Ookami Kakushi Episode One: New Anime Series!

The new anime season is upon us. Due to the sheer number of shows that I plan on watching/blogging I am not sure how I will manage my time. I mean…..one whole new shows! Whatever shall I do!? :(

Every other sentence in Ookami Kakushi is ominous. Beware!

But yes, Oakami Kakushi (Hidden God) is the only new show that caught my eye and didn’t mention breast milk. So in a way a lot is riding on this show. Shall it pull through and become show number three that I am currently blogging? Or will my high expectations be shot down in a burning blaze of glory? Let’s take a walk to spoiler land and learn more about this show together.

Oh and I am not up to date on the game that this show is based on. So feel free to mock my theories and ideas if they are totally wrong. But mock in private and don’t spoil the show for me.





I am going to start off my saying I am not really up to speed with Higurashi (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni). I know there is a lot of killing, a repeating plotline (that has the same theme but different outcomes. Not an ENDLESS LOOP OF DOOM), and it has to do with a small quaint Japanese town and their small quaint mystery that involves X_X. This anime has been compared to Higurashi so I tried to read up on it. And then my brain exploded into little tiny pieces.

But I get the plot…sorta. Mysteries involving the town’s god and how an outsider comes in and things explode into little tiny pieces (like my brain). So I can see how Ookami Kakushi is being compared to Higurashi. Not that any of that really matters or spoils things for me as I have not gotten into Higurashi besides looking up the awesome death scenes. For some viewers though the plot might sound a little familiar and that might make some people RARW and go on and on in livejournal about how Avatar is the more expensive version of Fern Gully. My point I have lost it.

And we start of this show with a bang. Or at least a chase scene.

The first scene is the classic “let’s start off the anime at the end of the series and go WHOOSH to the beginning” scene. Everyone is confused because the characters are not introduced, some major conflict issues are going on, and oh yeah, there are wolf dog creature things flying around in the middle of the night. So the opening scene is successful in breaking my brain even more but it gets the series going pretty fast. Not sure if I really like the end is the beginning style of opening but it was done better than some.

The opening theme song is interesting. Not my kind of music but it was fun enough to listen to at least once. I am sure it will be popular. The ending song reminded me of Clannad/Kanon. Both did a decent job of showing the important characters and only revealing a tiny bit of the plot. Seems to me most of the classmates aren’t going to be that important. Poor expendable red shirters :( Getting shafted in the song.
This episode gave me a bit of headache at times. The jumps in scenery were a bit much at time and very, very random. Outside, inside, morning, someone sleeping, the town. None of it seems to matter and it makes me wonder why they wasted the time with unnecessary scenes in the first episode. What, to be pretty? We don’t need pretty!

Can I has a rescue please?

Hiroshi is our lovely main character. He is slightly stereotypical as he is not the stereotypical ladies man. He wears GLASSES (the horror!), he’s on the small side, and seems to be the type who is shy and reserved. He is probably the man of the house taking care of his wheelchair bound sister and absentminded dad. But despite being so mature for his age he will be clueless about girls.

You look so del...I mean precious!

In most animes/mangas the transfer student gets one of two plotlines. They are either perceived as being super interesting and everyone is at least friendly OR they are treated like an outsider (which they are) and have very few friends, probably only one equally oddball person. Even though Ookami Kakushi goes the super interesting route they take the interesting part to a WHOLE NOTHA LEVEL. Yeah I fail. But Hiroshi is gushed upon by his classmates to no end after…day two? Everyone is clinging to him, there is a bell wearing girl, their teacher is a child molester, and everyone wants to be BESTEST BEST FRIENDS with Hiroshi.

So clearly they want to eat him.

No I am being serious. Clearly they want to eat Hiroshi because his blood is so delicious smelling and mog average boy is just too magical for all these super natural townspeople to handle and the leader of this crazy clan has already laid claim on him. :( It’s like Twilight but without the sparkles.

This is slightly more than creepy.

