xxxHolic Ep. #4
Divination
I really like this episode. It doesn't deal with any epic or monster of the week type stories, instead it focuses on Watanuki, where he's coming from and what makes him tick. We also get to see a more of a serious, business like attitude in Yuko this time around which is refreshing. Don't get me wrong, I love the fun-loving, drinking Yuko as well, but the character works so much better when she expresses all the layers of her personality.
The episode starts with Watanuki and Himawari having lunch at school. Watanuki has also invited Domeki as he feels bad about him getting injured saving his life in the last episode. He's obviously not very happy about this but thinks it's the right thing to do.
They all talk about the food they're eating and suddenly Himawari asks the boys for their birthdays. Watanuki tells her his is the first of April which she thinks is cute and Domeki tells her that his is the third of March. Himawari also thinks this is cute as that day is a girls festival in Japan. Watanuki thinks it's hillarious. Himawari's birthday apparently is the twenty seventh of November which makes her a Sagittarius and very compatible with Watanuki who is an Aries.
Watanuki is very happy.
Back at Yuko's shop (which doesn't have a name come to think of it), Yuko and the black Mokona , Larg, are drinking some sake (just for a change) when Watanuki arrives to start his shift. He's so happy that he explains what Himawari told him. Yuko explains astrology to him and then talks him into getting his future told. He's hesitant at first, but once she explains that it'd be a great way to start a conversation with Himawari, he's all for the idea!
When they arrive at the divinator's house, Yuko is surprised to find that someone else has taken over the place. Instead of being put off, Yuko becomes more interested in just who is doing divinations now. They enter the building and are greeted by a beautiful woman in old English wannabe clothes who welcomes them and gets them to sit down.
As they're waiting, Watanuki fills out a paper form with his personal information which they apparently need to complete his divination.
The fortune teller comes out of the back and greets everyone. She also comments on how cute their doll is (Mokona). The woman then continues to ask open ended questions about Watanuki's family and his life and eventually tells him to be positive in everything he does in his life and his problem will go away. She of course is unaware that his problem is that he sees spirits and spirits are attracted to him. Yuko, obviously sensing how off this woman is, asks her how the weather will be. She responds by telling Yuko that the weatherman said it would be fine.
They all leave with Yuko feeling very disappointed and a little offended.
Later in the park, Yuko explains how and why the woman's divination was fake and heads off to find her friend, the real fortune teller. Yuko takes out a handkerchief and transforms it into a butterfly which locates her friend.
Almost as soon as they enter the fortune teller's yard, she comes out of her house and greets them, obviously expecting them, and comments on how sad it is that Watanuki's parents died (there's a conversation starter!) and welcomes Mokona which she can tell is clearly not a toy.
They all gather inside and the woman begins the divination. She uses a device that draws a picture in a dish. It turns out to be a butterfly which symbolises that Watanuki is going to go through change. The woman also tells him that she sees a long term friendship with another man (Domeki) and a future with Himawari but she doesn't go into the details. She also mentions that Watanuki's parents are fine and that they are proud of him.
Yuko then asks her about the weather (it's now raining) and she tells Yuko that it'll be fine by the time they leave.
Later that night, the rain has stopped and they enjoy a quiet walk back to Yuko's shop. That is before her and Mokona decide they need some more sake!
Today's Crossovers
None.
My Original Impression
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Man, I can't wait for next week! It's a combination of two bits from the manga, both of which I love: The fox stand and the Shiritori game!
Anyway, back to the present. I really liked this episode. There were no major bad spirits and nothing really epic happened but it featured some nice downtime with Watanuki, Yuko and Larg (the black Mokona) as they go about getting forunes told. It's very accurate to the manga and features some great new music towards the last five minutes.
This whole episode just gave me a warm happy feeling. Despite the completely different genre, I felt like I was watching a Ghibli movie. Weird I know. I just found this episode to be so... nice.
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