xxxHOLiC

CLAMP

Tanoshimi

0099504073

Aug 2006

Watanuki Kimiho presents as the almost archetypal children’s book hero in this brooding, gothic tale. Orphaned, he holds special powers, in this instance the ability to see spectres. The graphic novel lends itself particularly well to paranormal elements, as too do the conventions of Manga, with its intense focus on personal emotions. Intensity of feeling, of action and reaction are the standard fare of Manga and this is foregrounded through conventions of the form, dropped jawlines, large expressive eyes, style of delineation of speech bubbles etc.
Increasingly distressed by the powers vested upon him, Watanuki seeks refuge in a shop that purports to grant wishes. Inside the shop, Yuko offers to aid Watanuki’s hope to be rid of his ability to see ghosts, however, to remunerate her efforts, he must work off a debt equal to the power taken to achieve this’
Yuko is a sage, a wise witch who helps cure her customers of the various addictions, obsessions and preoccupations from which they suffer. Yuko has two henchman, Maru and Moro, twin entities with a deathly pallor and an unnerving ability to communicate telepathically with their mistress.
The ‘xxxHOLiC’ volumes cross with those in ‘Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE’ and CLAMP, the creators of both, claim the two series tie all of their previous work together. Referential material and interplay between characters and artefacts alike add an extra dimension to the series by consequence.