 | | ▪ | PUBLISHED BY: | | DEL REY | | | ▪ | ART/AUTHOR: | | CLAMP | | | | ▪ | FORMAT/COLOR: | | JAPANESE FORMAT / BW | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 182 | | | ▪ | RATED: | | 13+ | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 12/12/2006 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 01/10/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | CHRISTOPHER SEAMAN |
He is a high school student with a job that gives new meaning to ‘out of this world’. She is his boss and to say she is a witch is really not off the mark, because she really is one, with control over space and time. In XXX HOLIC, these two characters, along with the great supporting cast that fills out the pages of this wonderful manga from Clamp, have a relationship that is filled with superficial tension, but is also based on much deeper emotions. Is it respect? Is it something else? This is just one more mystery among the many in the story. Add to that the fact XXX HOLIC cross-connects with TSUBASA, another release by Clamp, readers can be assured that this is a manga worth following.
Set in the present day, XXX HOLIC is about Kamihiro Watanuki, who in trying to deal with certain paranormal abilities, agrees to work at a shop run by Yuko Ishikawa. Yuko, the aforementioned space time witch, gives Watanuki relief from his visions in exchange for… services rendered. Readers of TSUBASA will know that Yuko’s services don’t come cheaply. Usually the price is giving up something of equal value to that which is gained, and as Yuko never negotiates, that which is given up can be quite substantial. In the case of Watanuki, who, compared to Syaoran in TSUBASA, gets off fairly lightly, this means working in Yuko’s shop. Working in the shop, however, means cooking, cleaning, shopping, and running errands that often turn into either adventures or object lessons in themselves. Occasionally he greets his tasks with scorn, but his loyalty wins out every time and he always does the job to the best of his ability, especially where the cooking is concerned. (I’ve learned a lot about Japanese cuisine from reading this story.)
There is some love interest in XXX HOLIC. Himawari is a girl Watanuki is infatuated with, yet she also seems to be interested in Domeki, a familiar of Yuko’s and eternal tormentor of our hero. Himawari makes a welcome break in the tale, giving some fun to the readers watching Watanuki falling over his feet in L.O.V.E. She also makes a great foil to the hedonistic Yuko, who is the living embodiment of ‘use ‘em and abuse ‘em’ in her dealings with those in need of her services.
In Volume Eight, Watanuki has been the victim of an attack by a spider spirit, which has taken one of his eyes. His missing eye has become a hot commodity on the market, and it is up to Watanuki to fight unspeakably evil forces in order to get it back. This volume is like the others in that it is a journey of discovery for Watanuki, but this time the stakes are much higher and there is a great sense of urgency about the quest at hand. It quickly becomes obvious that the task for Watanuki is a kind of test, and his ability to solve the problem may affect Yuko’s trust in him. I cannot tell you what happens without spoiling the ending, but I can say it is poignant in a way typical of Clamp in their best manga.
The artwork in XXX HOLIC is bold with striking designs and patterns built into the images. The characters have a spiky look to them, and are very stylized with long slender bodies that look more at home in the pages of a fashion magazine than in a manga. One can look at this and see little hints of Beardsley or Klimt in the stylization of the work. However, the trademark facial features like noses and eyes do it every time. There’s something about the way Clamp artists design these features that makes their work immediately recognizable. No complaints here on that score. When this reviewer first saw the manga in Japan in 2004, it was easy to see without any help that this popular team was behind this production, and the wait for both XXX HOLIC and TSUBASA to reach our shores began in earnest.
IN SUMMARY:
XXX HOLIC is beautifully stylized, spellbinding in its combination of magic and mystery, and delightful to read. Clamp delivers wonder and wit in lush abundance from cover to cover.
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