AsxxxHolic(pronounced "Holic") continues, life doesn't get any easier for poor, put-upon Watanuki. He has to obey Dimensional Witch Yuko's incessant demands to run errands, fetch saké and prepare elaborate snacks, and deal with presence of quiet, athletic Doumeki (whom he loathes) and perky Himawari (whom he adores). These comic contretemps provide a backdrop for Yuko's supernatural dealings. In the course of his duties, Watanuki visits anoden(stew) stand run by a fox spirit and helps the lonley soul of a dead child find rest. He and Doumeki watch with horror as an ambitious student teacher at their school unleashes the terrible power of a monkey's paw, believing she can control it. The characters inxxxHolicare less endearing than in some of the other anime series based on manga by the four-woman collective Clamp. But the better stories have an eerie, sensual grace that sometimes recallsMushi-Shi.(Rated TV PG: comic violence, alcohol and tobacco use)--Charles Solomon