xxxHolic Ep. #16
Reunion
The episode opens with Watanuki going about his chores par usual though today the pipe fox spirit, still in it's uber form from Episode 13, is innocently following him around and making a nuisance of itself due to it's unusual size.
He asks Yuko is she can doing anything to make it smaller but she, along with Maru and Moro simply scream about how cute it looks now that it can give Watanuki bear hugs. Watanuki doesn't find this funny one bit.
They're all distracted by the sudden landing of a pebble which has been thrown into their yard. Watanuki wonders who threw it but Yuko seems to have a good idea who. Watanuki walks around to the back of the shop to the well where he finds a wrapped package surrounded by those blue glowy things that were with the vestal spirit in Episode 11. He quickly makes the connection and opens the package which ends up containing deep fried tofu. The pipe fox spirit grabs a piece asap though suffers the after-effect of losing on of the markings on it's forehead. Watanuki doesn't notice this.
Later on, Watanuki, Himawari and Domeki are hanging out down town when Himawari catches sight of a jewellery store which she just has to check out. Watanuki, being as smitten as he his, falls over himself to agree with Himawari and Domeki jokes about this, accusing Watanuki of wanting to go in because he likes the jewellery.
Once inside, Himawari buys one pair of pins and Watanuki admits that some of the ones on display are okay after all.
While cooking dinner for Yuko that night, the pipe fox spirit is at it again, pestering Watanuki. At his wit's end, he decides to reward the pipe fox spirit for getting off him and sitting down, but giving him another piece of deep fried tofu. Yuko drops in a mentions that while that's the fox's favourite food, it's definitely not healthy for it as with each serving the marks on it's forehead disappear and once all the marks are gone, it will be unable to revert back to it's small form.
They all decide that it's time to make the pipe fox spirit small again and Mokona suggests that they use a vase that Yuko stole, yet paid for. Watanuki fills it up with water from the well and Yuko pours a handful of small crystals in it to purify the water.
Yuko instructs Watanuki and the pipe fox spirit to look into the vase. They both do so and very shortly they vase begins to glow and they're both sucked into it!
Seconds later they regain conciousness and find themselves underwater surrounded by giant crystals! The both swim to the surface and find that they're in a strange land with numerous butterflies fluttering around and giant daffodils.
As they dry off, Watanuki comments on how pure and fresh the wind feels. Suddenly the pipe fox spirit begins to glow, completely blinding Watanuki! When the light subsides we see that the pipe fox spirit has returned to it's normal, small form again. With his task complete, Watanuki wonders how he's going to get home but some talking daffodils (!) mention that he has but one more task to complete right before they super size and scare him away.
Watanuki and the pipe fox spirit run and run and eventually find themselves next to a lake on top of a mountain. They're not alone however as sitting just above the lake is the vestal spirit! They talk for a bit and eventually Watanuki gives her a pair of clips that he had bought at the jewellery shop as a thank you gift for the fried tofu. She blushes, he blushes, then the little winged guys from xxxHolic Episode 11 return and accuse him of making her cry again. They run and run and hold hands and then when all seems lost, the rain spirit returns and yells at them for disobeying the orders of the vestal spirit who had asked them to stop.
The vestal spirit shows her friend the clips she was given which she puts into her hair and comments how nice they look (after a comment to Watanuki on how cheap they are). The vestal spirit tells Watanuki that he can return home by jumping into the lake. He and the pipe fox spirit do so and they shortly return to Yuko's shop.... via the well in the backyard!
Later on, Watanuki is cooking unbothered by the pipe fox spirit, though it still has a taste for deep fried tofu.
Today's Crossovers
 Those new to CLAMP's works could easily have come to the conclusion that the Piffle Phings items in the store were a reference to Piffle World in Tsubasa Chronicle Episode 27 but the Piffle brand name has been used in several CLAMP series as a kind of inside joke among the group.
 The vase that Watanuki and the pipe fox spirit use to visit the vestal spirit was indeed from a Shinto shrine as Yuko claims though she hired Kazahaya and Rikou (previously seen in xxxHolic Episode 6) in issue #2 of the Legal Drug manga to steal it for her.
My Original Impression
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Maybe it was because I had read the manga version of this story beforehand but I really felt like this episode was padded to the point were 50% of the episode was unnecessary. The whole running in the forest... not needed. The return of the rain spirit... really not needed.
What was needed was Yuko converting more parasite fallen angel demons! That part in the manga arc rocked.
I did however like how they expanded on why Watanuki wanted the pipe fox spirit returned to it's smaller form.
This episode could have been a lot better had they shown Yuko doing more while Watanuki was in the vase.
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