I remember reading xxxholic years ago and even as I try to remember the story now it's very fuzzy in my mind. I feel like the problem with xxxholic is that there is no real plot, it's very character development oriented and very slice of life. There's episodic plot arcs but none of them are actually interesting, just slow. It's very much like Clamp's other works 'Legal Drug' and 'Tokyo Babylon' but the characters are less amusing and there's no hints at an overarching mystery. I always felt like the lack of a real plot would be alright if at least there was chemistry in the cast but there isn't...the only redeeming character is Yuuko, who is just amazing - too bad the actual story is slow and lacking of a point.

... Last updated on September 10th, 2013, 5:28pm

..do NOT read this until you read the Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle series. I'm sure the author wants you to read them both simultaneously as it seems like it was intended. but the more practical method would probably be to read TRC first. If you decide to be like me and read xxxHolic first, what happens is that eventually the story throws at you characters that pop out of another universe and then expects you to care for these cameos. honestly, it just makes me more confused and upset at the author for having our main cast getting personal with these random folks w/o establishing clear connections with the reader. and to top it off, the main characters' backstories that seem to be developed in TRC never really get explained in xxxHolic as a standalone.

this slow pace of a story feels very episodic most of the time. probably because most of the characters feel very 1 dimensional. when character development does happen, it's infrequent and in noticeable jumps. not very smoothed out but some would disagree probably. also the main character constantly whines a bit too frequently for quite awhile, way past it being anything remotely funny. enough that i wanted to drop the series a couple of times.

tl;dr read TRC first before picking this up. also this story is very meh as a standalone.

... Last updated on April 10th, 2013, 9:07pm

xxxHOLiC was a pretty good read, in my opinion. It has great loveable characters, all who grew up together yet all went their separate ways. Honestly, I would've never guessed that . Still Doumeki eventually led a pretty normal life and so did Himawari and Kohane.

The art is simple, yet graceful and appealing. The humor in this manga is light-hearted and it gives you something to think about when it comes to real life situation, about humans and spirits in general. This manga's got its heartbreaking moments and have it's shocking moments. The ending is definitely a cliff hanger; why bring up the egg if CLAMP didn't plan to add anymore to it?

i don't know why, but somehow, i just think that watanuki resemble a lot of clow reed side.
the colour of his hair, his eyes, the shape of his eye, his body, and he likes to wear chinesse clothes and of course he wears the same glasses like clow!!
it's just make me think like he is clow reed.

i remember that clow reed used to love yuko, right? (i once read it in tsubasa reservoir, don't remember which chapter is it)
and yeah, it's just like plops if watanuki is the clow reed.

clamp make it so misterius but i really want to know if watanuki can meet yuko again. is he loves her or not? aaargh~

Ah... Like usual.. I love CLAMP works..
I hope this manga going to continued soon..
By the way, I don't know if this manga related to Blood-C..
I thought it's just related with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle..

There are very few series that give you a fresh feeling when you read it. Most manga - yeah, there are different settings and whatnot, but deconstructed, they're essentially repeats of the same old things with maybe one or two new twists.

xxxHolic is one of those few series. It takes on the Natsume Yuujinchou sort of story, but rips out 50% of that serene feeling, adds in 50% more shounen with a touch of Clamp's original comedic quirk, and takes away enough of the horror from these supernatural stories to not feel dreadful but still be enigmatic. If I had to describe it, it is Natsume Yuujinchou but sped up 2x, more heartwrenching than heartwarming, and has kickass characters.

I will give one warning. It is not action-packed, not immensely exciting. You have the other twin to the pair, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, for that. To enjoy this, you have to appreciate the time & dialogue spent on character relationships. It's all about character development. And Clamp has genius character designs for xxxHolic, so it's not a bad way to go at all.

I have to say that the anime is a so-so experience in comparison because it doesn't deal with character relationships as well.

The one complaint I have about this series is that they did one hell of a job screwing up loose ends and making it dependent on reading TRC for the climax.

That being said, the denouement following was great. I loved it to bits with the exception of the screwed up loose ends.

tl;dr The main, central plot that connects xxxHolic to TRC is a huge, abominable mess, but this series is good enough to earn a good rating despite that.

... Last updated on July 18th, 2012, 11:29am

I love this manga. Though, I did read the ending and didn't realize that was the last chapter :'(
Yuuko is awesome and the art (CLAMP of course) is amazing. With all the detail, the art was perfect. The story is amazing, I admit, i would have to reread a couple times to understand the meaning and yuuko's sayings. I would watch the anime and feel like I'm in another world or something. Supernaturally awesome!..ah that was kinda lame.
But anyways, This was one of my favorite mangas and I would recommend it to anyone who are deep thinkers or are interested in the supernatural or just anyone in general

... Last updated on July 9th, 2012, 6:03pm

*Gush* the art, the characters, the development, the ideas, the atmosphere, the style, the feelings. Where to begin? I think when you get overwhelmed and at a loss for words is when you know it's something special.

For me, xXxHoLic is immersed in details and the joy of reading it is in the rereads and the rediscoveries. Like how Watanuki's greetings to Himawari changes, in the end his small private smile over the phone expresses much more effectively the depth of their friendship and consequently his growth than wild gesticulations. But it cannot have achieved that without the adolescent phase, so both moments are precious.

It's a really lovely manga - the art is tranquil, detailed, fluid and elegant. The main character of Yuuko Ichihara is very lilkable, as she is a strong female lead with plenty of enough complexity. The rest of the characters also follow a comprehensive journey and characterizations, and the overall stories that follow are authentic, mysterious and original. You also really get true questions on the daily aspects of life and morality.

And yes, there is a healthy hint of good quality comedy.

It is also recommened to those who enjoy anything paranormal. The first chunk of the series deals with spirits, from the benevolent to the malevolent, ghost stories to real hauntings, and it is quite interesting.


That being said though, the plot does go slightly downhill after a little while. It starts off quite strong, but then some aspects felt...a little watered down, or stretched out, if that makes any sense. First you start with the spiritial side, the human growth, the mystical side, Yuuko dealing with her clients, to parts of the plot that seem to try too hard. It's strange, and hard to explain.

Nevertheless, it is a highly recommended read. For the ending, you will either feel content with it or feel like something is missing/rushed/a little sad (It's up to you on how you will want to feel)

I went wtf when I finished reading... They lost me more than once during the whole thing, but at the end they completely lost me. I had no idea whats going on...

Honestly, it's not a bad manga by any means, it's an absolutely amazing manga, but still... it sucks. Too many things left unexplained, too many gaps that made me lost sense of timeflow, and just damn f***ing confusing. But... I still love it. Let's just say I lost the ability to think with this manga. It's great, for no reason. Thinking about it now, although it sucks, both the ending and everything else is probably the most fitting for this manga; but it still sucks.

I didn't read TRC although I did watch the anime version years ago. Pretty much forgot most of it, and couldn't bring myself to read the manga. Plus... I skipped more than a few chapters in xxxHolic too, I did watch everything from anime though. That may had been the reason I didn't understand alot of xxxHolic.

... Last updated on February 7th, 2012, 6:25am