xxxHOLIC Is Coming Back to Life In an All-New Way
The world of live-action adaptations of popular anime franchises continues, with Netflix alone entering the medium with the recently released Cowboy Bebop and the upcoming takes on the likes of One Piece and Yu Yu Hakusho. While the West has created feature-length films such as Alita: Battle Angel, Death Note, and Ghost In The Shell to name a few, Japan has also tried its hand in the past when it comes to creating live-action versions of some of the biggest anime series, with xxxHOLic apparently being next on the list for a major motion picture.
xxxHOLic was first released as a manga from mangaka Clamp in 2003, garnering twenty-three volumes and receiving an anime adaptation from Production IG in 2006 which ran for around thirty-seven episodes. Focusing on a young man who employs the services of a witch to help with his supernatural problem, i.e. seeing ghosts on the regular, the series previously had a live-action television series in Japan that was released in 2013.
News regarding the upcoming live-action film was released by Kotaku, and is set to hit theaters in Japan in 2022. The film, which will be directed by Mika Ninagawa, will see Ryunosuke Kamiki and Ko Shibasaki in the lead roles who are no strangers to adaptations, as they have starred in Rurouni Kenshin, 47 Ronin, and Battle Royale to name a few.
If you're unfamiliar with the story of xxxHOLic, the official description of the manga reads as such:
"Watanuki Kimihiro is haunted by visions of ghosts and spirits. Seemingly by chance, he encounters a mysterious witch named Yuuko, who claims she can help. In desperation, he accepts, but realizes that he's just been tricked into working for Yuuko in order to pay off the cost of her services. Soon he's employed in her little shop—a job which turns out to be nothing like his previous work experience!
Most of Yuuko's customers live in Japan, but Yuuko and Watanuki are about to have some unusual visitors named Sakura and Syaoran from a land called Clow..."
What has been your favorite live-action anime adaptation to date? Which anime series deserves a live-action television series or movie in its future? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the supernatural in anime.