Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen

Waking up cold and alone in the woods, a nameless man is surrounded by unfamiliar scenes. Without any memories, he is utterly lost until he stumbles upon Kuon—a young girl with animal ears and a tail. She saves him, leading him back to her town while protecting them both from "boro-gigiri"—giant centipede-like creatures—and a mysterious red slime. After they arrive, she names him Haku after a prominent historical figure from the area. He quickly realizes he is one of a kind—the only one without animal ears and a tail. The two journey to the capital of Yamato, the country in which Kuon lives, meeting more people and making new friends, all the while unknowingly delving deeper into the politics and inner conflicts of Yamato...

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen follows Haku as he slowly uncovers the secrets of this alien world. He works to solve the mysteries surrounding the red slimes, as well as to stop war from erupting among the nearby countries.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kuon Main

Taneda, Risa Japanese

Haku Main

Fujiwara, Keiji Japanese

Karura Supporting

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Touka Supporting

Miyake, Kaya Japanese

Aruruu Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Benawi Supporting

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Ukon Supporting

Tone, Kentarou Japanese

Oboro Supporting

Kirii, Daisuke Japanese

Rurutie Supporting

Kakuma, Ai Japanese

Nekone Supporting

Minase, Inori Japanese

Iwasa, Gaku Producer

Motonaga, Keitarou Director, Storyboard

Ebina, Yasunori Sound Director

Mataga, Daisuke Episode Director, Storyboard, Animation Director, 2nd Key Animation, Key Animation

Reviews

Aug 17, 2022

Haihi

Recommended

If nothing else, at least consider checking out the games which the Utawarerumono anime has been adapted from. The games compared to the adaptation are so much more fleshed out and "complete" feeling. Though I still recommend the anime from season 1-3, if you truly want the Utawarerumono experience then please go play the games. Many reviewers are not wrong when they say that the anime can be a mess/rushed because it is true. There is simply too much material to be adapted into an anime that is limited by 20 minute episodes which makes many fans of the games undervalue the effort put into ... the anime. I myself believe that in conjunction with the games, the anime serves as a great portrayer due to the game's style as a visual novel, it at times cannot create a scene as beautifully as an anime can (I believe the anime portrays some scenes/moments much better than the games). So once again, I recommend watching the anime, but if you want the best experience then play the games.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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May 29, 2017

doom19876

Mixed Feelings

This review is written by someone who has watched the prequel first, then read the visual novel, and then watched this anime without reading the novel for this anime. Spoilers will be present and announced later in the review.

The prequel was fun enough for me to want to read the VN and watch the sequel. The VN was a nice addition but the anime itself was a good one. However I can only say I'm very dissapointed in this sequel anime. I've seen people claim Fate/Stay Night is the kiddy version of Fate/Zero because the cast in F/SN mostly consists out of kids. I heavily ... disagree since plotwise Stay Night is just more complex than Zero. However this sequel does seem to be the kiddy version of the prequel.
The original Utawarerumono was written for 18+ (and the anime 17+) and I think that reflects in the story and characters. The sequel was originally written for 15+ and the anime itself is 13+. As such, we got a lot of bathing scenes to start with for horny young boys and yaoi jokes for fujoshis? It's not just these details, it just reflects in about everything.

Anyway since this is the sequel of the anime from 2006 I expect you to have seen it or atleast plan to watch it before you watch this. As such I will make comparisons since I don't think this anime should be watched as stand alone.

Before I start to point out all the things I'm not satisfied with or just want to adress, I have to admit, the anime is well animated and does looks good.

The points I want to adress are:

Structure of the story
Fanservice
Humour
Plot
Characterization
Inconsistencies

The structure is as follows. You do not get an introduction to your main character, it's pretty much like how the prequel started, guy with no memories is found. Someone takes care of him. They then travel around and meet people. The first 2-3 episodes are somewhat about fighting, survival and introduction to the setting of the world we're going to be seeing. Then a part which people like to call the slice of life part follows, in which a lot of characters are introduced episode by episode. Some of these characters will join the main cast actively. This isn't actually slice of life as it actively seeks out events to introduce more people. As such, you will have no idea how much time has passed as this is aslo never mention. Then action happens and doesn't stop till the end. You may or may not like the slow 9 episodes after the first 3, but that's pretty much what it has to offer.

