CLAMP - xxxHolic, vol. 02-07 (Eng. trans.)

[oyceter]

Yay! We have some plot and character development!

Of course, I still have no clue as to what the overall plot should be.

But really, with art this gorgeous, I have very minimal requirements.

Spoilers ahoy for vols. 2-7

I continue to be annoyed by Himawari-chan, through no fault of her own, but because CLAMP continually puts her in the position of having to be The Girl. Somehow, I do not think Himawari wants to be The Girl, which is why Watanuki's hopes keeps getting dashed. And while I like Watanuki and Domeki's interactions, I don't tend to read it as slashy. This is largely because the thought of Watanuki having sex completely weirds me out.

I haven't been drawn into the larger plot, but I really love the one-offs and the glimpses of slightly askew Japanese mythology, as seen through CLAMP. And oh, the images! It's not just CLAMP's art, though that's gorgeous. It's the parade of otherworldly animals in kimono, all carrying lanterns, or a spiderweb delicately obscuring an eye. It's a woman in a photograph slowly turning around to reveal her murderer.

Thankfully, the series hasn't been so scary as to require the reassurance of Hisoka and Tsuzuki's Pure True Love. It hovers just on the edge of spooky and surreal and creepy, often blended with melancholy and grief, but never quite tilts into full-blown horror.

I am eagerly anticipating the resolution of Watanuki's eye, and I love that he did that for Domeki, despite the rivalry.

And Yuko will never cease to amuse me.

Comments

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

I had been following the series for the art and Yuuko, and then Volume 6 came along. Oh, Watanuki. Oh, that was so sad.

I used to think the Watanuki/Domeki fans were coming out of nowhere, but now I see where they're getting it; now I think Domeki's got it bad and Watanuki is mostly clueless. I still have no idea what's going on with Himawari except that she is clearly not interested in either boy except as a friend and possibly as the basis for shounen-ai fanfic she writes in her spare time.

[oyceter]

I know. Vol. 6 pushed me over and made me decide to start acquiring the series.

Also... ahhhh! I can see the Domeki thing; it was the thought of Watanuki being in anything vaguely sexual completely weirding me out.

[louiselux.livejournal.com]

In vol 7 I got the impression quite strongly that Himawari is only superficially The Girl, and that she is actualy someone more sinister, with a not very happy job. I'm thinking of all the 'errands' and the book.

I really like how Watanuki goes from being all shouty with Domeki to being concerned and worried - it's very cute, but I can't decide if they are slashy or not.

[oyceter]

Oh, hrm, I completely forgot about that. Such is the problem of writing stuff up months after reading them -_-;;.

I'm still trying to decide if they're slashy, but whatever it is, I like the relationship dynamic quite a bit, and even more now that Mely has raised the idea that Domeki is the one who has it bad.

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

I've been watching the xxxHolic anime-- which is actually very good, unlike the recent horrible horrible Tsubasa-- and it seems fairly obvious in the anime (which is more textually based than most) that Himawari is Someone Very Scary. And all the pointers were drawn right from the manga, things like how Yuuko keeps telling Watanuki that Himawari is not a lucky girl for him. In the story with the monkey's paw, the woman who is given the monkey's paw in a case and told not to open it intends to keep her promise until Himawari knocks into her on the stairs, at which point the case falls out of her arms and opens by itself in midair. There's a running undercurrent that neither Domeki nor Himawari go into Yuuko's shop, ever, and there's a textual explanation for why Domeki doesn't, but nothing mentioned for her.

Frankly, I think she's the villain.

[oyceter]

Oh, huh, I may have to *ahem* that. I can't get a finger on Himawari at all, except for the Yuuko warnings, which is probably another indication that she's evil.

I didn't think about the rest though; that is quite cool.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I see the Watanuki-Domeki thing as being more fanservicey than slashy, which means that I see the overt sniggers of the mangaka behind it going "Aaaaah, the fangirls will love this!" I'm not complaining - it feels more like I'm in a conversation with the mangaka that way, so it's an interesting connection to them.

[jinian.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's fanservice! Great way to put it.

[oyceter]

Huh, yeah. Sadly, I missed most of the subtext (text? fanservice?) until I went online and found that there were Watanuki/Domeki fans.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I have been so sensitized to subtext that I see it everywhere, even when it's not intended to be there. :D