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May 19, 2006

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XXXHOLiC #6


Before starting, I should say that I REALLY loved this episode, so expect a very positive review. I think this episode is at the same spot of favoritism as episodes 1 and 3 (although I have a special care for Part A of episode 5).

Anyways, on to the episode !

THE GD GUYS————! *——–* I could swear they would be cut without mercy after seeing what they are doing with TRC’s links, but then I bumped into a commentary made by the director that we WILL be seeing other CLAMP charas in the anime, so, after that, my hopes increased. And if you think about it, their presence is very logical, since on episode 5 Yuuko drank a lot of sake, so it would be logical to have her suffering from a hangover.

I had no idea that the Green Drugstore was located under a train line.

About the guys…
Well, they weren’t that amazingly well-done, of course, this is not their own series, they are just making a cameo, so we can’t expect too much. Kazahaya’s hair is not as pretty as the way Nekoi draws it, and Rikuou doesn’t look that intimidating. Their voices, though, are excellent (specially Kazahaya’s).
As I said, I’m not nitpicking here because the mere fact that they ARE there is enough to give me infinite joy, and also feed my hopes for one day, who knows, GD will have it’s own series u.u
They shortened the scene a bit (more than it already is xD), so we unfortunately don’t get to see Kazahaya and Rikuou bickering at each other, nor Watanuki seeing the ghosts of Kei and Tsukiko behind Kazahaya and Rikuou’s bodies. But they added a very nice music at the background as if it was playing at the drugstore xD

When I think of how a XXXHOLiC soundtrack would be, I immediately think of violins, pianos and flute. The movie had all those 3, but so far the anime doesn’t. So far, because at this episode we get to hear a new track and the main instrument is a flute ! Yay ! In the scene where Yuuko is totally in the middle of a hangover.
I liked this scene a lot, in fact, apart from the music, who is also great is Sayaka Ohara. Her voice is so grave and funny XDDD

Allow me to say that CLAMP’s requests about Yuuko’s boobs were DEFINITELY taken seriously XDDD They are perf— *ahem* just as the way they should be ^///^

In Ginza, I love the scene where Yuuko walks backwards to get a closer view of the sake bottles xDDDD Very nice detail.

Okay so the gray people are there, I just wish they would MOVE you know, this is Ginza, where is the city’s craziness? *nitpicking*

LOL at Yuuko pressing the doorbell button over and over again XDDDDDDDDD

So glad they kept the little bit about the nicknames and how crazy for manga Yuuko is XDDD I specially liked the little shining start representing her addiction, just like in the manga XDDD

I liked the whole sequence inside the lady’s apartment, how they show the “eye contact” from Yuuko and the lady, specially when she’s questioning the lady why she should give attention to her son, and the camera goes from Yuuko to the lady, getting closer and closer everytime, very nice and dynamic. Also you can hear a tic tac sound from a clock going on, which to me represents that the mood is so quiet and tense that you can even hear the clock.

I’m kinda sad they changed a bit and went to a local Café instead of a local park, Yuuko kicks Watanuki’s butt and we get introduced to the rubber Duck for they first time (which was also unfortunately cut). But I can’t deny it was also a good call to show the people from the local Cyber Café receiving the news that the lady was quitting.

I think the lady’s addiction to the PC was AMAZINGLY represented. How she (tried to) fight against her temptations, how she looks incredibly mental when she’s using the PC. The whole scene is perfect, the shots with her crazy hands typing and clicking, the random computer screen shots, the shots showing her completely desperate eyes, the background song, everything was amazing ! You can really tell how desperately addicted she is.

When Yuuko arrives it’s even amazing XDD She turns her head with such a “I’m doomed !” eye, and Yuuko coming by the window is priceless (Watanuki too) XDDD

Then when Yuuko and the lady have a “closer” conversation, the surroundings goes all dark and I really liked that. Again, to me is representing that “this” is what matters (the talk between Yuuko and the lady), everything else is not important. Like suddenly all that the woman could see is Yuuko and her message, not to mention that in the manga, some of the panels have pitch-black background.

