xxxHOLiC, Vol. 12

xxxHOLiC [xxx ホリック] #12

by Clamp

Watanuki se encuentra con Sakura en un sueño, y después de platicar con Yuuko, empieza a dudar de su propia existencia. Por otro lado, Kohane está sufriendo de acoso por parte de los televidentes de un programa en el que ella participa. Watanuki está dispuesto a hacer todo lo posible para ayudarla.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Supernatural, Seinen, Comics, Fiction

Mass Market Paperback

First published October 17, 2007

About the author

Ōkawa Nanase 大川七瀬
[born: 2 May 1967; Ōsaka, bloodtype: A]

Mokona Apapa もこなあぱぱ
[born: 16 Jun 1968, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]

Nekoi Mick 猫井みっく
[born: 21 Jan 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: O]

Igarashi Satsuki 五十嵐さつき
[born: 8 Feb 1969, Kyōto; bloodtype: A]


CLAMP originally began in 1989 as a twelve-member dōjinshi circle, but by 1990, the circle had diminished from twelve to seven. Of the remaining seven, Tamayo Akiyama, Sei Nanao, and Leeza Sei left the group during the production of the RG Veda manga. Other former members of CLAMP also included Soushi Hishika, O-Kyon, Kazue Nakamori, Yuzuru Inoue and Shinya Ōmi. Currently, there are four members in the group.

In 2004, CLAMP's 15th anniversary as a mangaka group, the members changed their names from Nanase Ohkawa, Mokona Apapa, Mick Nekoi, and Satsuki Igarashi to Ageha Ohkawa, Mokona, Tsubaki Nekoi and Satsuki Igarashi (her name is pronounced the same, but written with different characters) respectively. The August 2004 issue of Newtype USA, a magazine specializing in events of the anime and manga subcultures, reported that the members of CLAMP simply wanted to try out new names. In a later interview with Ohkawa, it was revealed that initially Mokona wanted to drop her surname because it sounded too immature for her liking, while Nekoi disliked people commenting that her name was the same as Mick Jagger's. Ohkawa and Igarashi, wanting to go with the flow of Nekoi's and Mokona's name changes, changed their names as well.

In 2006, they made their first USA public debut at Anime Expo in Anaheim, California. They were well received at the convention, with 6,000 fans in attendance at their panel.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The reason you've begun to think that way is because you've decided to change yourself into that kind of person. And when you change yourself, it means that the future changes also."

The barrier between Watanuki's dreams and his waking life seems to be breaking down. He's falling asleep in increasingly unusual, and sometimes dangerous, situations. He has a dream where Domeki's grandfather, Haruka, tells him the ancient story about the butterfly's dream.

Either the butterfly motifs on Yuko's outfits are becoming more common and prominent, or I've only now really noticed them (more hints to reread this!). For the first time, Watanuki asks Yuko what her wish is, and asks it again. He doesn't receive an answer. I'm getting a little worried, especially since I've been mildly spoiled by the covers of the last few volumes of this series. It happens when you don't get around to reading something for over a decade after you've bought it, I suppose.

One other thing I've only started noticing as of this volume is that Watanuki has heterochromia in the color illustrations on the covers and the initial pages of the book. That's a cool way of showing off the eye that he traded with Domeki. I suppose Domeki has heterochromia, too, but it's harder to see because his character design has small pupils.

[Kendra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just CAN'T NOT GIVE THESE FIVE STARS RIGHT NOW? YUKO IS SAD?
I'm in too deep, guys.

Definitely one day when I'm a millionaire I'll have to own both Tsubasa and this series and read them at the same time. I'll bet it's super interesting to do and also not at all any less confusing!

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clamp: vous êtes des génies. Et je vous aimes. Vraiment merci pour les travaux mes reines.

[VSP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necesito a alguien para hablar de esto.

Ya CLAMP, deja de hacerme llorar.

Entre Watanuki y Yuuko, no puedo :c

¿Me voló la cabeza el giro de trama? La verdad es que si, pero ni un gramo de lo que me dolió el corazón en ese último capítulo.

