I've recently discovered this hidden gem. This is a much darker Anime then I expected. It is created by CLAMP and is seinen (for adults 18-30). It's got a little bit of everything as most good Animes do. What's unique about this Anime is how they blend very interesting mystical themes with modern life and it's all done with awesome animation. It's quite nice because you get some interesting insights into Japanese superstitions. Honestly it can be a little chilling sometimes. The Japanese voice cast is great and the music is very fitting. So far I've seen 19 episodes (Animesuki) and I'm looking forward to more of this unique experience.
9 Reviews
Great looking anime from Studio Clamp
Tweekums20 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I started watching this series on Funimation's YouTube channel but before I'd finished I bought the DVDs as I was enjoying it so much. The series follows Watanuki; a high school student who has always been haunted by dark spirits; that is until he comes across a strange shop run by Yuko. It isn't an ordinary shop; this shop is where people's wishes can come true
for a price. The price Watanuki pays is that he ends up working at the shop that in turn means he gets involved in the lives of other people who go there. Some of the people who go there manage to have their wishes granted and can get on with their lives; others are less fortunate as they can't tell the truth about what they truly want.
This series was a lot of fun with great characters; enjoyable stories and a very distinctive look to it. The characters are all drawn in a way that makes them look very tall and thin; this somehow adds to the atmosphere of the show. The episodes are mostly stand-alone stories that vary in tone from dark, where people might die to the more comic where events are played for laughs. More often than not the amusing scenes involve Shizuka Domeki; a boy who Watanuki seems to need but dislikes. If you have yet to see this series from Studio Clamp than I recommend checking it out.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
This series was a lot of fun with great characters; enjoyable stories and a very distinctive look to it. The characters are all drawn in a way that makes them look very tall and thin; this somehow adds to the atmosphere of the show. The episodes are mostly stand-alone stories that vary in tone from dark, where people might die to the more comic where events are played for laughs. More often than not the amusing scenes involve Shizuka Domeki; a boy who Watanuki seems to need but dislikes. If you have yet to see this series from Studio Clamp than I recommend checking it out.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
I love this show!
Angels_Review13 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
I do love this show a lot but there are some problems in it too. Inconsistencies between the manga and the anime make me cringe just a tad. Now I have not actually read the manga, but I have seen enough to find that some of the artwork is not right, but we will get to that in a moment. This is pretty much Pet Shop of Horrors with wishes and spirits; sometimes their good, and sometimes they will try to rip you apart.
The story follows a fail of a boy named Watanuki. Pretty much everything he does, he messes up with and is always hunted down by spirits. He is the only one who can see them which makes him look like a fool most of the time when he runs around the town from spirits that seem to not exist. Now here is where some of the inconsistencies that I found. Almost every picture I have seen of him has two different eye colors but yet, the anime has given him both blue eyes. I am not sure exactly which is true but it's what I've seen from the manga, it's supposed to be the later.
Yuuko is an interesting character and from what I've seen, they are actually alike between the manga and anime at least in looks. She has a way of getting what she wants with no worry as to what will happen to the other person although I believe she always knows it will work out. I never once saw her worried that something may happen.
If Watanuki wears his emotions on his sleeve, Domeki is the exact opposite. Maybe that's why they make a great pair. Domeki cancels all of Watanuki's crazy antics, giving mostly a base monotone as he speaks. I wish he was actually in the show more often and given a bigger role because it was really fun to see the conversation between him and Watanuki (and the idea of them being a yaoi pair makes my fan girl in me scream for joy...) In fact, all the characters are pretty memorable as main characters except for one. Himawari is a little two plain and cheerful all the time. Sometimes I want to smack her hard because she just gets so annoying. There are many times that Yuko gives cryptic statements about her but it is never explained what is going on with her.
I somewhat understood all that was being said but then some of what they talked about, I felt would only make sense to a Japanese person such as the game 'Angel' which seems to be a Japanese version of Ouija Board or Wigi Board. When they first talked about it, I thought that it was something else. Another thing that is bothersome to me is that no one takes her advice, which I understand, some of the reasons for it but then they get into problems and suffer for it and I just have to roll my eyes at it.
