xXxHoLic Vol 2-3

[meganbmoore]

 So...is there a core plot to this series, or is it just random bits of insanity strung together, often as an excuse for Yuko  to show off?  Whatever,  I did get a lot more into the series with these two books than I did with the plus, and am starting to get an inkling of what the big deal is.

Part of it is Domeki.  Seriously.  Love the guy.  Watanuki is the kind of character-nice guy who seriously overreacts to everything-I love as a secondary lead or sidekick, and Yuko...well, as a character with a tendency to randomly show up, be awesome, and go away again, Yuko is the kind of character I'll generally declare the Best Thing Ever.  But as a main character who's almost always prominent, she's...well...honestly, half the time I just want someone she can't get rid of to show up and annoy her as much as she annoys Watanuki.  I do admire her capacity for alcohol, though.   Himawari is nice enough, but kinda just there(though I gather that will change.)   But Domeki?  The quieter, grumpy, unphasable, sardonic archer?  Love him to death.

I saw the "partnership" with him and Watanuki coming as soon as Yuko asked Watanuki if he still saw spirits, and even though it's rather cliche(Watanuki the "heroine" who sees spirits and Domeki the "warrior" who banishes them) it works and is amusing(mostly for Domeki.)

As an added bonus, I find the twins to be perfectly fine when they're in the background and not doing much beyond looking cute(as opposed to being as prominent as they were in Vol 1.)

I still find a lot of the messages overbearing and Yuko preachy in her explanations(esp. the bit with the fake fortune teller, as I've seen that more times than I can remember...it's not seeing it again, as I usually like thay, it's just how it was presented/)

I have to say though:  ENOUGH WITH TSUBASA ALREADY!!!!

Seriously, we get it.  Clamp has another book going that Yuko influences.  It was irritating that the first 3rd of Vol 2 was essentially an add for Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, but ok as it wasn't MUCH more prominent than some of Yuko's other visitors, but then they keep constantly getting referrenced and popping back up.  Enough already.  Seriously.  It annoys me and I plan to read Tsubasa after catching up with xXxHoLic.  I can only imagine how annoying it would be for someone with no interest in T:RC.

Part of the problem is that, even though they're both Clamp books, the art styles for the two are very different, and it's a bit jarring when they show up.  It's not so bad with Fai and Kurogane, but Syaoran and Sakura really stand out.  Speaking of the art in xXxHoLic...I really like it.  In general, I rely a lot less on art in my manga buying decisions than most seem to.  There are too many books that rely on the art and not enough on much else and too many good books I would have missed if I dismissed them based on the art(including several of my favorites)  for me to give it too much weight unless the art is amazingly bad or a need something to tip the scales one way or the other in terms of my checking it out.  But the art here is interesting.  Despite being detailed, it's so spare and stark that it's almost Spartan in a way, yet it remains atmospheric and often intricate.  Also, where most manga art has all sorts of shades of grey to everything, the art here is almost completely solid blacks and whites.  When there are greys, such as in the monkey paw story, it makes me do a double take.  i'm not going to call it the bet art ever, but it certainly makes reading the book a little different from most manga.

Also on the art(and to close)...what is it with Clamp and hairstyles?  Not the guys' hairstyles, those are fine, and I LOVE Yuko's hair(I seriously love, in terms of design, manga females with very long, straight hair) but what's with the twins and Himawari?  And some of these women who come to the shop?  (And can we PLEASE have some male screwups and delusionals come into the shop already, not just females?)  I seem to recall some odd hairstyles in Chobits and Wish, too.

Comments

[wasabi-girl1.livejournal.com]

Yay for xxxHolic! I like Himewari-chan's hair, but then again, I love all the crazy hair CLAMP gives their girls. And trust me, the manga gets better from here. :)

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

lol. considering the vast improvement over vol 1(and the things I've been promised) i'll take your word for it.

I don't DISLIKE her hair(though I do some others) I just have to wonder what's going on there...

[wasabi-girl1.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and there's less Tsubasa crossover as well. The story sort of comes into its own starting now.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

Personally, I want Yuko's wardrobe.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

As do I.

Though I fear I lack both the body and the bearing to pull it off.