'xxxHolic' #5 Review

Plot Summary

This volume opens with Yuko screaming about not getting gifts for White Day (in return for the gifts she gave to Syaoran and the gang on Valentines Day). Watanuki runs into an Ame-Warashi, a rain maker. She demands that Watanuki and Domeki help her with a problem. They go to an area full of Hydrangeas and Watanuki is consumed by dark shadowy figures into the ground. He awakens in a pitch dark world and meets a little girl. It turns out the little girl is buried under the Hydrangeas and her body is disturbing the plants and turning them red. Watanuki helps free the girl's soul from the dark realm (with major aid from Domeki, which only angers Watanuki) and the Hydrangeas go back to normal, which is all the Ame-Warashi wanted in the first place. Later, Yuko reveals a pipe Kitsune spirit, which loves Watanuki. At school, Watanuki notices a girl who has tiny wings growing from her back. At first he thinks they might be some kind of fashion but later at a night festival sees the girl acting very hostile towards others. The more enraged she becomes, the bigger her wings grow on her back. The next day at school she confronts Watanuki, claiming that he was glaring at her, and orders him to apologize. She whips out a small blade and attacks them both. The wings from her back turn black and rip out of her. As they fly away, the little Kitsune spirit transforms into a massive nine-tailed beast and attacks. It's revealed that the evil wings poisoned the girl's heart, and she'll remain unresponsive for the rest of her life.


In the following chapter, Watanuki doesn't like the Kitsune spirit being massive and beastly and wants it changed back to normal pipe-size (which I don't understand at all, I'd love to have a massive nine-tailed beast for a friend). To do this, they require pure chi, using an urn, filling it with well water and putting crystals in it. Watanuki and the beast peak into the urn and it sucks them both inside. SNAP!! They find themselves in a strange flowery, river paradise place. The Kitsune turns back into pipe form. The flowers yell at Watanuki and he runs away. He meets up with the Zashiki-Warashi (the girl from the previous volume who gave him a valentines day chocolate from Domeki's stomach) and realizes there's another reason he's down here. THAT TRICKY YUKO SAN! He gives the girl her present for White Day and she tears up with joy. The angry little flying snowboard guys fly out of nowhere and attack Watanuki for making the girl cry again. JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME Yuko gets them both out of that world and into the well since the well water was their connection. YAY!

I'm going to be pretty pissed if Watanuki doesn't hook up with Himawari. She better not turn out to be a lesbian or something. There's been SO MUCH build up between them. It better happen! Himawari has really freaky hair though. Seriously. It's so massive.

xxxHolic #5: 7.3/10

:D