xxxHolic #1 (w/box)
(First Edition)
Price: US$60.99
DVD Release Date: 26th July 2006
Buy now from YesAsia!
The first xxxHolic anime series DVD is here, and with all first prints, a limited edition box to hold the first DVD (with room for the soon to be released DVDs; 2, 3 and 4) as well as a bonus booklet and the first part in a campaign to get an audio CD with heaps of ghost stories (obviously inspired by Episode 10).
CLAMP has been deeply involved with the production of this series (definitly more than the Tsubasa Chronicle series) and their involvement continues with this DVD release which is, as of right now, probably the best DVD release of a CLAMP series we've ever seen.
The Box: CLAMP are pulling out all the stops for this series. While the first and second Tsubasa Chronicle anime series were each released in solo boxes, xxxHolic's first season has been split up into two boxes, the first of which has been included with the first prints of DVD #1 and has room for storing the first four xxxHolic DVDs. (So that's room for the DVD it came with plus three more).
CLAMP illustrated an exclusive piece of xxxHolic artwork for the box featuring Watanuki, Yuko and the black Mokona; Larg. To my suprise this artwork is not actually on the box but is a kind of half paper sleeve similar to what you see with a hardcover book. The box itself (minus sleeve) is a very hard board with a black exterior and a brown design on the interior that gives the impression of a painting. On all sides up the top are shiny gold labels with the xxxHolic logo.
The box looks fully trendy with it's plain black look, though of course you can wrap the sleeve around it too for a more traditional anime look.
The Cover & Disk: The cover is s nicely done black gothic design. The front cover features a new picture of Watanuki and Yuko designed by Production I.G. (animation company behind the series) and the The back cover features summaries of the three episodes on the disk as well as cast and crew information and technical stats. The DVD itself uses the same picture as the front cover and lists the technical stats again on it's left side.
The Booklet: The first printings of this DVD came with an exclusive booklet which I found incredibly well designed and a great bonus to have. The booklet features background paintings and character designs as well as several shots of each costume Yuko wears in the first three episode.
The Special Features: The disk itself features the usual creditless opening and closing videos but also has something that has never before been done on a CLAMP DVD release; an audio commentary! That's right, Okawa participated in an audio commentary with the director of Production I.G. for Episode 1 (a great episode in itself)!
The commentary is naturally in Japanese, though I'm glad to say I could understand bits here and there. The problem I had with this commentary though was that the audio of the episode itself wasn't as reduced as much as it should have been. Both commentators seem to speak in rather soft voices and at times the audio of the episode made it really hard to tell what was the episode and what was the commentary. I still got by, but the audio from the episode really should have been reduced more or two certain people should have spoken up more.
The Episodes: This DVD includes the first three episodes of xxxHolic; Hitsuzen, Falsehood and Angel.
While a lot of people disliked the second episode, the first and third are some of the best the show has to offer with some great animation in both, character introductions in the first and lots of action and Chobits crossovers in the third. Episode 2, Falsehood is still a must see though as it gives us the first appearances of both Domeki and Himawari, both very important characters within the xxxHolic storyline.
The picture quality is perfect, possibly a digital transfer. Nothing to complain about there. The audio is in Japanese and crystal clear. The commentary is okay though with obvious volume issues due to the quietness of the two people involved.
The Menus: The menus are super fast to navigate, though that's due to them being silent, still images of the opening credits. It's a little strange that they're so bland considering the effort the marketing guys went into with the box, booklet, etc. At least they're functional though and rather easy for a non-Japanese speaker to use. The simple design also suits the xxxHolic feel in a way, but I still think a little animation would have been nice.
Final Thoughts: What could have been a boring release shines due to the extra effort by the animation studio and the creators themeselves. A great box and booklet for those lucky enough to buy the first print edition before it sells out and a disk with three essential episodes in five star quality.
The release is 100% Japanese, but I still recommend it due to the fact that we're looking at a 2008/9 release of the series (at the earliest) and that's if the series is licensed this week (currently only the movie is due for release). Language shouldn't be a problem if you've read the manga you should be able to tell what's going on and if you ever feel lost there are several sites with episode guides (like this one!) which you can read through before and after for a complete understanding of this masterpiece.
Well worth your time.
Grab it now before the boxes are gone!
|
