December 8th, 2009 
AstroNerdBoy xxxホリック Volume 13
xxxHOLiC Manga Volume 13
Note: Volume 13 is out of print. It is now part of Omnibus Volume 5.
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In volume 13, CLAMP decides to work on the conclusion of the Kohane-chan arc and thus the entire volume is dedicated to that result save for a few Tsubasa crossover moments. Let’s start with that first.
Watanuki’s constant dream-hopping in volume 12 was rather annoying because it made for bad story flow and confusion. The first Tsubasa crossover moment has Watanuki entering the Dream World and encountering Syaoran and Sakura. If you aren’t reading Tsubasa, this interlude is rather annoying because it doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. CLAMP will ultimately force it to have a tiny bit of meaning but it still doesn’t work well in my opinion as it violently disrupts the story flow.
The other Tsubasa crossover came in the form of Kohane-chan’s power to exorcise spirits. Apparently, one of Sakura’s feathers was the cause (but not the source of her powers to see things) and is used as a plot point for the Tsubasa storyline to indicate things are falling apart over there (literally and figuratively). At least this isn’t disruptive like the Dream World interruption was.
As to Kohane-chan’s story, it is sad to see how selfish her mother is. We’d seen this all along but as things go south for Kohane-chan, her mother gets worse. Even without the supernatural elements involved here, this aspect of the story reaches across those realms into a place that we can all identify with. We may know or hear about someone who abuses their child, whether mentally, physically, or both. That’s why Kohane-chan’s story struck home with me and why I fully understood Watanuki’s desire to protect her from those who’d harm her, including her mother. I suppose the punishments Watanuki took from Kohane-chan’s mother were partially because he was granting a small wish of Kohane-chan’s.
The only thing that I never understood is the public outcry against Kohane-chan. She was ridiculed. People left death threats against her. Someone pushed her and caused her quite a bit of physical damage. Why? Because they didn’t like what she had to say on TV when it came to the things she saw? That just never made any sense to me, but then I don’t understand any negative obsession with anything or anybody. What purpose does that serve?
I liked how CLAMP had Kohane-chan in a kimono lent to her by Yuuko-san at the end of the volume. It seemed fitting as she had her meeting with Yuuko-san to discuss her mother, Watanuki and ultimately her wish. I’m glad that Kohane-chan kept her abilities to see things because now she can continue to be a part of Watanuki’s life in a meaningful way.
Del Rey did not include the four color pages this time and that was a disappointment. Otherwise, no problems with the release.
In the end (and despite the Tsubasa crossovers), we have a rather compelling volume that looks at the price people pay for fame and fortune, even at the cost of their own children. CLAMP does a pretty decent job of weaving the tale of Kohane-chan and end things with a smile on her face, which is how I felt as I finished reading the volume. As such, I give this one a “buy” rating.
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That’s weird. My copy of vol. 13 has the color pages. Is yours a first printing? Considering you just got it (or did you just hold off reviewing it these last few months?), it might not be. It’s possible that Del Rey might have not included the color pages in later printings.
I purchased volume 13 when I purchased volume 14 so it was likely a later printing. I had no idea that they’d drop the color pages from later printings. ^_^;