The scene where Yuuko breaks the computer is PERFECT XDDDD You can tell that she did it with PLEASURE XDDD The whole mood of that scene is hilarious, not only Watanuki gets totally desperate but also the lady XDDDDDDD

The woman is left completely in SHOCK XDDDD

It’s a shame indeed that Yuuko didn’t mention Subaru, but it was very expected since it has no relation to the plot whatsoever, and the anime-only audience probably wouldn’t understand.

I felt pity of the lady when her son asked where his chair was, she looked like the drug-addicted people that sell everything in order to buy more drugs. Let’s hope her life will be better from now on XDDDD

Overall, I really loved this episode ! It was very well-done and the post-production work is very satisfying (I mean the OST, the SFXs, the seiyuu performances, etc).

Good points:
– Very faithful to the manga.
– GD GUYS!
– Well-animated.
– Very well direction and post-production.

Bad points:
– No Mr. Dukky *nitpicking*
– No Subaru reference *nitpicking MORE

Staff of Episode 8 – Contract

Script: Michiko Yokote (eps 1 and 4).
Storyboard: Tarou Iwasaki (ep 3)
Episode Director: Tarou Iwasaki (ep 3)
Animation Director: Junichiro Taniguchi (ep 3)

In technical terms, expect the next episode to be VERY much like episode 3 (which was excellent, IMO, so). Also, by the preview from today’s episode, it looks very good.

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28 thoughts on “XXXHOLiC #6”

  1. I had no idea that the Green Drugstore was located under a train line.

    Uh, because it isn’t. It’s in a building with open-wide sky above it. Yes, I checked when I reread GD these days. P.I.G. made it up ¬_¬ (“hey, look, we can get monorail/train sound effects!”)

    The voices ARE good. But it didn’t really feel like them.

    Duckie! T_______T *mourns again* In my opinion, the cafe part sucked big ass (also, I didn’t interpret that scene like you did; where did you get the idea all that people knew the woman was quitting? I think it’s 95% impossible such a range of her cyberfriends are hanging out in the same place.) But it’s because, after keeping all of the Yuuko geekiness/silliness, it felt cheap they cut her going down the slide and knocking Watanuki to the floor don’t get me started on duckie kisses… ;_;

    The episode wasn’t that bad, but it wasn’t that good, either. Also, the final touch with the woman’s son appearing felt… not right. Fluffy, even. This saga isn’t even fluffy! And why should a boy so big care about a baby’s chair?

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    • I think that the computers in the cafè just went crazy because the woman was using hers again, kinda informed Yuuko that stuff was happening. You could see that on every computer screen was the same picture, the one that shows up when the CPU-woman opens her computer. Btw, one of the people in the cafè said “Mata…” (=again). Does this always happen when the woman is using her computer or what?

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      • I interpreted it as, “maybe Yuuko pulled a spell on the cafe computers so she could tell when the woman used hers and broke her promise.” Otherwise, I don’t see how the hell a Muggle mundane woman can have that kind of power over average computers. This is not Chobits or something, after all.

        That, or P.I.G. invented some sort of supernatural thingie that makes the woman’s laptop supaaspeshul and hacks other people’s. Or they just never really thought about it when they wrote the script and went “ooh, everyone seeing her wallpaper would be the kewlies!”

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        • Well, I was actually leaning towards the second option, that they made the woman’s computer/the woman herself have some special power that would go off when the woman was using the CPU again ^-^;

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    • >P.I.G. made it up ¬_¬

      Ah I see… I guess it’s not such a big deal ^^

      >The voices ARE good. But it didn’t really feel like them.

      They are only cameos, no need to put take too much care with them.

