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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Watch | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:1164#1552] | |
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This film plays out like an extended episode of the xxxHOLiC anime, flaws and all with visuals, characters, and story premise. Yuko has her moments where she can be entertaining, but Watanuki still gets on my nerves with his self-absorbed character. xxxHolic's still one of the more "meh" titles from CLAMP I've seen and that opinion hasn't changed much with my viewing of this film.
Last updated Friday, December 14 2018. Created Friday, December 14 2018. | ||||||||
| Watch | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 8 |
 Devil Doll
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[series:1164#752] |
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[Score: 65% = Watch-] CLAMP just isn't my cup of tea: Everything looks distorted and slapstick-like. I also don't like the use of 3D Animation that much here. Some of the Music is beatiful but the ED song is very weak. The Story is slightly similar to Chihiro but needs too much effort for just one message (good intention don't necessarily lead to good results) - a lot of razzle-dazzle for little story. Add to this the plot holes (how did the bad guy turn evil and where did he get his power from?). Probably the best was the presentation - the narration style was okay and keeps the audience watching, the confrontation is interesting and the music used appropriately. And where Ghibli has sympathetic Character they appear lifeless and wooden here: Yuuko is amusing but offish, her servant Watanuki is goofy, his colleague Domeki emotionless. In the end I am disappointed to find so few positive aspects - I wouldn't watch this movie again. I might just not be the target group, this one is too childish for me. Last updated Monday, November 30 2009. Created Sunday, July 05 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
 Dreamer
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[series:1164#2279] |
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Okay, after watching the first two series, I didn't have a lot of confidence in this one. It's not that I was expecting it to suck, but rather, I was expecting it to be simply okay.... as the series were. Art, Animation and Character Design The animation was 1000% times better than the series. As expected of movies however, this one was far better than many movies in general. It was very rich in color, heavy in details and pretty smooth. The character designs were well refined as opposed to it's series counterparts. Still, they were drawn lanky and oddly stretched vertically. But, if you've seen the series, then it's nothing new. Music The music was still as dreary and eerie as ever. Nothing of any interest. Series and Episode Story The plot was really interesting. Much better than the whole series. It was both believable and original. What made this one unusual is that Yuuko is actually involved in some actions! Usually she refrains from doing anything, thus leaving it up to Watanuki. What I also liked was how in the beginning, you're given just enough information to explain the relationship between Yuuko and Watanuki..... why he's her maid. So for viewers who aren't familiar with xxxholic, you don't really have to watch the series to understand anything. Overall, this is an excellent story. It easily stands on its own and the plot is strait forward and enjoyable. Last updated Sunday, February 22 2009. Created Sunday, February 22 2009. | ||||||||
| Buy | 9 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
 Xenoknight
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[series:1164#2967] |
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This review was written after watching the events of the series and it's sequel. Just as dark and twisted as the series - xxxHOLiC and sequel - xxxHOLiC Kei (though they came after this movie for some crazy reason)... First thing to mention is the overall presentation. Strangely enough, this was far better than the series (which came out a year later) in terms of animation and art style. It was so surprisingly well done that I would have to say that it was higher than the sequel (as hard as that is to believe) xxxHOLiC Kei (which came out three years later)! The music fit the situations perfectly and the end credits were great to listen to (as with all the xxxHOLiC titles). "Damn-near perfection" is all that can be said for this movie. As for the events themselves, the intro was very xxxHOLiC-like with poor Watanuki doing Yuuko's dirty work and then they meet a customer with a problem. I wouldn't call it routine though as about twenty minutes in, the movie switches to xxxHOLiC Kei-status (which won my award for "greatest sequel improvement") and things get very twisted and interesting. After the noticeable quality change, the movie becomes just as twisted and creepy as anyone would expect from a xxxHOLiC title: intriguing mystery elements that will make the viewer think, a cursed spirit that is the mastermind behind everything, and the wonderful cast of characters that help to push the events along (especially the "ever-so-sexy" Yuuko). All