Además, siento que algo le va a pasar a Yuuko y estoy muy nerviosa al respecto :ccc

[Nayab · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never thought I'd ever see Yuko's face light up after hearing Watanuki's proposal in granting her whichever wish she had desired. the ending was truly touching. On to the next book now! :)

[Bexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️

[Kati · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I'm simply smitten. Who/what is Watanuki?

Is he dying? Is he a ghost or a dream that he doesn't remember the names of his parents or ever tasting anything? Or is he real and everybody else is just a dream? And what's his connection with Shaolan?

I'm so intrigued! I wonder if CLAMP planned that from the very beginning. I just loved the way that Domeki cared for Watanuki in this volume. This is a real masterpiece!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the art in this series.

[Laura]

Waiting to get these at the library like:

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for complete series



xxxHolic is not the type of manga that I would usually pick up - somehow, stories about stores with special services have never really caught my interests. As it happens to be a CLAMP manga which is heavily interwoven with Tsubasa and also has ties to Blood C, I knew I'd at the very least have to give it a chance. The good thing is, apart from the ending, it's a pretty neat manga series.

Watanuki has always attracted ghosts and spirits and he wishes they would just go away. Fate leads him to Yuko's wish-granting shop, but wishes don't come for free. In order for Watanuki's wish to be granted, he must work in the store and becomes involved in all manners of the supernatural.

The art is easily recognisable as CLAMP's, yet it is different. Everything is in black and whites with no greyscales and the characters' eyes are rather empty looking, even the covers are anything but vibrant. But this is actually very well suited for the atmosphere of this series. I only wish that, similar to Tsubasa, the characters' limbs weren't so unnaturally long.

What I first thought to be a rather bland set of characters soon turned out to be a much deeper and very likeable bunch. It's odd, I was against every character from the start and I can't even put my finger on when it changed, but I ended up loving them all. I must confess, I preferred the first three-quarters of the story more - Watanuki becomes a more serious character after certain events and I just prefered him the way he was before. That being said, I can understand how and why he changed.

Although there is an underlying story that is interlaced with Tsubasa, the rest of the series is very much episodic. The different episodes all revolve around legends and myths and it's very interesting to read about them. Not only are the origins explained, but given the modern setting of this series, they are always shown with a contemporary sample. I am only guessing here, but I feel as though having visited Japan and recognising various elements increased my enjoyment of this series as it really is very heavy on Japanese-lore. This holds particularly true about the Jorougumo chapters - there's just something very unsettling about these joro spiders.

The story can be a little slow at times but it generally has good pacing. It's a nice balance between humour, horror and a bit of moral lecturing - in a good way. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the ending isn't exactly satisfying. In fact, it's not that much of an ending at all; would I not know that this series is complete with 19 volumes, I'd think there is more to come. Thanks to its episodic nature, this series can in a sense conclude at any time it wants to. Yet the underlying story is left hanging in the air and there's nothing in terms of closure. CLAMP has started a sequel (which is one of their many works on hiatus - surprise!) which may or may not remedy this issue at some point, but for that, one will need to wait for the sequel to conclude. Otherwise, there are a few glimpses of Watanuki in Blood C which I feel not that many people know of - have a look if you care to see more of what happened to Watanuki post xxxHolic!

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

(01/13/2021)
We have a cute Watanuki birthday party. Some tragic continuation of Kohane and her life. (Seriously wanna see her mom fall into a well)

But primarily we get an ominous dream that tells the butterfly story. I recognized it from other stories I've read and such.

Afterward Watanuki is falling in and out of sleep. Specifically, he realizes or remember that he doesn't know his parents names. The we have a short fishing story, but it's cnnected by him dreaming. After he's suddenly with Himawari.

Okay. Okay. SO. This is the part where I last read up to years ago. And I'm thinking this is why I stopped.

Is this one of those "it was all a dream stories?"

