×××HOLiC: Difference between revisions

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Chapters/episodes usually involve a customer coming into the shop and asking for their wish to be granted by Yuuko, having usually negative or dubious results, or they involve some (usually risky) task that Yuuko gives Watanuki which requires his ability to see spirits. However, there is also an overarching plotline regarding a set of dark conspiracies and prophecies that becomes increasingly important in the later volumes.

 

 

 

 

The manga has been completed, with 213 chapters in all.

 

{{tropelist}}

* [[Abusive Parents]]: Kohane's mother is seriously messed up in the head.

* [[Adaptation Dye Job]]: The Ame-Warashi, being a rain spirit, has blue hair in the manga. In the anime, she has red hair.

* [[The Beautiful Elite]]: Even the ''smoke'' is pretty.

* [[Because Destiny Says So]]: Hitsuzen and the ways to manipulate its effects make up most of the overarching plot.

* [[Bishonen]]: C'mon, it's [[CLAMP]]. Watanuki might qualify as a manga version of [[Hollywood Homely]], since he's much less popular with (human) girls than Doumeki.

* [[Blank Book]]

* [[Bottle Fairy]]: Yuuko, with a [[Running Gag]] of her always wanting some form of expensive alcohol. Also Larg, to the point that [[Cargo Ship|it's a pairing]].

* [[Butt Monkey]]: Watanuki. The poor guy never seems to catch much of a break does he?

* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Yuuko. Kiiiinda crazy for being entrusted with keeping time and space in working order. But when she gets serious, ''she gets serious'', to the point that some people wonder if the above [[Obfuscating Stupidity|is an act]].

* [[Catgirl]]: Subverted twice and played with a bit. The Neko-Musume is the traditional Japanese catgirl- a cat spirit that may take human form and retain some feline qualities, such as cat eyes and agility. Similarly, the {{spoiler|shamisen}} is a cat that takes on the form of a human, only retaining her eyes. On the other paw, Watanuki himself has been pictured with cat ears and a tail a few times, and Himawari thinks of him as a cat so often that she bought him an apron with an angry cat on it for his birthday. This makes the later chapters (involving [[Ho Yay|Doumeki's ideas on the "mating habits of cats"]]) all the more interesting...

* [[Character Witness]]: The fox kid from the Oden cart vouches for Watanuki in the Demon Parade.

* [[Compulsory School Age]]: Subverted. {{spoiler|Watanuki, after Yuuko's death, has decided to take over the shop, and indicated when this trope was invoked by Doumeki that he would no longer be attending.}}

* [[Contemptible Cover|Contemptible Title]]/LostInTranslation: In Japan, the title is fairly innocuous. Stateside...not so much.

** The manga crosses over with ''Tsubasa'', which is in the same continuity as CLAMP's other fantasy-setting series, unifying both major genres of their work into a single continuity.

*** It doesn't really "cross-over" so much as tell two sides of the same story. The protagonists are even technically {{spoiler|the same person}}.

** Yuuko mentions in the first volume that she's known the [[Tokyo Babylon|Sumeragi twins]] from when they were very young. Whether they're the same people or alternate selves isn't clarified.

* [[Cool Big Sis]]: Yuuko's manner of attitude and looks fits this ''very'' well. Extra points in that she seems to be having some [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]] with Watanuki... ''especially'' after the recent chapters.

* [[Creepy Twins]]: Moro and Maru, Yuuko's two assistants at the shop. It's revealed early on that {{spoiler|they have no souls}}, and later, that {{spoiler|they keep [[The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday|the shop]] grounded between dimensions}}.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Doumeki, and boy does he snark. It also helps that Watanuki makes such delectable [[Snark Bait]].

** Yuuko's pretty snarky, herself.

* {{spoiler|[[Distant Finale]] / [[No Ending]]: The final chapter is (basically) Watanuki and Doumeki hanging out, except that it's Doumeki's grandson (who still has that egg), and they're talking about how a dream of Yuuko has informed Watanuki that it's safe to leave the shop.}}

** {{spoiler|There is an Ending, if poorly executed. Watanuki still chooses to stay, waiting. The closing line states he waited as long as it took and they certainly met Yuuko again. How? It doesn't explain, until then he had an 'unique happiness'.}}

* [[The Glomp]]: Mugetsu has absolutely no concept of Watanuki's personal space.

* [[The Heartless]]: Most of the cases Yuuko deals with and the spirits that attack Watanuki have a "power of negative thinking" element.

* [[Hime Cut]]: Yuuko has one.

* [[Identical Grandson]]: Haruka and Shizuka Doumeki look exactly like each other, except that Haruka smiles.

