xxxHolic Series Profile - All About the xxxHolic Anime Series

The Gist:

A high school student with the ability to see ghosts seeks out the help of a mysterious witch to put an end to his ghostly sightings. But the witch has a price and he must work in her bizarre store until the debt is paid.

The History:

Created by CLAMP, xxxHolic (pronounced "holic") was originally released as a manga and serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine in Japan. It was also published in volumes by KC Deluxe. The manga was acquired as one of four debut titles by Del Rey Manga for distribution in the U.S. in May of 2004.

The anime adaptation began with a short movie, xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream, which aired in Japan on August 20, 2005, and was released on DVD on November 24, 2006. The television series followed with 24 episodes, airing in Japan on TBS on April 6, 2006, and picked up by FUNimation for U.S. distribution.

Manga vs. Anime:

Because the manga is on-going, the 24-episode run of xxxHolic doesn't provide any series closure, but it does closely follow the manga's original storyline. A sequel, xxxHolic: Kei, has already aired in Japan and strays from the original manga storyline by providing some additional character background. It has not yet been released in North America.

How to Watch:

xxxHolic was released on DVD by FUNimation; the Fifth Collection was issued on September 9, 2008.

See all the xxxHolic DVDs here.

Genres:

Supernatural, comedy, fantasy, horror, mystery

Learn more about anime genres and themes

Studio:

FUNimation

Rating:

TVPG - Learn more about anime age ratings

The Review:

xxxHolic is a bizarre and beckoning tale of Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student with the ability to see and attract evil spirits. Desperate to rid himself of this unappealing gift, he seeks out the help of Yuko Ichihara, a mysterious and exotic witch who agrees to make the boogey-people go away -- for a price.

As a result, Kimihiro agrees to work in the witch's store, but soon discovers that he's even more entwined with ghostly beings, and his presence in the store is more than just coincidence.

Created by CLAMP, xxxHolic is extremely well-done with some beautiful imagery and animation. The storyline is unique in that each episode works almost as a standalone with Kimihiro facing an unusual array of new characters and situations in each story, yet there is an underlying series plot as he struggles to understand what is happening to him and why he is where he is.

Because the manga is still on-going, you won't get much closure from this series, but you will be well-entertained. And for those fans who have already read the manga, you should be relatively pleased as the anime follows the manga plot pretty well.