Like, the conversation at the end is convoluted, so I doubt I'll know until the end, but still. I'll be disappointed if it's so.

(Sakura is in dreams too, but I can't remember why. I feel vaugely spoiled for Tsubasa, oh well. I'm determined to read xxxholic ONLY rn.)

[Seamaiden · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume was super confusing and sad which is what the story needs to be at this point. I kept reading and reading and it seemed not to end. It was like going in circles, and even though it makes sense for the story, I must admit...it tired me a bit. I simply wanted to see what happens next and I felt there's no progress.

The nicest part for me was that Watanuki got to see the girl again, and he made her understand that it's not okay to let her mom keep abusing her that way. I also loved how Yuuto hugged Watanuki when he asked her if he could make her wish come true. It was so sweet.

[Rebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Damn this volume was confusing as hell. I love the characters and all but I kinda wish it didn’t crossover with I guess it’s Tsubasa? Bc I have zero interest in reading that and I not reading it I suspect is partly why things are so confusing... like why are they’re two Sy guys (I can’t remember the spelling of that name)?? And I guess it’s still to be explained fully why one of them paid a price to keep Watanuki from “disappearing.” Guess I’ll just keep reading...

[Riley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Things are surprisingly escalating with a hint of confusing tension. I once, earlier on with the series, guessed Wata was going to be something like Clow's heir. And then I also thought he might take over Yuko's duty. Now I have no idea what's happening, especially when the Cardcaptor fanfic versions started getting more involved with this series' plot.

[Josh 谢翊杰 · Rating 5 out of 5]

My two favourite quotes from this volumes (both from Yûko):

The only transaction that doesn't require a price it the transaction of "feelings"

To change yourself means to change the future

Watanuki is jumping in and out of the dream world to meet Sakura and some others. He has no memory of his parents. It feels like he's going to disappear. What's happening?

[Pedro Ángel · Rating 5 out of 5]

¿Por que todo esta tomando un rumbo tan oscuro? ¿Finalmente estamos llegando al punto de union de ambas historias?

Me preocupa todo este tema de los sueños con Doumeki, ha crecido tanto que no quiero que todo se esfume de la nada, espero que en los siguientes capitulos se aclare que es exactamente lo que esta pasando:(

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Les incursions oniriques de Watanuki deviennent de plus en plus fréquentes, à tel point qu'il commence à avoir du mal à distinguer les rêves de la réalité. Il rencontre le grand-père de Dômeki dans ses rêves, ainsi que Sakura, dont l'âme s'est réfugiée dans un songe après avoir été séparée de son corps.

[Child960801 · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this one, the cross over story becomes more important and takes up more space. I'll have to hunt it down and read it.

The story with the little girl medium continues. There are various short strange encounters. The question of what is reality comes up.

[Harumichi Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makin misterius aja. Watanuki bahkan nggak ingat nama ortunya sendiri. Dia nggak pernah nyicip masakannya sendiri. Dia juga nggak ingat siapa pengasuhnya. Semua itu membuat Watanuki bertanya-tanya apa semua yang ia alami itu mimpi. Apa yang sebenarnya terjadi?

[Jesus Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este es volumen de crossover porque Sakura se le aparece varias veces en sueños a Watanuki
Como había pensado en el tomo anterior, la historia de la niña medium, que tristeza.
Y si, porque Watanuki no sabe el nombre de sus padres

4 stars

[Daisy · Rating 4 out of 5]

im not crying you are

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty interesting and really good manga! Really love the art style and story! Really addicting manga😻👻👻😁❤️❤️

[新新 Xin-Xin · Rating 3 out of 5]

一直一直突然驚醒，令人困惑的過場

[suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

越來越哀傷了TT

[Bell Potter · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Aviso: lectura hecha en ejemplar en español, publicado en México. La presente nota se modificará cuando se dé de alta en GR la edición correspondiente).

[Räech Parra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Más hacia 3.5 ya que me confundí hacia dónde va la historia. Todo lo bueno del tomo anterior se volvió enredoso. Espero mejore.

