***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Okami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi. Reader discretion is advised.***
Series Synopsis
Otogi High School’s Otogi Bank is a student run club that specializes in favors. Clients ask for requests in exchange for future assistance should the club need it.
Ryoko Okami (voiced by Shizuka Ito) is a member of Otogi Bank and a skilled fighter able to take on packs of street thugs. Her life gets much more complicated when she meets Ryoshi Morino (voiced by Miyu Irino).
Ryoshi has a crippling fear of people staring at him. He is also the newest member of Otogi Bank following a failed love confession towards Ryoko. Although rejected, he's determined to become a worthy partner for her. More often than not a coward, Ryoshi is fearless when hidden by shadows or whenever Ryoko is in danger.
Ryoko and Ryoshi are an unorthodox, but effective team. They've made it their mission to help their clients to the best of their abilities. To aid them in their efforts are the other members of Otogi Bank.
Ringo Akai (voiced by Kanae Ito) always has a smile on her face and a scheme in mind to bring Ryoko and Ryoshi closer. Ringo harbors a tremendous amount of guilt from her past actions. Much like Ryoko, she chooses to hide what she's feeling.
Liszt Kiriki (voiced by Hirofumi Nojima) and Alice Kiriki (voiced byYui Horie) are cousins. As well as Otogi Bank’s president and secretary. Despite their polar opposite personalities, the two make an unbeatable duo. |
| Ryoko |
Taro Urashima (voiced by Shintaro Asanuma) and Otohime Ryugu (voiced by Aki Toyosaki) are childhood friends. While not official, the two are often referred to as boyfriend and girlfriend.
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| Ryoshi |
Series Positives
Think of a hamburger. Follow me on this.
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| Ringo |
But sometimes, that’s all you want.
In a nutshell, that’s Okami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi, now known as Okami-san. Peel back the fluff and what’s left is a typical romantic comedy.
A Character Anime
It’s obvious what Okami-san’s priorities are, and it’s not the story.
There were three episodes dealing with any sort of overarching plot. What small amount there was, wasn't that impressive. If you've seen any romantic comedy, you've seen Okami-san.
To compensate, the show focused more on character development.
Any anime is dead on arrival if there aren't interesting characters to follow. Audiences want to care about what they're watching. That way when things start going wrong, the entire weight of the situation can be felt. When plot did happen in Okami-san, it felt more important than it was. Things were happening to characters we had come to know and like.
The point was for a relationship to grow between Ryoko and Ryoshi. Along the way, we got to know the rest of Otogi Bank. For example, episode three dealt with Taro and Otohime’s relationship. It didn't have a damn thing to do with anything, but it was my favorite episode.
Amazingly Well Constructed
Okami-san had funny moments, but they weren't the greatest.
The humor was light-hearted and fun. There were a handful of jokes that landed and a few that fell flat. It did what it needed to do, but I don't see me coming back to this series when I have a dozen more options that are far better.
That said, Okami-san did an amazing job at balancing when it was time to be funny and when it was time to be serious. Thank God too because it was astonishing how dark this show got.
One character was suffering from the loss of a beloved family member. Another perceived themselves to be the cause of someone's unhappiness. The show even hinted at the possibility of rape. It never used that word, but it's hard to justify what else it could've been referring to. These weren't joking moments and got handled as serious topics.
This series' ability to balance these conflicting emotions is up there with some of the best.
Series Negatives
I have no interest in watching Okami-san again. It was too average for its own good. The show didn't take any risks and there wasn't any attempt to be anything different.
It also didn't help there were several questionable moves. Ranging from weird to annoying.
Why This Ending?
The main series ended in episode eleven. And for a show with such a generic plot, it ended on a quite the anticlimactic note. It just happened. Since I don’t think the story was all that important, I’m not upset. But I am confused.
The main villain was a complete douche-bag. Although Otogi Bank was able to stop him, he didn't lose. He and Ryoshi were fighting and it was starting to get good. Then Liszt came in and ended it, saying they had finished what they came to do.
The show set itself up for another season. But in the same episode, it said there would only be one more. And episode twelve felt like an OVA. Why even bother having a story at all if it’s not going to end?
This was a problem that could've got solved with a simple ass beating.
The Narrator
The absolute worst thing about Okami-san was the ceaseless narration.
The show tried to make the narrator (voiced by Satomi Arai) part of the cast. Some anime have made this work. Not this one. The narrator served no purpose other than to annoy the viewer.
After I saw episode one, I thought the narrator joke would be a one-time thing. There was no way something this stupid would last through the whole series. If anything, it got worse.
Everything got explained. EVERYTHING!
For example, Ringo would get an idea on how to get Ryoko and Ryoshi closer. We can see Ringo with a conniving smile on her face, telling us that she had an evil idea. Then the narrator chimed in and said, “Looks like Ringo just thought of something evil”. NO S#@%! We already figured that out. Why would you take the time to tell us that?
Not only would the narrator tells us what we already knew, she would also talk over characters. Thus forcing the need for the narration to help clarify what was going on. Just be quiet.
P.S.. If you're thinking the narrator sounds familiar, it's because she does. Satomi Arai is the same actress who played Hata in Seitokai Yakuindomo. It hurts my heart so much that I hate the narrator because I love the actress.
Final Thoughts
If you go your whole life without ever watching this show, no one will hold it against you. Should you find yourself void of anything else to do, though, by all means, give it a shot.
Okami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi was a solid character anime. With enough laughs to justify its shortcomings. Granted the constant narration was a headache. But when that wasn't happening, the show's fine.
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