xxxHOLiC Shunmuki

For the appropriate price, your dearest wish can be granted at the shop of the peculiar Yuuko. Kimihiro Watanuki wishes to be rid of his ability to see spirits, and so as payment, he works for Yuuko doing whatever she needs him to do, from cleaning to errands to even helping out Yuuko's other clients. In xxxHOLiC Shunmuki, Watanuki and his friend and rival Shizuka Doumeki enjoy a meal with their friend Kohane Tsuyuri and her grandmother, reminiscing about how they have changed since meeting each other.

Later on, Watanuki has a dream in which he is visited by Doumeki's grandfather Haruka, who needs him to find some things in the family temple storeroom. Accompanied by Doumeki, he finds that this task is more akin to a treasure hunt, with each item leading them to another, and another, guiding them to an unexpected yet inevitable ending.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ichihara, Yuuko Main

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Watanuki, Kimihiro Main

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Doumeki, Shizuka Main

Nakai, Kazuya Japanese

Kunogi, Himawari Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Syaoran Supporting

Irino, Miyu Japanese

Sakura Supporting

Makino, Yui Japanese

Li, Syaoran Supporting

Irino, Miyu Japanese

Zashiki-warashi Supporting

Mutou, Sumi Japanese

Tsuyuri, Kohane Supporting

Hidaka, Rina Japanese

Ame-warashi Supporting

Uechi, Aki Japanese

Matsushita, Takuya Producer

Kawaguchi, Tooru Producer

Mizushima, Tsutomu Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Wakabayashi, Kazuhiro Sound Director

Reviews

Nov 14, 2010

Principal

Recommended

The xxxHolic Series is an excellent series about modern folklore, discussing a wide range of thought-provoking topics. The OVA does not disappoint either.

Story: Watanuki and Dōmeki enjoy meal and drinks with the fortune teller, where Kohane is staying. There, it's explained that everyone changes with every meeting they experience with others, and that all four there, and even Yūko, have changed from meeting Watanuki. Later on, Haruka and Watanuki meet in a dream, in which Haruka asks Watanuki to look for something in the temple's storeroom. However, as they look around, they might step into the realm ... within the books by accident... Also, Watanuki acts like he appreciates Dōmeki for once. In the 2nd part Watanuki and Dōmeki continue to search for the four items that Haruka requested. Watanuki unlocks a fifth item that leads to an encounter with someone close to him. Later, Watanuki vows to grant Yūko her wish

Art: Everything you could expect from the xxxHolic series is here and thank goodness there was still lots of WatanukixDomekixHimawari.

Sound: The Score is very important for a filim in the super natural realm and captures the reflective mood of the protagonists amicably.

Character: Yuko was the central character and with Watanuki his "rival" Domeki and his love interest Himawari the movie represents a glimpse at their life.

Enjoyment: The OVA although short at only 2 eps leads us to the dream of sorts but is the weakest part of xxxHolic to be honest, but that’s mostly because the others were simply that good. Mostly building up for future OVAs.

All in all it is still an awesome mystery-drama that even though it has nothing to do with the continuity, stands out with really imaginative visuals and very naturally evolves and lets the viewer guess what the heck is going on.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Dec 12, 2022

Animelover875

Recommended

Spoiler

xxxHolic: Shunmuki is to xxxHolic: what Tokyo Revelations and Spring Thunder were to Tsubasa Chronicles...tying in the crossover segments missing from the main series. While Spring Thunder did suffer somewhat due to being unable to adapt all of the source material, I'd say that Shunmuki did quite an admirable job in comparison. I'm not sure completely, but my best guess is that it's due to the episodic nature of the story allowing them to concretely realize which details are necessary and add them in. Add in xxxHolic's "slow burn" approach to telling a story with lovely animation, and you have quite a stand-out indeed. Both ... manga (and Spring Thunder/TR themselves) could prove helpful, but they're not necessary to understand what's trying to be said here; you gain all the exposition you need from the main manga's insights or simply what's seen. In my opinion, the best moments here with those involving Syaoran and Sakura, as well as Watanuki's "true self." These, along with Yuko's final wish, were the icing on the cake; other characters reappear in a welcome sight, all of whom carry insights about the plot with them. The animation and soundtrack was a treat as always, and I'd realized this was the development everyone so desperately needed, examining the true aspects of the series that needed it most and delving into their meanings. Despite its short length, this is a wonderful piece of animation that deserves the dedication and respect it gave fans. 9/10.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 29, 2023

abystoma2

Mixed Feelings

There is a problem with Shunmuki, and it’s that it lacks both start and an end. I know, it’s sure to sound silly at first to complain that something that’s both a sequel and a prequel to other parts of an adaptation doesn’t have start and end, but here me out.

What I mean is that usually even separate seasons and OVAs/specials have their own smaller arcs, even when part of a larger storyline. The start is clearly intended as a start, and the end finishes at least some plot thread. Shinmuki however fells more like a clip compilation than an anime by itself.

The strength ... of xxxHolic is that it’s a compilation of interconnected stories and that it’s better than the stories would be by themselves if judged on their own. Unfortunately, the selection here lacks the impact of interconnection, it’s just bunch of seemingly unrelated scenes (other than sharing the characters). There is just a lack of direction that would tie it together instead of being bunch of scenes that should have been incorporated into the main series.

The only important and interesting part are the last 6 minutes of the 2nd episode, which isn’t exactly great ratio. Well, there is one more important story scene to be fair, but it’s for a whole different anime altogether. Which sure, some might thing is an interesting thing to do, but still…

Not unique to this OVA, but I still have to mention the animation. CLAMP manga has a certain style to it, and it works out in manga form. However, for anime adaptation they should have really toned down the infamous two meters tall noodle people. The visual look fine until the camera pans out into a full body shot of a male character, then it’s so jarring and weird and goofy, looking more like an animation error than stylization.

Overall, if you’re a fan of the franchise or of CLAMP works of general, surely you’ll enjoy this. But I just can’t call this good for above mentioned reasons.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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	should i watch xxxholic before watching xxxHOLiC Shunmuki Rydako - Oct 29, 2009	2 replies	by abystoma2 »» Dec 29, 2023 12:36 PM
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