Alternative TitlesEnglish: Okami-San and Her Seven Companions Synonyms: Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi, Okamisan and Seven Companions Japanese: オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 1, 2010 to Sep 16, 2010
Duration:
24 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 7.451 (scored by 23409 users)
Ranked: #14402
Popularity: #233
Members: 41,769
Favorites: 245 1 indicates a weighted score
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SynopsisOokami Ryouko is a spunky and, by some accounts, rather manly high school girl. She is tall, speaks in a traditionally masculine way and is very proficient in fighting. Ookami-san's best friend is the small and high-pitched voiced Akai Ringo. Incidentally, the two are rather flat-chested, a fact the Narrator (voiced by Arai "Kuroko" Satomi of Railgun fame) is all too eager to point out.
Ookami and Ringo are members of the Otogi Bank, a club in Otogi High School that assists students with their problems in return for their assistance on a different problem at a later date; thus the Otogi Bank is effectively a loan institute for problems where you can take out a loan for a solved problem but you have to repay it sooner or later.
The Otogi Bank is able to solve any problem and will go to any lengths to do so, often leading the members to danger or mayhem. Since most of the members of the club are female, another male is needed for the more dangerous assignments. Thus, the scopophobic (the fear of being looked at) Morino Ryoushi is inducted as a member, right after he confesses his love for Ookami... |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
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Archaeon
172 of 262 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
6 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
Once upon a time there was a series of light novels by Masashi Okita that played around with certain well known fairy tales. Due to a strange twist of fate (or a complete lack of ideas), the series was chosen to be adapted into anime form, and they all lived happily ever after.
Well, not quite.
Directed by Iwasaki Yoshiaki (Gokujou Seitokai, Wagaya no Oinari-sama, Gunbuster, Love Hina), Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi (Ookami-san and her Seven Companions), follows the adventures of Ookami Ryouko and her colleagues from the Otogi Bank as they solve people's problems, right various wrongs, fight delinquents, and generally act as all round busybodies.
Now where have I heard that before?
The main problem with Ookami-san is that it suffers from the same flaw that almost every novel adaptation has - an inherent lack of detail. That's not to say that the story doesn't work as there are plenty of things already in the tale that are interesting enough. The plot, however, is haphazard in its approach, and a number of points never get explained over the course of the series. Because of these two factors, the story never really reaches the level where the viewer can become engrossed, and in all honesty the only reason I finished it was because I was playing "Spot the Fairy Tale".
As I mentioned before, the franchise plays fast and loose with several well known fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood (complete with wolf and hunter), Momotaro (with dumplings), The Hare and the Tortoise (which was changed to a turtle for some reason), Urashima Tarou, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, The Little Match Girl, Puss in Boots, and probably a bunch more. Unfortunately, there's a side effect to incorporating specific elements of other stories into your own and that's exactly what happens here.
If one is able to disregard the lack of focus and detail, there's still the creativity barrier to overcome and it's here where the everything falls down. While the story may have some interesting aspects, the usage of fairy tales places quite a heavy dampener on innovation and it shows in Ookami-san in many ways, from relationships (Usami Mimi and Ryuuguu Otohime are inclined to hate each for example), to character design.
In all honesty, J.C. Staff have produced a fairly decent looking show for the most part. The animation is generally fluid throughout the series, but there are one or two telltale signs of corner cutting during the fight scenes. The backgrounds and settings are pretty standard fare for anyone familiar with high school anime, and while there are no real feats of originality, there are also very few major flaws. The real problem with the overall look of the show though, is the inherent lack of innovation I mentioned earlier.
This is where it all gets a bit tricky. On the surface the casual viewer may consider the design of certain characters to be quite original, for example Akai Ringo is supposed to be Little Red Riding Hood and this reference is prominent in her clothing throughout the series. Certain other characters follow this design pattern to highlight the fairy tale they are based on, while others are a bit more subtle with their reference. One of the main issues with this approach is that it impacts on the relationships between the characters, and the reason for it may not be obvious at first. Once the viewer understands the reference then everything becomes clear, however Ookami-san only really works on that basis.
One point in the show's favour is the sound quality, as the effects are fairly well realised and choreographed. Unfortunately the music isn't up to the same standards. That's not to say that it's bad, no, it's simply that it's all been done before.
