One of the more enjoyable, and regrettably shorter, anime titles from the summer season has come to an end…
Though Ookami-san can be classified as a romance comedy that also has its moments of drama, there are a few things about it that make it charmingly unique.
Its most memorable element is its parodying of fairy tales and fables. Just about every episode and every character in the series is based off of some familiar story, from Ryouko herself being the wolf from “Little Red Riding Hood,” to minor characters like Momoko being based on the Japanese tale “Momotarou,” and even guest characters like Ringo’s sister Shirayuki being based on “Snow White” (the series’ Wiki article mentions all the characters’ respective fairy tales).
In addition to the characters simply being based on these old stories, their relationships and interactions match up to their respective stories quite well. To use the three main characters as examples, Ryoushi, being the hunter who sees through the wolf’s disguise in “Little Red Riding Hood,” captures the heart of the wolf, Ryouko, and “sees through” her fierce demeanor to the more vulnerable girl within. Also from “Little Red Riding Hood,” Ringo, who is Little Red Riding Hood herself, becomes drawn to Ryouko and first meets her while she’s in bed, just like the wolf in the story.
The majority of Ookami-san is comprised of episodic and often slice-of-life stories with sometimes subtle and sometimes obvious allusions to fairy tales. Though the constant fairy tale parodying throughout the series may seem like an easy gimmick for fan appeal, I find it quite refreshing. It’s fun noticing the different stories that are alluded to and seeing how they’re crafted into the characters and events of the anime.
Putting the fairly tales aside for a moment, for the characters themselves, though not incredibly unique as a whole, many of them do display excellent character development (and I assume the rest of them do too in the light novel stories that the anime hasn’t covered). Most of the episodes revolve around the development and backstory of a single character or a relationship between characters, from minor characters like Otsuu and Otohime, to main characters like Ryouko and Ringo. Even though at a glance, the characters seem like anime stereotypes – Otsuu being the typical moe maid and Ryouko being the tsundere for example – having entire episodes focus on their character development helps them stand out. The episodes themselves are either comedic, dramatic, or a little of both, but always enjoyable in my opinion. Some scenes are a bit silly, but as a whole, this show that’s full of fairy tale parodying ends up being surprisingly serious and emotional at times.
Aesthetic-wise, though a few action scenes looked a little choppy, in general the show has pretty good J.C. Staff animation. Popular seiyuu Shizuka Itou does the voice for the main character Ryouko, and others like Yui Horie and Rie Kugimiya do the voices for minor characters. But probably the most memorable voice in the series is that of the aforementioned narrator. And as for music, though I’m not a big fan of the ending song, the opening by Macross Frontier sensation May’n, called “Ready Go!,” is a great, upbeat song with nice lyrics that match the show perfectly.
In summary, Ookami-san is an above average romance comedy/drama with characters and slice-of-life stories that constantly parody fairy tales. The humor, though not hilarious by any means, is enjoyable enough, while the drama and character development can actually be quite powerful. It’s a good series if you like the genre and enjoy pointing out allusions in anime =) Apparently there are at least ten volumes of original light novels, so hopefully we’ll see more Ookami-san anime to cover the rest of the stories.
- by Pheebz (kuroitenshi)