in all, I couldn't find a single fault to mention. Only one question remains. Why did this movie (though it is a stand-alone title) come first in the xxxHOLiC line-up? With how things were done in this title, I would imagine this to fit better after the events of xxxHOLiC Kei let alone the original series itself. Fun Fact: This is the only xxxHOLiC title to date that has Yuuko actually being attacked (!) and she physically tried to do something about the problem herself. The other titles had her just making Watanuki do all the work as she stayed in the house most of the time. I would've loved to see her "cut-loose" and beat some a**. (^_^) Check out my award list to see some of the best anime titles in the world! Never forget Xenosaga. Last updated Monday, June 15 2009. Created Wednesday, November 12 2008. | ||||||||
| Rent |
 Forbin
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[series:1164#1573] | ||||||
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Drama : Med Comedy : Med Action : Med Scifi : High Ecchi : Low I sure hope you read the manga before watching this (Thanks Jan-Chan!) It assumes you have read up to Volume 2 I think (Where Domeki-Kun comes in). All the cast you know from xxxHolic (Including a cameo from Sayoran and Sakura) are in here. It really looks like the Monkey Paw episode. The first half was stolen verbatim from that part of the episode, then it goes into totally new territory. Did I like it? Yeah. Was it as good as the manga? No way. I LOVED the part where Yuko starts to take off her clothes for Watanuki. (There is no hint of that in the manga) And a little bit of her mystery. But I didn't like how she solved the problem of this story. She NEVER leaves it to Watanuki then steps in herself to solve it. She either sets Watanuki up to fix it or just does it herself. I am surprised that everyone has black hair. How very UN Anime like. Hehe. Last updated Sunday, March 05 2006. Created Sunday, March 05 2006. | ||||||||
| Buy | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
 AstroNerdBoy
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[series:1164#436] | |
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Because Del Rey had published the xxxHOLiC manga in English combined with the fact that CLAMP authored it, I decided to read the manga. I really enjoyed what I read, so when I learned of a movie being made based on the series, needless to say I was excited by the prospect. I was not disappointed in what I saw. From a story perspective, the writers mostly assume that the viewers of this anime will have read the manga, or if they get into the TV series (which as of this review is still to come), that. As such, very little time is dedicated to explaining characters. Maybe five minutes are dedicated to letting you know Watanuki's problem, why he works for Yuuko-san, that he hates Doumeki-kun but has a crush on Himawari-chan, and that Doumeki-kun can drive away the "spirits" that Watanuki sees. It is bare-boned for sure, but since they only have an hour to tell the tale and the movie is for fans of the manga, I understand why they did things this way. The story itself is pretty interesting. Yuuko-san gets an invitation to come to a mansion, which she views as more of a challenge. Meanwhile, as Forbin stated, as Watanuki cleans Yuuko-san's treasure room, to include removing the treasures to the front yard, a young woman appears apparently seeking Watanuki's help. Watanuki assumes she want's Yuuko-san. Her problem is that while she has a key to her house, it no longer allows her in. It sounds odd, but when Yuuko-san takes the case, you know there's more to it. ^_^ The story from that point is very much original. The story is pretty interesting and certainly felt like something that CLAMP could have written. It is a bit odd though, so that might put some folks off. Fortunately the writers appear to be fans of the manga because they kept all of characters from the manga in character. Nothing in the story struck me as being at odds with the manga (at least what I've read to date). The only thing I might cite would be that in the manga, Yuuko-san has a purpose for everything she exposes Watanuki to, but that doesn't come off here. That's only a minor complaint though. Yuuko-san was great in this, she being a favorite character of mine in the manga. Himawari-chan only gets a cameo at the begining and end, but then that's good enough for now. The character designs are nearly identical to the manga, which is good. The character designs may be a bit odd with characters coming off as skinny, tall things, but that's what CLAMP originally designed so there you go. The art of this movie is VERY beautiful most of the time. It gets a little ugly during moments where weird things happen, but that's to be expected. The animation felt very good to me, which it should considering this is a movie. Bottom line: if you are a fan of the manga, I think you'll really enjoy this movie. The characters are true to their manga counterparts making it more enjoyable. As such I give it a 'Buy" rating.Last updated Monday, March 06 2006. Created Sunday, March 05 2006. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Production I.G's Official site | http://www.productionig.com/contents/works_sp/22_/ |