Okay I am really being serious now. I think they want to eat Hiroshi. Maybe he has something different inside of him that the people from this town haven’t seen in a while. It really wouldn’t explain why Kaname (girl who also moved to town recently) hasn’t been eaten by the town yet but she does seem to think something is slightly off in this town. But details details. Hiroshi will be important for some reason and all the kids wanted to….do THINGS to him. Not sure what things but probably not good things.

Sorry that my name is Kaname. :(

Watch as boring words become dramatic!

Besides Kaname (who…shares a name with an extremely emo vampire who loves to be emo over not eating their own sister) the only other normal person in this class of special people is Nemuru. She admonishes a taller boy when he gets really into being Hiroshi’s friend and everyone kinda fears her. She appears to be the cool mature type who all the boys love and all the girls want to be. Only that when she speaks everyone responds and seem afraid of.

I PROMISE TO BEHAVE MASTER!

So clearly Nemuru is the wolf god that protect this town and she is keeping the half breed werewolves in check. See it’s not Twilight because it is about werewolves! Oh wait…..Moving right along that is my little theory and I’m sticking to it. Of course later red shirt classmate (the one who really, really liked Hiroshi) is seen running through the streets being chased by the wolf flying creatures and it APPEARS that he turns into a werewolf. And it APPEARS that Nemuru is the leader of the wolf flying creature gang and that she kills him. So really are my theories that awesome and profound? I pretend yes but really it is kinda obvious. So when I am totally wrong later it will be pretty special.

And you are....

I am not really a fan of number one crazy/maybe a werewolf Isuzu. The whole glomping when Hiroshi just stepped out of the car was a bit much. I think a meaningful glance would have been enough but we all need to know that Isuzu is really a crazy and devoted person. Because we didn’t get that at all in the ending is the opening scene. I think a little more time needed to be devoted to developing her character instead of just assuming the viewers are on board this crazy train.

Oh a crazy person. How lovely.

Did you like how I didn’t explain anything about Isuzu and just went into talking about her? That is exactly what the show does. She is just thrown at us and we just stand there and watch as she takes over the scene as some important person. Who likes oranges (or something) and wears a bell. And loves Hiroshi. And whose eyes glow. And who loves sweet things. But other than some random facts there is nothing solid about her so I hope she is either given more of a mystery that I care about or really becomes a villain I can hate.

Other things that I liked about the show is the no nonsense sister. Part of me thinks that she does’t trust Isuz. Go with your gut instinct girl. But get rid of the hat (in fact most of the characters need to get rid of their ugly clothes…

We don't go to that side of the school...err I mean town!

I think the concept of the old town being separated from the new town and that crazy girl Isuzu warns Hiroshi to stay away from the old side of town is interesting. Because I think she is crazy Hiroshi should go to the old side of town and hide from the werewolves. But knowing how anime works crazy girl will actually being trying to save him. Whatever is the case I am interested in that part of the plot. It just better be something cool and awesome and not something as simple as the older people didn’t want to change their way of life. It better have something to do with the werewolves.

My heart bleeds for you. If we were in the same room together I am sure it really would.

Also do werewolves like oranges? Or whatever Isuzu called them? Do werewolves eat fruit? Apparently they need them to survive. Interesting fact is interesting.

Hi boring dad. :( Go back to being boring now.

I feel as if this review is all over the place. But since this series seems to be all over the place it goes hand in hand. Some parts like the serious lack of character development made me :( I want to get to know the characters slowly and there was way too much jumping around for me to handle. On the other hand I have been known to complain when the plot moves too slow and Ookami Kakushi is anything but a slow moving plot.

A wolf? I would have NEVER guessed! XD

This series is worth a second episode and if it keeps up the intrigue, a place of being blogged every week. I am sure I missed some points of the episode but I think I covered the basic plotness. Boy moves to town. Townies act odd. The oddest one either may be a wolf god or a werewolf slayer. I am sure you have heard that classic story before. XD

….And there is my Winter 2010 anime. Yay….