I feel a little silly even reviewing this, because what can there be said about xxxHolic that hasn't already? My personal favorite manga series, it's one of the best series of the 00s, and to my mind some of CLAMP's best work.
xxxHolic opens in modern-day Tokyo with Watanuki Kimihiro, a teenage boy who can see spirits. The problem is, spirits can also see him. It's when he's being chased by a spirit that he comes across the mysterious shop owned by Yuuko Ichihara, a sorceress who grants wishes. Yuuko tells Watanuki that their meeting was fate, or hitsuzen. She also offers to grant Watanuki's wish of not attracting spirits anymore - but she charges for the wishes she grants, and the price is steep. Watanuki will have to work off his debt to her in the shop before she's able to grant his wish.
In practice, it becomes clear early on that Yuuko views this as a sort of apprenticeship for Watanuki - he follows her as she grants wishes to other clients, and eventually begins solving supernatural mysteries on his own. He's joined by frenemy Doumeki, grandson of a famous exorcist, and his crush Himawari, who has secrets of her own. How Watanuki's relationships with these two deepen over time is one of the great pleasures of this series. If you're familiar with the "group of teens investigates spooky goings-on" genre at all, you'll be generally aware of what you're getting into, but the Japanese setting and folklore set the xxxHolic trio apart from the various Scooby gangs, as does the overall melancholy atmosphere of the series. And while the initial stories in Volume 1 are not too scary, be prepared for some truly creepy moments in later volumes.
It's worth noting that this series crosses over with Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. While I don't believe it's necessary to read Tsubasa to appreciate xxxHolic, it helps to be aware of the characters therein, as well as the characters of Cardcaptor Sakura. It's also helpful to read up on CLAMP's conception of their multiverse: essentially, CLAMP tend to reuse characters in different settings, with the explanation that these characters exist simultaneously in various alternate universes. This idea becomes more explicit in Tsubasa, but it's present in xxxHolic as Yuuko is the only person in all of the CLAMP multiverse with the power to send people to dimensions not their own. She also frequently references characters from other series, whom we're generally meant to understand exist in xxxHolic universe as well.
That all sounds complicated, but it's a fairly minor part of xxxHolic, and certainly not necessary to understanding the action. If you do want to read Tsubasa alongside xxxHolic (it's also a great series), make sure you look up a reading guide to avoid one series spoiling the other.
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Was a bit disappointed with the size of the omnibus I would of hoped it was bigger. The panels are a bit smaller than in normal mangas, but you get used to it. The bigger omnibus measure at 7x10.
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Was a bit disappointed with the size of the omnibus I would of hoped it was bigger. The panels are a bit smaller than in normal mangas, but you get used to it. The bigger omnibus measure at 7x10.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 26, 2016
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 31, 2014
