As long as you like tsundere characters, heavy handed fairy tale references and enough characters to fill two series, then Okami-san & her Seven Companions is for you!
"Ryoko Okami, the "wolf," and her BFF Ringo, also known as Little Red Riding Hood, are members of Otogi Bank - a high school club that helps classmates out of grim situations. One day, a meek young man proclaims his love to Ryoko, who does nothing but bite him in return. "You're much too weak for me," she huffs. So the boy joins Otogi Bank to prove he has the stuff to protect his beloved - even if it means taking a blow to the head with a lead pipe. He's no Prince Charming, but will Ryoko allow herself to have her own happily ever after?"
Based upon a 12 issue light novel series by Masashi Okita and a manga series from ASCII Media Works,
Okami-san & Her Seven Companions has many, many faults and unfortunately these faults overshadow what should have been a very enjoyable series. By indulging in tried and true genre conventions, both in relation to the fairy tale aspect and its tsundere main character, Okami-san shows promise but never quite delivers. The real problem is the feeling that Okami-san never quite understood what it wanted to be. While the surprising darkness of
Madoka Magica was well received, elements of emotional heartache in Okami-san were uncomfortable and didn't receive the attention that it deserved. This single complaint basically encapsulates the main downfall of the series. There is too little time spent on areas of substance and too much time spent pandering to fans with low brow comedy and fan service. There is nothing wrong with boob jokes and... boobs, but not when it means that character development plays second fiddle.
Not all is wrong with Okami-san and it definitely does have some highlights. For starters, the animation by JC Staff (
Honey & Clover,
Maburaho) is sharp, vibrant and perfectly suits the tone of the lighter and more comedic moments. The animation appears even more vibrant thanks to a nearly perfect Blu Ray transfer by Madman. Another highlight is the comedic moments that take a hold of fan service and use them to the fullest, because of the sheer volume of fan service related gags, not all of them work. But, the ones that don't fall flat (no pun intended) are well played and reasonably original.
Sadly the series left me with a sour taste in my mouth. By the time I made it to episode 11 I was beginning to get concerned that there wouldn't be enough time left to wrap up the loose ends that had been unravelled in the last 11 episodes. My concerns were entirely founded and the final 1 and a half episodes ultimately feel rushed. Okami-san appears to draw the same complaints that many of my high school teachers made about me, it could have been so much better than it was if only it had applied itself.
Okami-san & Her Seven Companions is available from
Madman now on
DVD and
Blu Ray.
I really like Okami-san, but this is a fair revieww :)
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