xxxHOLiC First Collection

Product Description There is no such thing as coincidence, there is only the inevitable... Watanuki has been haunted by dark spirits his entire life, a curse flowing through his bloodline preventing peace. When his incessant demons drag him to the ornate door of the Dimensional Witch Yuko, he meets a mystical woman of insight and luxury, quick to help those in a bind? For a fee! One might very well end up paying with their soul! To be free of his visions, Watanuki will work in her shop of dreams and wishes. There is always a price to pay? Amazon.com Devotees of the four-woman collective Clamp have eagerly awaited the 2006 series based on their manga XXXHolic. High school student Kimihiro Watanuki possesses the dubious ability to see evil spirits. While fleeing one of the amorphous creatures, he stumbles into the shop of Yuko, the Dimensional Witch in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. Yuko will grant any wish--for a price. She half tricks/half bargains Watanuki into working for her in return for relieving him of his supernatural gift. He spends his after school hours running errands, cooking, and fussing. Doumeki, the girl he adores, and Doumeki, the boy he loathes, join him to form a mismatched trio. The aura of sensual power that surrounds this version of Yukois broken by her outrageous demands for food and saké, and the squeaks of the obnoxiously cute mascot Mokona. Although the animation is often very cartoony, XXXHolichas the vaguely decadent look of a Symbolist painting. Eerie and off-beat, the series will delight Clamp's many fans. The related feature A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005) was released in a package with Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle: The Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage. The Starter Set comes with a box for the discs.(Rated TV PG: comic violence, alcohol and tobacco use) --Charles Solomon