Hello and welcome to "Link", www.xxxHolicAnime.net, my news, media and review site dedicated to one of CLAMP's newest manga and anime series, xxxHolic! We're deeply "linked" to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Enjoy your stay & sign up for our newsletter or feed! -- More -->
- Brad
Expect the opening and closing credits, Nobody Knows and Honey Honey to be up any day now. I've actually run out of space on my server once again so I need to buy some more space to put the screencaps!
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Just a quick note to let you know that my little information pages for Chobits and Clover are now online.
If you've ever wanted to know a bit about the series that crossover with xxxHolic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, these little pages should be of good interest.
Some people have asked me how I keep this site running, well a rather new website (though by the people behind the famous TextLinkAds) that I've been trying for the last few months is ShoppingAds.
Being a new idea I honestly wasn't expecting much from it but I decided to give it a go and have been very impressed with the money I've made so far (within 3 months I got US$50 paid into my PayPal account).
Basically you place an ad on your webpage that advertises related auctions on eBay. If someone clicks on the ad you get money. If someone clicks on the ad and bids in the auction you get much more money.
The look of the code is completely customisable as is the type of auctions presented (you can enter as many keywords as you like such as "xxxHolic" or "Mokona" for example).
You can see an example of a ShoppingAds ad on the right menu.
ShoppingAds is well worth a look. I've found it to be almost on par with Google AdSense and the fact that they pay you into your PayPal account (something AdSense doesn't do) is a huge bonus.
After the three parter Spider Arc this was a nice little stand alone episode that gave the characters some down time but also introduced and continued to develop several new (some major) sub-plots.
The story was overall very close to the manga and I especially loved the Legal Drug crossover with the sub-dimension accessed via the telephone pole. For those that didn't know, this same pole has been seen in Kobato. as well.
Domeki's grandfather made his first on-screen appearance and it was handled very well. I'm also thrilled with the voice actor they chose for him. I thought they were just going to get Domeki's to sound older but they made a really good choice by casting someone who can actually sound the age he is.
Nice to hear several new music themes as well. The Yumekai's European influenced theme especially stood out.
Something that did annoy me though was Watanuki's eyes. They're both blue! One would think one would be orange and the other blue but here they're both the same.
However in this arc in the manga, CLAMP kept his eyes blue as well. Did CLAMP make a mistake in the manga and Production I.G. just copied it? Or are the blue eyes a deliberate decision?
In the preview for the next episode there are shots of Watanuki with blue / orange AND blue / blue eyes!
What do you think's going on? (Comment below!)
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For those who have never read Magic Knight Rayearth I just wrote and introduction to the series and how it crosses over with xxxHolic and Tsubasa here. Enjoy!
This episode really impressed me on all sides. The story was great with a very fast pace but also lots of character moments and developments especially concerning the Zashiki Warashi, Watanuki and Domeki. A major plot development happens by the episode's end that really moves the whole series forward which just makes xxxHolic Kei that much more exciting.
The animation was also top notch featuring some great battle scenes with Watanuki and the fox spirit (Kitsune). Speaking of the fox spirit it was great to see it's fire blasts portrayed with such energy and vibrancy. Last time we saw it's fire in episode 13 of the first season it really did fail to live up to expectations. Here it really impressed.
Something else that I really dug were the several new music themes that were introduced towards the end of this episode. xxxHolic has always been a celebration of Japanese culture and the new music seems to really enforce this with a very strong Asian influence. I can't wait to hear more!
(Also, was that a Ghost in the Shell cameo?)
The next episode looks to be dealing with the dream balloons from the manga though something really surprised me... Watanuki has two blue eyes in the preview! But at the end of this episode he had an orange and a blue one! Is this a mistake on Production I.G.'s part or did the eyes revert back to blue in the manga as well? Anyone?
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The official Japanese xxxHolic website has updated several sections. Of not is the Characters page which now has very brief info on Maru, Moro and Mokona.
There's also several images and bits added about the CD singles for the opening and ending themes for xxxHolic Kei and the upcoming DVD releases.
Personally I'm undecided about whether to get these DVDs which will only have 2 episodes per disk I'm not sure it's worth it especially knowing that the Region 1 / USA release will most likely have 4-6 episodes per disk and at a cheaper price.
I'll definitely be getting the 3rd DVD though as it comes with the box which will be covered in an illustration by CLAMP exclusive to the release and most likely not used outside Japan.
The official site has also added widescreen image screencaps to the xxxHolic Kei first episode listing most likely due to the fact that the widescreen version of xxxHolic Kei begins airing this week, three weeks after the pan and scan version began airing.
As I did with xxxHolic's first season episode guide I'll be adding new episode summaries, etc once the widescreen version airs and I can get screencaps. The show just looks so much better in widescreen that it would just be a waste of time to take screencaps of the regular version.
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In an attempt to add more information on the series that xxxHolic crosses over with I've started two of several upcoming brief introductions to other CLAMP series worth checking out, Kobato. and Legal Drug.
In xxxHolic news, the music video for Suga Shikao's Nobody Knows has been released on YouTube. As usual with Shikao I love the song but the video leaves a lot to be desired. At least it isn't pro-rape this time, but... jam? I don't get it. :\
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xxxHolic Kei is shaping up to be a very cool series mostly due to the more exciting story arcs and character developments but also due to the obvious rise on production values since xxxHolic's first season.
