Shelf Life

Spirits Dream Inside

5cm per Second is told in three parts—it starts with a boy and girl who meet in elementary school. Circumstances force the two apart, but they continue to write to each other until they finally meet again and kiss for the last time. While the two eventually move on and go about their lives, they can never quite forget one another; the boy, especially, is perpetually gazing into the distance and writing emails that are never sent. The timeline shifts to their post-college lives, but even then, they can't shake what they once had.

Like all of Shinkai's other works, 5cm per Second never comes out and tells you what the characters are feeling. It never follows a strict storyline, but between the interactions on the screen and well-timed shots of lonely landscapes, everything is as clear as night and day. The production values are amazing, too. The artwork is detailed and carefully colored, and everything from subway platforms to the frost outside of train windows are painstakingly replicated. And the music..! Composed by Tenmon, who has lent his talent to all of Shinkai's previous films, the piano score is heartbreakingly gorgeous, and it just contributes to the dreamlike quality that the film has.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about the film almost 4 hours later, and I can only hope that everyone has a chance to watch this. No one tells love stories like Shinkai does, and his talent for storytelling is immense. This movie is worth buying for yourself, and everyone you know. It's that good. Watch it.[TOP]

The series itself is one of CLAMP's more mature, slanting towards a darker, moodier atmosphere. Focusing on the supernatural, the series centers around a lot of myths and legends, observing the spirits that cohabitate the human world. The main character is a slightly goofy guy named Watanuki, who'd be pretty normal if not for the fact that he can see spirits. They're naturally attracted to him and his subconscious wish to have them disappear leads him to accidentally stumble upon the home of Yuko, a witch who can grant wishes—at a price. In exchange for keeping spirits off of him, she requires that he work for her part time as her personal servant. Under her employment, he's able to learn more about the other spirits that plague the other customers who inadvertently wander in seeking help.

A while back, I mused in one of my columns about what it would be like if Mushi-Shi were to take place in the hustle and bustle of a large city. I imagine if they did so, it'd be something like xxxHOLiC. Each episode centers on a new spirit, and regardless of whether or not it gets chased away, viewers get to see what it does, and how it comes about. There isn't really a driving story arc just yet, but half the fun is in seeing what kind of customer will come in next.

As far as supernatural shows go, xxxHOLiC is pretty entertaining. It has a solid handful of characters who are exciting to watch, but don't overshadow the spirits-o'-the-week or the themes of predestination that pervade the series. Watanuki, especially, is a crack-up, and his character is made better by the performance of Todd Haberkorn. His nervousness and jumpiness is conveyed through a wide range of vocal inflections, and I totally dig it. Seriously, he's such a mega-dork that he's almost charming, especially surrounded by cool and collected people like Yuko.

I've always preferred CLAMP's more serious stuff to their cutesy, soda-pop bright kiddie shows, and so far, I'm having a good time with xxxHOLiC. Yuko's kind of bad-ass, and she provides a great complement to the series' supernatural side. Without a doubt, xxxHOLiC is as intriguing as it is sexy, and that's saying a lot.[TOP]