I'm reading both xxxHoLic and Tsubasa, and I must say: I think this one is much better. Although, as some people have said, if I didn't read Tsubasa certain scenes would make no sense and detract from the presentation of this series. While I think Tsubasa has a better-developed plot, I find xxxHoLic more entertaining and I feel that reading both series in tandem really enhances the experience of both.

xxxHoLic is good simply for the characters. It’s definitely loaded with episodic people, but I love that. I love any story with unique characters that have “out-there” personalities, and all the main characters are, well, “themselves.”(Hah.) Yuuko makes my Top 5 list of favorite manga characters of all time. Watanuki also amuses me.

While the nutty antics of the characters bring a lot of humor in to this series, its fantasy dimension is nicely done as well. The subjects they use for fantasy (such as fox spirits or ghosts) aren’t very original in themselves, but the way CLAMP puts a new perspective on them in xxxHoLic is fantastic, unique, and very interesting.

Something many critics of the series point out is the weak connection of events throughout the plot. One doesn’t necessarily have to read about an event in a pervious chapter to understand something in a latter one. (There are several situations where you do, but 3 times out of 5, you don’t.) Critics have a point about this making the plot somewhat weak but I rather like this setup. It seems like too many manga and anime these days require you to read/watch continuously through to a T or you will be completely lost, but xxxHoLic allows you to appreciate the good points of the many different scenarios. Don’t care me wrong, I normally prefer continuous series, but in the way xxxHoLic is done, the differences make it better.

To clarify the ending:

By the last chapter, Watanuki had been in possession of the shop for four generations, which is why he tells the Doumeki look-alike (his first name is not revealed) that he looks so much like his great-grandfather (Doumeki Shizuka, whom Watanuki spent most of his time with throughout most of the series), who also greatly resembled his grandfather (Doumeki Haruka). The current Doumeki at the end (first name unknown) is in possession of the egg, which is implied to have been passed down within the family, because Doumeki Shizuka's decision was to have the Doumeki family use the egg to make Watanuki forget about Yuuko when Watanuki wants to and is ready to forget about her.

It was confusing the way they made Doumeki Shizuka's descendant look so much like him at the end, but that's more or less how it ended. I do agree that the ending was disappointing, as it seems as though Watanuki will never meet Yuuko again and will continue to wait for her alone, regardless of how much longer he will have to wait, 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.

Everything's been said a hundred times over in here.
Great manga, could even be a masterpiece, if it wasn't for one of the most typical and well hidden trapdoors: the middle of the manga is a bit too slow (which is when all the costumers come to the shop's owner Ichihara Yuuko).
Well, turns and events in the story make it all up to you. The character developement is some of the best you'll ever find in mangas.

General things people should know when reading xxxHolic:
Reading the Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (TRC) first would drastically increase the ability to understand the embedded details. These two manga are closely linked and even facets of the same story. Treat them as a series, that tell a single story, except this one isn't prequel and sequel, but rather it's all happening at the same time, actions in each of them explain certain other actions in the other.
TRC however is the easier read (mostly) and does not require xxxHolic for understanding, so it might be best to read TRC first, then xxxHolic.
I personally would refer anybody above age 18 to this story. Anybody below that age may require a re-read or two later in their lives to understand the whole manga in its entirety, all social aspects included. I am 21 as I write this comment, I've a good if not especially intricate understanding of Asian cultures and life has equipped me with a deep understanding of human psyche and yet I am sure, if I were to read this story again in five years, I'd catch on things I didn't quite see this time around.

After the introduction and the first few chapters things slow down a bit. Maybe too much, but that is personal preference and might have been neccessary to keep xxxHolic and TRC in synch, both publishing and character developement wise. Should you find that you dislike xxxHolic because of that, don't be discouraged. The real interesting stuff starts right after TRC's plot ends in xxxHolic.

The end feels kinda hurried though, incomplete. That's why it might not be very easy to identify with, even though it is quite emotional. The ending is not the worst I've read, in fact it is still one of the better ones, but it does not quite do the rest of the manga justice. Therefore I reduce the score from a 9.5 to a 9 of 10.
Note: There is a sequel planned: xxxHolic: Rei, so that might be the reason for the loose ends. That doesn't change anything for this manga by itself though, so the score stays.

xxxHolic is one of the best mangas I have ever read.
The art is beautiful, as expected from the renown CLAMP.
The story line is complicated and mysterious. You really need to follow closely otherwise you would be lost on the essential details. This story is definitely unique. I have never read anything like it. There are some fluff, but every one of them is funny, which is a good diversion (-ish) from the actual plot line. You can't really guess the actual plot line until later in the manga because there aren't enough hints in the early part of the manga. So, with that, I would say that this story is moving pretty slow, but the long read is worthed at the end.

