Ranked #78

xxxHOLiC Kei

Still creepy, still mysterious, still fascinating, and still cryptic, xxxHOLiC Kei is the follow up to the first Holic, bringing along with it a new raft of ideas.

The new season does many of the same things as the previous. There's more of the supernatural, more cultural insights, and more social commentary. Ghosts, spirits, and psychics all return en masse, escorted by Mahjong lessons and the depravity of internet media.

Kei almost did everything the first Holic did brilliantly. "Almost" because there was just one element I found lacking compared to the original. There was decidedly less of the extremely creepy vibes that resonated from the first Holic. I wanted Kei to have its scary moments just like its predecessor, but alas, there were none. (Of course this is also the most subjective opinion I have up here, so don't take it for granted.)

However, Kei did well in respect to bringing up some more social concerns just like the first season. One small example being the introduction of Watanuki's newest friend, Kohane. Through her, Kei gives another candid view of society and how the problem of prejudice affects people. Of course, this wouldn't be xxxHOLiC without more mind-boggling questions about fate, destiny, and choices. They're another integral part of the anime, helping to make the story even more compelling.

With respect to the plot, Kei started off on the wrong foot for me. The very first story arc seemed rushed, with too little preamble to make the flow natural. Yet in the overall scheme of things, it became clear that the individual episodes were once again the agents of character development. This realization made me appreciate how the plot was truly structured, and to other viewers, the slightly rickety pace will become clearer as the series progresses.

Hence, moving on into character development, it has to be said that there was remarkably more in Kei as opposed to the first Holic. True, Watanuki still performs his insane stunts of protest against Doumeki's stoic nature, and Himawari still comments that they're the best of friends. However, Watanuki does develop, changing the group's dynamic considerably throughout the course of the series. As for Yuuko... well, she's still a combination of a serious all-knowing psychic goddess and frivolous alcoholic, but that's just another one of the reasons I can't stop watching.

In the fields of art and sound, much of Kei is similar to its predecessor. People still have arms and legs that are a little too long, but the artwork still retains its great quality. Heck, even the food looks appetizing.
It turns out that there were some differences in sound, but only with the opening song. It was a little more upbeat than the old one, and definitely retracted from the ominous ambiance. Other than that, I still considered it quite catchy.

Regardless of all of the above, I was glued to this show and couldn't let it go. I laughed at the comedy, shivered at the creepy parts, and felt sad whenever misfortune fell upon the characters (well, not really). Anyone who loved the first Holic absolutely must get their hands on Kei. And while they're at that, let's all keep an eye out for a third season. read more

***I have decided to change the format of my reviews to provide more to-the-point ups and downs of the subject in review. I hope people like this new style since the old essay style reviews are tl;dr and just take too long to write. Anyways here is the first anime I'll review under this new format***

xxxHOLiC - Kei is the sequel to the first xxxHOLiC anime which is an adaptation of the CLAMP manga of the same name.

Story:
+ A great plot that leaves you wanting to know what happens next
+ Very deep symbolisms and philosophy are presented
+ A bigger focus on character development
+ An actual sense of continuity unlike the first season's more episodic format
+ Great mix of supernatural elements into a slice of life anime

- Fans who prefered the episodic format might be let down
- Less freakish supernatural situations (in comparison) to the first season
- Fans of the manga might be let down at the lack of references to Tsubasa Chronicles this far into the story.

Art:
+ Flawless animation
+ No quiality fluctuations throughout the series, solid and stable all the way
+ CLAMP art (for those who love it)

- CLAMP art (for those who hate it)
- A little spoilerish but I wish they had kept "a certain person'" eye colours like they should have been

Sound
+ Very awesome soundtrack that fits the atmospheres perfectly
+ Very good use of the soundtrack making scenes more powerful
+ Great performance by all the seiyuu's they did an awesome job

- Watanuki's voice can get irritaring sometimes (but thats me)

Character
+ Yuuko is amazing....very deep and mysterious character that just makes you wanna know more about her
+ Watanuki, despite being annoying sometimes, is a great and likeable character
+ The rest of the cast both main and supporting are very likeable
+ Great character development that actually makes you care for them

- Watanuki's short temper irritates me sometimes (but thats me)
- Mokona is also annoying

Enjoyment: xxxHOLiC - Kei was really an incredibly fun anime to watch, I just didn't feel like stopping, mainly because I loved the characters and the plot.

Overall: xxxHOLiC Kei is a great sequel to a great anime that is adapted from a great manga. But even as great as the anime is I highly recommend you read the manga since there is a lot of IMPORTANT material that was left out of both anime adaptations. If you like slice of life and supernatural animes, then by all means watch xxxHOLiC, its one of the best at doing both at once.

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Interesting ideas in this show tend to get bogged down in the irredeemably unlikeable characters of the show. The way they become unlikeable is however peculiar, as on their own each individual character is OK. Effectively, when the main characters interact with one another they become obnoxiously annoying. Most of this is due to Watanuki, the main character. His reactions are so formulaic that now into the second season they are driving me up the wall. He goes gaga for Himawari, he gets inexplicably angry at Doumeki, and he lets himself get pushes around my Yuuko and Mokona. This has become extremely formulaic and you should expect to see this happen in every episode. In a typical scene I have no seen too many times, Watanuki will be talking, Doumeki will show up, Watanuki will flip out, and then third character will say 'You two really get along'.

The contrast is when the characters are actually in action. Storylines such as Watanuki and the pipe-kitsune trying to save zashiki-warashi were very good, and the action a far cry from the usual monotony. Comparitively, the game of Mahjong was one off the most annoying (ignoring that a game of Mahjong episode is mandatory and right up there with the mandatory hotsprings episode in every anime).

As long as Watanuki isn't flipping out at someone, and as long as Yuuko isn't on screen, the show is good. read more

The second season of xxxholic seems very mediocre compared to the first season. If you did watch the first season and enjoyed it very well, like i did, then you might be disappointed at the lack luster story that plaque most of the second season episodes. The only thing going well is character development, as you will learn to understand the characters even more. True some of the characters, especially Watanaki, can get annoying but it's not anything to go crazy over. Overall this season felt more like of "slice of life" of the xxxholic world rather than the stories about the mysteries of the world. Although this season is not yet complete, from what i can guess, it would seem possible that a third season will come eventually, and hopefully with a deeper story revolving around mysteries. If you haven't seen the first season yet, don't let the second season from discouraging you from watching it, you won't be disappointed. read more

First let me say I truly enjoyed the first season and the art is just as striking but Kei is a total waste of characters with tremendous potential. - Try this out: the rain sprite, the Ame-warashi, standard mood is bad but she always sees the good in people; the vestal sprite, the Zashiki-warashi, is innocent and virginal she lives on pure, as in virginal, energy and is very susceptible to evil energy; the beautiful human spider, Jorougumo thrives on that evil energy; almost all the other secondary characters are just as vivid and unique - and CLAMP doesn't do a damn thing with them. To top it off the lead female, Yuuko, could have been one of the great females in anime but they turn her from the super dominant, supernatural witch of the first season into an insipid drunk whose only purpose is exposition.

Almost every episode had the making of two or three story arcs. The writers of "xxxholic kei" seem to be the type who when asked, "How did you like that elephant that just walked by?" reply, "What elephant?"

To someone who watched all the first season episodes at least twice the second season is an insult. read more