xxxHolic

Watanuki has had to live his life with the curse of being able to see and interact with spirits, turning him into a magnet for the supernatural. This understandably is quite a burden to bare, especially for a teenager who's orphaned, living by himself and attending high school. On particularly bad day while trying to evade spirits, he stumbles a across a mysterious shop and meets the owner, a sultry witch named Yuko who sells "wishes" to the troubled souls who happen upon her shop. Yuko agrees to take away Watanuki's ability, but in return he must work for her in the shop until his debt is paid in full.

Ones of studio CLAMP's most well known series, xxxHolic is fantasy series that focuses on traditional Japanese folk lore and is structured episodically, with an episode or arc focusing on one of Yuko's client's or the characters interacting with supernatural beings or places. There are few action scenes to be found in Holic, instead the series relies on it's characters to tell the story/advance the plot, in that respect some viewers may be put off by it's slower pace. I was surprised by xxxHolic, I put off seeing it for quite some time,but I am very glad I did, there is much to like about Holic; its interesting take on folk lore, a refreshing worldview rare in anime, memorable characters; especially Yuko who is probably one of the most entertaining and unique female protagonists Ive seen in a while and finally it's just a hugely enjoyable, original show despite a couple arcs/standalone episodes that weren't up to snuff.

Grade:A-

Reviewed: episodes 1-24 Format: English Dub, DVD.