The fanservice is is mostly at the start and in the early stages of the slice of life parts. There are tons of bathing scenes where they're basically showing everything except for genetalia and nipples. My personal opinion is that it felt like they had to put these in to keep the attention of people who can't keep focused unless stimulated.

The humour is pretty decent half of the time, other times it's repetitive or misplaced. One of the most recurring themes for humour is yaoi. Now it's not wrong to try to entertain people with yaoi, it is however getting old fast if you use the existence of yaoi and embarrassment of being associated or reading yaoi repeatedly.

The plot is a pretty meagre one. A guy with no past basically gets a girl to help him out. Then for no reason girls start flocking to him. The MC spends some time in the capitol before he finaly gets caught up in battle (by choice). For some strange reason great things are expected of Haku, our MC.

The characterization is also pretty meagre at best.
Haku is the MC, he's lazy and somewhat smart. Since he tries to actively avoid doing anything you don't learn much about him except his fondness of being lazy. Oh and he does like his friends.
Kuon is traveling around she claims she sees Haku as someone she has to take care of and acts motherly around him. She has a lot of family who she respects or so it seems at first.
Ukon is a strong man who likes to help people out, he's also very devoted to his emporer and for some reason very fond of Haku.
Nekone is obsessed with her brother and basically looks down on everything silly.
Rurutie is a princess that likes yaoi, cooking and is perhaps a bit jealous. Oh and she's not very fond of fighting and has a bird that's combat capable.
Atui is a princess whom is combat capable, she's pretty easy going and I think she (or else it was Rurutie (this is how important this detail was regarding the story)) was looking for love.
Maroro (cowaredly)/Kiuru very fond of Haku for some reason.

Some inconsistencies are that Yamato, the region where this anime seems to take place, doesn't seem to exist at all in the prequel. If it existed, then the Avu Kamu arc would probably have gone drastically different. Also powerlevels seem higher here and technology a lot more advanced. Magic also plays a much greater role. Also I cannot imagine Dii or however you wish to spell his name not having interfered in Yamato. Also there's a huge tamed bird that's combat capable, if so many combat capable creatures were out there, where were they in the prequel? Also for some reason Onvitaikayans or however you want to call them and ultra strong bugs are now roaming the earth freely.

Anyway my conclusion is that the art and animation are pretty good, the story is told in such a way that there are gaps here in and there which makes events harder to explain and timespans aren't clear. Humour is good at times and at others it could have better been left out. If you liked the setting of the prequel and only look for something like it, this anime can be ok. It's just important not to expect to see any characters from the prequel or any dept in story or characters.

====Spoilers/in dept start here====

Yaoi is ok, you can make jokes about it, but when you send Yaoi to your general out at war to raise her morale and the General actually goes ahead and read it... That's just forcing the humour out. Also there were lots of moments in serious epsiodes which were about fighting and surviving where predictable humour was added. Not only do these things ruin the atmosphere they also ruin the pacing and what not.

The plot in my eyes is very very bad. Kuon saves Haku, that's ok. Haku saves Maroro, that's ok. Ukon saves everyone, that's ok. Then they get to the capital. About 9 episodes where nothing plotwise happens is OK. But these episodes are not used to establish bonds, to make characters flourish which basically bites back later when things speed up. Haku goes to war to join Ukon. This is still OK. Haku sees Vurai's mass destruction and is scarred for life. That's OK. Then Tusukuru war happens, which is very sudden and unexpected. Haku then accepts the mission. That's where it all goes wrong. There's no reason for Haku to join the war. He dislikes war, he doesn't want to see innocent people die. He also, isn't attached to Yamato so there's no reason for him to serve. Also there's no reason for HIM to serve in the first place, it could have been ANYone. Then they go search for Kuon. My logical reaction would be, Kuon has gone home to her homeland to defend it. Instead they go around looking for Kuon at food stalls. Then the most surprising thing of all, Kuon decides to help Yamato. Fighting Tusukuru to her, means possibly facing Karura, Touka, Aruru, Kamyu, etc etc. People who she calls mother/sister. At war, Aruru then leads them to their generals camp. For reasons unknown ofcourse. Haku then decides to do what Hakuoro did too, recycling tactics is fine. Eventually they succeed in destroying the provisions and go home empty handed. War with Tusukuru never happened. Then plot and betrayal which is OK.

