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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
dark
mysterious
UPDATED 6/28: So, having reread the series again in its entirety, I remain upset that there's no continuation yet.
It's been so fucking long since I saw a new volume for this series so really at least one star is just straight up excitement on my part. (CLAMP, if you could do a girl a solid and FINISH THIS??? and maybe Drug & Drop, I'd appreciate it.)
ANYWAY. Spoilers below.
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Okay, so this picks up where the last volume left off (Watanuki waking up from his Yuuko dream and jfc remembering that makes my heart hurt?? but also sending those items off to Syaoran). There's a brief convo with Syaoran via Mokonaphone, and then we switch to Doumeki (who... I *think* is Real Doumeki and not Relative Doumeki? If Syaoran & co. are still alive, then it's gotta be Real Doumeki, right? Right.) who shows up with ... something encased in amber for Watanuki to figure out.
Yaobikuni makes an appearance -- she was originally in ... Kei, I think? I maybe have to do a reread -- but she's returning the shamisen that Jorogumo borrowed (also... back in Kei?? Since Rei started with Watanuki in his dreamscape) and also asking some ~*~life advice~*~ because apparently she's in love with Jorogumo. Watanuki basically tells her that her being herself and growing strong enough to no longer think she deserves physical and emotional abuse is payment for all that Jorogumo does for her, she offers up the red pearl she'd created in her first appearance as payment. As is usual, balance has to be maintained, so Watanuki plays the shamisen and sends her off with a bottle of alcohol because for the advice and return of the shamisen, something as precious as a red pearl is too much as payment.
Ame Warashi, however, shows up not much later, asking for the red pearl as Zashiki Warashi is perilously close to disappearing. She says she realizes the price will be high, but she's willing to pay. Watanuki sends her away for now because he needs to Think.
He agonizes over it because of the price that would be required, and Doumeki offers some advice, as he do. Watanuki gets huffy (as *he* do), and walks off to get some booze, but then collapses. This ... I realize I need to catch up on Tsubasa World to understand, but basically something happened with Syaoran, and Watanuki sees Syaoran with the Clone, and it's a Thing, but then it gets resolved. Somehow. (Damn you, CLAMP. Tsubasa pisses me off so much.)
There's another convo with Syaoran, who reveals that he wants to return the cage Watanuki sent over. Fai and Kurogane apparently agreed to pay the price, so it gets delivered via Mokona Fed Ex. After this (or maybe it was before -- my copy is at home so I can't double check), Watanuki reveals to Doumeki he had a dream where Syaoran went to sleep which was why he was limiting contact with him.
Back to the cage. Watanuki calls Ame Warashi back to offer her the cage -- apparently, it's journey through dimensions has allowed it to gain power to protect whatever is in it, so Zashiki Warashi will be safe as long as she's inside, which gives them more time to find an answer that satisfies everyone to keep her from disappearing. In exchange, Watanuki asks her to tell him what's inside the amber that Doumeki brought him in the beginning.
Turns out that Doumeki's professor ended up with a dragon egg. Because of course he did.
The volume ends with the appearance of Neko Musume, who drops by to deliver some gossip about Zashiki Warashi, who is apparently in the process of being turned into a shuka, which is a curse, due to the impurities of the world. This is why Zashiki Warashi wants to disappear: to avoid becoming a shuka.
Of course, as they do, there are people who have already heard about this and want to have the shuka for themselves. It ends with the reveal of one such person: someone calling themselves the Space Time Witch.
Okay. Now that the recap is done. WTAF, CLAMP. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though. See: Eriol. But what would the Space Time Witch want with a curse? They're supposed to maintain balance, and isn't that what Watanuki technically is?
Good entry. Nostalgia factor 10/10. Bonus points for being the first manga I've picked up in over a year.
It's been so fucking long since I saw a new volume for this series so really at least one star is just straight up excitement on my part. (CLAMP, if you could do a girl a solid and FINISH THIS??? and maybe Drug & Drop, I'd appreciate it.)
ANYWAY. Spoilers below.
