Wait, wait, I have an idea

[petronia]

Echizen Ryouma/Fujioka Haruhi.

THINK ABOUT IT.

Something that's been wigging me out (spoilers for the most recent xxxHolic arc):

With all the ominous foreboding and tying-into-TRC and general sense that the other shoe is going to drop, CLAMP found time to squeeze in a client-of-the-week story. In summary, a girl from Watanuki's school comes to Yuuko for help, claiming her house is haunted by an unseen presence and asking that it be made "not scary". Yuuko gives her handbells, which appear to be ineffective. With Doumeki's grandfather, Watanuki visits the girl's house in dreams, and discovers that the house has other inhabitants who cannot see the girl but can hear her bells - and are sufficiently frightened to call in an exorcist. The girl herself is the ghost haunting the house, and it stops being "scary" once she's gone from it.

The episode does tie in with the Kohane sub-plot, but it still comes off as extraneous... unless it's meant as thematic reinforcement or foreshadowing. I keep thinking, how did Watanuki word his request again? =_= Just to stop seeing things? THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS YOU CAN STOP SEEING THINGS. Heck, he's already lost one eye, so in a sense he's halfway there already. orz

Desperate procrastination on both taxes and ficcing, to the point that I sat down and read twelve volumes of 20th Century Boys in one go (I've been meaning to do this ever since Charmian sent me the scanlations). My eyes finally gave out around 4AM and midway through volume 19. XD; Er... there's more after volume 20, isn't there. I'm not certain the prospect is cheering. Much like Monster it maintains the feat of continual and nigh-unbearable suspense while simultaneously being about three times as long as it needs to be, and it's much more depressing.

My favorite characters are Kyoko and Otcho. The former because she's basically the Ivan Vorpatril of the manga from the moment she shows up, and the latter because the man is a serious, I mean serious, hardcore badass.

I've been compiling an FST for this ever since I started reading it, and by now I think I have 80 minutes worth of music easily. Unnervingly all the "good" tracks are rock and all the "evil" tracks are dance or pop, which is probably not far from Urasawa's own position.

Speaking of music I think I'll upload some soothing ambient albums for people in either finals or taxes period, which is... everyone, come to think of it. April really is the cruellest month.

Comments

[nekokoban]

I always figured that the ghost-girl story was just a vague reminder on Clamp's part -- a sort of "hey, this story ORIGINALLy started as a 'be careful what you wish for' morality tale" nod. Because theoretically, we're not seeing EVERY day of Watanuki working for Yuuko, and also theoretically, Yuuko's still recieving customers even as things are coming to a head in the overall HOLiC storyline.

That, and possibly it's used to illustrate the "hitsuzen" of Watanuki connecting with Kohane, since even unknowingly, they've been connected?

Of course, I could totally be giving them too much the benefit of the doubt. XD I can certainly buy that, too.

[maeran.livejournal.com]

Echizen Ryouma/Fujioka Haruhi.

*THINKS* ...You know, that just might work out.

I keep thinking, how did Watanuki word his request again? =_= Just to stop seeing things? THERE ARE A LOT OF WAYS YOU CAN STOP SEEING THINGS. Heck, he's already lost one eye, so in a sense he's halfway there already. orz

My thoughts exactly! XD

[mirichan.livejournal.com]

There are 22 volumes published in Japan and apparently it will continue with a new name shortly (aka 21st century boys, not 20th) or so I heard...

[bell]

Kyoko is awesome. But, Ivan Vorpatil, really?

I read 20th Century Boys some months ago and now my greatest fear is that when I go back to reading the story, I won't remember all the little things that you have to know for the unveiling facts to have meaning. In retrospect, I should have waited for the series to end and *then* read it in all one go, so that I wouldn't have memory issues when I came back to it. XD;

Heck, he's already lost one eye, so in a sense he's halfway there already. orz

I think Yuuko mentions this specifically-- correlating the wish to "stop seeing things" and the fact that he's lost half of his eyesight and replaced it with 1/4 of Doumeki's. Clamp may be very, very cruel to us Watanuki yet.

I agree with the other poster that the bell-ghost arc was a brief return to the series' MO-- morality tales, creepy things, unexpected endings, visitors. They do think every once in a while. I remember that at the end of one long creepy arc they had this cute one-chapter story with Yuuko, Mokona, Doumeki, and Watanuki in a snow fight. Something to break up the tension between the major wangsts that reigns Watanuki's life.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Ivan Vorpatril in the sense that most other characters in the series take a stand, you know? Most Urasawa characters do. Kyoko really doesn't want to be there. XD She's that one person who never says to herself, "Now I have to do the right thing," she just freaks out completely and somehow ends up doing the right thing anyway.

Well, it's not that the arc can't serve a dual purpose either. :P It's just that apart from the "cute" tension-breakers, it's been volumes of stories that at least reinforce or foreshadow some characterization issue, though they might be otherwise unconnected (ex. that ghost(?) woman who was draining Watanuki's energy). Either that or setting up stage props, like the fetching well-water episode. XD

[evilsimon.livejournal.com]

That sounds eerily like CLAMP does "The Others".

[petronia.livejournal.com]

That's pretty much what it is. XD (Though "The Others" comes from something else I can't quite remember.)

[one-if-by-land.livejournal.com]

Echizen Ryouma/Fujioka Haruhi

... in that Ryouma can take Haruhi to necessary parties and black tie events but feel at ease in leaving her alone when on tour and trust that she'd make an unobstrusive and self-sufficient wife/girlfriend, then... yes. and Haruhi can whip him in shape I think the key to this pairing would be the seeming unattachment between them and how this emotional unattachment is what would make the relationship work.

[worldserpent.livejournal.com]

Unnervingly all the "good" tracks are rock and all the "evil" tracks are dance or pop, which is probably not far from Urasawa's own position.

You think? XDDDD I would love to see that FST, btw.

I stopped at about vol 20 myself, but it is continuing (he took a break for awhile... probably figuring out how to end it, I hope). I really want it to be finished so I don't have to live in all of this unbearable suspense.

[amamiyarin.livejournal.com]

I agree. Otcho is indeed one of the most badass characters EVER. And now I really want to see your FST. (*_*)

[insaneneko.livejournal.com]

Echizen Ryouma/Fujioka Haruhi.

It'd be...interesting, to say the least.

Thanks for the depressing thoughts on xxxHOLIC. I wouldn't be surprised if CLAMP does something awful like that...

[sub-divided.livejournal.com]

I took the side-story as proof that this was going to be another case of hints-dropped-for-months-before-anything-happens like the entire second season of CCS. But uhh, I guess CLAMPs gotten better since then.

Parallelism or not, it was a great story.

Augh I barely remember 20th Century Boys. Otocho was the bald one, right? He was awesome cause like, how often do you know someone like that? (According to the movie Grosse Pointe, more often than you'd think.)

What I remember about Kyoko is the faces she'd make. XD It never got old.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

There hasn't been a new Holic chapter for three weeks. =_=

Yeah, that's really the brilliant thing about the series - you get to see the characters as fifth-graders, and how they then extrapolate to adults. I would've expected Otcho to be some sort of hotshot futures trader, I think (he was, pretty much, before his son died), but when it goes to his POV you're just like, holy shit. XD

[supplanter.livejournal.com]

I am thinking about Ryoma/Haruhi.  I am thinking Ryoma will be less than thrilled to gain Ranka as a potential father-in-law, and Ranka-Nanjiroh interaction would be pure gold.  I am thinking—actually I have no idea what Ranka might think of Ryoma, but it would probably be amusing.  SO WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT.

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Ranka and Nanjiroh can find middle ground re: being supported by hotshot lawyer wives. XDXDXD Otherwise, pure gold.

It's coming... I think...