Xxxholic V5

I didn't except receive the new dvds.But they are brand new and good price. Very good.I'll come back agagin

This collection of xxxHolic stories is more entertaining than the 4th collection. That was important because I was getting discouraged with the series. This collection was good and gave me hope. I probably will watch the others. I loved XXXHolic when it came out on DVD and in Manga format but the DVDs began falling short and I was unsure how much I liked the series after that. It's been awhile but I'm glad I watched another episode.

This so-called Fifth Collection of xxxHoLic combines a pair of fairly light comedic episodes with two rather dark looks at the human condition as exemplified by two different female patrons of Yuko's shop. These latter episodes demonstrate the inherent flaws in this otherwise fine series. Not that the stories are bad - far from it; but rather the lackluster and minimal low-budget animation of which this series is often guilty.

The first episode, Self-Mutilation, consists largely of Yuko and her "assistant" Watanuki discussing the moral, ethical, and intellectual bind their latest client finds herself in. ( And by extension, much of the human condition regarding the roles that "destiny" and "choice" play in our lives. ) While the dialogue can be fascinating, particularly Yuko's psychological analysis, it creates its own unintentional problem involving choice for the viewer: 1) sit and read unending subtitled dialog, or 2) listen to the same dubbed while almost NOTHING happens onscreen! Even the lush character designs fail here to distract from or disguise the laziness of the animation throughout most of the episode, despite the soundness of the script; including Yuko's mouth flaps, which seem strangely out of line with the rest of her static features.

Things improve greatly in the next two episodes, Ground Cherry and Unreasonable, as we move outdoors and are joined by other regular members of the cast. Seeking to continue to expand Watanuki's supernatural experiences, Yuko again teams him for his spiritual protection with his "rival" Doumeki and sends him forth to "participate" in a parade of rather benign monsters. Benign, that is until they percieve HUMANS in their midst; then decide to eat them! At this point all is saved by the reappearance of my favorite supporting character, the shy sprite Ame-warishi, who even apoligises for almost killing Doumeki when last they met! This is a fun look at creatures who resemble those in Spirited Away and the best episode on this disc.

A rather silly but fun winter battle in a nearby park between snowmen brings together not only Watanuki, Doumeki, and Himawari at Yuko's invatition, but also Ame-warashi, her "protector" rain sprite Zashiki-warashi, and Mokona; even house-bound Maru and Moro manage to get in on the action. Here we learn the rather interesting fact that it's only in settings like this that Yuko can communicate with Doumeki, since he is physically unable to ever enter her shop. These two middle episodes make up to a great extent for the rather static opening and closing. The latter, Atonement, again brings a frantic woman, Yuri, who has a problem with a particular photograph, seemingly with a life of its own and definitely in need of exorcism.

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