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xxxHOLiC Episode 3: Favorites

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xxxHOLiC Episode 3 – Quick Summary

In xxxHOLiC episode 3, “Angel,” Himawari Kunogi delighted Kimihiro Watanuki by going to Yuuko Ichihara and asking for a favor. Apparently, a nearby school was going through a series of unfortunate events, and Himawari suspected it was because of Angel, a “game” similar to the ouija board. Watanuki’s delight turned to dread when Yuuko volunteered him to lead the expedition. And worse, he had to go with Shizuka Doumeki! What will they find in the school? Why does even Yuuko seem a little apprehensive? And what in the world is Watanuki wearing when he arrives on site?

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

Favorite Quote from xxxHOLiC Episode 3

xxxHOLiC Episode 3: Watanuki has his own cheering section

Well, at least he came to a decision! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

My favorite quote this week comes with an ensemble delivery. I have a feeling this isn’t the last time we’ll see one of those in this series!

Watanuki almost decided not to go to the school, for one very, very simple reason: he did not want to hang out with Doumeki. He complained mightily to Yuuko. Of course, she didn’t much care what he thought. Probably for good reason, too, though I can understand Watanuki not being happy about that.

He performed his little Spaz Dance, then clenched his fist and declared his intent. He didn’t want to go with Doumeki, he said, but (05:33), “…but for Himawari’s sake, I’m going.”

Yuuko, Moro, Maru, and even Mokona came out and applauded him!

“Well said! Just like a man,” Yuuko said. Watanuki even seemed proud of that praise!

Moro and Maru said, “Lady-killer!” and “Nice Guy!”

Yes, it was a proper noun.

Mokona, though, had the more clear vision. He said, “Very Watanuki!”

Had to argue with his logic!

Favorite Moment from xxxHOLiC Episode 3

xxxHOLiC Episode 3: Yuuko has a very different view of the world -- or worlds

Watanuki wanted to understand what had happened. It’s natural he would start with his human perspective. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Going with the Naming Flow

I’ve tried to adhere to my convention of using the character’s surnames so far. For example, I’ve tried to call Kimihiro Watanuki by “Kimihiro,” under the assumption that My Anime List and other sites list the surname first. I’m not sure if that’s right. Regardless, in this case, I’m going to go with the characters’ flows and use “Watanuki,” “Doumeki,” and “Himawari.” The latter makes the least sense, because MAL lists her name as Himawari Kunogi. I suppose there’s a reason for that.

Anyway, did you notice Watanuki’s pink headphones? They were visually funny, and they were even funnier if you’ve watched Chobits. Though I think Chi wore them better. Come to think of it, I have no objections to how Yuuko looked wearing them, either!

xxxHOLiC Episode 3: Yuuko made Watanuki wear Cobits head gear

Chi wore them better than Watanuki. But I think Yuuko wore them best! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I like how the series is introducing us to key concepts dramatically instead of via an exposition dump. In the first episode, we learned that Yuuko’s work involved consequences – even if a direct link to her actions is unclear. In the second, we learned that Watanuki had a lot to learn about the very basics of interacting with Yuuko’s world. And in this episode, we found out that while Watanuki attracts spirits, Doumeki repels them.

My favorite moment was another adjustment to Watanuki’s perspective. He had just lived through a scum attack that managed to even wound Doumeki – enough to put his arm in a sling. Watanuki had experienced almost being eaten by a spirit Yuuko had called a “big shot.”

Delivery: Building the World, One Detail at a Time

Watanuki tried to come to grips with his experience. He reasoned out loud, saying that he thought the snake spirit wasn’t bad – that it was merely trying to protect its turf from the scum.

“So, it wasn’t a bad thing, was it?” he asked Yuuko (20:09).

Isn’t that just a human thing to say? A human way to think? We seem compelled to judge everything and everyone.

xxxHOLiC Episode 3: Yuuko shared her wisdom with Watanuki

Yuuko had a very different perspective from Watanuki’s. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Yuuko had a different take on it, though. She said (20:12), “For you guys, this time, no. Good intent is something humans decide on. That kind of thing doesn’t matter to something not human.”