The characterization is one of the worst things of the anime.
Kuon mothers over Haku and is secretly very fond of her family. She respects them deeply. She said she wanted to explore the world, which is fine. But that also means she doesn't have a real connection to Yamato, thus no reason to help Yamato wage war. And her reason to join the war was to end it swiftly, I'm not sure how she though she was going to end it swiftly but it was never shown in any way that it would end swiftly. It feels like Kuons reason to wage war against her homeland was ungrounded and therefore a bad decision to make her do so.
Haku is lazy, not combat capable and does want to help his friends. His first "fight" would be against the giant bug. He was useless. His second fight was when he was in the capitol. If I had to make a good estimation, a couple of weeks upto a month had passed. Ukon fought him and told him he had improved. WHAT? Improved how? How did he change from 100% useless to combat capable? Surely he wasn't practising, atleast we were never shown any of it. Time passes again and he defeats guards, people trained for combat over a prlonged period of time. Later he blocks a blow from Vurai. Yeah that's pretty ok to do, Vurai isn't even strong.... Anyway for some reason he got ultra strong and combat capable without any reason.
Harem girls:
Nekone, just dislikes everything except her brother, more, we don't know of her. She is supposedly smart and educated beyond her years. Her role is nonexistent.
Rurutie, we don't know anything about her except that she likes yaoi, cooking and dislikes war. Her little act at the end pointing a dagger at Kuon is first of all out of character (as she just agreed with Atui she wanted to help them).
Atui, is easy going and combat capable. That's basicaly her whole role. It's unknown to me why any of these girls flock to Haku.
Miko girls: Fanservice/humour device/deus ex-machina magic, but usually useless because of magical barriers they then just shield.

Prequel characters:
Karura, hates to be called mother/drinks/investigates?
Touka, servant of Karura?
Aruruu/Kamyu like Kuon, want to look after Kuon. And about Aruruu, it's still a mystery why she helped Kuon/Haku to the camp.

I mean it's all great and fun if you want to add characters from the sequel, but atleast give them some character or part to play. Touka for instance made an appearance, but if she didn't NOTHING would have changed, the same goes for Kamyu. Karura and Aruruu atleast played a small role.

The characters are just poor. Atui plays a bigger role in the sequel than Touka did in the prequel. But yet I can tell you a lot more about Touka than I can tell you about Atui. Touka for instance is a Evenkurga or however you wish to spell it. She was devoted to help good defeat evil. She has high morals and would only do what she thought was right. She's combat capable because she grew up in a clan where that would be normal. She decided to serve Hakuoro because she wanted to repay her debt. She feels a strong sense of duty to bring back the body of that other king home and play as a body guard for Hakuoro leaving him pretty much guarded most of the time even to an extent that it could become seem as a burden.

Also it makes sense that people flock around Hakuoro, he helped Yamamura, solved the Mutikapa problem helped around with other stuff. Got accepted as one of their own, got appointed head of the village. Lead a rebellion, defended his people against enemies, rebuilds what's lost. Haku doesn't do anything to deserve people gathering around him. So it's not logical that they do.

Also told why Mutikapa was combat capable, and thus it's logical why Mukkuru is too. But there's not explanation or anything about the giant bird. This is just another thing that shows the prequel clearly put more effort into details.