Last week I thought the series' animation quality could decrease after the first episode (which is usually the case in most anime series) but this second episode didn't disappoint at all! In fact it really impressed in several scenes with the attention given to the smallest of details such as Domeki chewing his food to the smooth movements of the Cat Spirit (also loved her character design!).
The story is moving at a very good pace and while the cliffhanger at the end of the episode was the third such one in the series so far it was definitely the most dramatic with Watanuki being sent on a very dangerous rescue mission.
xxxHolic hasn't really done Action / Adventure before so I look forward to seeing how Production I.G. handles the big scene with the Spider Lady next week.
One disappointment I had with this episode was the fact that while Production I.G. made both xxxHolic Kei and Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations they still didn't link the two and continued to do the indirect crossovering that was seen in the first season where Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles would show the crossover and xxxHolic would complement it with background info on traded items and same character designs but not actually show the same scene.
Fans who have seen the first Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations OAV, The Magician's Message will notice that the clothes Yuko is wearing when she realises the other Syaoran is beginning to awaken are the same ones she's wearing here which places that part of Tokyo Revelations somewhere in the second half of this episode.
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Information about the xxxHolic Kei DVDs have been released this week and the news is a little strange and disappointing.
The plan is to release the series over 7 DVDs with one episode on the first disk and 2 episodes on each of the remaining 6. Each DVD will also come with an audio drama CD. This means that xxxHolic Kei will only have 13 episodes!
Of course the series could always be extended or we could get a third season of xxxHolic in 2009. Perhaps even maybe several OAVs or movies to work with Tsubasa as both series continue to get closer and closer as they draw to their conclusions. This is why I think Kei only gets 13 episodes, but again that's only my opinion.
What do you think?
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I've been wondering for a while how to label and talk about the second season of xxxHolic and have decided to just go with "xxxHolic Kei" (it's official name) and begin labelling from episode 1+ instead of continuing the numbering from the first season (that bonus episode really makes it hard).
These changed will be reflected in the updated xxxHolic Kei Episode Guide page which has also been updated recently with several upcoming episode titles.
With that out of the way let's get on to my impressions of the new opening credits featuring Suga Shikao's Nobody Knows! (YouTube Link)
In short, I love it! It's very similar to the the first season opening, 19 Sai (19 Years Old) with some thematic silhouette shots of the main characters, the use of smoke and several quick shots of characters from upcoming episodes. The whole thing seems a lot more fun somehow and the pace a lot faster making it, in my opinion, superior to 19 Sai. The song is also really catching and flows perfectly with the visuals.
Funnily enough the new closing credits which features SEAMO's new mix of Honey Honey is also very similar to it's first season's equivalent, Fonogenico's Reason but staying with a very basic Mokona (Larg) based visual over the song. (YouTube link)
One difference though is the massive fan service! Halfway through Mokona begins to multiply and begins walking in a loop across the screen. Suddenly though instead of a black Mokona a white one appears! But before we get a chance to be happy about a Tsubasa connection a yellow and blue one appear and then several cool variants such as a striped one, a cyborg one, a brown furry one and a final cute panda Mokona!!! The whole thing actually reminded me of Episode 37 of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle which also featured numerous multi-coloured Mokonas.
But what about the episode? It was just simply amazing! Now I'm a huge fan of the first xxxHolic season but within seconds of watching the first episode of xxxHolic Kei I could tell straight away that it was a superior production. The animation quality was quite simply amazing! Easily twice as... no five times better than that in the first season . Some scenes were almost movie quality! However I am aware that the first episode (and normally final episode) of most anime series has better quality animation than the rest of the series but the preview for the next episode at the end also looked pretty amazing.
As well as the animation upgrade there was also one other difference I noticed; the character designs have been changed. While they're still a bit elongated Watanuki, Yuko and the rest have all been visibly shortened and chubbied out to the point where the look is closer to that of the Card Captor Sakura character designs. It's not a major change but there's obviously been a concious decision to make the character less stylised. That's not to say Watanuki still doesn't have his crazed moments of deformity falling all over Himawari. The physical humour is still in tact.
Pretty much everyone from the first season returns for this one which includes all the voice actors, directors and animators. The music (which I love!) is also the same as the first season however I didn't hear any new themes which makes me wonder if S.E.N.S. produced any new tracks for the new season or if Production I.G. will just be reusing what was made for the first season.
Overall xxxHolic Kei is off to a very promising start! If you loved the first season you'll definitely get into xxxHolic Kei. If you were put off by the character designs the first time around, this may be the perfect opportunity to get back into xxxHolic.
Like this site? Subscribe to Link's site feed or email newsletter to get our updates as soon as they're online. Puu!
The widescreen version of 
Just a quick note to let you know that my little information pages for 
After the three parter Spider Arc this was a nice little stand alone episode that gave the characters some down time but also introduced and continued to develop several new (some major) sub-plots.
For those who have never read 
This episode really impressed me on all sides. The story was great with a very fast pace but also lots of character moments and developments especially concerning the Zashiki Warashi, Watanuki and Domeki. A major plot development happens by the episode's end that really moves the whole series forward which just makes 
The 
In an attempt to add more information on the series that xxxHolic crosses over with I've started two of several upcoming brief introductions to other CLAMP series worth checking out, 
Information about the xxxHolic Kei DVDs have been released this week and the news is a little strange and disappointing. 
Took a bit longer than I expected but I've finally finished the 
I've been wondering for a while how to label and talk about the 
