Yuko Ichihara

Yuko Ichihara (壱原侑子, Ichihara Yūko) is a fictional character from the manga xxxHolic created by the team Clamp. A powerful witch, Yūko is the owner of a shop where people come to have their wish granted and most of her jobs involve dealing with supernatural beings. In the beginning, she meets the teenager Kimihiro Watanuki who becomes her assistant as the price for removing spirits that are following here. She is also featured in the crossover manga Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle where she assists the main characters in their journey across the multiverse, and is known as "The Dimension Witch," a title that reflects her unique reach in time and space. She has also appeared in animated versions of the two series as well as other media.

Yuko Ichihara
xxxHolic
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle character
Yūko as illustrated by Clamp
First appearancexxxHolic chapter 1
Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle chapter 1 (2003)
Created byClamp
Voiced bySayaka Ohara
Portrayed byAnne Watanabe

Clamp created Yūko with the idea of having a character aware of the multiple fictional universes she created across her career. In deciding the personality she would have, the authors were inspired by the strong character from their beautician.

Publications for manga, anime and other media praised Yūko for her personality and role in the series. She has also been popular within readers following both xxxHolic and Tsubasa.

Creation and design

Yūko was the first character created for the series as a result of the importance she had;[1] Clamp wanted to create a character who was aware of the multiple fictional universes she created across her career. Yūko would also bridge the stories from xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.[2] Clamp found her to be so "special" that she alone could have been the series' main character. However, after deciding it would be more entertaining to have a character who would be interested on Yuko's past, Clamp created Kimihiro Watanuki. They compared Yūko and Watanuki with Doraemon and Nobita Nobi, respectively, from the manga series Doraemon.[1] Clamp places emphasis on the importance of words when writing the manga. Yuko's dialogues always affect the other characters due to how direct and secure she is when speaking. In early chapters, while she worries a woman addicted to the internet by labeling her husband and child as "other people," Yuko is transmitting the philosophy of individualism and the power her client has. In contrast to Yuko, another client has a tendency to lie which brings her misfortunes.[3]

When making the character Clamp thought three patterns of conduct for her. The character was not fully decided until meeting her model.[1] When meeting the beautician that made the artists' manicure, it was decided that Yūko would have the beautician's strong personality. However, there are no physical similarities between Yūko and her model.[4] The artists had problems in designing the character, as it took them a long time to make her facial expressions.[4] In choosing Sayaka Ohara as Yūko's Japanese voice actress, Clamp made a research to find a voice actress who was not heavily associated with another character.[1] Ohara said that thanks to Yuko's teachings about fate, Watanuki could grow up as an individual.[5]In the English dubbed series, she is voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard in English.[6]

Appearances

In xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle

Yūko is introduced in xxxHolic as a witch who runs a shop that grants wishes to customers in exchange for something of equal value to the wish. Yūko takes anything from precious objects to abstract concepts, such as love or luck, in exchange. In the series' start, she hires teenager Kimihiro Watanuki as her assistant so that his work will be his price for granting his wish of protecting him from yokai.[7] She is usually free-spirited and somewhat immature, drinking constantly and forcing difficult tasks upon Watanuki.[8] However, when giving customers or Watanuki advice, she is much more stern and offers cryptic messages that serve as warnings of impending danger. She constantly speaks of inevitability ("hitsuzen") and how nothing is a coincidence.[7]

Across both xxxHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Yūko remains in contact with the teenager named Syaoran and his companions. In order to grant him the ability of travelling across dimensions and save his friend Sakura, Yūko uses a pair of creatures named Mokona Modoki that are able to cross worlds. Yūko created these creatures alongside the sorcerer Clow Reed in anticipation for the series' events.[9] During Tsubasa it is revealed that Yūko was once going to die but Clow Reed accidentally used his powers to freeze time for her. After her time is frozen, she becomes the enemy of sorcerer Fei-Wang Reed, who controls the main events of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.[10] Near the end of Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Yūko is revived by Fei-Wang in order to prove his superiority to Clow.[11] She then gives up her life as the price for Fei-Wang's two creations, Syaoran and Sakura, to be reborn as normal humans in compensation for how, because of her, they were used by the sorcerer.[12]

Before dying, Yūko finds Watanuki and tells him her wish is for him to continue existing.[13] Over a hundred years after her death in the ending of xxxHolic, Watanuki owns her shop. In the end of xxxHolic, Watanuki begins having a series of dreams in which Yūko gradually reveals herself to him; finally, she tells him that he has stayed in her shop for a long time and now has the power to leave it.[14]

