Just finished: xxxHOLIC

Sumptuous. It's a good word, especially if you want to describe the style of photography for this series. It was often very nice to look at, with the set design, costume and directing all coming together to make a feast for the eyes.

And the director made sure that each shot got enough time so it could be appreciated. This gave the drama quite a slow pace and, despite the spooky nature of the stories, I found it quite relaxing to watch.

Personally, I preferred the first five episodes. These had one story each and the drama seemed to work better this way. The final story stretched across the last three episodes, and it didn't seem to work. The problem was that, once you allow a supernatural element to a story, there's a danger that the writer can use any bizarre happening to move the story along.

The same problem happened with Keizoku 2. If you don't set up the rules early on and stick to them, you can end up with a sort of "with one leap, he was free" kind of ending. Which is what happens here.

But I did enjoy it. Especially the first five episodes, which were a kind of supernatural Tales Of The Unexpected. Short and satisfying. And sumptuous, of course.