xxxHolic: Kei
 

Story
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The second season of the famous CLAMP series, xxxHolic, xxxHolic: Kei continues on in the fashion of the manga with independent case-by-case incidents of supernatural activity. Watanuki unwillingly encounters various otherworldly adventures and survives with the help of Yuuko, the dimensional witch. Within his journey he continues to meet strange creatures and receive help from his friends. In the process, Yuuko is still granting wishes for those who request...at an equivalent price, of course.



Characters
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http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...ickeiyuuko.jpg
Yuuko Ichihara - aka. The dimensional witch, she is very enigmatic, holds mysterious powers and can grant any wish at her shop...for a price. Compensation must be exactly equal, not too much, and not too little. Enjoys Sake and teasing Watanuki.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...eiwatanuki.jpg
Watanuki Kimihiro - An unfortunate boy who is plagued by hungry supernatural spirits. This ability was sealed away by Yuuko, although he must work for her at her shop in compensation. Tends to encounter many fantastical and dangerous otherworldy adventures inadvertently. Has an extraordinary cooking talent.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...keidoumeki.jpg
Shizuka Doumeki - Helps out Watanuki quite a bit spiritually, although he comes off as somewhat aloof. Watanuki cannot stand him at all, but realizes just how vital he is. Together, the two encounter strange adventures that are far from coincidental. Likes to pop up at the most inadvertent times, or so Watanuki thinks.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...eihimawari.jpg
Himawari Kunogi - Watanuki's crush and friend to both Watanuki and Doumeki. She always comments on how "friendly" Watanuki and Doumeki are together. She also has an important arc of her own later on.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...ckeimokona.jpg
Mokona Modoki - The ever so handy mascot of the shop and 1/2 of a pair. He tags along and has a Kirby-like structure and inhaling capabilities. Likes to abuse Watanuki alongside Yuuko.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...wonderland.jpg
Maru and Moro - The soulless keepers of Yuuko's shop. They like to play around aimlessly and compliment each other in speech, usually mimicking what they hear, or sometimes speaking in antimetabole.



Screenshots
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http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...xxholickei.jpg
Yuuko holds up the Tengu Fan to teleport Watanuki and the Tengu spirits to a far off place.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...xholickei2.jpg
Zashiki Warashi is a bit tied up at the moment.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95...xholickei3.jpg
Dreams are raised with great care and treated as precious commodities.



Opinion
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You don't necessarily need to have watched the first season for xxxHolic: Kei to make anymore sense, although it helps slightly with knowing the characters and certain circumstances. If you are interested in eerie, supernatural kinds of events and whimsical explanations of abstract concepts such as destiny, fate, and coincidence then this show is for you. If you're looking for shounen action and complex relationships, then this show is not for you, as it moves somewhat slowly, relying on the mystique of the supernatural atmosphere to let you drift along.

The production values could be a lot better and the ridiculous Clamp style of looooong limbs may turn people off, but not many other shows rival the atmosphere that xxxHolic creates. You'll easily be enchanted by nuances such as pathways to other worlds and the motives such as the importance of words, perspectives and actions. A nice summation line for the entire series in general comes from Episode 4:

"Coincidence is merely an illusion of this world."

Did they pick off from where they left in the first season? It's been so long since I watched the first season I don't remember.

I'm up to episode 4 and the pace is pretty good. In fact I was surprised they started off with Watanuki losing his right eye already. And great to see Zashiki Warashi back!

Oh, and I heard the manga is reaching the end soon?

Yes they do, pretty much. The first season of the anime leaves off inconclusively with the woman who makes Watanuki sick, but they forgo any real explanation and jump straight into the next set of supernatural encounters, particularly the spider web story.

I read something similar with the manga, although I don't know how they're tying that up since it would most likely have to coincide with Tsuabasa Reservoir Chronicle given the intertwining nature of those CLAMP worlds. Apparently, Watanuki is a very important link to Sakura and Syaoran according to one of the more recent chapters.