xXxHolic Vol 1 by Clamp

[meganbmoore]

So, I have seriously mixed feelings about this one.  Somehow, I think I should be madly in love with it, but I'm not.  Part of it, I'm sure, is because I don't trust Clamp to not screw me over in the end.  Like with Wish and Chobits.  I mean really, WTF were those endings anyway?

xXxHolic is about a young man named Watanuki who sees spirits.  Against his will he 's dragged into the shop of Yuko, the time witch, who grants favors and wishes in exchange for equal payment.  Yuko tells him she can free him from seeing spirits, once he's done enough manual labor around hershop to pay for it.  Think of indentured servitude.  On the whole, it makes me think about a more insane Pet Shop of Horrors.

I didn't have to force myself to finish, but I was left a bit...disgruntled.  Mostly, I alternated between general amusement and annoyance, with the occassional "WTF?"  thrown in.  But...not nearly as much amusement or WTF? as I'm supposed to have.  Part of it is that while the concept is fun and done entertainingly, the characters don't grab me.  I'm sure that later on, I'll find Yuko utterly amazing and be very fond of Watanuki, but righ now, Yuko's overwhelming overbearingness is more of the annoying variety and Watanuki is just kinda...there.

But despite my disgruntlement, I want to continue.

Fans need to come forth and tell me of the many wondrous things I'm told are coming later on to help me muster through until I'm hooked.

 ETA:  I forgot the major drawback:  Those "cute" kids that work  for Yuko/live with her/whatever annoy the heck out of me and I want to kick them through the wall.  Convince me that they get less annoying and/or there's a reason for it.

Comments

[wasabi-girl1.livejournal.com]

xxxHolic gets better as it goes on, I promise. No, it's not the best CLAMP has come up with, but it's definitely something different, I feel. :)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Clamp tends to have good ideas, and FUBAR end results. As this one seems to be somewhat FUBAR in concept, I have hopes.

[artillie.livejournal.com]

Stick with it, it gets better.

Maru and Moro don't get any less annoying to someone who's annoyed with them off the bat. They do, however, serve a purpose later on.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I can deal with annoying manga kids who serve a purpose. It's the "look, a cute kid" ones that I can't handle. (Die Shippo! DIEDIEDIE!)

Any hints of awesomeness headed my way?

[artillie.livejournal.com]

Doumeki. Watanuki and Doumeki. Yuuko sending Watanuki and Doumeki off into grave danger and mortal peril to get her some supernatural booze. Yuuko somehow managing to make raging alcoholism look cool. The whole thing with the spider and the eye (because what's a better declaration of love than giving up your eye for someone? CLAMP asks). Yuuko in general.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Who is Doumeki, and who is this declaration of love from and to?

As far a topping that...I dunno...Kyo's whole demon thing in SDK is pretty impresive...plus, I've seen taking on your mentor in a duel and deliberately letting him hack off your arm just so you get get close enough to kill him because he's going to assassinate your very very estranged girlfriend before...that's kinda hard to top...

[artillie.livejournal.com]

He shows up in vol. 2 and is the reason for all of Watanuki's outbursts. In retrospect, it's a little annoying, but the development of their relationship is handled really well. Slowly, but well.

Well, you really can't top that second one, but eyes are a traditional CLAMP thing, so when they show up, you know it's getting serious.

[chomiji]

For me, the series got better as it became less episodic and gained a series-level plot, which won't happen for a few volumes.

On the other hand, I rather enjoyed the spaced-out-mythologic-mysteries feel of it early on. But this is one of my "love affair of the head, not the heart" series (SDK and Saiyuki are the oposite - heart, not head).

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Right now, the messages are a little heavy handed for my tastes. Maybe I've just heard them and seen Yuko's character type too much to really like it at this point. But I shall be strong and muscle through it until it becomes more plotty.

[chomiji]

Well, yes, sometimes I fantasize about things happening to Yuuko. Once it was Fubuki who happened to Yuuko ... that was interesting ... (although Muramasa would probably be a happier match) ... .

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

For what it's worth, I didn't like the first few volumes, despite the gorgeous art, but an ongoing storyline kicks in around volume three, and I ended up loving it. Without being spoilery, here's why:

1. The characters all turn out to be way more interesting than they are at first.

2. Lots of Japanese folklore.

3. It starts off very cold, but ends up very touching.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The Japanese folklore part sounds very promising.

I'm banking a lot on promises that this(and Tsubasa) get really good and occassionally amazing.

I hope there's something on a par with taking off your own arm because you don'tthink you need it for a fight.