×××Holic, pronounced as "holic," is a Seinen manga written and illustrated by the group of manga authors known as Clamp. The series, which ties in strongly with another of Clamp's series, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, revolves around Kimihiro Watanuki, a high-school student disturbed by his ability to see the supernatural, who meets Yūko Ichihara, a witch who owns a wish-granting shop. Watanuki requests to have his ability to see spirits removed and, as payment, Yūko hires him to work in the shop, resulting in various supernatural encounters. Clamp came with the idea of xxxHolic when wanting to create a series which would link with the others they made.
xxxHolic was serialized in Kodansha's Young Magazine periodically from 2003 until March 2010. It then moved to the Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in June 2010 where it ended serialization in February 2011. The manga is published in tankōbon volumes under the KC Deluxe label and a total of nineteen volumes were released. It is currently published in the United States by Del Rey Manga and in the United Kingdom by Tanoshimi.
In 2005, Production I.G adapted the manga into an animated film, which was followed by two TV anime series, and various original video animations (OVAs). Funimation licensed the film and the first TV series in North America, and released both of them in DVD as well as Blu-ray Disc. A light novel and a video game have also been released based on the series.
The manga has been well-received by both Japanese and English readers, having appeared in various rankings of bestselling books. Critics have generally given praise to the series for the way supernatural elements are portrayed as well as for the artwork used for the illustrations. Although the anime also got positive reviews, it has been criticized for of its animation and the changed stories found in each episode.
