「うそつきおおかみさんと亮士くん」 (Usotsuki Ookami-san to Ryoushi-kun)
“The Lying Wolf and Ryoushi”

Well if anyone thought Ryoushi was a wimpy male lead last time, this week shows the manlier side of him that only comes out when Ryouko’s in danger. With his pet dogs Elizabeth and Francois, we learn first-hand exactly how he’s modeled after the Hunter. The first episode already gave us a preview of his handy work from the shadows, but this time around Ryoushi shows us both his tracking abilities and his sniper-like aim as he unloads Pachinko balls on the Onigashima delinquents who kidnapped Ryouko. Sadly, the same guys from last time resorted to getting their whole gang involved when it’s just one girl they’re up against, and even went so far as threatening a girl into making a false request to Otogi Bank just to lure Ryouko out. It was pretty pathetic to say the least, but the set up did allow Ryoushi an opportunity to further improve her opinion of him. This includes inadvertently acting as her shield again to bloody results, before showing his resolve in front of the others and coming to her rescue.

I found it pretty cheesy when they started playing the opening theme “Ready Go!” during Ryoushi’s heroics, though it was kind of cool seeing him work in tandem with Ryouko kicking ass with her upgraded Neko Neko Knuckle “Kai” — now with a stun gun effect added — by watching her back and providing cover fire. In a way, things sort of played out like a fairy tale, especially when their combination attack wasn’t enough to take out the boss. Watching Ryoushi step in to save Ryouko turned out to be much cooler than I was expecting, since he was able to block some punches, take some hits, and even dodge some others before landing his knockout punch. Not bad for a guy who suffers from social phobias and can’t bear being the center of attention if I do say so myself. That dazzling display even caught Ryouko’s attention after all.

Unfortunately, his testosterone-pumping actions comes and goes only when he wants to protect Ryouko, leaving him unable to capitalize on the beautiful look she gave him afterward. Saying it was a shame would be an understatement, since Ryoushi realizes Ryouko’s appeal is her ability to maintain a tough exterior when she’s still somewhat of a frail girl inside (i.e. she’s a tsundere). Evidently, she’s only like that because of something that happened in her past, but after giving us signs of her girlish side when she got along with his dogs and almost got raped, Ryoushi was in the clear to say something cool to completely win her over at that point. Instead, her mesmerizing gaze pierced right through his very soul, leaving us back at square one. Still, it’s progress in their relationship… I guess. Ryoushi did declare that he’s the Hunter and is going to “bring down” the wolf himself, which I interpreted as making her his prey and winning her over (and not actually killing her). He could still learn some tips from the womanizer Tarou, since he doesn’t have an Otohime around to keep him in check.

Production-wise, it’s somewhat disappointing to see that the fight sequences went a fair bit south compared to the premiere. Not only did they not look as nice, some scenes like the one at the park looked pretty bad if you stepped through them frame by frame. Hopefully this huge variance doesn’t become a regular thing from J.C. Staff, as I admittedly found the first episode a tad bit underwhelming already. I came into this series with really high expectations though, so that was the main reason behind the so-so impression I was left with. I still think this series has a lot of potential, but I figured I would’ve come out more excited about the series as a whole than I did last week. