xxxHOLiC Episode 19: Favorites

Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts

xxxHOLiC Episode 19 – Quick Summary

In xxxHOLiC episode 19, “Unreasonable,” Yuuko continued making massive demands on Watanuki’s time. The demands even followed him to school. In his locker he found, instead of a love letter, an invitation from Yuuko. She invited him, Doumeki, and Himawari to the snowy park. Why a park – after a major snowstorm? Why bring Doumeki and Himawari? And who else did Yuuko invite?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from xxxHOLiC Episode 19

Yuuko seemed a little more “out there” in this episode. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

The snowball fight was unhinged, wasn’t it? A bit out there? At the very least, it was, as Yuuko will say in my favorite quote, “fantastical.”

Yuuko invited Watanuki, Doumeki, and Himawari to the snow-covered park for a snowball fight. But not any snowball fight. They had to build snowmen who, they learned, would fight on their behalf. Watanuki, at least, seemed incredulous until Doumeki’s snowman seemed to plaster his with a massive snowball. That was after it had walked up to Watanuki’s little bunny snowman.

I’m still wondering why Watanuki made a bunny…

This, of course, prompted Watanuki to object. Which he did. Loudly. He demanded to know how a creature made out of water could walk around and attack other similar creatures.

At first shaking her head and smiling beneficently, Yuuko said (10:26), “There are all kinds of trifling theories, but they’re a pain in the butt, so forget about it! Just look at it as a fantastical moment that happened on the snowy day!”

So, I guess in Yuuko’s world, snowmen can come to life and fight to the death! Good to know!

Favorite Moment from xxxHOLiC Episode 19

Honestly, I did not know Yuuko could even be surprised! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: An Uncommon Snowman Battle

This was an interesting episode. Did Yuuko, Watanuki, and Mokona seem a little more abrupt or intense than usual? I’m not sure if I was imagining things, or the characters shifted slightly for this episode’s snowball fight. Or maybe the competition got them all riled up? 

In any case, it was great seeing the Ame-warashi and Zashiki-warashi again! I like the former’s non-nonsense attitude with humans; I like the latter’s endearing innocent and calming effect on Watanuki. The way the Zashiki-warashi cheered him on was just healing to watch.

Ummm… What did he use for the eyes? Do I even want to know? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

My favorite moment was something I don’t think we’ve seen before. At least, I can’t remember it happening. And it came at a surprising time! Yuuko had almost won the snowball fight. Her storm-trooper, using a Maru and Moro-fed snowball machine gun, had taken out all the other competitors. Even the Ame-warashi’s two snow-gods fell to Yuuko’s snowman’s might.

“A ruleless, atrocious fight,” Doumeki had called it (15:18). To which the Zashiki-warashi answered, “Right.”

Delivery: Yuuko Got Surprised?

But a labor dispute between Maru and Moro deprived Yuuko’s snowman of ammunition just as it was about to gun down Watanuki and his rabbit snowman. Yuuko seemed surprised (18:58), which got my attention. Have we seen that before? But when she noticed that her foot had actually blocked the last snowball, I figured she was faking surprise to give Watanuki false hope. 

Seeing the Zashiki-warashi cheer on Watanuki made my day! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

As Watanuki taunted Yuuko’s snowman (which is never a good idea!), she lifted her foot. The snowball surged down the feeder line. A satisfied look on her face, she counted down…

And got to zero just as her snowman decided to detach the feeder hose and look into it to see what had blocked it. In effect, it blew its own head off.

Yuuko’s look of surprise was amazing (19:31).

Until that moment, I didn’t realize she could feel surprised. I figured she had a view of time that excluded it. But clearly, in this episode, she felt it! Did something change? Did I misunderstand what I’ve seen before? Was it something about the proximity of the two warashi that threw Yuuko off her game? I don’t know – but I know it was fun to watch!

What did you think of Himawari’s snowman? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

xxxHOLiC Episode 19: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

• My Anime List (must be logged in to read): xxxHOLiC Episode 19 Discussion
• Star Crossed Anime: xxxHolic – 19 – Best. Snowball Fight. Ever.

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

• xxxHOLiC Episode 01: The Inevitable
• xxxHOLiC Episode 02: Falsehood
• xxxHOLiC Episode 03: Angel
• xxxHOLiC Episode 04: Fortune-Telling
• xxxHOLiC Episode 05: Game of Letters
• xxxHOLiC Episode 06: Indulgence
• xxxHOLiC Episode 07: Hydrangea
• xxxHOLiC Episode 08: Contract
• xxxHOLiC Episode 09: Pinky Promise
• xxxHOLiC Episode 10: Lamplight
• xxxHOLiC Episode 11: Confession
• xxxHOLiC Episode 12: Summer Shade
• xxxHOLiC Episode 13: Transfiguration
• xxxHOLiC Episode 14: Seal
• xxxHOLiC Episode 15: Release
• xxxHOLiC Episode 16: Reunion
• xxxHOLiC Episode 17: Self-Mutilation
• xxxHOLiC Episode 18: Ground Cherry
• xxxHOLiC Episode 19: Unreasonable
• xxxHOLiC Episode 20: Atonement
• xxxHOLiC Episode 21: Nail Clipper
• xxxHOLiC Episode 22: Tempations
• xxxHOLiC Episode 23: Choices
• xxxHOLiC Episode 24: Side Story: Reminiscence