Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi 1: parody success

Enter the wolf.

Ookami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi (Wolf and her 7 friends), hereafter Ookami-san, episode 1 succeeds as a parody. both of famous fairy tales, and of the romantic comedy genre. We also got a quick introduction to some of the characters, and a sense of the tone and setting. It pretty much goes without saying, with JC Staff on hand, that the animation was attractive and entertaining.

The setting seems to be a vaguely modern fictional city, and more specifically a prestigious school located there. Our protagonists attend that school, and form an unusual club called the Otogi Bank. The tone might be characterized as Comic-tempered Realism; whereas the laws of Physics, etc. are generally respected, the show isn’t afraid to bend the rules for a key point, or comic effect. The best example being an improbable mid-air tumble that occurs late in the 2nd half.

Ryouko and Ringo peer through the "third and a half" wall.

Ookami-san parodies many conventions, and one of the sources of those conventions is the fairy tale. One means of referencing the fairy tale is the use of a strong narrative voice. In Ookami-san, the narrator (voiced by Satomi Arai) is more a source of mocking commentary than a transparent medium for useful information. As a result it is also a source of “third and a half wall” humor. Whereas some shows have “broken the fourth wall” (that is, the wall between the viewer and the scene), in Ookami-san, characters ocassionally undercut the illusion of the scene to express disapproval of the narrator’s commentary. True fourth wall humor involves characters directly addressing the audience, or directly commenting upon their fictive existence. By restricting their disapproving utterances to the narrator, the characters are actually addressing another character in the show (albeit one residing in a meta-layer).

A parody of the nosebleed trope!

The show has other mechanisms for parodying fairy tales, including a direct parody of Cinderella in the second half. During the telling of that story, Ookami-san parodies a romantic-comedy staple: the nosebleed. In anime, the nosebleed signifies arousal, and the above screen shot, taken out of context appears to be standard usage. In fact, the red across the brow of the nose appears to be blushing, as would be appropriate in a standard rom-com usage. But that ain’t what’s happening, making this the Best Nosebleed Ever!

Ryouki X Ryoushi

The main couple are extreme versions of rom-com conventions. Ryouko Ookami is about as tsun-tsun as you can get, with barely a hint of a tender side. In fact her role in the club, is as an enforcer, she even has a surprisingly good fight scene in the second half. Do kitty gloves count as having a cute side? Meanwhile Ryoushi Morino turns the timid male lead trope up to 11. They came up with an interesting explanation; he was raised as a hunter in the mountains in the rural north of Japan, where he learned to hide and stalk his prey (yes, he is literally a stalker), and as a result, he developed scopophobia, the fear of being seen.

Anyways, I enjoyed the episode, so I’m just going to leave you with a quick character gloss.

Ryouko Ookami

Ryouko, main character.

Seiyu: Shizuka Itou

Tsundere

Room-mate of Ringo

Object of Ryoushi’s affections.

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Ryoushi Morino

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Ryoushi, love interest.

Seiyu: Miyu Irino

Scopophobe

Stalker.

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Ringo Akai

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Ringo,

Little Red Riding Hood.

Seiyu: Kanae Itou

Best friend of Ryouko.

Busybody.

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Liszt Kiriki

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Liszt, President of Otogi Bank.

Seiyu: Hirofumi Nojima

Never opens his eyes.

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Alice Kiriki

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Alice, Meganeko.

Seiyu: Yui Horie

Cousin of Liszt.

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Otsuu Tsurugaya

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Otsuu, Maid.

Seiyu: Ayako Kawasumi

Has fetish for returning things.

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Majolica Ru Fei

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Ru, Mage.

Seiyu: Kimiko Koyama

Mad scientist.

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Tarou Urashima

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Tarou, ??

Seiyu: Shintaro Asanuma

Plaything of Otohime.

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Otohime Ryuuguu

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Otohime, ??

Seiyu: Aki Toyosaki

Mysterious girl.

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Ookami-san and her seven friends (and Ryoushi).