Comments for xxxHolic Volume 14

xxxHolic Volume 14: 09/05/14

As the Quick Wit Links blog points out, things are serious in Volume 14 of xxxHolic by CLAMP because it's the first time Watanuki has been on the cover since the first volume.

By now if you're not reading Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, you will probably be very confused by Yuko's explanations of Watanuki's past and his relationship to Syaoran. For those who are, Watanuki's introduction to Yuko and the missing wish from the first volume of Tsubasa will both make sense.

I had started reading Tsubasa before Volume 14, mostly because I was watching the anime and was becoming aware of the importance of the crossover. So I had already started to figure out much of the connection between Watanuki and Syaoran. For anyone reading both series, CLAMP drops enough hints to connect most of the dots by volume 14.

What took me most by surprise was the true nature of the shop and Maro and Moro's role in maintaining it. The shop's existence relies on heavy magic and may not be able to survive an upcoming confrontation. Maro and Moro's main roll is maintenance.

For those who prefer more of an in story (vs. crossover) explanation of what's going on, there is a side story about Watanuki being forced to teach a reluctant woman who to cook. Her explanation is that she is getting married and wants to learn how to cook for her soon to be husband but she has never cooked for herself. She can't stand the way anything tastes when she cooks it herself. The cooking lessons reveal Watanuki's outlook on life and his belief that how a food tastes reveals something about the soul of the person who cooked it.

Suffice it to say that things are about to change significantly

Five stars

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