      I don’t think it’s impossible that some of her friends hang out at the same cafe. Everybody there had the same image on their screen, so one can deduce that they were all at the same site/BBS. I believe the woman said she was quitting because that was her excuse to use the PC for one last time. Then the people saw her post, got shocked and started to write her back telling her not to quit. That’s my PoV at least ^^”

      >And why should a boy so big care about a baby’s chair?
      I cared about high chairs until I was 5 or something XDDDDDDDD

      I think the duck’s absence is a terrible loss but I won’t dislike the whole episode just because of that. I think the main message was there and that’s what matters to me.

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  2. I was also worried that the GD-guys wouldn’t appear but they did ^-^ Altough Kazahaya’s hair was a little too dark for my liking the seiyuu were good and they should at least make a drama-CD of this serie.

    But with the first shot of Yuuko the GD-guys flew straight out of my mind. The boobs! I couldn’t stop staring them and almost missed the rest of the episode because of them. Nice work people who drew her (and them) ^-^ The rest of the episode was great and they didn’t ruin the ending by showing the possible outcome for the CPU-woman. They let it hanging like in the manga, did she really quit or did she start over and thus destroyed herself? Nice ^-^

    Yuuko cutting the computer was the Coolest! I didn’t know Oohara Sayaka-sama can sound so masculine o_o

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    • As I said to ame warashi-san up there, I think they put enough care knowing that they only appear for 10 seconds or so ^^ The fact that they are there is just “wow” and they take good care of them. But yes, his whole hair was a bit off… both color and shape.

      LOL! The boobs XDDD Yes, they were incredibly well-done xDDD

      >They let it hanging like in the manga, did she really quit or did she start over and thus destroyed herself?
      Word! I interpreted in the same way !

      >Yuuko cutting the computer was the Coolest! I didn’t know Oohara Sayaka-sama can sound so masculine o_o
      Word again ! o_o

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  4. Hi there and again!

    Maaaaaaaan!!! I told you the scene when she uses the bat was my favorite (and all the philosophy that lies behind it…) and the adaptation was P-E-R-F-E-C-T!!!

    The scene with the cyber cafe was much more useful to the plot (Forgive me, CLAMP!!! Or maybe you´re the one who did it, Ohkawa-sensei?).

    Yay for the portal scene. Perfect adaptation again. It was made a little longer, but it was fair since Watanuki made me laugh again (damn seiyuu!! I can´t resist!).

    Well, on the last seconds, when the kid asked for the chair, that made the ending clearer than in the manga too… (“Thank you, Ohkawa-sensei?” Or “I´m sorry, CLAMP”?)

    I could say that the kid used to sit there all day while his mother used the computer. The empy table would remind her of the computer. Yuuko´s taking the chair will probably remind her of her choice to take care of her family every time she looks at the dining table and doesn´t see it there.

    You could say that she´ll have the chair (symbolizing the kid; family) and the computer. The choices will always be there for her to make, and she is the only one who can make them. Yuuko showed her that. That she has choices, and she is the only one who chooses. Yuuko showed the woman she´s doesn´t depend on circumstances or other people, but in fact, she is the one responilble for her life.

    People, in general, are used to playing the victim, just like the woman did. People do not want to see they have a choice because it´s easier to blame your familiy or the circumstances for your faults (addictions, etc… “The alcohol is the problem, it´s not me”). People don´t want to be responsilbe for their lives because that means more work to do. That´s what usually disappoints Yuuko: people´s refusing to give up on their stupid addictions or to accept the truth (the woman who lies, the one who said she was able to see spirits when she couldn´t, the other who didn´t want to admit she killed the woman in the picture, etc…)

    Yuuko hopes the woman will make the right choice. But will she?

    I love CLAMP´s way of leaving it on the air! You could thinks about a lot of possibilities.

    See ya

    XXX

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    • I also loved the part where Yuuko slices the PC in two XDDD Just amazing!

