- Manga Released: 2003 original, 2013 for “Rei,”
- Number of Volumes: 19 original, plus 4 more in sequel series, “Rei,”
- Translated By: 2004 by Del Rey Manga, Kodansha in 2014,
- Genres: Occult, Mystery, Supernatural, School Anatics, Fate/Destiny, Connected Universes/Multiverses.
- Rating: 16+ (death, mild cursing, supernatural experiences,)
- BLURB: “Kimihiro Watanuki is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. He seeks help from a mysterious woman named Yuko, who claims she can help. However, Watanuki must work for Yuko in order to pay for her aid. Soon, Watanuki finds himself employed in Yuko’s shop where he sees things and meets customers that are stranger than anything he could have ever imagined.”
A few years ago, my little brother, AKA my otaku partner-in-crime, gave me an amazing gift: all 19 volumes of the “xxxHolic” manga. I adore the anime (and anything by CLAMP,) so this was a nice present. But when I learned there was a sequel series, “Rei,” I made sure to get those first, too. That way, I could sit and read the entire story in one convenient span. Sadly, life got busy, and it took me a while to read it.
So, in February of this year, I knew this was the grand slam I wanted to end with for my CLAMP manga journey. And cheers to the shop; I am so glad I did! This manga was…well, you will have to read my musing post here to find out. 😉
Kimihiro Watanuki is a high school student stressed with life. He has lived alone for a long time since his parents’ passing, but he has a secret: he is plagued with seeing and being attacked by spirits, especially evil ones. And his greatest desire is to not be able to see or interest them (and to catch the eye of his huge crush, the lovely Himawari).
That is how our story begins to move;
With a wish.
Because he needed to find it, Watanuki discovered, on his walk home, one day a shop nestled between modern buildings in Tokyo. There, he meets Yuko, the beautiful, powerful, and huge-personality Space-Time Witch. She grants his wish of no longer being able to see spirits, however, there is a price to keep balance in the world: he will have to work for her until his debt is paid, whatever that means! Thank goodness for Yuko and her helpers, Moro, Maru, and the amazing, who has 108 special skills and is a black squishball bunny creature, Mokona, that Watanuki is an excellent cook and housekeeper, even if he stomps and yells about doing it constantly.
Several of the first volumes show Watanuki doing errands for this shop that deals with the supernatural world that invisibly coexists with our own, sometimes leaking into our own mortal one. Along the way, he is forced to work with the too-chill, bossy, but deep-down good-hearted Domeki, whose grandfather was a powerful monk. Because of his bloodline, when Domeki is near Watanuki, spirits do not mess with him. Himawari casually finds out about Yuko’s abilities and Watanuki’s curse, always supporting and worrying about him. They both get dragged into situations but are always there.
Some deal with mythical items, such as a monkey’s paw. Some superstitions, like a demon will come after you if you clip your toenails at night. The stress of lying and cheating, the power of words, the danger of summoning demons, events where the veils between realms are thin and blend. The numerous creative methods CLAMP used for these concepts, their skill in stories that wrap around your heart and sink you into the realm of deep thought is profoundly on display here.
The highlight advertising point for this series when it was made was it was a companion series to their other series they were writing at the same time, “Tsubasa; Reservior Chronicles” (which I love.) The main cast of that manga make a handful of appearances or mentions in “xxxHolic” and the stories connect in certain points (especially towards the ladder half), but you can read them as stand-alones too. I did really like the connections between Syoaran, Sakura, and Watanuki. “Rei” and “Tsubasa’s” sequel manga are connected as well.
Both also have several cameos from their multiverse of series. Whereas “Tsubasa’s” is more from characters from former series in different worlds/roles in cameos, “xxxHolic” does Easter eggs. For example, we see Sakura’s wands in the storage shop. Chii’s from “Chobits” ears are used as a wireless headphone device for communication on a mission. And our adorable, amazing Mokonas designs are based on the OG Mokona from “Magic Knights Rayearth,” a being Yuko and “Cardcaptor Sakura’s” Clow Reed saw…
And Clow Reed himself is a key to the stories himself, his magic so powerful that it transcends not just worlds but series.
Once again, the art is stunning- no surprise for CLAMP. And like always, with every series, they change some aspect, never afraid to experiment. For “xxxHolic,” they decided not to use screen tones, but considering all the traditional Japanese outfits, they still did a breathtaking job. And yes, this is important with the fact Yuko literally never wears the same outfit twice. =D They never disappoint in their character designs and attention to details, especially in any fabrics.