Character development is good. I think we actually see a significant change in the character only when the actual plot line starts to show, which is maybe around the early 100 chapters or so.

For those people who say that you have to read Tsubasa manga in order to understand what's happening in xxxHolic, I must disagree to a certain extent. I read Tsubasa some times ago, but I stopped along the way for some reason I don't remember. Anyway, I remember only a rough plot of Tsubasa and am able to read xxxHolic without getting too confused. So, my response to "have to read Tsubasa" is that--just go to wikipedia and get the rough plot line because that's all you need to know.

I want to say something about the manga vs anime for those people who have watched the anime and wanted to start on the manga. Manga is obviously better than the anime (true in majority of cases). Anime follows the same plot line as the manga. There's not enough of a plot line in the anime, though, so if you want to know what happened next and in more detail, read the manga. (I apologize if I am getting any facts wrong; I watched most of the first season.)

I am commenting on this manga based on reading 163 chapters.
It is getting so much more interesting.
This is definitely one of those mangas that by killing off a good character leads to an even greater development in another character--and the story as a whole--killing off this character is needed to further the plot.

Strongly recommended for those people who love the supernatural and mystery. Warning, though, there's no serious romance in this.

I just want to make a quick comment about the link. Regardless of the fact that it was planned, it does come across as a bit gimmicky. It doesn't really have the same affect on Tsubasa since it feels less like a piece of the plot is missing, but holic could really have succeeded on its own without it, and probably have had stronger pacing and a more involved ending sequence. I'll have to reserve my final comments on the matter until the story finally concludes, but as it is the ending feels as though it's heading in a slightly contrived direction...

Either way, it's still an excellent manga, but I have to agree that the crossover detracts from it, or at least limits its potential.

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.

no Watanuki and Doumeki did not end up together and since then i've been jaded and have thus, lost all hope in CLAMP i mean really CLAMP? I only ever wanted one thing

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...

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)

Ok, I read xxx holic in 2 sitting (was planning to read it in 1 but wanted the story to sink in more deeper).

The beginning was kind of "meh" to me. Read it because of TSC, but in the end xxx holic surprassed TSC in my opinion. So many twists and turns that hooked me in. Granted, there are some boring bits, but nevertheless it was still a good read.

I have always been a fan of time skipping, and Watanuki's progress is one of my fave. I especially love the part where he decided to inherit the shop later on. When Yuuko's role was done, I thought the story would get down hill. BOY WAS I WRONG. I must admit that Watanuki does a much better role that Yuuko, or maybe it is because he is new at it all that I find myself caring for him through and through.

xxx holic has made me think deeply, and it made me look at myself more focus. I would say that this is a story that must be read by deep thinkers!!

10/10

xxxHolic is really my favorite manga of all time.

The storyline is very deep, allowing the characters to develop and grow progressively in a really smart fashion. Every single character (not only Watanuki and Yuko) is interesting on a standalone basis (they are not just tools to put the main characters into perspective like in some other mangas).
You get to learn about japanese folk cultures and in each arc the supernatural is presented in a way that makes you reflect about life in general.
It is also extremely well balanced: comedy, reflection, drama, mystery, slice of life and even adventure are all present but none are too overpowering.
The art is FANTASTIC. That combined with all I said above (balance and storyline) makes it a very relaxing but at the same time challenging read; in a positive way. In my opinion, CLAMP are the best manga artists out there at the moment.

Regarding how it intertwines with Tsubasa RC. I must say that you can read the series without really paying attention to Tsubasa: most of the arcs are xxxHolic-specific. I started readingTsubasa after a while but did not get to finish it. The parallel between the two stories becomes very significant at some point but as another reviewer says, you can get your fix from wikipedia.

After the Tsubasa arc ended, and

Yuko disappeared/died I felt like the series would come to an end and nothing interesting would happen anymore. Boy was I wrong!! Watanuki's character gets even deeper and I am quite curious to see how the story will turn out from now on. Props to CLAMP for managing to keep the story fresh like that!