Here's what I mean. The OP, "Ready, Go!" by May'n is a boppy J-pop track that doesn't leave any impact whatsoever. The ED, "Akazukin-chan Goyoujin" (Careful Akazukin-chan), by OToGi 8, is a strange mixture of J-pop and chip tunes that is equally forgettable. The rest of the music throughout the series doesn't really add much to the atmosphere of a given scene, and the proof of this lies in the numerous occasions where no music is used as there is very little difference in terms of impact.
One of the main sound problems with Ookami-san though, is the narration. There are far too many occasions where the viewer will be trying to pay attention to what the characters are saying, only to have it drowned out by Arai Satomi pretending to be an old time storyteller. As for the acting itself, the seiyuu are generally pretty good, with Itou Shizuka and Itou Kanae playing the roles of Ryouko and Ringo with a degree of aplomb (one does have to wonder if the casting was purposeful though). Irino Miyu gives a respectable performance as the sociophobe and prospective beau Morino Ryoushi, especially when he switches between coward and manly mode.
The rest pf the cast deliver some good all round performances but, like the rest of the series, the lack of originality means that they simply can't sink their teeth into the roles. The prime example of this is the fact that Ryouko is, yet again, quite literally the "sheep in wolf's clothing".
Now I will be honest here. I'm tired of the typical tsundere loli character and would personally like to see more variety in that department. Surprisingly, it seems as though Ookami-san has made some efforts to move away from the archetype. There are attempts to justify the persona of each character to a degree, and although the results are a bit of a mixed bag, the fact is that this makes the show more interesting than it would otherwise have been. The series takes great pains to delve into the personal history of its lead characters, and some of the resulting stories are handled rather well.
But that's all there is to it. Once their stories are told the characters go right back to how they were before, with the only real exceptions being Ryouko and Ryoushi. But that's not my main gripe where the characters are concerned, no, the real problem here is that there are no reasons or justifications, either in the story or otherwise, for the actions of Hitsujikai Shirou, and the lack of any information leaves the viewer wondering what the hell is going on.
Now, while Ookami-san isn't a truly great show, it's not actually that bad on the whole. The series has a number of interesting aspects and relationships, and is entirely watchable as long as you aren't overly critical about it. Unfortunately there are occasions where there is simply too much going on at once, and the viewer may find themselves going back over certain scenes in order to fully understand what has occurred.
One thing I did like were the cameos from ToraDora! and Toaru Kagaku no Railgun as, while they may not be my favourite shows, it made the anime into something more of a visual game (spot the reference).
It's strange how many shows these days are adaptations of other media, and it does make one wonder if anime studios have hit a creative wall. Whatever the case may be, Ookami-san is a decent attempt at adapting a novel series, and while it does have its flaws, the show is entertaining enough for at least one viewing. Granted it may not be everyone's gingerbread house, but those that like school based romantic comedies won't find themselves too disappointed.
Now can we please find a different character type as I'm tired of of all the tsundere lolis.
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Ryhzuo
40 of 76 people found this review helpful
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12 of 12 episodes seen
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| Overall |
7 |
| Story |
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One of the reasons you could never ‘get into’ tales like Cinderella (other than the childishness of course), is that once you strip away the ornamentation, all you’re left with is a husk of a story that has no real substance. Unhappy girl becomes princess, meets prince, happy end. On the other hand, real engaging stories have worlds which are littered with details and nuances, like the Matrix for example, with it’s constant green tint and frequent long hallway passages. For a story to truly compel, it needs to be set in an equally compelling world that can draw the audience in and make them feel apart of it.
I often like to make the comparison between fairy tales and the stories of other mediums, most notably when they both seem to have an inherent lack of detail (and occasionally when they seem to both have a target audience of either 5 year olds or the mentally challenged). Stories of the “once upon a time” and “long long time ago” variety have always irritated me, because I possess the annoying nitpicking personality which will always mark me as the guy who’d point out that Cinderella’s glass shoe should have disappeared at midnight, or that when DiCaprio walked back into the room he’d see if the top was spinning or not. This is probably the reason I never really got into Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi, because like many many other adaptations, it suffers from the same genetic disease of inconsistency and incoherency.