** This actually {{spoiler|saves Watanuki's life once}}. Haruka says that {{spoiler|he was only able to enter the death-dream and pull Watanuki back from the brink ''because'' he looks exactly like his grandson.}}

** Also with Yuuko, {{spoiler|see the comment on Haruka.}}

** {{spoiler|Chapter 213 states that the Doumeki at that point is actually Shizuka Doumeki's great-grandson, and Watanuki himself wasn't fully aware of the time that passed, implying that after Shizuka, his son, grandson, and now great-grandson visited Watanuki in Shizuka Doumeki's place.}}

* [[I See Dead People]]: Watanuki, Kohane, and {{spoiler|Doumeki after the whole [[Mismatched Eyes]] thing}}.

* [[I Will Wait for You]]: What Watanuki eventually swears when {{spoiler|Yuuko}} disappears.

* [[Martyr Without a Cause]]: Watanuki, and at times Doumeki. A major thread in the series is learning to temper the altruistic impulse with self-regard.

** Doumeki is heavily implied to be more of a [[Love Martyr]] - he's willing to make [[Heroic Sacrifices]] [[Ho Yay|for Watanuki's sake]].

** Yuuko offers an alternate interpretation for Watanuki's family name:

*** For the lazy, that means his "family name" is a roundabout way of saying "decoy".

*** {{spoiler|Particularly significant when Yuuko is musing that it isn't even really his name. The mysterious item that Doumeki brings to the shop also senses that "Watanuki" isn't his real name.}}

*** {{spoiler|It's also said that his original purpose was to take Syaoran place so that the world/timeline wouldn't fall apart, though both Syaoran and Yuuko push him to secure his own place and become his own person rather than just remaining the substitute. Think about how unlucky he was at the start of the series, before Yuuko and Syaoran pushed him to value his own existence he subconsciously drew misfortune to himself because he knew he was a substitute and not meant to exist.}}

* [[Mega Twintails]]

* [[Milky White Eyes]]

* [[Monster of the Aesop]]: The cases Yuuko takes on often end up as philosophical meditations.

* [[The Multiverse]]: Yuuko's shop is the portal between worlds and dimensions.

* [[No Ending]]: Chapter 213, one more of CLAMP's open ended finales. {{spoiler|All that is ever implied is that Watanuki is free to venture outside the shop, having seen Yuko in a dream after 100 years}}

* [[Noodle People]]

* [[Our Souls Are Different]]: THEY GET STOLEN BY {{spoiler|PARASITIC ANGEL WINGS}}!

* [[Paper Fan of Doom]]: The weapon of the Karasu Tengu.

* [[Pimped-Out Dress]]: Especially in the [[Omake]] art, as is typical with CLAMP's work.

* [[Pretty in Mink]]: Some of Yuuko's dresses.

* [[Power Trio]]: Watanuki, Doumeki, and Himawari.

* [[Punny Name]]: Maru and Moro's full names, Marudashi and Morodashi, literally mean "streaking" and "flashing", and despite Yuuko's insistence that they're "cute", Watanuki vocally disagrees. Maru and Moro are on their own common suffixes to Japanese names.

** Although in one of the recent chapters {{spoiler|we hear a phone call between her and Watanuki, ending in 'I love you' from both sides, though the eventual reveal in Chapter 209 tells us that she's married someone else.}}

* [[Real Men Wear Pink]]: Doumeki {{spoiler|used to wear a girl's kimono when he was growing up, thanks to a customary belief by his grandfather that doing so would make a sickly child grow up strong.}} Naturally, when Watanuki tries to rub this in his face, Doumeki's response is a simple, [[Insult Backfire|"Yeah, what's your point? Do you want one, too?"]] Although, later it's {{spoiler|Watanuki who is wearing kimonos and feminine yukatas.}}

* [[Red String of Fate]]: Watanuki fantasizes that his pinky is connected to Himawari(oh, the [[Funny Aneurysm Moment|irony]]). Yuuko has said more than once that he's probably linked to [[Ho Yay|Doumeki]]. And then there's the cover for [http://pics.livejournal.com/shaoron88/pic/00005cq3 volume 16], although the red string is tied around Watanuki's and Yuuko's wrists. See [[Ship Tease]] below for further confusion.

** Also, episode 9 of the anime revolved around this concept.

* [[Ret-Gone]]: {{spoiler|The origin of Watanuki's existence, since he was made to fill the space left by the original Syaoran, who gave up his existence in order to save Sakura}}

** {{spoiler|Yuuko}} has also been ret-goned from people's memories in a later chapter, as reality adjusts to have had her die when she, er, died. Reality warps and de-warps make tense usage problematic.