The inconsistensies are mostly that things exist and are present in the sequel that would probably have altered the course of the prequel if they were there as well. The world was about lost when the Avu Kamu were roaming the world. But as far as I can tell, those things wouldn't have gotten very far invading Yamato. Tusukuru used to be a small country with a relative small army. A decade or 2 later they became so strong Yamato couldn't even defeat them. Oh and Tusukuru warships with magic cannon like shooting... Then there's the wildlife that I mentioned before, the technology to make cages go up and down for bug fighting with lighting that all ignite at the same time almost like lighting. The story about the mask and people being wiped out was also different. In the prequel people were living in the underground because because above they couldn't survive. In the sequel it was shown that people turned into those blobs and then some kind of ultra laser shooting down destroying everything. (including a city which seemed like the city it was taking place in). But it would make more sense to me, if something like that would happen before people would grow close to extinct rather than afterwards. The prequel clearly showed that Iceman was released, conceived a child, then imprisoned again. He then changed people into blobs. Laser beam then destroyed a lot. This suggests that Iceman and furry eared people had been roaming the earth where people cannot follow for a year or so. A huge city above ground suggests otherwise.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jun 4, 2017

BanjoTheBear

Not Recommended

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

I’ve never had amnesia.

The closest I have ever come to memory loss was the few hours following the removal of my wisdom teeth. While I wish to save the actual wisdom-teeth anecdote for later, suffice it to say that I do not remember anything that happened once the anesthesia kicked in. My parents tell me that I blubbered like a buffoon, though. Which, in all honesty, I could see myself doing.

Unfortunately for Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen, it ends up as a forgetful experience, too.

STORY

Utawarerumono starts off with mystery in mind. Kuon, a wandering woman, discovers ... a man seemingly lost in the woods. He has no knowledge of who he is, and he cannot seem to recall his memories. Kuon decides to name the man Haku, and thus the anime begins.

The show definitely starts off on the right foot (or perhaps the right paw). Kuon and Haku form a nice duo. Their silly antics and their potential connection creates a relationship that has a lot of room for growth. The quaint, woodsy setting plays on the mystical, easing the audience into the concepts of animal people, technological deficiency, and otherworldliness. Extra characters bring both fun and purpose. A carefree yet commanding leader, an important princess, and a giant, cooing bird add variety to the show without taking away from its current feeling.

Event-wise, the anime takes a combined approach. The majority of the scenes are slice-of-life-oriented, such as Kuon spying on Haku or Haku doing his best at manual labor. Simultaneously, some of the scenes are action-oriented, such as a battle against a massive centipede or a kerfuffle with some thieves.

To put it differently, Utawarerumono does well in establishing its premise and direction and scope.

Then the anime slows everything down. Really slows it down. For approximately nine episodes, the anime chooses to focus on just slice-of-life material. The first couple of these episodes are acceptable since they help to transition from the old setting and into the new one. But once the show continually goes with this direction, the events themselves start to feel largely inconsequential.

For example, some of the group members sneak onto a ship that gets overrun with giant bugs. Anju, the princess, tries to understand what love means. Kamunagi of the Chains, two daughters of the high priestess, are given to Haku as a reward, leading to an episode with a disproportionate number of sexual acts and innuendo.

Slowing down the anime so much leads to stagnation. Indirectly, it keeps the cast in single spot for a long while: the capital of Yamato. Consequently, where the first few episodes made progress in terms of world-building and providing motivation for the characters, this stretch of nine or so episodes where very little actually happens feels unfocused.

Especially so when the remainder of the season – thirteen episodes – is dedicated to obscene amounts of action. While the fight at Maruruha is pertinent for the masks and Haku’s character, much of this action simply feels pointless. The attacking Usuurussha, bandits basically seeking food, lacks a place in the narrative following their retreat (and despite the big showing the anime made with the daughter of one of their generals). And the entire invasion of Tousukuru, Kuon’s home country, ends up as worthless in the long run.