The ‘original’ concept which Ookami-san prides itself in having is its constant referencing to numerous well known fairy tales, from which it calls upon to base it’s various character and story designs. This is all well and good, and I must admit that I mostly enjoyed amusing myself every episode trying to spot which fairy tale they’d template next, whether it be Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Three Little Pigs or Snow White. However one must remember that when drawing inspiration from other material, it is important to find a balance between those elements and your own original material.
Unfortunately Ookami-san just didn’t seem to know where to draw the line. Nearly EVERY story and character is based off something, and this restricts freedom in writing plot and characterization considerably. Ryouko-san will probably be stuck with 7 companions for the rest of her life (because we all know that 8 dwarves is just blasphemy) and Ringo will be destined to wearing red and being short, until possibly the epilogue anyway. And what happens when we run out of fairytales to reference? How will we think of the next plot element or character? Where’s the originality?
This brings me back to my point on the whole compelling world thing. I’m going to go out on a limb here and make a reference to Kingdom Hearts. Does everyone remember that game? It was a Square Enix creation that patched together a bunch of Disney characters and settings and threw a JRPG on top of it. On paper it looked awful, just a collage of sewn together Disney worlds, but through its various original characters and the constant appearance of the ‘heartless’ throughout the protagonist’s journey, it reinforced the idea that all these worlds were just a small part of a much bigger story.
Ookami-san never seems to reach this level, the Otogibana city in which the story is set in feels lifeless and unmemorable. Too often we get the feeling that the antics Otogi Bank, light hearted and fun to watch as they are, aren’t really part of something bigger, or that it isn’t actually driving forward the story in any significant way, simply because all the gang seem to be doing is parodying other, more popular and well known stories. That, and of course the fact that missing bits of plot element litter the anime like holes on a mini-golf course, which ultimately leaves us thinking if Ookami-san really had any coherent plot to follow at all. (Even the main antagonist pops in and out like an indecisive mole on a whack-a-mole machine)
Arbitrary antics aside, there are many times where Ookami-san nearly gets it right, and for the most part, these are the episodes which explore the backstories and problems of the various lead characters. Some complication pops up, we get some flashbacks, Otogi Bank jumps in and saves the day, we get a nice resolution, a moral is taught, and WHAM, character development! A tried a true formula which makes for any good episode.
However, Ookami-san makes the huge blunder of forgetting the final step to the formula, the DEVELOPMENT bit. I don’t really think I need to explain this, but when a character experiences development they’re supposed to change, to evolve in some visible way so it becomes evident there is some progression in character. Many of Ookami-san’s characters go right back to how they were after their stories were told as if nothing interesting happened, with the only characters possessing any visible change at all being Ryoushi and Ryouko. Oh dear… talk about falling flat on your face 5 meters from the finish line.
So at the end of the day, we’ve got arbitrary stories and character development stories which don’t develop character, in an arbitrary setting that doesn’t compel. Is it all doom and gloom for Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi?
Well, I previously mentioned that I couldn’t really get into this anime. I guess that wasn’t really phrased correctly. I tried but failed to to get into this anime. I tried very very hard. Why? Because I thought I saw a glimpse of a rare gem that I thought would never come from J.C. Staff. I even re-watched the entire series just to be sure. And yup, it’s definitely there.
Very few studios have the guts to take the piss out of themselves, to sit back nonchalantly and say amongst themselves: “Jeez guys, we’re such a bunch of tossers for animating this, so we might as well just run with it and take the mickey out of our viewers as well.” J.C. Staff sends this message in a much more subtle way than say… Shaft would, but it is definitely there if one looks. A particular example that comes to mind would be a scene where a millionaire beau, after going through Ookami-san’s cast of female characters while his butler pokes fun at them all, decide that he wanted his childhood friend to be his bride after all. The conclusion of that story was so utterly badly timed, so generic and so cringeworthy that I was honestly thinking to myself, “come on… are you f***ing serious?” But then as the narrator took the words out of my own mouth with “now where did that conclusion come from?”, the camera panned out and onto a still shot (or maybe they were just stunned beyond disbelief) of 4 of our main characters, looks of complete incredulity stamped clearly on their faces, complete with gaping mouths and disheveled hair, perfectly mirroring my own expression.