      >The scene with the cyber cafe was much more useful to the plot
      >when the kid asked for the chair, that made the ending clearer than in the manga too…
      I agree… Both of them ^^ I think it was clearer to who were watching it.

      And wow, you did a full in-deph analyses (as always XD) Which is great, I absolutely agree ^__^

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    • >but greater about the dark-aura >__No cleaning the toys mess nor washing dishes.
      Ow I see ! I knew it had got to do with the woman but I didn’t know exactly how. But now it makes a whole lot of sense, thanks ! ^__^ I love it even more now xDDD

      >since she knew this woman is now being addicted on the computer
      WORD ! XDDD Yuuko knows what she does XDDD

      >Every computer’s screen in this store turned into her computer’s wallpaper. It’s really CRAZY!!!

      Yeah, that looked like a DESKTOP WALLPAPER (you could see the little icons at the desktop) and not a website. But I think the “idea” was that they were all at the same website/BBS/community/Whatever.

      I love Mr. Ducky too but, oh well u.u

      >If they made the way “it’s up to her” I afraid there will be no death in the monkey hand.
      Yeah, that’s something to be worried about. But we’ll see, because even in the manga we also get the feeling that “it’s up to her” to quit the PC or not, so it wasn’t different.

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  6. Off-topic

    Yuuto-san…

    Do you know anybody (maybe you?) who has “CLAMP no Kiseki” interviews translated? Or even the american edition scanned? Anything that is comprehensible is fine… *gets desperate*

    See ya

    XXX

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    • Re: Off-topic

      Jamie and usomitai-san translated some of them during the time they were released. I have them all so I can e-mail you.
      Just drop me your e-mail ^_^

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                • Re: Off-topic

                  I was planning to write some articles about CLAMP and it would be nice to have that as a basis. *cries* T.T

                  What a pity…

                  See ya

                  XXX

                  (BTW, How´s “CLAMP Brand” going?)

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                  • Re: Off-topic

                    I was working on it in my last vacation. It was freezed for YEARS, well, not really “freezed” because even when I’m not actually “building” the site, I am gathering information and content for it, always thinking about it, so that also counts as a development.
                    So, I was working on it during the vacations, I already have the basis for the whole site’s layout, how the content is going to be divided and all that. I’ve got a “plan”, summing up.

                    Now what I need is: Time ! XD Lots of time. Because I want to write ALL the content by myself, all in english, and it’ll take a lot of research and time to write it all.
                    I can’t continue with it at the moment because I’m very busy with college, CLAMP No Lumiere, LJ and all the reviews @_@ But I really hope that I’ll have some time on the July vacations to at least work more on it (even if just a little ^^). I love when I’m working on it, I can’t wait to get back to it ^^

                    Apart from that, I also need a server and a domain, and that means money, my own money XD So I first need to have a steady job so that I can afford this all.

                    As you can see, it’s a long project, not for now, maybe not for next year as well. But I definitely want to make it, and once it’s done, it’ll be a HUGE thing, I promise XD

                    And I’ll be looking forward for your articles ! ^_~

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  7. Fiquei feliz e ao mesmo tempo desapontada com o aparecimento de Kazahaya e Rikuou u.u Não gostei muito fo character design deles… Poderia ser melhorzinho mas valeu mesmo assim ^^

    Ah! Yuuto-san, vc acredita que X vendeu menos de 300.000 cópias no Japão?! Lançaram uma lista dos shoujos mais vendidos e só CCS aparece mas a surpresa maior é Combination que vendeu 1.000.000 cópias o.o’ Só sei que a lista está criando polêmica, o pessoal está indignado que X, Rayearth, Tokyo Babylon e RG Veda ficaram abaixo disso -_-
    Agora especula-se que CLAMP não vende tão bem assim… blablabla…
    Coloquei a lista completa no blog, depois vc dá uma olhada… Eu fiquei decepcionada ¬¬

    Bjs

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