The only thing i disliked was that trivial story. The manga is really long and each chara has so much background story. For that was the drama with only 8 episodes and only 26 minutes for every episode too short. I only got to know the charas and before i could get into the story and like the charas, it was finished.
At the end of all, this drama could have done much more with even more episodes.
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Pro (+) & Con (-) Overview
+ short drama (8 ep, 26m each) -> no overly stretched plot
+ music, filmography, scenery, special effects
+ setting, costumes
+ Watanuki’s + Domeki’s bromance
+/- episodic story-telling but with golden thread
- not enough time to get to know the characters and their developement
The episodes are only 26 minutes each, but it never feels like there is something missing because of the lack of time and due to their shortness it is no overly stretched plot, a flaw that I experienced with a lot of dramas so far. The series is very episodic in a way that you have a new story every episode with a “problem” in the beginning and the “solution” at the end. However, Watanuki’s own personal and interesting story flows through the hole drama and gets to its peak at the end of the series. I prefer dramas with a thick golden thread but in xxxHolic episodic stories and a common theme balance each other, so I still enjoyed everything and the discrete storylines are far from being boring!
This Japanese drama is more “violent” and darker than typical Jdramas but it still has rare and short comedy parts. I wouldn’t classify it as thriller but it has it’s spooky scenes and gets creepier starting in episode 4. In general, it’s a welcome change from all the romance dramas.
I love the filmography, music and scenery! Everything underlines the mystery and blue feeling of this drama. Oh, and the customues + settings! Yuuko’s dresses and her shop are definitely worth a watch! They even use special effects which are not exaggerated and beautiful as well.
As for the actors and their acting, it can’t be faulted. You won’t have to face a lot of overacting as in most of Japanese dramas but it’s still present. There’s not enough time to get to know the characters very well, so you’re not sure if you truly grasped the character’s personality and you’re wondering that maybe you only know the shell but not the heart. (Himawari is very annoying in the beginning because she’s changing her mind all the time, but I came to like her more as the story progressed. Still, I’m not sure what to think about her…) Apart from that Watanuki’s and Domeki’s friendship and chemistry is awesome, hehe.
If you like suspense and dark stories, if you’re looking for a short drama and if you want to see great filmography and beautiful dresses, then xxxHolic is something for you. As I said already, I don’t know the manga or anime, but if you want to get to know more about the characters and their development I guess you’ll have to try the manga. So maybe the drama is a good way to figure out whether CLAMP’s manga or the xxxHolic anime adaption is worth a try. (Well, I’ll definitely gonna read the manga in the future. ^^)
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Plot was okay. Since episodes are only for half an hour. They managed to twist it and make it interesting.
Have nothing to say about effects since they are very good.
Acting. . Unfortunately I did not liked Watanukis adaptation it made me so depressed!
Liked Ost pretty much therefore opening song is awesome!
Would recommend this drama if you like supernatural. But if you are fan of manga be careful!~
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I've read some other reviews here and they seem to not like it so much because it was too short and there were characters that was in the manga/anime they wanted to appear in this drama. I think that this was a good thing because this basically advertising that if you want MORE, go watch the ANIME!!! Or read the MANGA!! :D , for first timers, of course.
Story: 8/10
So it's about Watanuki who sees ghost and appear at a woman's shop and she is to grant him one wish but he has to pay a price, which is to work at her place. I thought that the story was okay.. Not too epic or anything.
Acting: 8/10
I love Domeki and Watanuki's relationship in here. Not to mention their interactions with each other! It was enjoyable to watch the both of them.. Further more, the little kids in here was adorable. Himawari in here didn't really have much of an impression in here and was kind of bland.
Music: 9/10
I love the music! The opening and the ending! I even have both of them on repeat for these pass few days. When I first heard'em , I automatically fell in love with them.
Well, overall, it is an 8/10 . It was a great watch and I would recommend it to people I know. I'm off to watching the anime now.. !
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The music is good.
The cinematography and colouring is amazing.
Also, I'm surprised at Anne's acting. I've never seen her as anyone out-standing but did pretty well in this.
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This is one of those really bad dramas that tries to get you to watch it by sexual imageries. For instance Yuko is all about revealing her cleavage and her thighs. And I seriously thought they were filming the beginnings of a porno when the main protagonist got captured by that spider lady.
Aside from the sexual imageries, it is very visually pleasing, but not much else.
In terms of acting, I thought Yuko and the priest boy did outstanding jobs in their roles, and also Yuko's female kid helpers/servants were pretty cute. The other cast members were bad or overacted. I always thought the highschool girl was just using the main protagonist, and he seemed like a wimp to obsess over such a type. I'm actually glad Anne ended up marrying the priest boy in real life. She has good taste b/c they both put up the best performances in the drama.
Also, IMO the Rain Goddess was the third interesting character (beside Yuko and the priest boy). But, they chose the wrong actress for her part. I found her acting a little annoying, and her portrayal of this "Rain Goddess" almost ruined this intriguing character for me.
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Was it a great adaptation that stayed true to the original story? of course not.
The manga is fairly long, so they would obviously have to cut the story down a lot.
The plot threads they chose for this adaptation were kind of strange? They could have chose better fitting parts of the books.
I'm not sure if everything makes complete sense unless you have an understanding of the source material either.
It was a fun watch. The set and costume design was fantastic. I also quite liked the cinematography.
TL;DR great show for fans of XXXHOLIC. Odd story fragments but overall enjoyable.
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Great adaptation!
I just completed this drama and I must say, as a fan of xxxHOLIC, that it was a great adaptation.The characters felt very close to the anime and the acting was really good.
I haven't read the manga so I am going to refer to the anime.
The acting was really good and I especially enjoyed Adachi Yumi's (Jorogumo) acting. She was enjoyably evil.
I also liked the fact that the actresses' makeup wasn't too much.
Furthermore, it was nice to see outdoor scenes.
I noticed that they made some changes to the script which I found unnecessary since the anime has a lot of material to cover.
In addition to that, the episodes are only 8 and rather short at that. For a series like that, you need more and longer episodes.
The opening and ending themes were good choices.
Overall, it is a good drama to watch, whether you're a fan of xxxHOLIC or not, and I must say that I would definitely rewatch it.
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The music is also perfect. The opening was great for this live action and went right to it's manga/anime roots.
The acting is quite good. I really enjoy the main characters after the first episode. I liked Anna right away, the male lead on the other hand had to grow on me at first.
Maybe it is just me, but Hasegawa Yumi is what drags the drama a little down. Maybe it is her acting or her character's personality. I don't know, but it won't stop me for continuing seeing this drama :)
If you like a mystery, horror-ish drama with a dose of Japanese charm you will love this!
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