-
-
-
-
-
Okay, so this picks up where the last volume left off (Watanuki waking up from his Yuuko dream and jfc remembering that makes my heart hurt?? but also sending those items off to Syaoran). There's a brief convo with Syaoran via Mokonaphone, and then we switch to Doumeki (who... I *think* is Real Doumeki and not Relative Doumeki? If Syaoran & co. are still alive, then it's gotta be Real Doumeki, right? Right.) who shows up with ... something encased in amber for Watanuki to figure out.
Yaobikuni makes an appearance -- she was originally in ... Kei, I think? I maybe have to do a reread -- but she's returning the shamisen that Jorogumo borrowed (also... back in Kei?? Since Rei started with Watanuki in his dreamscape) and also asking some ~*~life advice~*~ because apparently she's in love with Jorogumo. Watanuki basically tells her that her being herself and growing strong enough to no longer think she deserves physical and emotional abuse is payment for all that Jorogumo does for her, she offers up the red pearl she'd created in her first appearance as payment. As is usual, balance has to be maintained, so Watanuki plays the shamisen and sends her off with a bottle of alcohol because for the advice and return of the shamisen, something as precious as a red pearl is too much as payment.
Ame Warashi, however, shows up not much later, asking for the red pearl as Zashiki Warashi is perilously close to disappearing. She says she realizes the price will be high, but she's willing to pay. Watanuki sends her away for now because he needs to Think.
He agonizes over it because of the price that would be required, and Doumeki offers some advice, as he do. Watanuki gets huffy (as *he* do), and walks off to get some booze, but then collapses. This ... I realize I need to catch up on Tsubasa World to understand, but basically something happened with Syaoran, and Watanuki sees Syaoran with the Clone, and it's a Thing, but then it gets resolved. Somehow. (Damn you, CLAMP. Tsubasa pisses me off so much.)
There's another convo with Syaoran, who reveals that he wants to return the cage Watanuki sent over. Fai and Kurogane apparently agreed to pay the price, so it gets delivered via Mokona Fed Ex. After this (or maybe it was before -- my copy is at home so I can't double check), Watanuki reveals to Doumeki he had a dream where Syaoran went to sleep which was why he was limiting contact with him.
Back to the cage. Watanuki calls Ame Warashi back to offer her the cage -- apparently, it's journey through dimensions has allowed it to gain power to protect whatever is in it, so Zashiki Warashi will be safe as long as she's inside, which gives them more time to find an answer that satisfies everyone to keep her from disappearing. In exchange, Watanuki asks her to tell him what's inside the amber that Doumeki brought him in the beginning.
Turns out that Doumeki's professor ended up with a dragon egg. Because of course he did.
The volume ends with the appearance of Neko Musume, who drops by to deliver some gossip about Zashiki Warashi, who is apparently in the process of being turned into a shuka, which is a curse, due to the impurities of the world. This is why Zashiki Warashi wants to disappear: to avoid becoming a shuka.
Of course, as they do, there are people who have already heard about this and want to have the shuka for themselves. It ends with the reveal of one such person: someone calling themselves the Space Time Witch.
Okay. Now that the recap is done. WTAF, CLAMP. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, though. See: Eriol. But what would the Space Time Witch want with a curse? They're supposed to maintain balance, and isn't that what Watanuki technically is?
Good entry. Nostalgia factor 10/10. Bonus points for being the first manga I've picked up in over a year.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
mysterious
fast-paced
I really like the continued development of Watanuki and the return of other characters in this volume. But I want the next one and it's not available!
CLAMP, xxxHolic vol. 4 (Del Rey, 2004)
xxxHolic is starting to get interesting, with the relationship between Watanuki and Domeki solidifying (at least, in its instability). Good storyline about twin sisters that's the first truly memorable story in the batch. Enough to keep me going with the series, at least. ***
xxxHolic is starting to get interesting, with the relationship between Watanuki and Domeki solidifying (at least, in its instability). Good storyline about twin sisters that's the first truly memorable story in the batch. Enough to keep me going with the series, at least. ***