1. The server went haywire before. The blog started reposting all of the entries on its own and consequently ended up flooding the RSS feed directory. In order to avoid having that mishap happen again, I’ve requested my feed to be removed from the Antenna coz I’m not sure whether it’s still in an unstable state.
2. The original host is in the process of moving to a new blogging engine and server, which may take quite a while since they’re still in the testing phase.
3. I’ve been having problems logging in to the old blog’s frigging control panel anyway. Screw it. :p
Lame reasons, I know... Once the confusion has settled down, I’ll post a link to redirect you to the new site.
Now that’s cleared up, on to the main substance, which is the review for the long-awaited first episode of ×××HOLiC1. Ever since I heard about the Anime series last year, I decided that I was going to blog it. Hyousetsu will be the temporary home for my reviews until I get the green signal to move Takoyaki & Ocha to the new site. Oh yes, and one more thing... I also apologize to readers who have been expecting my review on the ×××HOLiC movie, Manatsu no Yoru no Yume. I’ve decided to post a few reviews on the TV series first before delving into the theatrical adaptation because I feel it may be better for readers who are not familiar with the Manga, to get acquainted with the many characters and hidden aspects beforehand in order to understand what CLAMP is trying to convey through this beautiful series. Furthermore, I also wanted to wait for the airing of the first episode to get an idea of where they would be starting the story. Initially, I heard news claiming that the TV series would be continuing from where the movie left off but that clearly wasn’t the case.
Since ×××HOLiC is already getting a good coverage by many bloggers, I won’t be posting the usual summary for each episode. Instead, I’m going to stick with the blogging style I used for my Mai-Otome reviews, which is rough narrations coupled with random commentaries on key scenes. My entries will be rather brief for now because like everyone else, I’m getting tied down a lot by routine (Research projects and final exams coming up in less than a month’s time). Once I have enough free time, I may do more comprehensive reviews as well as add new screenshots which hopefully will be in widescreen format soon (Damn TBS’s pan & scan!).
Opening Theme
Being a huge fan of Suga Shikao’s songs, I couldn’t help falling in love with “19 sai” the first time I listened to it. The lyrics perfectly match the mood of the series, and mixing it with the music’s funky beat gives a seductive and even erotic feel to the already mysterious presence imposed by the various scenes in the video. Speaking of which, I find the video slightly spoilerific, although not to the damaging degree of say, Mai-Otome’s. There are many artifacts, places and characters already introduced, from the hyakkiyoku to the karasu tengu (crow goblin), although they did a great job of quickly skimming through them. On the other hand, it may be better off that way as it somehow heightens the eeriness of the series’ supernatural side of things.
Episode Review
Japanese Title: ヒツゼン (Hitsuzen)
English Translation: Inevitability
Introducing Watanuki Kimihiro, who seems like an ordinary high school boy walking through the street of a busy district. Well, not exactly... You see, he has a serious dilemma of being the constant target of harassment by spirits. This time, he has a huge and evil molester hot on his tracks but it disappears as soon as he touches the fence of a peculiar looking store (Yeah, an obvious deterrent for paranormal perverts). Upon leaving, his feet begin to have minds of their own and started heading towards the house. While trying hard to force himself to walk away, he is greeted by two young girls who then drag him in.
Not a bad intro scene. This part followed the Manga very closely, but instead of a quiet street where he was alone, the Anime writers decided to emphasize Watanuki’s predicament by placing him in a situation where he’s in full view of the public. This sort of made the scene more amusing as you can see the surrounding people being naturally disturbed by Watanuki’s odd behavior. Apart from that, I like how the animators made the people move and actually interact with the main character, even if they are portrayed in a very simple manner. The typical case with most Anime is that only the characters who are interacting with one another have dynamic movements whereas the folks surrounding them are static wallflowers who only talk besides doing anything else. Heck, their mouths don’t even move when they’re speaking.
Once Watanuki has made his way to the main room, he is greeted by a beautiful and mysterious woman who tells him their meeting is “Hitsuzen” 2 (Inevitable). She then requests him to fork over his pocket watch. Later, she asks for his name and birth date, which he honestly but reluctantly replies. The woman explains that giving someone their real name is similar to permitting him/her to take hold of their soul, and telling him/her their real birth date is the same as giving him/her the ability to see their past and future lives as well as direct their life. With reference to that, the woman introduces herself as Ichihara Yuuko (obviously a fake name) as well as her two assistants, Maru and Moro (Full names – Marudashi and Morodashi, blatant terms for lewd public exposure. If you’ve watched the Shinsen Sub version, their names are translated as “Flashing” and “Streaking” respectively). When Watanuki tries to leave, the door automatically closes and Yuuko once again tells him that their meeting is foreordained. Upon seeing his skeptical face, she probes deeper into his being and discovers numerous truths about him, including his ability to see spirits. After this, she takes his pocket watch, stating that it’s an equivalent payment for what she did. She tells him that the store she runs is for selling, or to be more precise, fulfilling wishes, and correctly deduces his wish of wanting to be left alone by the spirits. He confirms it, and Yuuko tells him she will grant his wish on the pretext that he has to work at her store as payment. To seemingly celebrate Watanuki’s job as her new part-time servant, she tells him to fetch her drinking friend from the storeroom, who is none other than Mokona Raagu Modoki AKA Kuro Manjuu (black steam bun). She then sends the both of them to do some grocery shopping.