Ookami-san understood my feelings completely, and mocked me for it. Other similar scenes began to come back to me; shower scenes of Ryouko interrupted by the narrator going (probably with a smirk on her face), “too bad she’s flat chested,”; segments at the end of every episode which play a few amusing frames from the episode over and over again while popish plays in the in the background; scenes of Ryoushi chickening out with the narrator commenting “oh look, there he goes again.”
It was then I realized that Ookami-san was not an anime to be taken seriously, because it certainly didn’t take itself very seriously. It looked me dead in the eye and said "Gawd you're such a tosser... just enjoy the ride won't you?" Here was me, being all serious and critical, alone in my dark room typing away on a laptop, while Ookami-san was outside in the sun having a bit of fun with her mates. Once I understood this fact and forgave it for it’s shoddy plot and incoherent character development, I suddenly saw Ookami-san in a much better light. And to be fair, Ookami-san does get SOME of the basics right.
The animation quality is of a very good standard, not unexpected coming from J.C. Staff. Though nothing groundbreaking, both the character designs and background sceneries are easy on the eyes, and the animation is generally fluid for the most part. There are a few very sketchy and questionable fight scene segments (honestly the frame by frames look awful), but those are very few and far between, and not central to the anime, so I will be forgiving on that one.
The voice acting is similarly good, but not great. The characters have exactly the voices you’d expect them to have based on their archetype, and generally the seiyuu do a reasonable job of it. Nothing too extravagant, nothing out of place. Whether that’s a good or bad thing will be up to you to decide. Special mention does have to go to Arai Satomi though, for her performance as the baggy old grandma narrator, whose presence is always around to make fun of the current situation, either with her implied hints or over-dramatic exclamations, constantly reminding me that: “oh wait, I really shouldn’t be taking this seriously, because the narrator certainly isn’t.”
Often it is said that ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’. For Ookami-san, this is very much the case. It is ironic because while Ookami-san does so many things right, it bombs on the 2 most fundamental things, character and plot. You certainly won’t feel immersed while watching this, but if you’re able to look past these 2 flaws (or even purposeful satirical mistakes, depending on how you look at it), there are certainly enough good points Ookami-san has to warrant a peak or two.
Unless you’re a nitpicking perfectionist like me, whose life quest is to find the anime equivalent of Shawshank, then keep looking!
Oh, and they all lived happily ever after... Until the next season anyway. read more
Recommendations
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Ookami-san started to develop into something meaningful other than a plotless comedy over a few episodes. That development focused on romantic struggle of the main couple. Toradora development is pretty much the same, started of funny and increasingly dramatic over time.
Both main characters are tsunderes plus they look and act very similar! Ookami can be seen as an older Taiga =p
Both anime are pretty much slice of life, somewhat comedic, high-school setting, tsundere romance.
Same studio and again a badass tsundere protagonist.
When I saw first episode of Ookami-san my reaction was "Taiga? Is that you?". Both animes are romance, comedy, school and characters are also similar.
Both animes main female main characters are the same, both physically and attitude wise (EXTREME TSUNDERE ALERT), and both have animal attributes in their names ( Taiga= Tiger, Ookami= Wolf). The both anime's art are also extremely cute and while Toradora is based upon legend, Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi is based upon fairy tales.
- the main heroines have a similar character design.
- both main heroines are tsundere and know how to kick ass.
- both focus on comedy-romance ( but , at least in my opinion , Toradora! does a much better job ).
- both are adapted from light novels.
The main heroines act, look, and think alike. The "men" of anime both have a completely different personality to what they seem to be on the surface. plus, they are both hilarious and a good show to watch.
ryoukou and taiga look alike but one is tall and one is short
ringo and minori also look the same but short and tall
ryoukou has that tsundere type to her sort of just like taiga is tsundere
ringo is also there to support ryoukou like minori for taiga
they both have great qualities, the animes itself is somewhat different
Both Ryouko and Ringo have the same sort of relationship as Taiga and Minori, not to mention they look pretty similar too.
the main female character between these two anime is somewhat similar and both are a tsundere... BUT, ookami (meaning: wolf) is taller than taiga (meaning: tiger)... :)
The main female character is extremely similar to the main female character of this show character and looks wise (except for being taller)
The two main girl characters in these 2 stories are very similar in looks and personality and they are both tsundere
They both have the same type of humor, both main heroines are compared to beasts (Taiga = Tiger, Ookami = Wolf), both Taiga and Ookami are violent Tsundere. The animation is also very similar. The only difference between the anime romance-wise is that the guy fell in love with the girl on the 1st episode in Ookami-san, whereas in Toradora; they fell in love with each other part way through the series.