* [[Rule of Glamorous]]

* [[Self-Fulfilling Prophecy]]: {{spoiler|After setting up his side of the [[Xanatos Gambit]] [[Gambit Pileup|pileup]] in order to save Yuuko from dying/resurrect her, Yuuko apparently sacrifices herself in order to stop him breaking spacetime, thus causing her to die. The last time we saw Fei Wong after this [[Face Palm|he can no longer sense her presence, and starts hatching a plan to resurrect her.]]}}

* [[Serious Business]]: Being a TV psychic. Being accused of giving fake readings is apparently [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?|heinous]] enough for people to physically assault you (even if you're a ''little girl'') and vandalize your house.

* [[Shallow Love Interest]]: Himawari initially comes off as this, but later this is [[Hidden Depths|very]], [[Dark and Troubled Past|very]] averted.

** By chapter 205, {{spoiler|it's literal. She's now attending college.}}

** Then, there's Watanuki. {{spoiler|In a partial subversion, he doesn't physically age, but after 10+ years his maturity is obvious. Compare [http://www.onemanga.com/xxxHolic/1/12/ this] Watanuki with [http://www.onemanga.com/xxxHolic/186/06-07/ THIS] Watanuki.}}

** {{spoiler|By chapter 213, we find out that the Doumeki visiting Watanuki at this point is Shizuka Doumeki's great-grandson. Meaning Shizuka Doumeki got married himself and is probably already dead given that Watanuki realizes he's been at the shop for more than a hundred years at this point.}}

** {{spoiler|Not that Shizuka Doumeki/Watanuki really needed any more help sinking, but Rou revealed at the end that Shizuka Doumeki and Tsuyuri Kohane got married. Oh, and Kohane loves Watanuki. So that's another ship sunk.}}

** Not to mention for all the talk about Watanuki being destined for Doumeki or Himawari, there is an absolute mountain of teasing. Pick any title page with Watanuki and Yuuko in it, and you can bet anyone who hasn't read the manga will ASSUME something's up between the two. {{spoiler|And considering that Watanuki is staying at her shop because he ''knowingly imprisoned himself'' there in order to wait for her to come back to him after she disappeared, they might not be wrong!}}

*** Although, as revealed in ''Tsubasa'', {{spoiler|he may have chosen that price because he couldn't come up with anything else quickly enough. He even [http://www.onemanga.com/Tsubasa_Reservoir_Chronicles/232/08/ acknowledged] that he knew that the price wasn't quite right. It's true that he had already made his decision to wait for her, but the method might have been less self-sacrificial if ''Tsubasa'' had ended differently.}}

** In chapter 199, {{spoiler|Himawari and Watanuki say that they love each other over the phone. However Himawari [[Tanabata|can only visit Watanuki once a year]], so who knows what that means for their relationship...}}

*** However, this is just the English translator's interpretation, and the actual Japanese could just as easily mean platonic love or "is important to". So who knows what THIS means for their relationship...

* [[Shrinking Violet]]: The Zashiki-Warashi. Complete with the [[High-Pressure Emotion]] listed above.

* [[Single-Target Sexuality]]: Doumeki. It got obvious when he didn't even notice the twins' crushes on him. And now, [[Eye Scream|half an eye]], [[Heroic Sacrifice|a lot of blood]], and [[Time Skip|six plus years]] later, he's still devoted solely to Watanuki.

* [[Sleep Mode Size]]: Mugetsu's pipe-size form.

* [[Smoking Is Cool]] / [[Smoking Is Glamorous]]: Yuuko is smoking something, and though the anime series shows it to be tobacco, it's very likely opium in the manga. Haruka is shown smoking cigarettes (although he's mellow enough for it to be a joint). {{spoiler|As of Chapter 185, Watanuki seems to be trying to pick up the habit, in order to emulate Yuuko's manner.}}

* [[Snowball Fight]]: A filler episode written by the anime staff pits most of the major players, along with the Warashi, in an entertaining one of these, arranged by Yuuko, which also involves building snowmen.

** There's one of these in a filler manga chapter too.

* [[Squirrels in My Pants]]: Watanuki ends up going through this a few times thanks to the Pipe Fox spirit Mugetsu, who has no concept of personal space.

* [[The Stoic]]: Doumeki seems to have about two facial expressions, at best. It comes with being the [[Tall, Dark and Snarky]] with a [[Sugar and Ice Personality]].

* [[Sugar and Ice Personality]]: Doumeki. Also Yuuko - her sweet smile at the start of Volume 12 reflects this; it is a far cry from her usual [[Cheshire Cat Grin]] or knowing smirk.

* [[Tall, Dark and Snarky]]: Doumeki, in a classic CLAMP [[Seme]] role.

* [[That Makes Me Feel Angry]]: Watanuki in [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/xxxholic/v16/c190/9.html chapter 190].

