Bleach is from Mars, xxxHolic is from Venus.
As I pointed out in my article, Bleach and xxxHolic have a LOT in common. But I could teach a class comparing the "boy's anime" of Bleach versus the "girl's anime" of xxxHolic.
Bleach glories in ginormous fights where swaths of urban areas are destroyed, and everyone has to put every last bit of energy in the next swing or we'll all DOOOOOOMED. xxxHolic's confrontations are so internalized they're almost not there. Watanaki never defeats his foes by simply bashing them, and often he has to refuse their temptations or to openly empathize with them. In Bleach, evil people turn into grotesque after-life monsters, and they must be hit with swords until they stop. In xxxHolic, weak-willed people slowly fall prey to their own base desires, and they must be ... um ... well, sometimes they're pitied, other times they're offered a second chance and they simply refuse it, sometimes with tragic consequences, sometimes not.
Which is better? That's rather subjective. Bleach is visceral and confrontational, everyone's in your face and all aggressive, and the fight sequences are dramatic and explosive. xxxHolic is thoughtful and circumspect, everyone's all polite and diplomatic, and the fight sequences are so rare and so brief, they pack an extra punch when they do happen. Bleach isn't for people bored by Dragonball-style posturing, screaming, and slashing. xxxHolic isn't for people bored by fashion-plate Barbies who spend so much time talking and not enough time doing.