Basically, i saw in them much familiar things. Of course, they are not he same, cuz Toradora is romantic novel, but Okami is little bit more fighting one. I think, you'll enjoy Okami.
-both main heroines are tsunderes and look similar
-both shows are comedy/romance
-both have the same type of humor
Aisaka and Ookami are really similar, Tsundere Power! They both are comedy/romance and focus on the main couple.
The main female characters don't only look alike but have a similar personality. (some sites even claim there it's the same character only grown up). Both have great humor.
Both animes are romance, comedy, school and characters are also similar.
Art is similar.
Ryouko looks a little like a taller version of Taiga.
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The underdog fight for you. Underpowered protagonist help the heroine overcome her past by kicking some ass.
Ookami-san's past was kept safe along the series, until the protagonist beat up the bad guy and end the shows altogether.
In MM!, the hero simply beat the living hell out of the bad guy and help the heroine overcome it in a few chapters, leaving the rest of the season for comedy, or a new drama.
The tension of the shows however are kept lukewarm along the story, as both show has mixed both dramatical and funny contents in no formal pattern. It's pretty difficult to guess what you will have for each episode, maybe both.
Is that a good thing? Your call.
Both anime are about overcoming odd fears as well as taking place mostly in a club setting. The male lead is forced into the club. Both animes' episodes are episodic, until the end.
in both the main female character violent,and the main boy character is average.
and there are more similar characters like Tatsukichi Hayama looks like Liszt Kiriki.
Both have, one person who is afraid of something Yuno, Arashiko is afraid of men and Morino, Ryoushi is afraid of being confronted by other people. They both also have a "club" that wishes to help people with various things, and they both have a slight romantic atmosphere in it, and both have a humorous side to them.
Both give a similar feel, simple plot. The male leads are actually very similar when they are ''normal''. Both have a lot of fighting, and ''being a man'' kind of thing. If you liked one of them, you'll 95% like the other one, and if you hated one of them then it's the other way around. :D
When the show gets those serious moments I think Ryoushi cuz he's a total bum when people stare at him but is freaking awesome when he serious, while Taro is a full on masochist who also is freaking awesome when he's serious
Well, both have male characters whose butts always gets kicked by a female character, except one is avoiding while the other is asking for it, there is also a situation where the love interest of the male character is a victim of sexual harassment by the main villain which devastated the other while it made the other one stronger
Both animes are similar as they have a main male character that likes to help people while having problems of his own. The style and flow of the anime are very similar.
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Opening Theme"Ready Go!" by May'n (eps 2-12)
Ending Theme#1: "Ready Go!" by May'n (ep 1)
#2: "Akazukin-chan Goyoujin (赤頭巾ちゃん御用心)" by OToGi8 (eps 2-11)
#3: "Akazukin-chan Goyoujin (i-pop ver.)" by OToGi8 (ep 12)
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Related ClubsDNAnime, Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi, ~Majolika Le Fay FC~, J.C. Staff, Usami Mimi FC, ♥ Ryoushi Fan Club ♥, Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi, Miyu Irino Fans!!, Anime Girls Fan Club [A.G.F.C.], Ryoushi x Ryouko ♥, Sayuri Yahagi Fanclub, Dark Legends fan club!, Yuuki Kaji Fans., !~~tsubasalover's Friendships~~!, Horie Yui Fanclub, Anime Night, Tarou Urashima Fanclub!, ~~ANiME MANiACS~~ \(>w<)/, Akai Ringo Fanclub, Fairy Tales AboundClaim a tsundere!, Romance, Anime Otaku Corner, Anime Yokai, HURRAY BOOBIES!!, Watch Anime Together Club Headquarters, Minako Kotobuki FC, Ookami-san fanclub, Ryouko Ookami FC, Manga Anime League (MAL), Ryoushi Morino Fanclub, May'n Fanclub, Simulcast Support Group, ookami san to shichinin no nakamatachi, Ginka X Ayeka + Ryoshi X Ookami see all
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