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review: the ending of xxxHolic, by CLAMP
Hmmm.
I've adored CLAMP's manga series xxxHolic for about 7 years, since I marathoned the first 5 volumes, loaned to me by my beloved IRL friend Kiokonai. I loved the art, I loved the individual stories, I loved the mysterious overall plot arcs, and I loved the three main characters.
For the past couple weeks, I've been rereading the series from vol 1, and loving every minute. Tonight I took 2 hours and read the final two volumes, fully expecting to bawl my eyes out and sob myself to sleep. Holic would be over! The ending would be amazing! No more Holic ever but the journey was FANTASTIC and now I can finally read fic without fear of spoilers and *bawwwwwwl*
But...here I am on LJ, typing out my reaction.
Okay, so I am a LITTLE teary, but that was about one specific aspect of the ending. And now, massive spoilers, HO!
I get the feeling the ending was rushed. The final volume began with the standard wish-granting individual chapters, then the last one was BAM! A super-long chapter with a 100 year + time-warp and...no resolution at all.
Well, that's untrue. We did get ONE resolution: we finally learned what the egg Yuuko gave Doumeki is for...namely to make Watanuki forget Yuuko's existence.
All the other mysteries, though? Nope. The egg implies Watanuki will never meet Yuuko again. The Big Bad bearded guy who was the manipulating heavy is still at large--though he MIGHT be taken care of in Tsubasa. No resolution about the mystery of Watanuki's existence, him being a disguised AU version of Syaoran. He never meets his parents again, which Yuuko said would happen one day, before she vanished. Oh yeah, and we never found out WHY she vanished or WHO wished eternal life on her, or WHY she was dying in the first place, nor WHERE she went and WHY it happened so suddenly. And what about Watanuki's memories, that he sacrificed as payment for some sort of wish we can only guess at? I think the wish was to protect Syaoran and Sakura in Tsubasa, but again we aren't given a direct answer.
And I wanted Clow to make at least one in-person appearance!
Also I'm miffed we weren't shown Watanuki's early days running the shop, nor where his new-found power came from. I mean, Watanuki was just BAM! Suddenly powerful and gifted in ways never hinted at in previous chapters. Humph.
And on a shippy angle, I will admit I'm pleased with Himawari-chan marrying someone unseen, and how we learned about it through a phone call. But I am NOT pleased that we never heard what happened with Kohane-chan. I'm guessing she married Doumeki, but I would like to have seen that, or at least heard about it. And how does Watanuki feel about that? About losing both of them. And to each other, at that! Ouch.
*drums her fingers*
The aspect that irritates me the most about this ending--and the one that makes me tear up--is the infinity angle. I'm sure there's an official TV Tropes name for this type of ending, but I don't know it and don't want to risk looking it up in that black hole of diversion. I mean the kind of ending where the main character continues onward with his quest forever and ever, with no reprieve or conclusion in sight. I first encountered that ending with one of my fave shows, beloved in my late childhood and early teens: Quantum Leap. It devastated me, that Sam's quest would never end. It seemed like a cop-out, too. And like QL's main character, Watanuki will apparently continue on forever with his quest of granting wishes and waiting to meet Yuuko again.
Until Doumei's descendant to the Nth power finally uses the egg. Smushes it on top of his head, I presume. Do you suppose the yolk or whites will run into his ears? *snort*
At least Watanuki can now leave the shop, as told in the weak dream that dominated the final chapter and contained the 100 year time skip. Bah.
CLAMP, you have let me down. I might change my mind about the ending later, and after a rereading of the whole series, but right now, I am MIFFED. I can't help but suspect that the ending was rushed, and the manga definitely suffered for it.
I suppose I AM going to bawl. But not out of joy from a wonderful ending, but out of extreme disappointment. Seven years I've been looking forward to the ending of Holic, one of my favorite manga titles! And this is what I get.
DAMN IT. *cries*
I've adored CLAMP's manga series xxxHolic for about 7 years, since I marathoned the first 5 volumes, loaned to me by my beloved IRL friend Kiokonai. I loved the art, I loved the individual stories, I loved the mysterious overall plot arcs, and I loved the three main characters.
For the past couple weeks, I've been rereading the series from vol 1, and loving every minute. Tonight I took 2 hours and read the final two volumes, fully expecting to bawl my eyes out and sob myself to sleep. Holic would be over! The ending would be amazing! No more Holic ever but the journey was FANTASTIC and now I can finally read fic without fear of spoilers and *bawwwwwwl*
But...here I am on LJ, typing out my reaction.
Okay, so I am a LITTLE teary, but that was about one specific aspect of the ending. And now, massive spoilers, HO!
I get the feeling the ending was rushed. The final volume began with the standard wish-granting individual chapters, then the last one was BAM! A super-long chapter with a 100 year + time-warp and...no resolution at all.
Well, that's untrue. We did get ONE resolution: we finally learned what the egg Yuuko gave Doumeki is for...namely to make Watanuki forget Yuuko's existence.
All the other mysteries, though? Nope. The egg implies Watanuki will never meet Yuuko again. The Big Bad bearded guy who was the manipulating heavy is still at large--though he MIGHT be taken care of in Tsubasa. No resolution about the mystery of Watanuki's existence, him being a disguised AU version of Syaoran. He never meets his parents again, which Yuuko said would happen one day, before she vanished. Oh yeah, and we never found out WHY she vanished or WHO wished eternal life on her, or WHY she was dying in the first place, nor WHERE she went and WHY it happened so suddenly. And what about Watanuki's memories, that he sacrificed as payment for some sort of wish we can only guess at? I think the wish was to protect Syaoran and Sakura in Tsubasa, but again we aren't given a direct answer.
And I wanted Clow to make at least one in-person appearance!
Also I'm miffed we weren't shown Watanuki's early days running the shop, nor where his new-found power came from. I mean, Watanuki was just BAM! Suddenly powerful and gifted in ways never hinted at in previous chapters. Humph.
And on a shippy angle, I will admit I'm pleased with Himawari-chan marrying someone unseen, and how we learned about it through a phone call. But I am NOT pleased that we never heard what happened with Kohane-chan. I'm guessing she married Doumeki, but I would like to have seen that, or at least heard about it. And how does Watanuki feel about that? About losing both of them. And to each other, at that! Ouch.
*drums her fingers*
The aspect that irritates me the most about this ending--and the one that makes me tear up--is the infinity angle. I'm sure there's an official TV Tropes name for this type of ending, but I don't know it and don't want to risk looking it up in that black hole of diversion. I mean the kind of ending where the main character continues onward with his quest forever and ever, with no reprieve or conclusion in sight. I first encountered that ending with one of my fave shows, beloved in my late childhood and early teens: Quantum Leap. It devastated me, that Sam's quest would never end. It seemed like a cop-out, too. And like QL's main character, Watanuki will apparently continue on forever with his quest of granting wishes and waiting to meet Yuuko again.
Until Doumei's descendant to the Nth power finally uses the egg. Smushes it on top of his head, I presume. Do you suppose the yolk or whites will run into his ears? *snort*
At least Watanuki can now leave the shop, as told in the weak dream that dominated the final chapter and contained the 100 year time skip. Bah.
CLAMP, you have let me down. I might change my mind about the ending later, and after a rereading of the whole series, but right now, I am MIFFED. I can't help but suspect that the ending was rushed, and the manga definitely suffered for it.
I suppose I AM going to bawl. But not out of joy from a wonderful ending, but out of extreme disappointment. Seven years I've been looking forward to the ending of Holic, one of my favorite manga titles! And this is what I get.
DAMN IT. *cries*