xxxHolic
Ep.20 "Atonement"
This episode sure surprised me in a good way! Remember in Episode 11 how the animation company and those involved changed the Valentines Day story to Ohagi so Watanuki no longer made chocolate cakes thus creating a big continuity problem when crossing over with Tsubasa Chronicle Episode 17 (guide on it's way) when Yuko sends some of the left over cakes to Syaoran and Sakura? Well it turns out the writers knew what they were doing all along!
While the first half of the season pretty much aired in real time to when the episode was airing for the first time on Japanese tv (for example, the hydrangea episode aired when hydrangea's started to bloom nation wide and several hydrangea festivals were in full swing) starting last week the seasonal order is still in practice but time seems to have been sped up. Episode 19 saw a heavy snowfall (which happens in Tokyo in the New Year) while it's currently mid-September and this episode happens around Valentines Day which as we all know is in February.
The rest of the season continues in this fashion with Episodes 22 and 23 happening around March as observed by the blossoming ume blossoms (plum blossoms) which brings the season full circle as Episode 1 occurred in early April during Spring when the sakura trees were blooming.
This whole approach to this show which is already steeped in Japanese cultural references adds yet another level of appreciation to the observant viewer by paying homage to the great emphasis the Japanese place on the four seasons.
We begin the episode with Watanuki slaving in the kitchen making Yuko her Valentines Day chocolates (after Yuko told him to of course!). He's a bit confused as in Japan the woman gives the man chocolates but Yuko quickly explains it away with a play on words about how it's okay to break rules if you're not causing anyone harm. Throughout this scene Maru and Moro and prancing and chanting and Mokona attempts several times to try the chocolate mix. The controlled chaos is interrupted by the arrival of a customer. It seems someone referred her, but Yuko stops her short before she can tell us who and asks her what her wish is.
The woman seems very desperate and offers to pay Yuko "anything" if she can grant her wish. The woman gives Yuko an envelope tied up with string.
After the woman has left, Watanuki wonders what the deal with the envelope is. Yuko unties the string surrounding the envelope and opens it. As soon as she does so a photo falls out and on to the floor. Watanuki freaks out though quickly realises that the photo isn't doing anything besides lying on the floor. He then suspects the envelope of being evil. Mokona jumps at the opportunity and runs across the table and slams the envelope into Watanuki's face causing him to lose it completely... though he then realises that the envelope seems to be rather normal.
At school, Watanuki has given Himawari her chocolate cake which she loves and they discuss the photo which Himawari checks to see that it's at Yuko's shop. Before Watanuki can try his own cake, Domeki appears out of nowhere carrying a bag of valentines he has received and eats it. Watanuki is furious over how many valentines Domeki has got but is happy knowing that Himawari gave him one.
When he returns to the shop in the afternoon, Maru and Moro inform him that Yuko is having a bath (with Mokona) so he decides to start work without reporting to her. As he passes the room with the photo (which has been framed in a metallic butterfly themed frame) he notices something about it and walks closer for a better inspection. As he gets nearer the frame begins to melt and the woman in the photo who had had her back turned to the viewer the whole time begins to turn around!
Yuko steps in wearing her bathrobe and comments on how even a spiritual seal couldn't control the photo. Watanuki completely loses it as the woman continues to turn however once she does he's surprised to see that she's rather happy and waving at the photographer! Despite the fact that it's moving, it looks like a rather normal photo.
Watanuki wonders why the woman could possibly be worried about this photo and as if on cue, the woman returns, led by Maru and Moro to where Yuko, Watanuki and the photo are.
She instantly sees the photo which is still moving and continues to melt the frame. Yuko tells her that her request the first time, to place a seal on the photo obviously wasn't strong enough. The woman runs across the room and snatches the photo and frame from the table and crouches on the floor in tears.
Watanuki wonders to himself why the woman didn't just burn the photo in the first place but Yuko responds via telepathy that burning or destroying a possessed photo would never work.
As the woman cries hugging the photo the frame completely melts away and the photo falls from her arms and onto the floor as everyone observes the woman herself now entering the photo and approach the other woman with a big smile on her face and pushes the first woman off the cliff where she was standing. The woman screams at Yuko to destroy it and that she'll do anything. Yuko warns her about making such promises but accepts the deal, holds the photo in her hand and slowly disintegrates it.
As it's disappearing, Watanuki notices that the woman has an evil grin on her face. She meant to push the other woman!
Once it's completely gone, Yuko explains to the woman that noone else will see the photo. However, if she is ever filmed by anything, a video camera, a camera, etc instead of herself showing up on film, the viewer will see the photo. The woman is upset but leaves.
Later that night, Watanuki asks Yuko why she didn't call the police over the woman murdering the other one. Yuko simply asks him what they could do now without the photo and that it would be almost impossible for the woman not to be filmed in this day and age unless she decides to stay inside for the rest of her life.
She then reminds him of something she said when they first met, that the burden of murdering someone is a heavy one.
Today's Crossovers
 The obvious crossover would be the chocolate cakes that Watanuki makes in this episode which Yuko sends to Syaoran and Sakura as Valentines Day presents in Episode 17 of Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle.
 I only caught this on my second viewing... Domeki's bag that he's using to carry all of his chocolates is from a Piffle store! For those that didn't know, Piffle is a fictitious company that CLAMP uses in several of it's series. This is it's second appearance in xxxHolic. The first was in Episode 16.
My Original Impression
Sunday, September 03, 2006
I really digged this episode. It featured the photo arc from the recently released xxxHolic #7 manga and combined it with the Valentines Day parts that weren't included in Episode 11. While a bit strange to repeat a manga story that had already been used, it makes sense as now the xxxHolic anime crosses over more easily with the Tsubasa anime series.
The photo parts were well done though I was surprised at the speed it was concluded at. There was also a noticeable omission of the spider arc aspects which I'm guessing they'll use in the second season (if there is one). Honestly not enough episodes to deal which that rather big event that happens concerning the spider in the remaining few episodes.
Next week looks to finally feature the nail clipping mini-arc from the manga. Should be interesting. Only four more episodes to go!!!
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