The majority of episode seventeen deserves a special (negative) callout. This episode is dedicated to unveiling a huge revelation: that the Emperor and Haku are the only humans on the planet. In short, the animal-esque people of the world were created by the Emperor after people destroyed themselves, and, also, the Emperor is Haku’s older brother.

First, this reveal comes out of nowhere. After those snowy mountains, the stretch of slice-of-life events, and a hefty amount of battling, the anime drops this information on the audience without discretion. And second, and arguably worse, the anime does almost nothing with this information. Haku somewhat gets inspiration from the news when he destroys a provisions storehouse later on, but these relatively gargantuan details have next to no impact on the narrative.

But Utawarerumono does not stop there. It also falls prey to other narrative snags. For some reason, the show chooses to kill off the Emperor off screen and without warning. One of the final plotlines, the attempted murder of Anju, does not receive a resolution. Ukon gives up his mask to demonstrate his loyalty to the princess, but it serves no purpose once out of his hands and is even given back to him some time later, making the entire exchange unnecessary.

The show runs into thematic trouble as well. It tries to emphasize the necessity of war in order to fight for resources and display dominance. But the majority of the season is not dedicated to war – the first half is (to reiterate) slice-of-life whereas part of the second half is more centralized in its conflicts. In essence, the whole war angle, while appropriate for certain circumstances, does not fit within the anime’s other material.

Overall, the narrative begins and means well, but, the further along it proceeds, the more issues it brings upon itself.

ANIMATION

Utawarerumono’s artistic direction does well in certain areas but not-so-well in others.

For example, the background art is more unfortunate than fortunate. Similar to the story, the backgrounds are supported by the more mystical environment. A mountain village and snowcapped hills purport that differentiation of the land exists (as do the visuals of the first ED). Yet, once the anime constrains its setting to just the capital of Yamato, the anime unfortunately hits a lack of creativity. This misfortune continues into the latter half of the show as well: open fields, some forests, and random towns are not exactly immersive.

To be fair, the show does place care in the details. The capital is very cultural with food stalls, stone castles, and minor amenities. Lighting as well. Many moonlit nights, delicate sunsets, and daytime outings blanket the show in various forms of light.

Actual animation is somewhere around average. Action sequences, while not the most choreographed, are filled with lots of sword swinging, jumping, and (sometimes) giant fireballs. Downtime is similar in that sequences can see a nice amount of movement – dancing, searching, and joking – but nothing outright dazzling.

The character designs are quite nice, though. Mostly because of the extensive variety. While they all derive from (more or less) the same cultural influences, they tout different colors, different animal characteristics, and different styles.

For example, Kuon’s long hair, warm colors (light purple, orange, and yellow), and plain tail paint her as a kind and mature woman. Rurutie’s black-and-white garb with pink-colored additions coincide with her princess-yet-lewd and sweet personality. And Munechika’s white-and-blue garb, curled hair, and short tail depict her as the wise commander she is known to be.

CHARACTERS

Utawarerumono has a singular problem with its cast: Too many characters for its own good.

Granted, having a big cast is not an inherent problem. It all comes down to their use. Their purpose. Their execution.

In Utawarerumono’s case, the execution fails to be present. Mostly because it continually adds more and more and more characters to the pool without stopping to explore them to any large depth. The show has Haku. And Kuon. And Rurutie and Atui. And Ukon and his little sister. And the samurai and his daughter. And the princess, the emperor, the emperor’s assistant, her two daughters, and…

The show rarely explores anyone that is not either Haku or Kuon. They do have their particular characteristics – Rurutie loves boys-love material, Atui is very particular about men, and so on – but these traits get tiresome when they are used over and over without major deviations from their respective formulae.

Arguably, they do not need to have development. They do not need any extensive change to their character. Which, to some extent, is true. They are not wholly important to the plot, and there are just way too many of them to adequately divvy up necessary attention.

But the show has twenty-five episodes to work with. That’s a lot of time. Presumably enough for everyone involved.

Even if these side characters are given exemption, Haku and Kuon’s development is not.