The animation is alright but all the characters are much too thin and long limbed which makes it hard to watch sometimes. Even fluid movements would never make the shows good to me. There are many times when the artwork pretty much sucks for an anime, and really makes me wonder. It surprises me that such a low design could come from Clamp. In fact, the fact that there are references to other Clamp manga's in the show is interesting if you take the time to pick them out. Sadly, the only details with this seem to be in the background except one or two things the characters end up wearing and the characters themselves are poorly lacking in detail and actual proportions with arms and legs going everywhere during freak outs. I also don't like how their eyes are all blank. They have no high lights what so ever so it makes them look dead.
I really like the English Voice acting, which to me, it's much better then the Japanese. The English has more fluid movement in fact then the Animation and feels like a cloud of smoke to the ears. At least for most of the things Yoko says. The other actors are pretty good for them going with Shizuka's monotone to the crazy way Watanuki's voice gets with some of the things he gets in to. Really I do feel sorry for the boy. The music is also really well done, giving it a really nice mystic feel to it and the opening is rather fun. I would watch this for the story line but pretty much not much else.
The story follows a fail of a boy named Watanuki. Pretty much everything he does, he messes up with and is always hunted down by spirits. He is the only one who can see them which makes him look like a fool most of the time when he runs around the town from spirits that seem to not exist. Now here is where some of the inconsistencies that I found. Almost every picture I have seen of him has two different eye colors but yet, the anime has given him both blue eyes. I am not sure exactly which is true but it's what I've seen from the manga, it's supposed to be the later.
Yuuko is an interesting character and from what I've seen, they are actually alike between the manga and anime at least in looks. She has a way of getting what she wants with no worry as to what will happen to the other person although I believe she always knows it will work out. I never once saw her worried that something may happen.
If Watanuki wears his emotions on his sleeve, Domeki is the exact opposite. Maybe that's why they make a great pair. Domeki cancels all of Watanuki's crazy antics, giving mostly a base monotone as he speaks. I wish he was actually in the show more often and given a bigger role because it was really fun to see the conversation between him and Watanuki (and the idea of them being a yaoi pair makes my fan girl in me scream for joy...) In fact, all the characters are pretty memorable as main characters except for one. Himawari is a little two plain and cheerful all the time. Sometimes I want to smack her hard because she just gets so annoying. There are many times that Yuko gives cryptic statements about her but it is never explained what is going on with her.
I somewhat understood all that was being said but then some of what they talked about, I felt would only make sense to a Japanese person such as the game 'Angel' which seems to be a Japanese version of Ouija Board or Wigi Board. When they first talked about it, I thought that it was something else. Another thing that is bothersome to me is that no one takes her advice, which I understand, some of the reasons for it but then they get into problems and suffer for it and I just have to roll my eyes at it.
The animation is alright but all the characters are much too thin and long limbed which makes it hard to watch sometimes. Even fluid movements would never make the shows good to me. There are many times when the artwork pretty much sucks for an anime, and really makes me wonder. It surprises me that such a low design could come from Clamp. In fact, the fact that there are references to other Clamp manga's in the show is interesting if you take the time to pick them out. Sadly, the only details with this seem to be in the background except one or two things the characters end up wearing and the characters themselves are poorly lacking in detail and actual proportions with arms and legs going everywhere during freak outs. I also don't like how their eyes are all blank. They have no high lights what so ever so it makes them look dead.
I really like the English Voice acting, which to me, it's much better then the Japanese. The English has more fluid movement in fact then the Animation and feels like a cloud of smoke to the ears. At least for most of the things Yoko says. The other actors are pretty good for them going with Shizuka's monotone to the crazy way Watanuki's voice gets with some of the things he gets in to. Really I do feel sorry for the boy. The music is also really well done, giving it a really nice mystic feel to it and the opening is rather fun. I would watch this for the story line but pretty much not much else.
Excellent series
tomdude018 November 2012
xxxHolic is an incredibly unique anime. It follows Watanuki Kimihiro, a high school student who can see spirits and is plagued by them on an everyday basis. One day, he wanders into the wish-granting shop of the witch Yuko, who claims that she can grant any wish in exchange for a price. So, Watanuki becomes a part-time employee at her shop in exchange for the granting of his wish: to no longer be able to see spirits. And thus, we are thrown into the world of the supernatural as it appears in everyday life.
