天下制覇

But which one?

Impressions:

A pretty decent end to the Himawari arc, but after the last episode being stretched out to hell and back again, this one was almost verbatim what I remembered in the manga, so at the same time, it wasn’t really all that interesting to me. About the only visually interesting thing they did was the miasma covering Himawari as she talked. 20 minutes of staring at Himawari, Yuuko and Watanuki talking can only be so interesting and I bottomed out after the 5th straight minute of watching their heads bob. 

I probably wouldn’t be being so harsh if I hadn’t read the manga, but there really was nothing to keep my eyes focused on this episode at all. I may as well have just popped open the manga and used this as a book on tape. You can only stare at Himawari or Watanuki’s face for so long before desperately searching for something… anything… else to look at. As the big climax to the series, you’d think they’d have put a bit more effort into it, but eh… xxxHOLiC’s adaptation has pretty much always been known for its budget woes, so no use complaining overly much now. It still pales in comparison to the Spider Queen’s arc at any rate.

Next week’s finale is a sidestory… it didn’t even get a number in the preview. It’s just one of the more nonsensical completely standalone chapters anyway. I’m not really sure why you’d do that instead of putting it in the middle of stuff, but again… I don’t think this show has geniuses on staff.

Repeat the end of the previous episode. Himawari smiles happily at Watanuki and says that he finally noticed. She tells him that she knew being around her put him in danger, and recounts all the past incidents that she brought to him, all of which ended in the more dangerous spirits coming after him, but he was never scared or suspicious of her.

She really is just a human, but while her father and mother are immune to it, but nobody else is. She was always alone, and because of her, disaster followed in her wake. There were fires where she played, people committed suicide, and then there was her grandmother who took her to a shrine and told her to not worry about it.

Himawari continues as the miasma covers her in Watanuki’s eyes. The priest at the shrine said that she had no powers, she just brought bad luck to anybody that she made a connection with. Her grandmother died too. Even though it didn’t seem to be Himawari’s fault, she couldn’t help but think that it was.

Himawari thanks him for his lunches and tells him that it really was fun, but this is goodbye. She turns and walks away. Watanuki calls out to her and apologizes. He didn’t know anything about her, but wants to know more. Himawari asks if he actually heard anything she just told him.

He says that he did, but he got to smile, laugh, and be happy together with her. Seeing her every day was true happiness for him. Himawari warns him that next time, he’ll die. Watanuki tells her that he won’t. He loves Himawari and wouldn’t do anything to make her cry.

She looks at him harshly and calls him a real idiot, and then tells him that she wants a strawberry chiffon cream cake, and they can eat it together, secret from Doumeki.

He tells her to wait for it, and the two part by telling eachother "see you later."

Himawari leaves the room and a bloodsoaked Doumeki is waiting just outside. She tells him to keep the cake a secret. Doumeki tells her that the three of them have to keep eating lunch together.

Yuuko comes over to Watanuki’s bed for some delicious delicious exposition. Even she can’t help Himawari because the price would be too high. Watanuki asked who paid to heal him, and Yuuko admits that it was Doumeki and Himawari, but some injuries won’t heal… the finger that Himawari touched.

Watanuki sort of stumbles through saying that he wants Himawari to be happy. He passes out from the conversation as Yuuko tells him that Doumeki paid the blood Watanuki lost. Yuuko comments that he has amazing friends. Doumeki is likewise napping outside. He and Himawari made a wish to save Watanuki’s life.

Himawari walks home with tears pouring from her eyes, thinking about Watanuki and how this is the first time anybody said anything like that to her. That’s why she was happy to pay the price… Watanuki’s scars are now covering her body.

Watanuki wakes up to Yuuko watching over him. She tells him that Himawari and Doumeki went home and he’s been KOed for about 6 days. Watanuki wants to know what he can do for Himawari. Even if he can’t remove her curse, he wants her to have some happiness.

He doesn’t want her to be hurt anymore. That’s why he’s going to do his best to make Himawari laugh and do everything he can. Yuuko pats him and calls him a good boy. He strangely starts to fall asleep as she pats his head.

She hands him the egg that the catgirl gave her for the water. She tells him to sleep and dream of what it should become.

Watanuki floats through the dream. It’s warm, and kind. So warm. Stop saying warm. The stars of happiness float around them. I wish I was joking.

Watanuki wants just a small bit of happiness, something could become a small bit of happiness. The egg responds that it understands and starts glowing.

Watanuki wakes up. The egg is gone. Well, it’s just in a different spot of the bed. As he looks at it, it cracks and a little bird pops out. Watanuki stares the poor thing down and tries to start a conversation with it. The bird isn’t much of a talker.

Yuuko comes in, and tells him that this bird was born to be with Himawari. Nothing will happen to it because of her powers. It’s something truly precious because he believed in her.

Watanuki trots off to school, more or less recovered with the bird on his head. It suddenly flies off. He gives chase until it flaps around Himawari… and Doumeki. They were waiting for her. Himawari changed her hairstyle too… NOT LIKE IT’S TO COVER THE SCARS ON HER BACK OR ANYTHING.

Doumeki and Watanuki immediately get into an argument until Himawari notices the bird. Watanuki presents it to her, saying it was born for her. It happily flaps on Himawari’s shoulder and even kisses her cheek. Somehow, Watanuki’s jealous of the little thing. Himawari happily thanks him.

Doumeki wants to know what name she’ll give it. Himawari’s names are… less than good, so she tells Watanuki to name it. It stares him down with sparkly eyes until Watanuki decides on Tampopo (Dandelion). Doumeki mocks him for naming it after its color. Himawari smiles at Tampopo and we get a brief montage of the usual Doumeki/Himawari/Watanuki behavior.

Yuuko happily smiles and toasts the sky. Oooooooookay.

Preview:

Episode 13 didn’t even get a number. It’s just "Sidestory." Thunderbeast chapter… whatever.