XXXHOLIC by Mika Ninagawa
At first glance, Kimihiro Watanuki looks like any other student. But then again, your eyes can’t see everything. Unlike Wakanuki’s eyes, which see all there is to see… including the spiteful spirits called “ayakashi” that are always attacking him. Being on the run for enemies that are invisible to ordinary mortals around him doesn’t help him make friends with said mortals. They think he’s just a bit of a freak. But his life is completely going to change when, hiding from the ghosts that chase him, he walks into a peculiar shop. The owner of the shop introduces herself. Her name is Yuko Ichihara and she’s a sorceress who can fulfill one wish of his. Like banning all those nasty specters from his life? But beware, every wish comes with a price. A price you can’t express in banknotes…
XXXHOLIC is based on a phenomenally popular manga by the women’s collective Clamp with almost 15 million copies sold worldwide. Numerous anime and TV series followed suit and it was only a matter of time until a live-action cinematic adaptation would see the light of day. When Mika Ninagawa was said to direct, with her penchant for insanely colorful aesthetics (think of 2012’s HELTER SKELTER for instance), expectations went through the roof! And yes, the result is a bit like a rainbow on opium, fearless in the face of kitsch and masterful in tackling the supernatural elements of the source material.