manga: xxxHolic Vol 13

[meganbmoore]

Brief comment on the xxxHolic/Tsubasa timeline, for those who try to avoid spoilers: the beginning of this volume overlaps with and spoils the last fourth of volume 22 of Tsubasa, and the tail end of the volume hints at a major spoiler for volume 23 or 24 (can’t remember how many chapters further it is) of Tsubasa.

This volume wraps up the Kohane storyline that’s been going on for a while. It’s a good storyline but, IMO, lasted longer than it needed to. On an interesting translation note, when Kohane’s mother talks about her wedding day, she mentions that the beautiful thing she sees that makes her wish for a daughter is a shower of sakura petals, but here, it’s snow that looks like feathers. Given the (unsurprising) reveal that at least some of Kohane’s powers came from one of Sakura’s feathers, that’s an interesting change. I wonder, though, if she had two feathers.

I first read this volume as part of the xxxHolic/Tsubasa binge a while back, and so it never completely registered to me that not only does Watanuki think that some people probably can’t see him, but that he’s proven right when the security officers notice Doumeki, but not him. Now I want to reread the first twelve volumes and see how many people seem to not notice him!

This book is just as brainbreaking as certain other Clamp titles, but in a much more subtle way, even moreso than Tokyo Babylon. It says something when “OMG WATANUKI AS WE KNOW HIM ISN’T REAL AND HIS WORLD IS A DREAM!” is rather gentle and relaxing.