Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi

Tomboy Ryouko Ookami is a fierce boxer and the assigned bruiser of her club. Of course, no normal high school club needs a bruiser, but the Otogi Bank operates more akin to an actual bank. Here, the students can ask for favors from the club as long as they promise to return the favor in the future. Sixteen-year-old Ryoushi Morino is a shy boy, a far cry from the Otogi Bank members. To his biggest surprise, after unsuccessfully confessing to Ryouko, he inadvertently finds himself joining the club!

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi follows the everyday lives of the Otogi Bank members as they tackle favors that range from the mundane to the dangerous. However, since Ryoushi's sole motivation is to win Ryouko over, she doubts he will be able to have her back in a fight, especially when he can't even stand having people look at him—much less fight anyone!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ookami, Ryouko Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Morino, Ryoushi Main

Irino, Miyu Japanese

Akai, Ringo Main

Itou, Kanae Japanese

Ryuuguu, Otohime Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

le Fay, Majolica Supporting

Koyama, Kimiko Japanese

Narrator Supporting

Arai, Satomi Japanese

Nekomiya, Saburou Supporting

Kaji, Yuuki Japanese

Urashima, Tarou Supporting

Asanuma, Shintaro Japanese

Kiriki, Liszt Supporting

Nojima, Hirofumi Japanese

Kiriki, Alice Supporting

Horie, Yui Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Oosawa, Nobuhiro Producer

Kawakami, Ryuutarou Assistant Producer

Iwasaki, Yoshiaki Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Sep 17, 2010

Archaeon

Recommended

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.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Aug 7, 2011

muckgaiver

Mixed Feelings

It could have been something decent, but instead Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi reeks of mediocrity. The art work and animation was actually pretty and appealing, but the terrible story and cast of characters makes this series a pretty little scab you want to tear off. The rag tag bunch of characters have a very minor development and role so it'll feel as if most, if not all, of the characters are a side note. Even the story leaves you hanging till the last episode. At the end of the series, you will ask yourself, "That's it? What the hell was I watching this for?". ... I'm sorry to say this, but I felt as if the writer of the series did a half-assed job and produced a story about kids doing random things without any plot or motive. I say this series was a wild goose chase. I recommend it to those of you who have nothing to do and just want to kill time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Oct 24, 2010

du5k

Not Recommended

Ookami was one of the more popular series of the season. Why? Beats me... Was it because of J.C staff? Despite their many successes, I find Ookami to be an incredible bore.

Let's start with this: I really hate the narrator. I feel that shows that uses narration heavily are due to the director's lack of ability to convey plot and emotions, and that can't be more true for this show. And I hate Satomi Arai.

There are only a few instances where I can follow the character's train of thought, though that wasn't suppose to be hard due to the incredibly simple storyline. The main antagonist is ... so one-dimensional, it feels like he's a last minute addition as a plot device. The climax of the story is just... Can you even call it a climax? I don't even feel the slightest sense of excitement during that. It feels like a cheap way to end the series, and it leaves so many questions but I couldn't really be bothered any more.

There's so little material for the main storyline that most of the series focuses on stories of the supporting characters... Which none was really interesting, but at least it's better than the main plot. I suppose Ryoko's tsundere personality is suppose to sell, but beyond that trait, her character got no depth at all. Ryoushi's really irritating as a main character. As a wimp he can't even go to GAR mode properly... You'd hope he'll actually grow up by the end of the series, but all he managed is to overwhelm the bad guys with the final blow like a typical Shounen protagonist.

The animation and songs were good. I wont expect any less from J.C staff though... Well... Let's just leave it at that.

I think the only thing that this show gotta sell of is Ryoko's tsundere... But come on, really? This is a lame piece of work.

Plot/Concept: Lame
Story Style: Booooooring
Audio/Visual: Great
Value: 3

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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