Hello there. This is the pant less anime blogger here to blog about anime. I’ll leave it your imagination if you want to think I really am pant less. Maybe if I was a girl blogger I could snap a couple of pictures and tease you a bit. Sadly I am not. I’m a guy and I’m pant less. I’ll show you the door. What? You came here to read my review. Huzzah!

I recently finished this anime so my opinions are rather fresh. The anime is titled “Ookami Kakushi”. According to MAL (myanimelist.net), the anime is of the Action, Horror, Mystery and Supernatural genre. I don’t know about that.

Synopsis

The story revolves around this boy named Hiroshi Kuzumi. His family recently moved to this village in the mountains named Jogamichi. It’s a sleepy little backwater village but the town has recently been developed into a residential area. This town is known for their oranges called Hassaku. Hiroshi and his family plans to have a happy life in this town.

It’s fairly easy to adjust in town since Hiroshi is easily accepted by the townspeople. He is of great interest, especially by his classmates. He even has a big admirer in Isuzu Tsumuhana. Hiroshi notices that the town is spilt into the old town and the new town. The new town includes the recent residential area and the old town includes the traditional houses on the other side of the river.

Something is wrong with this town. Hiroshi notices it and bothers him a lot. His suspicion rises when of his classmates suddenly moved without informing anybody. He meddles and insists but people suddenly stop talking whenever Nemuru Kushinida enters the room or gives a deadly stare.
Hiroshi would soon be wrapped around the town’s secret as he slowly discovers the mystery and terror the citizens try to hide.

Taking the Pants Off

First and foremost, do not bundle this anime with Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni. It’s no secret that both anime is from the same author, Ryukishi07. If you’re expecting this anime to be as good Higurashi then you won’t really enjoy what Ookami Kakushi has to offer. I did the same mistake to Umineko no Naku Koro Ni. I expected an exciting story full of mystery and terror. I’ll admit that Umineko sucks noodles but recent rewatching made me appreciate how good the anime is. Good, not great. So throw out your expectations and expect new things from this anime.

With that being said, I really don’t blame you if you drop the anime after watching a couple of episodes. The anime isn’t really appealing upon first impression. The genre is labeled as Action, Mystery, Horror and Supernatural but the first four episodes don’t really feel like it. It’s more like Slice of Life because the first four episodes offer nothing but Hiroshi and his friends hanging out and having fun. There are small sprinkles of mystery and the supernatural like a group of people chasing their victim then being finished by a girl wielding a scythe. It’s really little and it primarily focuses on ordinary activities with his friends.

They only picked up the pace in episode 5 where they finally ditch the slice of life aspect and focuses on the mystery. Up until that point, you do know that something is amiss and it took five episodes for the anime to get interesting. I’d imagine people already waning interest at that point, I don’t blame them. It’s really hard to watch.

I usually focus on the characters when the plot fails to grab my attention. The characters in Ookami Kakushi are boring, one dimensional and annoying. I really do not like Hiroshi. The main reason is that he looks like a girl. The uniform doesn’t even do its job of convincing us he is a guy. I wish there are pant less images of Hiroshi. Maybe I could use that as my avatar. He looks like a girl and he even plays the role of one. Hiroshi really offers nothing. He isn’t the type of guy that saves the day. He’s actually the damsel in distress at most times. The role of a damsel should be played by a supporting character, maybe the leading lady, not the main character. I guess in an ironic way, he is both. It irks me a bit that the main character is that helpless.

The rest of the characters aren’t that special. Nemuru Kushinida got on my nerves because she constantly clings to Hiroshi and her voice is upbeat like a squeaking mouse. Nemuru would hug Hiroshi nonstop and no one seems to care. I’ve seen the same characters in other anime but they have other aspects you can adore. Nemuru really doesn’t have some.

The other character worth noting is Kaname Asagiri who also insists on knowing the mystery of the town. She is crucial in the story as the mystery does get unraveled with her presence but she offers nothing new. She falls in predictable pattern. It’s a shame too because she has potential to be a much greater character.

There is a villain in this anime and that villain isn’t an effective one. The role isn’t expanded much and the villain’s brilliance isn’t really explained. This person is just cunning and deceitful. This person is fueled by vengeance and anger. That’s it. You aren’t really convinced that this person will win in the end. I hate that kind of villain. A villain should have the other characters dance in the palm of his hand and then die in a blaze of glory. Sadly, the villain in Ookami Kakushi is just pathetic.

The other half of the story does get better. The pacing of the story is decent with pieces of the puzzle slowly being added in. Sadly, it isn’t as exciting as you would hope to be. The story is laid out pretty well but it feels plain. It really falls flat on the mystery aspect. A mystery anime should make me look around my dark room because of the paranoia the anime is giving me. Some anime fails on mystery aspects too but makes up for by having an engaging story (i.e. Gosick).

When climax hits, it is slow and not really exciting. Climaxes are supposed to make you jump out of your seat in excitement. It’s supposed to be the release the anime builds up on. It’s supposed to be awesome. Not this one. This one is sad and the predictability ruins it a bit. It’s such a shame too because the story would be better if the execution was done properly.

The anime had serious potential. The only reason I finished the anime is so I can see how they will turn it around. There is a feeling in my gut that tells the anime will become deeper and more satisfying. It’s truly a shame.

Sight and Sound

The animation does set the mood of the anime. Since it’s supposed to be a mystery set in a village in the mountains, the scenery is nicely done. The light coloring is used pretty nicely. The bug eyed characters are not really new so character design is plain.

As for sound, the uses of cicidas to establish mood is nicely done even though you’ll never really feel the mystery. The OP and ED songs are pretty good but it’s as forgettable as this anime.

Overall Score

3/10  It’s not bad. It’s not good either. It’s plain and very mediocre.

I wouldn’t recommend this anime to anybody. If you’re picking this up because it’s one of Ryukishi07’s works then you really shouldn’t bother.