Haku started off in a rather interesting spot. Without memories, he had no way of understanding who he was, where he was going, or even why he was there in the first place. But he did know what he wanted to do: nothing. He was lazy. Whenever possible, he would prefer to sit around the campfire rather than subject himself to more work.

Yet he was surprisingly good at the jobs he was given. Mostly because he would seek out a way to perform the task efficiently. I.e., he would devise a way to get the job done with as little work out of him as possible.

And while he was not an amazing fighter like Ukon, he was courageous and could hold his own. Plus, he learned how to read and write, treated others with respect, and did his best with the craziness that happened around him.

Unfortunately, these traits are as much as his character gets. Roughly halfway through the season, Haku does have a small situation when he becomes terrified of the prospect of war. His friends cheer him up, letting him know that war and its outcome is natural. At least, natural for their world. But one miniscule development over twenty-five episodes seems dismally disproportionate.

In fact, Haku is arguably a very bland character. Furthermore, this blandness makes it strange to get behind Ukon’s constant reliance on the dude. Haku is not exceedingly strong, and he is not exactly a genius. In other words, he doesn’t stand out.

The idea is that Haku is simply charming. As the only human (besides the emperor; almost nobody knows that either of them are human), as this lazy yet strangely productive person, he attracts others to his circle.

And, arguing in his character’s favor, that may be the point. That is, one does not have to be an “amazing” person to influence the world. Yet, even taking this mindset into consideration, the evolution of his character does not support this idea. Haku never really affects those around him, let alone the direction of the plot, going with the flow of events for nearly the entire season. And when the audience finally does see him gain a position of power, the show ends.

Not that gaining power and numerous friends changes him for the better. Indeed, besides Ukon, he does not seem to strengthen his relationship with anyone – including Kuon.

Kuon’s relationship with Haku is alarming for this very reason: not having a strong foundation. In the beginning, when it was just the two of them (and maybe a couple of other characters), one could easily see where their relationship stood. She teased him, shared meals with him, and traveled with him to take care of different happenings.

Following their trek to the capital, however, Kuon’s relationship with Haku almost stagnates. As more characters are added, Kuon gets less and less time to spend with Haku. The story’s action-heavy direction also forces their separation. And while she does get angry with Haku after their initial time together, their moments on-screen get reduced to a pitiable amount.

The result is a weak relationship between the two. Subsequently, Kuon’s later (presumed) romantic feelings for the man and distress over his death come off as empty. It’s unfortunate. They are the main duo of Utawarerumono, but, because the anime spent almost no time on building their relationship, Kuon and Haku are not strong together.

Again, for all of the cast members, if the show were shorter in length, it would be somewhat more acceptable to not have as much care given to each of them individually. But given how much time the anime had to work with, it’s almost inexcusable for the anime to have characters so weak writing-wise.

SOUND

The first OP incites wonder, a feeling of mysticism that fits well with the anime (at least the first quarter or so). The cultural instruments, the nice vocal work, and the build-up into the fast-paced portion come together to create a somewhat intricate track that is both catchy and fun.

The second OP tries to follow in its brethren’s footsteps. Mysticism reappears, and cultural sounds – like the background chants and the wood tapping – return, too. Most of the piece contains skipping singing and unobtrusive instruments, but the final stretch twists the tone. As the vocalist picks up emotion and the instruments start to resound, the tone moves from normal to almost harrowing, mirroring the shift in tone of the anime itself.

The first ED slows down the festivities (in similar fashion to the story). While not serene, the piece is peaceful, the soft piano accompanying the thoughtful singing. The second ED is similar but slightly more mystical. The track gradually builds into strong drums, passionate singing, and cultural sounds that match the sadness the show concludes with.

While neither of the EDs are particularly gripping, they are at the minimum nice additions to Utawarerumono.

The rest of the original soundtrack continues with the foreign feel. From the slice-of-life escapades to the countryside brawls, Asian ambiance fills the atmosphere. This music turns their hotel, the capital of Yamato, and the surrounding world into a place teeming with intrigue and cultural influence.

