AniWorthxxxHOLiC Shunmuki
Introduction
For the appropriate price, your dearest wish can be granted at the shop of the peculiar Yuuko. Kimihiro Watanuki wishes to be rid of his ability to see spirits, and so as payment, he works for Yuuko doing whatever she needs him to do, from cleaning to errands to even helping out Yuuko's other clients. In xxxHOLiC Shunmuki, Watanuki and his friend and rival Shizuka Doumeki enjoy a meal with their friend Kohane Tsuyuri and her grandmother, reminiscing about how they have changed since meeting each other.
Later on, Watanuki has a dream in which he is visited by Doumeki's grandfather Haruka, who needs him to find some things in the family temple storeroom. Accompanied by Doumeki, he finds that this task is more akin to a treasure hunt, with each item leading them to another, and another, guiding them to an unexpected yet inevitable ending.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience ratings
MyAnimeList / Tenrai : 8.03/10 · 36444
| 1/10 | 85 |
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| 2/10 | 43 |
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| 3/10 | 76 |
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| 4/10 | 198 |
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| 5/10 | 799 |
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| 6/10 | 2369 |
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| 7/10 | 7616 |
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| 8/10 | 12209 |
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| 9/10 | 7617 |
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| 10/10 | 5431 |
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Audience reviews
3 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Connoisseur5910
WELL,
xxxHOLiC Shunmuki is one of the best examples of how a deep and big story can be told in just a couple of episodes. In only two parts it weaves together fate, gratitude, sacrifice, and the heavy threads connecting to Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle, while pushing Watanuki’s arc forward in profound ways.
The vibes are intensely sad and melancholic—quiet longing, inevitable loss, the weight of choices—but that exact atmosphere is what makes it so great and unforgettable. It’s meditative, poetic, and refuses cheap catharsis, letting the sorrow sit and breathe.
And already here you feel the seeds of the enormous love between Watanuki and Yuuko: his fierce devotion to her world, his quiet resolve to protect what she built. Production I.G delivers stunning, dreamlike visuals that match the moo…
Read at the sourceabystoma2
There is a problem with Shunmuki, and it’s that it lacks both start and an end. I know, it’s sure to sound silly at first to complain that something that’s both a sequel and a prequel to other parts of an adaptation doesn’t have start and end, but here me out.
What I mean is that usually even separate seasons and OVAs/specials have their own smaller arcs, even when part of a larger storyline. The start is clearly intended as a start, and the end finishes at least some plot thread. Shinmuki however fells more like a clip compilation than an anime by itself.
The strength of xxxHolic is that it’s a compilation of interconnected stories and that it’s better than the stories would be by themselves if judged on their own. Unfortunately, the selection here lacks the impact of interconnection,…
Read at the sourcePrincipal
The xxxHolic Series is an excellent series about modern folklore, discussing a wide range of thought-provoking topics. The OVA does not disappoint either.
Story: Watanuki and Dōmeki enjoy meal and drinks with the fortune teller, where Kohane is staying. There, it's explained that everyone changes with every meeting they experience with others, and that all four there, and even Yūko, have changed from meeting Watanuki. Later on, Haruka and Watanuki meet in a dream, in which Haruka asks Watanuki to look for something in the temple's storeroom. However, as they look around, they might step into the realm within the books by accident... Also, Watanuki acts like he appreciates Dōmeki for once. In the 2nd part Watanuki and Dōmeki continue to search for the four items that Haruka requested. Wata…
Read at the source