Quite a few noticeable differences here and there, minor and major ones. Perhaps the most obvious change in this scene must be Mokona’s earlier-than-expected introduction. In the ×××HOLiC and Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE- Manga, Watanuki was told by Yuuko to fetch Mokona Soeru and Raagu, and then have the both of them meet Syaoran and gang as a pair. That is the first time the Mokona siblings were supposed to be introduced. Tsubasa Chronicle followed the Manga but ×××HOLiC diverted from the original plot by having only Mokona Raagu introduced as the only one out of the pair in this first episode. We’re not sure what the writers were thinking when they did this. It could be because Tsubasa Chronicle was aired before ×××HOLiC, they may have thought it was a little too late for them to try to synchronize the events between the two series now. However, doing that seems to have displayed a more visible flaw. The most interesting and strongest characteristic of ×××HOLiC and Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE- is that both series have a concrete physical link with one another i.e. crossover events do actually happen at the same time, only from each series’ point of view (They also have direct connections with the events of other CLAMP series like Card Captor Sakura, X and Gohou Drug). By twisting the events in the ×××HOLiC Anime, it would make its plot inconsistent with Tsubasa Chronicle’s. This could probably mean that Syaoran and gang may not be visiting Yuuko in the ×××HOLiC Anime, and the rather frequent communications between both parties later on may not happen at all. If the writers do decide to include the Tsubasa characters, the storyline will undoubtedly become outright confusing later on for those who have not watched Tsubasa Chronicle. For now, it looks like ×××HOLiC is taking the “no Tsubasa characters” path, but whether or not this will be the case afterwards is still unknown. CLAMP fans’ only hope for that particular issue is that the writers would be able to come up with a sensible idea on how to go about things. With any luck, no Sunrise-style plot-telling this time. Other minor but apparent changes were the sequence of Yuuko asking Watanuki about his name and birth date being switched with him handing over his watch and also the exclusion of the scene where she used her magical mirror on him.
After buying groceries, Watanuki is followed by another spirit again. On his way back, he encounters a high school girl who claims she can see spirits as well. Upon closer observation, he notices the girl is lying, and she’s probably doing so in order to gain attention for herself (The other girls say she’s “special”). When Watanuki accidentally bumps into her, the spirit that was latched onto him earlier is “transferred” to the girl and starts using her as a new host. When Watanuki returns to Yuuko’s store, he relates the incident to her. She explains that the girl unconsciously wished for it. After that, he starts to leave and Yuuko reminds him of the bond that was born between them ever since their first meeting.
The first of Anime original events. I personally think it affected the series in a positive way rather than harming it. After all, it did emphasize one of the minor themes (The premise of wishing). However, I do hope it wouldn’t happen too often as it may end up dulling the more significant themes as well as the overall plot. The risky thing with Anime originals is that they will either accompany the Manga as great complements or turn it into something horridly perplexing later on if they are not handled properly or kept consistent with the original storyline. For a series like ×××HOLiC which has no key backbone plot, it seems safe to include numerous Anime originals as long as they don’t try something too outrageous.
Ending Theme
LOL I’m not sure what to make of the ending other than that it looks funny and cute with Mokona dancing to Fonogenico’s “Reason”. The song is all right, only that it didn’t have as much impact on me as “19 sai”.
Characters & Seiyuu
Ichihara Yuuko – The pot-smoking and alcohol-chugging wish granter. She’s also known as the “Jigen no Majou” (Witch of Dimensions) by sorcerers throughout many different worlds. Ohara Sayaka did an absolutely fabulous job in bringing out both Yuuko’s mysterious and eccentric nature in full. The way she varied her voice from “serious about supernatural aspects” to teasing and playful was done in a very fluid and convincing way without making her personality divert out of character. Couldn’t think of a better seiyuu who would fit as perfectly as Ohara. She’s one of my favorites and I’m really glad she gets to show off her talent once again as another lead character.
Watanuki Kimihiro – The high school boy unfortunately plagued by encounters of supernatural beings. I have yet to feel comfortable with Fukuyama Jun’s acting even after watching the movie, but he still did a great job in stressing Watanuki’s predicament. I love his solemn masculine voice (which he seldom uses as far as the other series I’ve heard him acting in), but the whining could get slightly irritating at some point. His high pitch makes him sound like a sore baby :p. I can think of other seiyuus who could act as Watanuki, but for now, Fukuyama seems like a good choice. Perhaps I just need to listen to him more often in order to get used to it.