Speaking of characters, that’s what makes or breaks a story, and our main cast delivers with gold-star ratings! Yuko’s personality weaves into the manga as seamlessly and captures you like one of her beautiful kimonos. She encompasses the mysterious, knowledgable beauty with a calm, strong persona. but she also has a childish side that somehow works for her, only Watakuni is able to tell her no in this state of demand whinily for food and her favorite, sake. I loved how the black Mokona was obsessed with drinking like her, lol! Yuko’s words are always purposeful, mentoring but accepting of the choices others make, for it was fate, the motto of her shop and the manga. It is a play on the motto of Clow Reed from “Cardcaptor Sakura:” “Expect the unexpected.”
“There are no such things as coincidences; only fate.”
Watakuni has a kind soul, but I must admit I love his moments where he yells and spatz out, lol! Yet, I think this shows his strength. Despite his tragic life of being cursed with evil spirits and living alone due to the death of his family at a young age, he can still enjoy life and be over-the-top and goofy. The dishes he cooks are also critical to the story, adding a familiar fresh breath to an occult story that fits well. They mention countless dishes, and I like learning about them. This ‘comedy act’ as Himawari calls it with Domeki and their rapport is the heartbeat of the story (along with his rapport with Yuko in his life), and it is engaging, endearing, and entertaining. I also adore how he says Himawari’s name when he sees her lol! Complete 180 from Domeki. Watakuni does mellow and change over time as the people he meets and the quests he endures change his outlooks, which is natural, and I respect it. But I must admit, by the last four volumes, I was very much missing my stomping, grumpy, still wide-eyed Watakuni.
All the side characters are great too, my favorite being the young Kitsune at the ramen shop, the pipe fox spirit (I want a plush of him so badly,) Zashiki-Warashi (the sweet wisteria spirit with a pure heart who has a crush on Watakuni,) Haraka (Domeki’s grandfather,) the “Grandmother” fortune teller, and Kohane (a child spiritual medium that befriends Watakuni. I LOVE her; I wish she was in the original anime, but I heard she is in the “Rei” one.)
And always, MOKONA! ALL THE MOKONAS!
Although I liked this series immensely, it did suffer the same as “Tsubasa: Reservior Chronicles” did at its 60%+ mark: confusing plot. But it was not as extreme as its sister series, thank goodness. LOL! This is not a slam on any of their works, but man, my beloved “Tsubasa” still gives me a headache with all the plot threads they added and tried to connect midway. “xxxHolic” does flow pretty well, considering.
However…
After the end of volume 15, the tone of the story shifts in the last four volumes. Now, and NOT trying to spoil, but when you lose a key component of your story, of course I expect change, and it was still a good read. However, it just did not catch my interest as before. There was a proper ending, and for that I am grateful. Yet, it was not as…conclusive as I needed, tragically beautiful in its own way, but I was still left sad and wanting more.
Now, “Rei” is a nice story too (although it is on hiatus like too many of CLAMP’s epic works…sighs…) BUT, I was so perplexed about what it was! It is promoted as a direct sequel. However, at the start, it seems like a midquel. Then, there are dreams and flashforwards, and…yeah! It evens itself out, but my advice is to simply enjoy being in the world of our friends from the “xxxHolic” verse again!
I also love the anime (famous for its ‘noodle people, lol!) I really want to watch “Rei,” which is sadly Japanese only, the live-action movie, and live-action series. ^-^
What a dramatic way to end this year of my favorite manga-ka, CLAMP. I hope you learned something and found a spark of interest in the works of the incredible muses of manga for the last almost 40 years. If you wish for them, they will come because…
fate has brought you.
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Educator of young minds by day, super nerdy savior of justice, and cute things by night, Morgan Straughan Comnick has a love for turning the normal into something special without losing its essence. Morgan draws from real-life experiences and her ongoing imagination to spark her writing. In her spare time, she enjoys doing goofy voices, traveling to new worlds by turning pages, humming child-like songs, and forcing people to smile with her “bubbliness.” It is Morgan’s mission in life to spread the amazement of otaku/Japanese culture to the world and to stop bullying; she knows everyone shines brightly.
For more information about Morgan and her works, check out her website, which also has links to all her social medias: http://morganscomnick.com