Other appearances
Anne Watanabe portrays Yuko in the liveaction drama

Outside the manga, Yuko has also appeared in the film xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream where she visits a mansion whose owner is collecting the hearts of its visitors and in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle the Movie: The Princess in the Birdcage Kingdom where she contacts Syaoran's group once again.[15] In the Holic Rō original video animation (OVA), Watanuki receives a recorded tape from a girl that has Yūko saying "I'm home,".[16] The following OVA has Watanuki finding Yuko in one of his Shizuka Dōmeki's memories where the witch gave him a magical egg.[17] The actress and model Anne Watanabe plays the role of Yūko in the live action TV series.[18] In the drama CD series Holitsuba, she appears as a teacher from the titular school.[19]

She is also seen in the video game xxxHolic ~Watanuki no Izayoi Sowa~ and in the book Soel and Larg: The Adventures of Mokona Modoki where she creates the Mokonas with Clow Reed.[20][21] The latter event is retold in the drama CD xxxHolic Kei.[22] She is also a prominent character in the novelization Another Holic by Nisio Isin.[23] In December 2015, Clamp made a collaboration with Victor Entertainment to create a music video involving a theme by Shikao Suga, a singer who performed multiple themes for the xxxHolic animated adaptations, with Clamp drawing of Watanuki and Yuko who are featured in the video.[24]

xxxHolic Rei features Yuko. While seeing several of Yūko's cases, Watanuki realises his boss is waiting for him to make a decision that he ignores.[25] He remembers he is living in an alternate dimension where Yuko is not dead. After saying goodbye to her, Watanuki returns to reality to give Syaoran a group of items he found in the alternative world.[26] Shota Sometani plays Watanuki in the live action TV series.[18]

Reception

Yūko's character has well received by Japanese readers of the series. In two popularity polls held by Weekly Shōnen Magazine, she placed seventh among all the characters in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle.[27][28] In a xxxHolic poll, Yūko was featured as the third most popular character from the series.[29] In the Animage's Anime Grand Prix poll from 2007, Yūko was voted as the thirteenth most popular female anime character.[30] NTT customers voted her as their fourteenth favorite black haired female anime character.[31]

Critical reception to the character's role in the story and traits has been positive. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network liked the character's philosophies about fate and realism as she manages to explain multiple aspects from the series "like a brilliant university professor."[32] To Megan Lavey from Mania Entertainment, "Yuko really makes this series" due to the way she interacts with her clients about the price to grant their wishes as well as her sense of humor which involves multiple references.[33] Across the series, Yūko grows close with Watanuki and their development has been praised by Matthew Alexander from Mania Entertainment as Watanuki starts caring about his boss' true desire as he realizes how much she cares for him.[34] Michael Aronson from Manga Life saw Yuko's outfits appealing.[35] Johanna from Comics Worth Reading agreed with him while Ed Sizemore from the same site admitted having taken a liking to her due to her personality and the fact that she has "the wonderful sensuality of a Hollywood femme fatale from the 30s and 40s."[36][37] Her death scene has been referred by Active Anime's Holly Ellingwood as "tragic, inspiring, and beautifully, breathtakingly sad" due to the way it was presented.[38] Santos noted that while the loss of Yūko could have negatively affected the series due to the impact she brought to the series, it managed to retain the same quality thanks to Watanuki inheriting most of her distinctive traits.[39]

The New York Times praised her character for how unique is her unique while bringing parallels to Hinoto from X who is often communicating the young man Kamui Shiro.[40] Comics Worth Reading found her dresses appealing as well as her chemistry with Watanuki in Rei.[41] Rebecca Silverman from Anime News Network expressed similar comments while finding sense of mystery about how is it that both Yuko and Watanuki are together despite the former's death in xxxHolic and thus thought of multiple reasons for such scenario.[42] Matthew Alexander expressed similar reasons and noted that both Yuko and Domeki seemed to act out-of-character in multiple scnees where they seem to guide Watanuki.[43]

Colleen Clinkenbeard's performance in the English dub of the series has also been the subject of praise by writers from Anime News Network.[44][45] Richard Eisenbeis regarded Yuko's character as one of the portrayed once in the drama due to his to how faithful is her actress to the concept.[46] In regards to her role in Tsubasa Carlo Santos noted that Yuko's dialogues might come across as confusing exposition.[47]