Mokona Raagu Modoki – The mysterious creature whose specialty is communicating with beings from the supernatural realm. He’s also a party animal just like Yuuko who spends most of his time chugging alcohol and harassing Watanuki (His sibling on the other hand, loves harassing Kurogane). Kikuchi Mika again! It’s only been around two weeks since the last time we heard her as Arika Yumemiya. I totally adore her Mokona voice after getting a dose of its cuteness once again. Initially, I wasn’t sure whether she sounded right when I listened to her in Tsubasa Chronicle but after heavy exposure to her performance in recent series, I’ve begun to have strong confidence in her acting. Looking forward to more of the comedy she lends to the series.
Marudashi and Morodashi – Yuuko’s two soulless servants whom she loves to er... Fondle. I wonder whether the writers would be highlighting that important characteristic of their nature as well as the fact they are not allowed to touch Mokona because of that. This explanation was given in the Manga where Yuuko tells Watanuki that Maru and Moro will accompany him to look for the Mokona sublings but plainly orders him to prevent both girls from touching Mokona because they have no souls. On the subject of their Anime appearance, they look odd for some reason. I don’t remember them having arms and legs that long. Personality-wise, their seiyuus sounded right for them but it’s quite hard to judge their performance because all Maru and Moro do most of the time is imitate people like parrots and carry out small tasks for their mistress every once in a while.
Art
The quality of the TV series seems to be an evident downgrade from the movie but this is expected anyway. It’s beautiful but not striking. Nevetheless, I’m still very pleased with it overall, and the primary reason for me is the character design. I admit the characters do look odd with having body and limbs proportions which are too long, but I’m really glad the artists stuck with the original designs as closely as possible, partly because I was disappointed with Bee Train’s handling of the Tsubasa Chronicle’s character designs. I’ve mentioned before that Bee Train’s team personalize their designs too much. Nearly most of their characters look more or less very similar to one another, whether they’re from the .hack series, MADLAX, or Avenger, and Tsubasa Chronicle is no exception. Production I.G. on the other hand has the reputation of hiring a vast number of artists and the result is a unique piece of work for nearly every series that they produced (although I won’t blame Bee Train too much coz that’s what makes their designs special anyway). I’m especially happy with Yuuko’s design because the animators for Tsubasa Chronicle’s Episode 2 butchered her looks. Example below with Tsubasa Chronicle’s Yuuko on the left and ×××HOLiC’s Yuuko on the right.
So... Which do you prefer?
Another aspect of ×××HOLiC’s art which is greatly satisfactory is the inclusion of proper SD scenes. While Tsubasa Chronicle failed miserably at this, ×××HOLiC kept its original goodness when it comes to comedy. On the whole, the art quality is deemed gorgeous but not mind-blowingly amazing to the movie’s degree... Yet.
Music
I was originally let down by the news that Saitou Tsuneyoshi wasn’t going to write the TV series’ music because he did a brilliantly awesome job with his compositions for the movie. His scores made him sound as though he was born to write music for genres such as ×××HOLiC’s. At first, I felt it was a waste for the music production team to let him go, much like how I felt it was a waste for ALI Project to take over Kajiura Yuki’s domain in the .hack series for their latest show, but of course I’ve underestimated them as usual. I love ALI Project’s songs but I wasn’t very convinced by their BGMs, especially in Avenger, although Katakura Mikiya’s work was wonderful in series like Marimite. However, ALI Project managed to prove me wrong when it came to my judgment of their music for .hack//Roots and the same goes for S.E.N.S Project. They did as well as Saitou did in capturing the mood and feel of the show. Every piece of composition has complemented each scenario flawlessly, whether they’re mysterious and eerie or just plain light-hearted and humorous. Well, they persuaded me enough to set aside some cash for the ×××HOLiC’s OSTs so I’ll definitely give props for that.
All in all, a solid start for what may be one of the most promising Spring titles this year, but of course it will only appeal to a certain group of viewers considering that it’s very much a niche series. I was slightly disappointed that the script wasn’t done by Ohkawa Ageha but Yokote Michiko did a great job anyway. Next episode, we’ll be introduced to more characters including Kunogi Himawari who is Watanuki’s love interest, and the woman who couldn’t stop lying. Looking forward it!
Note
1 There are many ways of interpreting the title but I’ve decided to follow the official standard which is “×××HOLiC”. The “×” is actually the multiplication symbol or cross, not the alphabet “x”. The pronunciation of the series’ title has been widely accepted as “Holic” both in Japan and internationally. This is because the “×××” part of the word represents omission, and fans who are familiar with the series see it as a way of denoting the different addictions each character suffers from (for example, shopaholic), and this will become more obvious later on with the many clients Yuuko gets in the next and subsequent episodes.
2 “Hitsuzen” – A naturally foreordained event, a state in which other outcomes are impossible. A result which can only be obtained by a single causality, and other causalities would necessarily create different results (as quoted by Yuuko from the Kodansha Japanese Desk Dictionary 2nd Edition :p). I perceived it as “fate” when I was introduced to the Manga’s themes for the first time, but after reading some more, it seems that it’s different from fate. While fate is something which is already predetermined for people regardless of the things they do, “hitsuzen” leans more towards destiny which is unique for the person encountering it through the many events which happen in his/her life.
~Entry by Dav~
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