Jul 10 2010 09:39 PM Let me see here...I stopped half way through the show mid-season due to lack of subs and watched the rest of it today....all I can say is this show was bad.
I recall the first 6 episodes being terribly slow and then episodes 7-8 being more of explanation episodes. They were pretty average overall. Episode 9 was probably the best except the end of it, but a lot of Nemuru screen time as well as back story revealed entirely. Episode 10 and 11 felt like a waste of time with a very cliche ending. Episode 12, although funny, was not the right way to end such a series. Although the Nemuru moments were awesome (UsaEru....) it was a waste of my time and it told me basically that the studio had not planned the story out properly. Norihiro Takamoto has now failed twice, the first being 07-Ghost as director 07-Ghost followed a similar pattern except didn't end as bad. Ookami Kakushi, on the other hand, had the chance of living up to what Umineko no Naku Koro ni should have been but was wasted almost immediately from the get-go. The poor pacing of plot, the lack of suspense that Higurashi and Umineko had, everything possible from a Ryukishi 07th work. Everything was ruined and turned into some harem, happy-go-lucky show instead. First things first, this isn't suppose to be a kid's show. Bad ends are suppose to happen!
Animation quality was quite lousy. All the characters were drawn nicely, but the fact that Mana's wheelchair had the best graphics out of everything is a sad moment. The details for everything else was beyond lousy for something airing in HD. Mana's wheelchair = true HD.
Now for the music, the one redeeming aspect of this show and done by none other than Yuki Kajiura and the FictionJunction team. Only very few composers and singers can get past this with flying colors, and yet Yuki Kajiura and her team make it look like it takes little to no effort. As for the cast, I was not impressed. The cast was dull, and you can easily tell (aside from Nemuru's and Mana's seiyuus) that no one really wanted to do this show about half way through. Most of the dialogue felt it was monotone throughout episodes on end.
Character development? You mean there was one? I recall lots of recap scenes, but nothing that really dwells into another character's past all that deep. Most of it was for "plot conveniences" rather than any sort of OMGWTF moment about a specific character that made them stand out or unique.
Enjoyment? pssh....nothing. This show was bad. That's two Ryukishi 07 works down the drain now in a row. The fact that Higurashi still holds its head extraordinarily high is beyond ridiculous after 3-4 years now. Unless someone chooses to remake Ookami Kakushi properly, which I doubt will happen, this show is not worth watching. It's pacing is very jumpy and there was no reason to throw in episode 12 as a filler, regardless of Nemuru fanservice. That should have been a DVD OVA and episodes 10-12 should have done something more interesting to create a more satisfying ending rather than the "oh look, the antagonist is going to die with the person that looks like his/her lover." Don't people think that's been overused enough already?
Score:
5/10 
