Being such a short chapter in the manga, it was almost a given that the mahjong episode would involve lots of padding with characters that didn't appear in the manga (such as the Ame and Zashiki Warashis) and humorous side stories (Watanuki reading up more on the game) but personally I've always liked xxxHolic's "filler" episodes as I enjoy seeing the characters interact in their down time and appreciate a look into the world that we wouldn't normally see in say the Spider Arc episodes.
Several of my favourite background music tracks from the series are those that play during the quieter scenes so for me anyway, I found this episode really rewarding.
Something interesting (though very xxxHolic) done in this episode was the presentation of the scores each character was getting throughout the game and the title screens for the different phases. It was basically like watching Yuko, Domeki, Mokona and Watanuki play a game and it worked really well.
We also got to see a humorous look into Domeki and Yuko that we don't normally see. Every time Yuko had her inner monologue I couldn't help but crack up.
Next week looks
really fun. Looks like another half filler, half manga inspired episode but features the return of the cat girl from
xxxHolic Kei episode 2 which I couldn't be more happy about. If there was a character from the manga that needed more time it was this one.
The seasons also look to be moving into Summer next week which is great. Maru and Moro in a water fight! Need I say more?
Like this site? Subscribe to Link's
site feed or
email newsletter to get our updates as soon as they're online. Puu!
Labels: xxxHolic Anime