References
  1. xxxHolic: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Clamp interview. Shochiku. 2005.
  2. Chang, Chih-Chieh (March 2, 2006). "Interview with Ageha Ohkawa and Mitsuhisa Ishikawa". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 11, 2010.
  3. Clamp (2005). Clamp no Kiseki, Vol. 10. Tokyopop. p. 15.
  4. Clamp (2005). Clamp no Kiseki, Vol. 10. Tokyopop. p. 5.
  5. "xxxHolic Ro Special Interview". Kodansha. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  6. Beveridge, Chris (January 3, 2011). "Tsubasa OVAs English Cast Revealed". Mania Entertainment. Archived from the original on January 6, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  7. Clamp (2004). "Chapter 1". xxxHolic, Volume 1. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-47058-4.
  8. Clamp (2004). "Chapter 4". xxxHolic, Volume 1. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-47058-4.
  9. Clamp (2004). "Chapter 9". xxxHolic, Volume 2. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-47119-2.
  10. Clamp (2006). "Chapitre 64". Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Volume 9. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-48429-1.
  11. Clamp (2010). "Chapitre 215". Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Volume 27. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-52071-5.
  12. Clamp (2010). "Chapitre 220". Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle, Volume 28. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-52164-4.
  13. Clamp (2010). "Chapter 95". xxxHolic, Volume 15. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0-345-52112-5.
  14. Clamp (2011). xxxHolic, Volume 19. Kodansha. ISBN 978-4-06-376039-2.
  15. Clamp Double Feature: Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHOLiC (DVD). Funimation Entertainment. February 2008.
  16. xxxHolic Rō (DVD). Kodansha. June 2010.
  17. xxxHolic Rō Adayume (DVD). Kodansha. March 2011.
  18. "Clamp's xxxHolic Gets Live Action TV Adaptation". September 6, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  19. 「私立堀鐔学園」第2話･堀鐔祭準備中にドッキドキ! [Private High School Holitsuba' Episode 2: Heartpounding Preparation for the Holitsuba festival!] (Media notes). Clamp. Kodansha. 2006.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. Clamp (2004). ソエルとラーグ―モコナ=モドキの冒険 [Soel and Larg: The Adventures of Mokona=Modoki]. Kodansha. ISBN 978-4-06-364595-8.
  21. "Characters" (in Japanese). Marvelous Entertainment. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
  22. xxxHOLiC◆継」第一巻 [xxxHolic Kei Part One] (Media notes). Clamp. BMG JAPAN. 2006.CS1 maint: others (link)
  23. Isin, Nisio; Clamp (2008). xxxHolic ANOTHERHOLiC Landolt-Ring Aerosol. Del Rey Manga. ISBN 978-0345505187.
  24. "CLAMP xxxHOLiC/Shikao Suga Collaboration Music Video Streamed". December 13, 2015. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  25. Clamp (2013). xxxHolic Rei, Volume 1. Kodansha. ISBN 978-4-06-376897-8.
  26. Clamp (2015). "Chapter 1". Tsubasa: World Chronicle: Nirai Kanai. 1. Kodansha Comics. ASIN B018V88JHI.
  27. Clamp (2005). Tsubasa CHARACTer GuiDE. translanted and adapted by William Flanagan. New York: Del Rey Manga. p. 151. ISBN 978-4063720013.
  28. Clamp (2006). Tsubasa CHARACTer GuiDE 2. translanted and adapted by William Flanagan. New York: Del Rey Manga. p. 147. ISBN 978-4063722161.
  29. Clamp (2009). The Official xxxHOLiC Guide. translanted and adapted by William Flanagan. New York: Del Rey Manga. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-345-51000-6.
  30. "Anime Grand Prix 2006-2007". Animage (in Japanese). Gakken (6). May 2007.
  31. Dong, Bamboo (May 5, 2014). "Japanese Fans Rank Their Favorite Black-Haired Anime Characters". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 5, 2014.
  32. Santos, Carlo (September 26, 2008). "xxxHOLic GN12". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 12, 2010.
  33. Lavey, Megan (June 23, 2004). "XXXHolic Vol. #1". Mania Entertainment. Demand Media. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  34. Alexander, Matthew (September 6, 2008). "XXXHolic Vol. #12". Mania Entertainment. Demand Media. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  35. Polley, Dan. "xxxHOLiC v1". Manga Life. Silver Bullet Comics. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved November 5, 2013.
  36. Johanna (November 17, 2006). "xxxHOLiC, Vol. 1". Comics Worth Reading. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  37. Sizemore, Ed (August 11, 2008). "xxxHOLiC, Vol. 12". Comics Worth Reading. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2013.
  38. Ellingwood, Holly (March 18, 2010). "XXXHOLIC VOL. 15 (ADVANCE REVIEW)". Active Anime. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  39. Santos, Carlo (November 4, 2010). "xxxHOLic GN 16". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  40. "Four Mothers of Manga Gain American Fans With Expertise in a Variety of Visual Styles". The New York Times. November 28, 2006. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  41. "xxxHOLiC Rei Volume 1". Comics Worth Reading. June 5, 2014. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  42. Silverman, Rebecca (June 26, 2014). "xxxHOLiC: ReiGN 1". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  43. Alexander, Matthew (June 5, 2014). "xxxHolic Rei Vol. #01 Manga Review". Fandom Post. Archived from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  44. Brienza, Casey (June 20, 2010). "xxxHOLiC DVDs 1–2". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  45. Santos, Carlo (August 16, 2009). "xxxHolic DVD Box Set (Hyb)". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
  46. Eisenbeis, Richard (October 5, 2013). "The xxxHolic Live-Action Drama is Just Plain Beautiful". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  47. Santos, Carlo (September 16, 2008). "Tsubasa, RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE GN 22". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 19, 2009.
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