already know and like the series.
P-)"

The Manga is better

Zoven | Hickory, NC | 07/04/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"CLAMP always delivers an intriguing story. XxxHolic is no exception.

First of all let me get one thing off my chest. The anime is drawn strange because it's an adaptation of the manga. For some reason over the past few recent manga series CLAMP has released you can tell they are slowly changing their art style. While they've always drawn their characters a little 'lanky' it seems they are taking a more simple approach to their normally over-the-top details. It was pleasing to the eye in Chobits but seems to be going downhill in XxxHolic. (and Tsubasa as they are essentially tied together)However, since the details are tapering off we can now see the true structure and anatomy of their style of character. It's still the same CLAMP we know and love but simplified.
Even so it doesn't seem to translate well into anime. Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle is the same way. Seeing the lanky structures in still images, black/white, and with CLAMP's gorgeous detail is okay but once they start moving they have to tone down the details and it starts to show it's flaws.
All that aside the anime is basically a moving picture version of the manga. The story stays the same, albeit shortened as it's just the first season, and is just as interesting.
I love the Manga and I've watched the entire first season of the anime. While I am striving to collect all of the Manga a simple 1 time watch-through of the anime was enough for me.

PROs- Very close the manga, all the humor is there, it just wouldn't be the same Watanuki if he wasn't lanky (c'mon admit it!), and it's still the same great short-story style.

CONs- Oversimplified style of animation, Ending is abrupt and open-ended, doesn't explain the characters background (such as what is up with Himawari?!!), and does not even hint at the fact there is 2nd season. (The Manga does though :) Xxxholic Kei)


End thoughts - It's a good story, likable characters, but the animation is severely lacking and it ends up coming across as a short story sitcom of creepy stuff rather than the adaptation of the Manga (which DOES have a story believe it or not).

In my honest opinion it's a good 1 time watch if you're a fan of the Manga but even then...you could just watch "Kei" and you'd be just as happy."

Nice series for teens, but too simplistic for adults

J. Fuchs | Los Angeles, CA United States | 07/02/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I had some serious 1980's flashbacks going on as I watched this. Some reviewers have said that this series is about a boy who is plagued by contact with the spirit world, but unfortunately that's just the setup to introduce Watanuki to Yuko, who is a sort of Morticia Adams meets Yoda meets the master from Kung Fu or the Karate Kid. She dispenses worldly wisdom from her "wish shop" in exchange for payment that isn't very clear up front, but in Watanuki's case consist of his watch and his part-time services as a chef and personal shopper (don't be surprised if you find yourself thinking "wax on/wax off" when you see Watanuki' attempts in the kitchen). Watanuki yells and whines almost constantly (showing bizarrely shark-like teeth in the process), while Yuko smokes, calls for more sake, and slinks around in lingerie. Throw in a Pokémon-type one-eyed stuffed bunny thing that jumps up and down and demands food constantly, two annoying little girls, who don't do much other than shout, giggle and refer to Yuko as their mistress, a possible love interest and a rival for Watanuki, and you've got -- wacky wisdom!

It's hard to say exactly who the intended audience for this program is. My first thought on watching it was that it's very similar to the cartoons my preteen nieces and nephew watch on television. Only those don't have a lead character that smokes and drinks sake to excess. And the xxx in the title, though not pronounced, might lead one to believe this is anime for adults. But the messages in the episodes are definitely not for grown-ups -- we have only one past, there are many possible futures, you have to learn your own lessons, etc., so I'd say this DVD is best for teens who are kind of into goth and anime and haven't seen and heard all these new-age messages before. If I were that age, I'd probably think this was pretty cool, but as an adult my response to it was just lukewarm."

Holic - A Mildly Interesting Spirit Anime

Scott Bright | Grayslake, IL USA | 04/15/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The name of this anime series is Holic. The xxx in front of the name is a variable to insert your addiction. This is the first DVD from the TV series and contains 4 episodes.

Watanuki is a high school student who is cursed with the ability to see spirits who torment him. One day he is mysteriously pulled into the shop of a beautiful witch/ fortune teller named Yuko. She says she is in the business of granting wishes. She gets him to admit that he wishes to stop seeing spirits. She says she will grant the wish once he has paid her by working in her shop doing chores and cooking. Thus starts their relationship which is the basis for the episodes of the series.

I enjoyed it, but was also annoyed by all the yelling and whining that Watanuki does. That gets very old very fast. The plots of the first 4 episodes were not that involved. Overall I think this is a series geared more for teen girls. I really like the opening theme and will be looking to get a copy of that."