Voice acting performances are well done as well – if only thanks to the various vocal tics that some of the different cast members use. As such, some shout-outs are deserved. Risa Taneda as Kuon and her “I think.” Chinatsu Akasaki as Anju and her “Indeed!” And Madoka Yonezawa as Kokopo and her constant cooing.

ENJOYMENT

To be honest, I am disappointed in this one.

It felt as though it had a lot of potential. Especially in terms of the characters and their interactions together. Haku actually ended up being a rather boring person to follow. Kuon seemed to get the brunt end of the stick in terms of focus once the cast size became unwieldy. And the rest of the cast were just not interesting – mostly because the anime never cared enough about them.

Yet easily the worst character in the entire anime was Dekoponpo. He was so aggravatingly annoying. His dumb-and-arrogant-yet-he-still-gets-away-with-it persona had me shaking my head. And then my eyebrow would raise when the anime continually relied on him. Be it for comedic relief or for some small plot point, he soured the experience completely.

It’s fair to say that I would have liked this one more if I had seen the prequel first. This sentiment is apparent in the (obvious even to me) cameos. They didn’t resonate with me. Yes, they were nice for the sake of Kuon and her character, but they lacked the emotion, the nostalgia that such reappearances would garner.

A lot of the action was not that gripping, too. Going from smaller, cultural conflicts – gigiri and weird slimes (that are actually the original humans) – and interpersonal, slice-of-life events to countrywide war and massive, mystical beasts was too much of a contrast. I would have preferred the show stick with its more grounded, comedic material despite its slowness.

The ending also irked me. I could have maybe forgiven the show for having Haku literally let Kuon go if his maids and Ukon’s little sister did not already know the secret. But, since they did, it made not telling at least Kuon as well – given how distraught and emotional it made her – such a lame conclusion.

Even so, not everything was dismal. Kuon getting playfully angry with Haku had me smiling. Rurutie’s constant fantasizing had me chuckling. Ougi’s strange devotion to his sister got laughs out of me. Anju’s childlike crush on Oshutoru had me cheering for the little girl. And Saarana and Uruuru brought a sexual edge that I welcomed.

Unfortunately, these positives were unable to overcome this overabundance of negatives.

Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen starts off strong but slowly falls down the mountain. While the art and the sound-work deserve some praise, many other areas do not. The narrative has a slew of issues. The characters are unexplored. And various annoyances only serve to hurt the anime. Getting amnesia would be a better alternative.

SUMMARY

Story: Bad, mystical beginnings give way to inconsequential events, unimportant action, and multiple narrative snags

Animation: Fine, okay artistic direction, about average actual animation, and nice character designs

Characters: Terrible, too many characters overshadow both Haku and Kuon, preventing any worthwhile development

Sound: Good, good first OP, good second OP, okay first ED, okay second ED, nice OST, above average VA performances

Enjoyment: Bad, while some fun can be found, boring action, a lame ending, and especially Dekoponpo are too ruinous to ignore

Final Score: 3/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Oct 19, 2019 8:19 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (20 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for April

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for April Week 1: April 4 -10 Anime Releases Choujigen Game Neptune The Animation (incl. OVA) Complete Collect...read more

Apr 3, 2017 11:10 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (6 comments)

	Poll: Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Nov 14, 2015	106 replies	by Grantlyn »» Dec 14, 2023 9:48 PM
	Poll: Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Oct 17, 2015	96 replies	by Lolicon »» Nov 8, 2023 9:33 PM
	Poll: Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Dec 19, 2015	100 replies	by tinker3bellz1 »» Oct 19, 2023 6:56 PM
	Poll: Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Episode 25 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Mar 26, 2016	241 replies	by StateofOhayo »» Dec 29, 2022 1:43 PM
	Poll: Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen Episode 17 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 30, 2016	99 replies	by StateofOhayo »» Dec 29, 2022 1:22 AM