March 5th, 2009 
AstroNerdBoy xxxHOLiC Manga Chapter 174
SPOILER Summary/Synopsis:
Watanuki sees Yuuko-san dissolve away and vanish and when he awakens, he has a butterfly in his hands which too dissolves away.
On the way to school, Watanuki tells Doumeki that he cannot find Yuuko-san anywhere. While he concedes that there are possibly hidden rooms within Yuuko-san’s store-residence, the fact that he hasn’t seen Maru and Moro in ages as well as not finding Mokona makes Watanuki suspect that he may not be able to meet them anymore. Watanuki decides that maybe they just have something to do and so Watanuki will try to grant Yuuko-san a wish.
They stop by the house of the woman who wanted Watanuki to teach her to cook. They get no response, so Watanuki leaves a note on the gate. He vows to keep making onigiri until she eats them.
Thoughts/Review:
Whatever mess is going on in Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE- is the reason that Yuuko-san is missing. Chapter 214 of that manga clearly shows that she’s been affected but doesn’t give any great details otherwise. However, I’ve added the image from that chapter to illustrate another perspective on what’s happening to her.
Regardless, xxxHOLiC continues to be marking time. All CLAMP can do is acknowledge that “something” is happening to Yuuko-san so in the meantime, let’s have Watanuki obsess over that loser woman who has the weird eating problem. Yeah, that’s a real interesting story.
You know, when I initially got into both xxxHOLiC and Tsubasa -RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE-, I thought that CLAMP had clear ideas of where they wanted to take things and a good understanding of the linkages. Maybe they did, but frankly I have been really disappointed with how both of these mangas are winding down. Its a case of the premise being good but the end being pretty tedious. Sad really.
I’m in this until the end (Lord willing) so we’ll see how things end. I figure the end will come in a few months, tops.
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Looks like the problem they have on XXX1999, couldn’t figure out how to run the story.
Wonder if these will be another “we meet every other month and try to figure out to do” situation.
In the classic sense, I don’t mind tragedies, but I prefer comedies, and CLAMP used to put out some great comedies.
Let’s see…I’ve read “Chobits,” “Card Captor Sakura,” “xxxHOLiC,” “Tsubasa,” and I think that’s it. I have access to other CLAMP titles to read but just haven’t done so.
With “xxxHOLiC,” I liked the darker premise. I liked the look at different addictions one could have or other strange cases that Yuuko-san took. I absolutely love Zashiki-Warashi and enjoy Ame-Warashi. The story about Himawari-chan and Yuuko-san’s hinted warnings always fascinated me and when that story was resolved, I liked it.
So with that in mind, I’ve been rather unhappy both with how “xxxHOLiC” and “Tsubasa” have turned out. “Tsubasa” of late is nothing but chapter after chapter of actions with little progress in story (or that’s how I’m seeing it). There is some progress, but it seems painfully slow.
I hate to say it, but even when I get a job again, I wonder seriously if I’ll even bother buying another manga volume considering how things have turned out. π
Card Captor Sakura, Chobits, and Wish are classic “comedies”, in that they have a good ending. Too many years on stage when I was younger has set me into the ancient Greek catagories. It could be serious throughout but if the ending was happy or uplifting, it was a comedy.
“in a few months” — not clear π
I just have the feeling that CLAMP is about to end both “xxxHOLiC” and “Tsubasa.”