Sunday, March 3, 2013

All's Well that Ends Well

A few weeks ago I borrowed some anime from a friend just for something quick to watch. So today I finally finished it, and I absolutely loved it. This 12 episode series is known as Okami-san and her Seven Companions.

This romantic comedy features a tomboy named Ryoko Okami. She works as a member of a "trading" club known as Otogi High School Bank. Here, Ryoko and the other members fixes problems for students in exchange for returning the favor later. Now Ryoko seems to have a bit of a load on her hands when classmate Ryoshi Morino is recruited to the Otogi Bank after a failed love confession to Ryoko. And the majority of the series other than some rather silly requests being fulfilled by the Otogi Bank is Ryoshi trying to become stronger for Ryoko and be able to protect her while fierce, wolf-like Ryoko appears to be getting a crush on the shy boy while trying to hide the hurt girl "wearing a wolf's clothing".

As far as romantic comedies go, it's got your basic mixture of the two genres. A lot of fluffy and cutesy stuff with the tsundere girl still trying to be tough and not really show directly that she has feelings for the guy with really great comic relief. There's even a narrator that makes way for occasional fourth wall jokes and a lot of the comments she makes are pretty hilariously delivered.

Though surprisingly I did see some genuine drama in this that's almost a tear-jerker. When you find out about Ryoko's past and the pain she went through and the current struggle she's going through to stay strong, it's really heartbreaking. I seriously wanted to cry. And I like this about Ryoko and girls in general like her; she can be tough and fight her own battles but can still be vulnerable at times. She has a strong sense of independence but can still rely on others to help her in times of need and doesn't always have to mask her feelings. I like characters like that who don't always have to be pitch-perfect and have flaws; that makes them more realistic.

And speaking of characters, the rest of the cast is great too. Everyone is memorable with their unique personalities and quirks and have their own back stories to give them character. Of course I do love Ryoshi with how he changes throughout the series wanting to be strong for the girl he loves. It really makes him such a sweetie.

The animation is really nice with that shoujo sense of giant expressive eyes and bright colors. My favorite aspect of the animation style in this anime was the fighting scenes. It's pure eye candy to see the characters move at such a fast pace in these battles and gah! I just love it.

And last but not least, the story and morals it teaches are great. There are subtle allusions to multiple fairy tales in the episodes and I think it's creative in developing these characters.

Check out Okami-san if you're looking for something cute and funny to watch.

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