Paranormalgal
Since: Mar, 2011
03/25/2011 13:29:54
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Manga xxxHolic season 1 review
It's a very good anime. The animation is well done, even if the people have really long legs and arms. It's funny, yet mysterious at the same time. The main character, Watanuki, is there for mostly comic relief, when he's with Himawari, Yuuko, or Domeki. It's the perfect series to watch when it's gloomy outside. It gives you a bit of a chill, but there's more comic relief mixed in, so you don't experience the chill.
Manga Xxx HO Li C Rei, nothing but a disappointment, through and through
Xxxholi C was a series with a haunted beauty, in many elements. It took a typical high school character and transformed him into this complex and tragic figure.The series beautifully subverted tropes like love triangles, waiting for love, and happy endings. I've never read a manga that ends with the protagonist outliving the rest of cast and living a hundred years in the future.
So when Xxx HO Li C Rei was announced, I was really excited. Where would the plot go? How would the story change? Is Watanuki the main character or could he be a villain like Yukko feared? Would it have other genres like science fiction considering it Xxx HO Li C ends in the future. Suddenly changing established elements of the story is a tactic CLAMP is well known for.
In the end, CLAMP chose a plot fans would never expect... by rehashing the main plot of the original series. Only everything is a dream, so its even more pointless. The character dynamics are the same, the relationships are the same, the plot is pretty much the same with new clients whose mundane woes are padded out to make the series have some semblance of a plot.
For two years, I've combed over this series off and on again, looking for something that is redeemable in this mess. When Watanuki revealed his connection to Syaoran, that was when I realized Xxx HOLIC Rei was little more than a side project to sharpen talents for the series they actually care about, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles. When Tsubasa was announced to have a sequel, I knew this series would be ignored in favor of Tsubasa and Xxx HO Li C Rei would never truly stand on its own.
I'd hate to break to fans but Watanuki is never going to meet the real Yukko again. He's never going to actually leave the shop and he'll never be more than footnote to Syaoran. The only thing that makes Xxx HO Li C Rei memorable is showing how low a sequel series can set the bar when compared to the original.