xxxHOLiC review

xxxHOLic is the first title that I will review twice. I have reviewed the first episode previously. This one will be a complete 8 episode review.

Synopsis : (From Dramawiki)

Based on the manga "xxxHOLiC" by Clamp (published from 2003 to February 9, 2011 by Kodansha) the story is about protagnist Watanuki Kimihiro (Sometani Shota) whose blood attracts spirits. He is bothered by this predisposition to see the way the ghosts are affecting the people around him but he can’t do anything about it..
Coming home one day, he’s once again assailled by evil apparitions but his feet lead him to a strange shop called “Mise” and there he encounters Ichihara Yuko, the mysterious fascinating owner who offers to grant Watanuki’s wish to remove the spirits. But the price must be of equal value, so Watanuki has to temporarily work for her in her shop that grant wishes in exchange for a “consideration”. He comes across strange customers including troubled people and therworldly beings and encounters bizarre events … ….
Thus begins his adventures in an world full of supernatural experiences.

Domeki, Watanuki, Himawari and Yuuko

 

 Cast :

• Sometani Shota as Watanuki Kimihiro
• Anne as Ichihara Yuko
• Higashide Masahiro as Domeki Shizuka
• Miyazaki Karen as Kunogi Himawari
• Takenaka Naoto as Doctor
• Adachi Yumi as Spider
• Kawashima Ririka as Maru
• Hatakeyama Tsumugi (畠山紬)as Moro
• Morikawa Aoi as Ame-warashi

 

 

 

Review

Story

XxxHOLiC is based on manga of the same name by CLAMP. CLAMP is also known for Card Captor Sakura and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles.

The main character, Watanuki Kimihiro played by Sometani Shota, can see ghosts and supernatural forms, and they seem to be attracted to him. He finds himself in a store owned by the mysterious Yuuko played by Anne, who claims that she can grant any wishes, at a price. You follow Watanuki's life working at the store to pay for his wish and witness many supernatural events.

XxxHOLiC has always been one of my favorite manga, when I learned it was getting a drama adaptation, I just had to watch it. I have read all the volumes very recently and my view of this drama is heavily biased as a result. It is hard not to compare the two, but simultaneously it was easier to understand the drama.

I feel they failed with Himawari-chan

This series consist of 8 episodes of 30 minutes. The story of the first 5 episodes are episodic (1 supernatural adventure per episode) while the last 3 forms an arc. The episodic episode follow loosely the manga it is based on, adding a few differences, but are still satisfactory. I remember those stories in the manga very fondly, especially the Ame-Warashi episode. I wished that they would have introduced the Zashi-Warashi and the foxes, but I guess those were too hard to put into a live-action :(. The last 3 episodes combines loosely 2 arcs of the manga together (the spider arc and the fall from the school window arc) while adding stuff to it, so it can be confusing. The last episode isn't really based on anything and you can feel it because of some elements in the story not making sense.

I think that they did what they could do with the time and money restrictions. It could have been better, the problem is that they need longer and more episodes with more special effects. It really felt rushed  to fit as much as they could in 1 episode which lowered the quality of the story. The supernatural appearances in the manga are so beautifully drawn, imaginative and a bit scary, and sadly very hard to do in a live-action unless they had movie grade budget. The CG wasn't really good either. Anyways, I was satisfied with the story when I took into account their limitations.

Thus, they did a good supernatural story, but it was good to me mainly because I have good memories of the manga. The last arc could have been so much better as the spider arc is just awesome and I think they failed to convey that. I think they were trying to tell the secret of Himawari and they didn't know how to conclude the series, so they really changed the story.

So basically, if you are a real fan of the manga, you can enjoy this casually without too much expectation because it's fun to see the manga with real actors. If you are new to Xxxholic, it will probably feel to you that it is missing something and that the story is odd. I think a movie might have been a better choice. This drama having 8 episodes of 30 minute is really odd. Well, since it is so short it makes it easy to watch at least.

Acting

This drama contains actors that I have never seen before. So, I thought it was nice to know and discover about the potential new generation of actors. The main characters consist of Anne playing as Yuuko and Sometani Shota as Watanuki. Fun fact : Anne is actually Watanabe Ken daughter and she is married with Higashide Masahiro (Domeki's actor). She is now a well established actress, it's quite amazing.

I appreciate it when they choose actors and actress that looks like the original manga characters. Additionally, even if they look different, I will appreciate if they can create a meaningful, developped character.

Yuuko was probably hard to cast, she is a sly yet playful and bossy character, extremely beautiful, tall and thin. I can say that I was amazed by Anne portrait of Yuuko as she was very fitting. I am quite impressed by her acting skills and ability to display a mysterious and charismatic aura. oh and her legs... I am a woman but her legs were very gorgeous!

Watanuki by Sometani Shota was okay. At first, I was rather pleased. He has to right voice and spirit. What I like about Watanuki is that he looks mostly plain but can be quite attractive in some scenes, like in the manga. However, they are many scenes where he just screams and winces for no reason. I don't think it is the fault of the acting but just bad choice by the directing. It is a shame.

Domeki's character played by Higashide Masahiro was to me a complete surprise. I actually enjoyed his acting, but I cannot really state why. This is a case where it is not exactly like the manga but I do not mind. Taking some liberties to change the characters a bit is fine by me, if done well. He shows more emotions, care and love here. Really looking forward to see more roles by him, he seems to have played many roles since.

Lastly, I share the opinion of a lot of people by saying that I did not like Himawari by Miyazaki Karen. Her looks totally don't fit and her outfit was cheap, but most importantly she was not able to be naturally cute and energetic. It was quite a disappointment. She was trying, but it felt forced.

Music

Wow, what an awesome title song by Suga Shikao "Aitai". I really like this song now and it's stuck in my head.

I could feel that the sounds and music were trying to be mysterious. It was okay and I think they were able to convey that mood, but it wasn't really anything outstanding. 

Recommendation

I feel my review ended up being a comparison manga vs drama.  I think most people interested in Xxxholic would have seen the anime or manga anyway.


It is the only supernatural drama that I have watched. I don't like horrors or that type of thing. If you are wondering, XxxHolic is not that scary. The only drama that is somewhat similar is Reinoryokusha Odagiri Kyoto no Uso, a fake psychic claiming to see ghosts and spirits, solving supernatural occurrences.