It might seem like a little thing, but I love the deliberate way the show’s building its mythos. We’re experiencing these things through Watanuki’s eyes, at his pace. For me, that makes this world feel authentic. 

What did you think of the three girls actually being part of the scum? What were your favorite moments in the episode? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

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9 thoughts on “xxxHOLiC Episode 3: Favorites

  1. OMG I love the visuals here of Yuuko sprawled on the floor. Sigh. Okay, now that I’m over that brief drool fest I must say I agree with you that I much prefer the slow build up of the mythos as oposed to an information dump. Information dumps have become more and more pervasive in all sorts of fantasy creations and personally, I feel it should come out during the story, as part of the story, part of the discovery. It’s no fun reading – or watching – an info dump. My personal favorite moment though is when Doumecki tells Watanuki that just because he (Doumecki) cannot see something does not mean that he doesn’t believe it is real, or that Watanuki sees it. It’s actually something that should be very affirming to Watanuki – Doumecki doesn’t think he is crazy as in seeing things, or making things up. Mind you, Doumecki follows that lovely heart warming assertion by telling Watanuki that he screams like a girl and a few other choice insults. It’s a man thing – can’t get all mushy and kind unless you make up for it with some snarky things afterwards, lest someone think YOU actually have feelings (like a girl). Also – I very much liked the discussion around the “human thing” of wanting to judge. As someone who works with and studies fey folk this is one constant issue, that humans want to classify everything as “good” or “bad” and the fact is that many beings in the universe simply don’t put any value whatsoever on the human concepts of good or bad. Their decisions are made on a different set of priorities, a different basis altogether, and therefore it isn’t even reasonable to try and judge them by our standards. For instance, in the insect world, some female spiders kill and consume their mate after mating. GASP says human values. But in spider world, the mate – many of whom die soon after mating anyway – is a valuable source of protein for the mother of his children, thus this is his final and in a way, greatest contribution to the future generation of baby spiders. If he were to run off (and sometimes he does) and die alone somewhere – that protein would be lost probably to another species. Humans want to judge everything by their values – and that is probably one of the most unfair and nonsensical things we do as a species. Yes, I am finally getting around to these posts – life in the fast lane, but I can see I am going to really enjoy them 😀

    1. You’re right — Doumeki is really supportive in his stoic way. Watanuki can’t see it at all. Or maybe he does, but his internal narrative prevents him from acknowledging it. That doubt, fueled by solid characterization, is one of the things that makes the show so much fun.

      As far as humans wanting to judge — just tonight, I starting writing my sixth novel, Evolution’s Hand Book 6: Unnatural Crypsis. One of the characters is a colony being in human form. She’s made up of dozens of individual volitions or wills; she’s considered a volitional entity. She got into an argument with one of the humans because he called her counterparts Evil Volition Entities (EVEs). She accused him of imposing human standards on non-human entities.

      Partly inspired by this show, partly by The Ancient Magus’ Bride, and partly by my own experiences, I’m going to play around with that idea in the sixth book.

      BTW: you just gave me the most robust and insightful perspective on the male spider’s contribution. I’m totally stealing that for something — I’m not sure what, but I’ll find a place to use it! If for no other reason than it’s so right.

      I hope you do enjoy my xxxHOLiC posts. They’re a blast to write, and it really does my soul good knows they’re well-received in some quarters!

      1. I love it that you have created that very original character for one of your books. And that she calls the humans out on their judgyness 😀 She should be a lot of fun to write about. I feel so speshul you liked my perspective on the male spider. It is true. 😀 Oh, I am having a blast going through XXXholic with you and your other readers as well. Better late than never, eh? We wont’ even mention the Gate rewatch I was supposed to do. OTH that might give me something useful (ish?) to do with these 100+ degree days coming up…

        1. It’s always a good time to rewatch Gate! And if it keeps you from experiencing heat exhaustion, then so much the better!

    1. When I first watched this, I had just finished Chobits, so the earphones were a very pleasant surprise!

      I thought it was great how Doumeki wasn’t above poking fun at them, too.

      And, yeah, Yuuko looked great in them. But then, she looks great in everything! So classy and elegant.

Please let me know what you think!

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