ungh. no words. NO WORDS FOR THE EMOTIONS I AM FEELING RIGHT NOW. WATANUKI. YUUKO. YOU GUYSSSS ;_______;

[/atypically non-coherent review] ( )

Things are really starting to get odd in this volume. Watanuki confronts his cooking student about her eating problem, so upsettin g her that she storms off and doesn't return for over a month. She does take his advice eventually though and samples her own food, which brings her face to face with her own lack of personality.

In the larger storyline, Yuko has disappeared and seems to be caught up by some sort of nefarious magic. Watanuki's whole world is slowly crumbling, and even when he makes a wish to see Yuko again we can't be sure of the outcome. ( )

  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 #15 & 16 Series: xxxHolic Author & Artist: CLAMP Rating: 4 of 5 Stars Genre: Manga   Synopsis: Volume 15 is all about Watanuki saying goodbye to Yuko even though he doesn't realize it at the time. However, we the readers do and that makes it all the more poignant. Volume 16 is about Watanuki taking over the shop and dealing with his first real customer on his own.   My Thoughts: This series continues to impress me [I hesitate to say "astound", but honestly, it is really reaching that level]. The emotion between the characters, the emotion from the situations they are in, I have a hard time believing that a manga can do this to me.   In vol 15, Yuko explains to Watanuki why she must leave and yet at the end of the chapter, he ends up making the very same type of promise to wait for her return that set the events in motion that we read about in Tsubasa and xxxHolic. And it does seem that Yuko is now dead, but not truly gone. But it does seem that if anyone knew the dangers of making such a wish, it would be Yuko and she'd warn Watanuki against it. Maybe I'm mis-reading his wish however?   Watanuki takes over the shop in a pretty smooth transition from Yuko. He inherits her weird fashion sense, smokes her pipe and in many ways seems to be trying to emulate her actions and how she ran the shop. Time is another thing that isn't quite the same for us the readers now, as Watanuki has stepped outside of time and into the shop and so we don't see much what is happening outside or how time is flowing.   Very much looking forward to the final 3 volumes of xxxHolic! " ( )

This volume is very sad. We do not know what is really happening to Yuko but she is disappearing. Watanuki, of course, is very upset about this. When he demands what he can do for her, she tells him that him existing is her wish. That Watanuki being real is more than enough for her, I had tears in my eyes. Watanuki swears that he will meet her again at the end of the volume. Watanuki learning how to grant wishes himself is an interesting and of course telling event in the series. But now where is the story going to go? And not much more left, so onward into the end bitter or sweet.

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

Volume 15 of xxxHolic by CLAMP ends the story arc with Yuko. Her disappearance is as shocking and depressing as Rory's at the end of "Cold Blood" (Doctor Who)

Much of what happens to Yuko is revealed through another extended dream sequence. Her true role in Watanuki's life is revealed as is the way in which his fate is tied up in the decisions made by Syaoran, Sakura and the others in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.

The point though where the true horror of what has happened comes to light is through Watanuki's continued cooking lessons with the bride to be who won't eat her own cooking. Watanuki unearths the truth behind her quirk and in the process learns something about himself. ( )