This manga is so nostalgic, i remember we have this manga and the other Clamp sensei manga like Tsubasa, Cardcaptor Sakura, Tokyo Babylon, X and etc back then. Clamp Sensei is geniuses i love them. and even Since i was kid (before i understand bl things and become Fujo) i always love Doumeki and Watanuki to be together huhu i love them so much..

I gotta hand it to them. CLAMP is probably one the most extra when it comes to their art. So beautiful. So imaginative and creative. And this goes hand in hand with the plots their works carry. Out of all their works, though, I'd say xxxHolic is probably their work with the second most tangible plot (Card Captor Sakura takes #1 because despite it's huge involvement with the paranormal, it's still mostly based on ordinary life and readers still find the series entertaining without being completely swept up into complex supernatural arcs).

If I'm going to be honest, I think xxxHolic could've been better. I love the chapters with them solving supernatural cases and facing interesting clients. It was all good there till it started becoming too dragging for me and I got bored. Sure, there were loads of questions to be answered and this was probably what made the whole series intriguing all the same that it was dragging so bad. They had things to reveal but they really took their time giving out answers. The only thing the series got it going for me was the hope that the subplot CLAMP put in could've been canon.

I knew CLAMP is famous for building a huge interconnected world so I kept this on my wish list for more than 5 years but I finally gathered up the courage to take the plunge and I wasn't disappointed.

First of all, my god the art is beautiful! Yuuko's kimono, the shop, the artifacts, they are all drawn so majestically. I loved the delicate, intricate, and charismatic artwork in xxxHolic.

The characters were really interesting too. I really liked the mysterious and strong yet sometimes fragile aura that first Yuuko had then Watanuki took on. I was gradually drawn in like a firefly to a candle. I absolutely adore Doumeki and his caring for Watanuki. I liked that shounen ai-ish mood in the air~ although if you're not a fan, you might be feel put off by it.

The plot is at first, a series of mysteries with the customers coming to make wishes and Watanuki being sent to solve them. However, the real plot is gradually revealed and oh my, is it good. If you read this before TC as I did, you will definitely be confused and not understand what the heck is going on. I definitely recommend reading TC first to avoid that. I read TC right away after reading xxxHolic because I was so confused by the end. I think Clamp's style is more about showing events that occur without really explaining them so the reader has to figure out what happens. I've come to find myself enjoying this style but I have to say it's definitely frustrating and requires some patience. I liked the overall plot but I liked the day to day events with customers coming to make wishes too. It was fun to see Watanuki constantly tripping and falling as he tried to "solve" each wish. Um, I'd have to say it's sort of like Gintama style where you just have to enjoy the ride as each of the overarching plot's detail is revealed one by one.

Tl;dr - It's definitely worth the read. Art, story is excellent but read Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle first.

... Last updated on March 18th, 2018, 12:05am

First one is ones that make you excitedly want to know what's going on
Next is ones that make you excitedly don't want to know what's going on
The last is ones that make you irritatedly want to know what's going on

This series is one of the latest one ="=
Oh how I hate CLAMP's obsession with "Sakura" and "Shaoran"
Everything goes around them...

If you want to know what is on the other side of the "witches" life.. You must read this.

If you want to know what is on the other side of the "witches" life.. You must read this.

This work has so many references and connections to CLAMP's other works such as Card Captor Sakura, Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles, and etc. (and i love them!!) The characters were portrayed beautifully, and by the end I had fallen for Doumeki 10 times over...

One suggestion though: DO NOT READ THIS UNTIL YOU'VE ALREADY READ TSUBASA RESEVOIR CHRONICLES!!!! These two have an intertwined plot, so you must read the former to understand the latter!!

And the ending made me cry until my tears just dried up (ended up with puffy eyes). I feel really sad for Watanuki, but I have hope that some time in the future, he will come to term with his situation. So, I will be the same, and just place faith in my own little made up ending.

(for this reason, I cannot bear to read the sequel. I've already imagined my own happy ending for watanuki)

... Last updated on June 29th, 2014, 10:03pm

i really love this manga, more than any other clamp's work. actually, i was a bit disappointed about the ending, it's just so sad to see the main character, watanuki, waiting for yuuko until unlimited time.
But, the sequel is pretty good. at first, i was just confused, why this manga (xxxholic rei) became a sequel when there is no connection between the ending of xxxholic and the story goes? and then i realized that the sequel is really "the sequel"
Now i have to wait every week, or every two weeks to read the continuation of xxxholic rei. i hope this sequel has a better ending ( even if i'm pessimistic about this).

This is the first manga I ever read. Originally, I started watching the anime (this is also the first anime i ever watched) and the I got introduced to the world of Japan, Korea, and China. Of course I have read/watched many mangas/animes now. The story is excellent and since I am a supernatural lover, its perfect for me. It has a lot of philosophy which makes me love it more. The ending is sad. He waits for her even if he knows she wont come, because he can't let her go. But I think its necessary to have that hope. So the readers can imagine whatever they want. And hope is all we have afterall. And i think clamp is famous for those kind of endings, considering this and Tsubasa.
Watanuki, as he grew older, he became so hot. I have fallen for him for years now. Okay, so this is a manga I'll love forever. Its beautiful and the ending didnt disappoint as much as Tsubasa did.

To clarify the ending:

but overall, the characters were extremely lovable and this series will always be one of my favorites, even though I've probably shed more tears than I should have over a single series that isn't even officially categorized a tragedy.

It's true that in the beginning, the story seems to have no plot and is filled with lighthearted comedy as the characters interact with each other, but towards the middle and end, it is clear that the story is going in a particular direction and a stable plot begins to build on that. Of course, the artist is CLAMP, so there's pretty much no such thing as proper anatomy, but I've grown up reading CLAMP's works, so I have no issue with it.

I do not recommend this series to those who dislike stories that do not begin with a particularly serious plot or those who are strongly against possible romantic feelings between two males (it is never officially stated, but there is a lot of implied romantic notions between Watanuki and Doumeki, and CLAMP has completed a few shounen-ai series, so that's not entirely impossible). I do highly recommend this to anyone else who likes supernatural stories that evoke various different emotions and can grow to just adore the characters.

On another note, xxxHolic Rei was disappointing in the sense that it ended up being an alternate story (as it is labeled) instead of a continuation/sequel to xxxHolic. I would have loved to see a happy ending for Watanuki.

... Last updated on January 4th, 2014, 12:40pm