This volume seems to be filled with a lot of filler stories (Watanuki's gift to Himawari, haunted houses, and his birthday), but we see a few real plot advances.

The crew from the Tsubasa story are showing up more frequently, and Yuko keeps implying that their story is connected to Watanuki, but we aren't seeing any concrete development yet.

Watanuki's relationship with Himawari also gets a bit sinister when she walks off with Domeki (during a dream-fainting episode) and is confronted by him about how she lies to Watanuki. I am curious more than anything to find out exactly who, or what, she is. ( )

Intriguing ( )

  xxxHolic #11 & 12 (Manga Monday) This review is written with a GPL 3.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at Bookstooge.booklikes.blogspot.wordpress.leafmarks.com by express permission of this reviewer

Title: xxxHolic #11 & 12
Series: xxxHolic
Author & Artist: CLAMP
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Manga

Synopsis:
Watanuki has several dream times with various people, does alot for Kohane-chan, gets attacked by various things and people and in general is well on his way to replacing Yuko.

My Thoughts:
Where Tsubasa tended towards "lets couch everything in as mysterious terms as possible", xxxHolic seems to be a bit more straightforward.

I also find the pathos to be much more endearing, heart-wrenching and "real". I care what is going to happen to Watanuki, Yuko and the others in a way that I simply didn't about the Tsubasa group. I also have to admit that the stories dealing with Kohane-chan really get to me. A little girl should be protected by her mother, not exploited. I'm just glad Watanuki and Domeki are around.

A lot of what is talked about in Watanuki and Sakura's dream really helped me understand what was going on.

The artwork continues to amuse me. Yuko,for example, can be this totally voluptuous vixen in one panel and then you see in another and she is a stick. CLAMP certainly has fun just portraying people however they want. " ( )

Lots of plot happen in this volume. Watanuki is still very weak from almost dying in the last volume but he does not just stop his life. The haunted house really has nothing to do with him other than that he can see the ghost. He and Domeki have to deal with it but nothing that they cannot handle. But whatever is going on in the Tsubasa story line is affecting in one too. In addition to lots of plot there is lots of foreshadowing going on too. Whatever is around Watanuki is getting worse. As I have never gotten this far into the series before, all this is new to me and I am enjoying it. But this manga is only 19 volumes long so I am over half-way done with it. That makes me sad but it is so good.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. ( )