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REVIEW: XXXHOLiC GN 10




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Asrialys



Joined: 12 Dec 2006
Posts: 1164
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 5:14 pm Reply with quote
I loved this volume.

spoiler[And seeing what kind of face Himawari put on while speaking of her misfortune was so sad. I wonder if Watanuki will find out eventually the exact price his friends paid. He never really saw Doumeki's price and Himawari didn't want hers told. I was quite surprised.]
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chaosbladeuk



Joined: 23 Feb 2006
Posts: 48
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:17 pm Reply with quote
I just read this and this is a very important volume for Himawari's development. The entire volume builds up to that very moment of the incident and it's done very well - the task/the dream/the realization - all these affects one's fate.

spoiler[ I felt sad when Himawari was telling Watanunki of her 'luck' with as though it doesn't affect her. When she cried from what Watanuki said, I feel she now has an important role within the story. The fact that alot of bad things happen to Watanuki in the past, and realizing that some (if not the majority!) was attributed to her, it does make you wonder if its a good thing.]
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CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Sat Nov 10, 2007 7:50 pm Reply with quote
I've preferred this one to Tsubasa from the start.
This is another of their titles I really can't see translating into a really good anime adaptation-there's just way too much going on in this title.
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subaru



Joined: 26 Sep 2005
Posts: 120
Location: Australia
PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2007 9:25 pm Reply with quote
I've stopped reading XXXholic since volume 8 or something........
I've liked the works of CLAMP since the Tokyo Babylon days. Back then, I was really amazed by their artwork and storytelling skill. Unfortunately, that's not the case with their recent works.

Twist in the plot.... Yes, they still have it in their recent works, but if you have been reading all works of CLAMP like I have, you can probably guess what's going to happen anyway..... Himawari.... c'mon, you know she is not a Miss Useless right from the start, look at how many hints Yuko has dropped in her dialogue since volume 1!!

Don't get me wrong though, XXXholic is not all bad. I do welcome their ambitious to have a different style for all their works. I love the layout and the simple black and white artwork. But without a solid story, it does become just a visual gimmick.

A little off topic, the anime version of XXXholic is a major disappointment. I was really worry about how they gonna tranfer the unique visual style of the manga into a 3D environment...... and my worry was right....... a total failure.

I have to agree with CCSYuen. Yes, even though XXXholic did disappoint me, it is still better than Tsubasa. The whole crossover thing is just a marketing gimmick.

For all your young CLAMP fans who haven't read their early works, please do yourself a favour and get your hands on a copy of Tokyo Babylon. Yes, their drawing skill back then might not be as good as how they are now (still damn good if you ask me), but their storytelling and character development skill was gold. Best work of them ever.
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Bara_Megami



Joined: 08 May 2004
Posts: 106
PostPosted: Tue Nov 13, 2007 5:59 pm Reply with quote
I'm with Subaru on CLAMP's older work being better on the whole, but then we have to remember that they always did crossover work (Man of 20 Faces and Clamp School Detectives) but just nothing to the extent of Tsubasa.

Yeah, Tsubasa is pretty lame so far (volume 13, and I'm only still reading because it's CLAMP), but Xxxholic is a fun read (although I'm not as drawn into it as I am any other CLAMP multi-volume - it just doesn't enough overlapping story).
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feytaline



Joined: 13 Sep 2006
Posts: 38
PostPosted: Wed Nov 14, 2007 8:22 pm Reply with quote
Frankly, I disagree COMPLETELY with anyone who says that their older stuff was "better." Different, yes, but that doesn't make a story deeper or "better."

Their artwork has improved so much there's hardly any comparison. Sometimes I just have to stop and really look at a page in surprise--whether it be in Tsubasa or 'holic--to see how even very hard to define, subtle emotions are captured in such simple, black and white lines. I really love that they aren't using tone in 'holic especially. The moody atmosphere is captured so well in just black and white--and I love how illusion is created with patterns leaking from background into clothing. It just emphasizes the story--what is real, what isn't? Take a closer look at the world around you, the connections between things. Everything, even the tiny things, are bound together.

That's why I feel like a lot of people are missing the point by dismissing the Tsubasa link as a 'gimmick.' Yes, reusing characters did take an existing emotional attachment to get fans involved faster, but frankly I <3 Tsubasa Syaoran a billion times more than Card Captor Sakura's (he was so bratty! Rawr!) but it wasn't the main point. It's about connections, again, relationships.

Even though you can read 'holic on the surface as a typical mystery of the day story, or Tsubasa as your run of the mill 'gather the magic' shounen story, if you read deeper, there's a much more mature story underneath the layers. And that's why I prefer these two to any other one of CLAMP's works.

And to be more on topic, volume 10 was AWESOME. It made me like Himawari all the more. Of course we knew something was going on with her--and there HAD to be a reason she always had 'piano lessons' or 'student council meetings' whenever something really interesting came up, especially since she was such a fan of the paranormal. I'm just curious about the little bird creature. IT'S SO CUTE.
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