[Luis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha habido demasiado relleno para mi gusto, PERO ya empiezan a cerrarse arcos importantes

[Laura Cruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta serie is always a 5 star, pero diferente cada vez

[Chivitouille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cabe mencionar que a partir de este tomo es conveniente estar leyendo Tsubasa, puesto que la relación entre las dos historias se va volviendo más cercana y hay varias cosas que suceden que posiblemente no queden tan claras si no se van leyendo las dos historias.
Watanuki empieza a tener una relación más estrecha con el mundo de los sueños y constantemente se ve inmerso en ellos, algunas veces sin darse cuenta.
A raíz de esto se encontrará con Sakura, lo que nos dará una perspectiva complementaria a lo que esta sucediendo en Tsubasa, además de unas cuantas conversaciones sumamente interesantes.
Nos empiezan a dar pequeñas pistas sobre la importancia de Watanuki pero cada una será un misterio que aún esta muy lejos de resolverse.
Kohane tiene más presencia en este tomo y se encontrará ante la difícil situación de que la gente pondrá en duda sus poderes y le harán la vida imposible, por lo que Watanuki se preocupara por ella e irá a visitarla acompañado de Domeki.
En esta parte de la historia sucede algo que me molesto e indigno por parte de la mamá de Kohane pero afortunadamente la presencia de Domeki fue importante para que no sucediera algo más grave. Me encanta mucho como es que a pesar de que de vez en cuando Watanuki se la pasa refunfuñando por Domeki, éste poco a poco se ha convertido en una persona importante en su vida, siempre esta ahí para ayudarlo y se ve que conforme vaya avanzando la historia la amistad entre ellos será cada vez más importante.
Por otro lado, Yuko sigue siendo un misterio, aunque hay muchas cosas que sabemos de ella, aún existen demasiadas que ignoramos.
Debido a que las cosas están cambiando debido a los sucesos que ocurren en Tsubasa, las cosas también empiezan a afectar el mundo de Watanuki. Cuestión que se verá reflejada en el mundo de los sueños con el que ha estado en contacto últimamente, lo que provocará una serie de sueños muy disparatados y sin sentido, admito que esta parte es algo confusa, como todos los sueños extraños cuando se tienen, pero en el caso de Watanuki le crean una confusión más allá de saber qué es real y qué es un sueño.
Me ha conmovido mucho esta parte, al ver su confusión y perder de vista quien es, la conversación que tiene con Yuko resulta muy importante, sirve para demostrar cuánto a crecido Watanuki y para hacer notar que entre él y Syaoran existe un vínculo importante.
Sin duda todo se esta volviendo cada vez más interesante y la historia va mejorando mucho conforme avanza, aún nos quedan muchas cosas por saber, lo que incrementa la curiosidad por saber cada uno de esos detalles que se van mencionando y que espero no tarden mucho en resolverse, ya para terminar no dudo al recomendarla nuevamente.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 12 by CLAMP. It is the twelfth in the series, so you need to have read the first eleven to understand the story. It is 178 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover has Yuko on it looking very pretty and wrapping around to Watanuki on the back. The intended reader is someone who likes Japanese mythology, ghost stories, and very pretty pictures. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the back of the book- Lately Kimihiro Watanuki's dreams have been pleasant escapes that have given him the chance to talk to his new friend Haruki Domeki. But now he's falling asleep a lot- and starting to think that his entire life with the witch Yuko might be taking place in some kind of dreamworld. Then one night his dream is visited by a pretty princess named Sakura...


Review- The story is starting to get really sad. Watanuki is realizing that lots of things in his life do not add up. He cannot remember things like his parents names or what grade he is in. He is scared but he is letting that change him. He is determined to stay kind. This one also has some interesting one shots like the hole that just appears, takes some of Watanuki's cooking, then returns with flowers as a thank you. I do not know what Yuko is doing but she is so sad about something. The plot is really moving now and I think that it is going to make me cry. Not much left for this story.


I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.