×××Holic follows Kimihiro Watanuki, a high school student tormented by the blessing/curse of seeing ayakashi, spiritual entities that seem to be attracted to him. The manga starts when he suddenly stumbles into Yuuko's exotic shop, and learns that his wish of rid himself of the ayakashi can be made reality, but he must work for Yuuko as payment.

Story: 8/10
It really fluctuates. On the psychological verge, Holic really does it function, balancing with an interesting use of mythology. As the series progresses, however, it decays to a further exploration of the bigger plot, which is far from interesting.

Art: 8/10
It's unfair saying Holic's art is uninteresting due to its style. One of the most unappealing points about Holic's art is, indeed, how padronized are the faces, but it's a problem most manga have, not CLAMP only.
The long limbs really flow well with the manga general appareance. The art style, while with sharp lines, is really interesting and eerie, referencing to ukiyoe.
The disposition of the elements on the frames, however, is quite random, and CLAMP could get a better use of semiotics on the work.

Characters: 6/10
Barely interesting. The characters actually get character development, which is a really nice point, but they don't change their actions at all. The secondary characters, however, are those that shine the most, with a nicely done approach to each one.

Overall: 9/10
Although being quite a flawed manga, it shows itself as a joyful reading, with a story that, while not exactly new, freshs itself by changing focuses as the chapters go by. Also, one of the main reasons one should give it a try is that it actually has a philosophical and psychological side, as opposite to many famous series that are described as such.