Using superstitions and other paranormal aspects, xxxHolic conveys messages and morals with humor and some actual frights. xxxHolic presents a look at life from a very unique perspective. A must-see.
Using superstitions and other paranormal aspects, xxxHolic conveys messages and morals with humor and some actual frights. xxxHolic presents a look at life from a very unique perspective. A must-see.
Unique
hoshixetsuma2 July 2018
I loved this anime I remember watching this as a teenager. I really like the art work it's different and unique, I haven't come across another anime like this. The story line is very good all the characters have funny and quirky personalities. Highly recommended.
Nice Supernatural Series
keithomusic18 May 2020
Before I get to the pros let me get the cons out of the way, There are 2 problems with this series, first is the main character Watanuki, who pretty much yells and complains most of the time, it is very annoying. The second is not a problem for me, but seems to upset a lot of people, the way the characters are drawn is something unique, they are out of proportion. Now the pros, the animation itself is very good, despite the disproportionality. The most interesting character is Yuuko, a supernatural woman that Watanuki made a deal with. She says the most interesting things and is frequently profound, she also has the best wardrobe I have ever seen in an anime. It was Yuuko that kept me watching this series. I put up with the annoying main character because of her. There are quite a number of spirits from Japanese mythology in this series, many of which I never heard of and some which I got a better understanding of while watching this series. I would like to mention the opening songs for seasons 1 & 2 are interesting and enjoyable, although they are in a style I don't usually like. If you want a new and serious take on the supernatural then this a good one to choose.
A nice and intriguing storyline
judahchandra17 February 2014
I started watching Xxxholic last week and it is safe to say that I am not disappointed. It has similarities to Du Ra Ra as the viewer is submerged into a world of spirits and stuff that ordinary people do not get the chance to take part in. It contains pearls of wisdom for viewers through Yuuko's narration and embodies themes of friendship, trust, and adventure. Whilst it is undoubtedly slower compared to the likes of One piece or Bleach, the pace allows for a more reflective audience and a plot of self-discovery that will warm your heart. Overall: An anime I would be sure to recommend especially for those who want a slower paced but meaningful anime.
Ok but the animation and storyline is a bit meh
Irishchatter21 July 2018
I know this anime is part of the mid 2000s but the animation I thought, was a bit ugly and unflattering to look at. It made my watching experience really uneasy so I wasn't able to focus properly to wanting to watch more.
I have to say out of being nice, Yuko out of all the characters, was pretty much the most likeable one. She seems to want to get s*it done but she does it in a sexy clever kind of way and always does her best to taunt the boy lol Yeah I know I'm not making sense on that very last sentence but that's how I see her lol.
Also adding to being even more nice, the humour was actually pretty funny. With the animation and sorta the storyline not being the best for me this time, it didn't do a bad job in adding some cracking jokes in there. The storyline I felt was pretty much off for me because it just didn't seem original in a sense where it needed to stop making this anime to be known as a dark comedy, but rather as a serious drama film like e.g. Parasyte.
This is just my own takeaway on this anime series. I know I do have a weird nonsense opinion but hey that's just how I roll dudes lol
I have to say out of being nice, Yuko out of all the characters, was pretty much the most likeable one. She seems to want to get s*it done but she does it in a sexy clever kind of way and always does her best to taunt the boy lol Yeah I know I'm not making sense on that very last sentence but that's how I see her lol.
Also adding to being even more nice, the humour was actually pretty funny. With the animation and sorta the storyline not being the best for me this time, it didn't do a bad job in adding some cracking jokes in there. The storyline I felt was pretty much off for me because it just didn't seem original in a sense where it needed to stop making this anime to be known as a dark comedy, but rather as a serious drama film like e.g. Parasyte.
This is just my own takeaway on this anime series. I know I do have a weird nonsense opinion but hey that's just how I roll dudes lol
Ehhh
fragle-2685112 May 2021
Stories are fun but I just can't get over the horrible animation. At times the movie had super large body parts but really small heads. It seems the animation started out fine but as the episodes when on it got sloppier and sloppier.
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