xxxHoLic (Volumes 1 through 15) by CLAMP (Story and Art)

Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he’s just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he’s employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!

xxxHoLic is quite a unique manga. On the surface, it may seem like another supernatural manga, but there is much more lurking below. While there are spirits aplenty, there is also a recurring thread about the importance of dreams. Another thing that makes this series so great is the characters. We follow Watanuki on his journey to discover the secrets of his past locked away inside him and his interactions with those around him. CLAMP fleshes out their characters so well that you care about everyone, including characters that stay for just one story arc. With the art and great storytelling combined, it makes for a fantastic series.

While xxxHoLic is a parallel story to Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, the art style is noticeably different. The art becomes part of the storytelling. By warping the character sizes and proportions, the reader is forced to look at them in different ways. Often this is done when an element in the story may not be what it seems. Even the background gives clues to the overall plot. You will want to take your time and savor every page.

If you enjoy the art of xxxHoLic, you will not want to miss the anime based off of the manga. CLAMP's art is taken from the page and brought to life on the screen. While there are more references to Tsubasa in the manga, the anime mainly covers the stories from the xxxHoLic manga. What really sets this anime apart is the art style. In keeping with CLAMP's design of strange proportions, they are even larger on the screen. For some this may detract from the story, but I find I enjoy it and it adds to the overall theme of series. In addition to the series, you can enjoy the movie, xxxHoLic the Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream.

You can find the xxxHoLic manga and anime by CLAMP on the CPL Catalog. If you enjoyed xxxHoLic, you may want to try Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE by CLAMP or Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya.