Xxxholic: the live-action series
Sooo, who's seen the series?
I watched all 9 episodes (finally found them in English, though the Spanish fansubs were expanding my knowledge of the language). It was...different. I missed Mokona and several minor characters terribly, but for what it was it was pretty decent. Anne was a reasonably good Yuuko--flirty, mysterious, and she had that bit of sadness that makes Yuuko more than just another sexy flirty dominating witch. Maru and Moro were delightfully charming/creepy, and I loved the endings with them playing games with Watanuki and him being awkward/losing. Watanuki looked perfect, I thought, from his glasses to his pretty-while-still-slightly-awkward-and-nerdy face to his slimness in that classic uniform. He wasn't as awkward or flailing-and-shouting as anime/manga Watanuki, but that would not have gone over well in live action. Doumeki was...darn good-looking, and appropriately deadpan, though he talked more than anime/manga Doumeki. Himawari-chan, most people on the sites I've seen, seemed to be a two-dimensional cheery girl--until the last episode or two. I think she was trying too hard--her "mask" of happiness over her near-despair over her bad-luck self was not subtle enough.
One commenter on the Facebook page described the relationship between the three teens as: "Watanuki loves Himawari. Doumeki likes Watanuki." And another Donuts fan is born!! Really, I can see the live-action boys in slashy context so easily. Watanuki has the most kissable mouth, Doumeki is awesomely graceful in a controlled, Zen manner when drawing his bow, and, just, well, they're pretty darn true to previous versions and fit nicely with my fanon concept of the pair, at any rate.
Thoughts, criticisms, squees?
I watched all 9 episodes (finally found them in English, though the Spanish fansubs were expanding my knowledge of the language). It was...different. I missed Mokona and several minor characters terribly, but for what it was it was pretty decent. Anne was a reasonably good Yuuko--flirty, mysterious, and she had that bit of sadness that makes Yuuko more than just another sexy flirty dominating witch. Maru and Moro were delightfully charming/creepy, and I loved the endings with them playing games with Watanuki and him being awkward/losing. Watanuki looked perfect, I thought, from his glasses to his pretty-while-still-slightly-awkward-and-nerdy face to his slimness in that classic uniform. He wasn't as awkward or flailing-and-shouting as anime/manga Watanuki, but that would not have gone over well in live action. Doumeki was...darn good-looking, and appropriately deadpan, though he talked more than anime/manga Doumeki. Himawari-chan, most people on the sites I've seen, seemed to be a two-dimensional cheery girl--until the last episode or two. I think she was trying too hard--her "mask" of happiness over her near-despair over her bad-luck self was not subtle enough.
One commenter on the Facebook page described the relationship between the three teens as: "Watanuki loves Himawari. Doumeki likes Watanuki." And another Donuts fan is born!! Really, I can see the live-action boys in slashy context so easily. Watanuki has the most kissable mouth, Doumeki is awesomely graceful in a controlled, Zen manner when drawing his bow, and, just, well, they're pretty darn true to previous versions and fit nicely with my fanon concept of the pair, at any rate.
Thoughts, criticisms, squees?