* [[Time Skip]]: More than once. About 2-3 times, to be exact. {{spoiler|Everyone's gotten older leaving Watanuki behind. Such is the downside of immortality.}}

** Chapter 213 - {{spoiler|over 100 years have passed since he inherited the shop. The guy looking like Doumeki is actually his great-grandson. [[Fridge Horror|The rest of the original cast is long gone by this time!]]}}

* [[Through His Stomach]]: How Watanuki pays [[Big Eater|Doumeki]] back for favors (such as saving his life). A lot of their [[Ho Yay|bickering]] is normally over Doumeki making ridiculous requests for Watanuki's cooking.

* [[Unknown Rival]]: Doumeki, who more often than not is involved in Watanuki's [[Embarrassing Rescue]].

* [[Unlimited Wardrobe]]: Yuuko never appears twice in the same outfit. As in, when she does, Watanuki panics {{spoiler|and with good reason, since this suggests she's dead}}. On the other hand, Watanuki and company usually just wear their school uniforms.

* [[Urban Fantasy]]: The Shop itself is placed between the skyscrapers of Tokyo and some scenes take place near well-known landmarks.

* {{spoiler|[[Vampire Invitation]]}}: Happens in Chapter 194 {{spoiler|when Watanuki, at the suggestion of another spirit who is doing a service to him, ends up invoking this - and allowing the Jorogumo (the spider woman who ate his eye) to enter the shop despite its wards.}}

* [[Weapon of Choice]]: Cool, collected, priestly Doumeki does traditional Japanese archery (kyudo) and seems to be a valued member of the school's archery team. (It is also a characterization point that the archery team is a high-status club, while Watanuki has no after school activity besides his part-time job, and is thus much lower in the social hierarchy.)

* [[Weirdness Magnet]]: Watanuki, and he ''hates'' it, {{spoiler|although it's his own damn fault for being subconsciously suicidal}}.

** {{spoiler|Nothing, apparently. Yuuko sets him free, but after more than a century, everyone he once knew is dead. Even Doumeki isn't really Doumeki, no matter how alike they are in mannerisms and looks.}} It doesn't look like it bothers Watanuki one bit. He's still waiting.

* [[Wine Is Classy]]: [[Bottle Fairy]] Yuuko enjoys nothing more than tossing back beers, sakes and anything with liquor in it in the most booze-hound manner imaginable. That she's still creepy, imposing and pretty much ''omniscient'' at times, is a rather interesting contrast.

* [[Woobie of the Week]]: The premise, basically.

* [[Word Salad Title]]: Takes it even a step further by screwing with the title's capitalization.

* [[Words Can Break My Bones]]

* [[Work Off the Debt]]: Watanuki's original wish is almost a [[MacGuffin]] to put him in this situation.

** Technically {{spoiler|Watanuki is working off ''Syaoran's'' debt to time, space, and ''fate itself''. Both Syaoran and Watanuki will spend the rest of their lives trying to clear up his debts.}}

* [[Xanatos Gambit]] / [[Batman Gambit]]: Three words: Fei Wong Reed. (Arguably he's got Xanatos Nesting Dolls going on, the outermost doll being held inside the innermost doll.)

* [[Yandere]]: In Chapter 207, {{spoiler|a woman in love with Doumeki comes to Watanuki to try and get him to fall in love with her, and is so desperate that her soul actually detaches from her body}}.

** Same could be said for [[Iron Woobie|Doumeki]], honestly. He dedicates himself to protecting Watanuki no matter what, even though the latter generally acts like a jerk towards him, and seems to finally be making some headway in getting closer to Watanuki (who actually starts displaying [[Tsundere|comparatively]] overt gratitude for all he's done)... {{spoiler|and then Yuuko dies and Watanuki shuts himself in the shop and distances himself from everyone}}. [[True Art Is Angsty]] indeed.

* [[Yaoi Fangirl]]: Yuuko enjoys teasing Watanuki about his closeness with Doumeki, and hints multiple times that maybe Doumeki is the one destined for him instead of Himawari. Heck, to a degree, ''Himawari'' herself ships Doumeki/Watanuki, often commenting on how cute they are when they interact.

** {{spoiler|They kind of have to do that so that Watanuki is not alone.}}

** {{spoiler|As of chapter 209, it seems she's married.}}

** {{spoiler|In the conclusion of the series, we find out that the Doumeki we've been seeing in the latest chapters is actually Shizuka Doumeki's great grandson, meaning that [[Ho Yay|the one who stuck with Watanuki through EVERYTHING and never really asked for anything in return]] did eventually have a family.}}

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Anime]]

[[Category:Manga]]

[[Category:Fantasy Anime and Manga]]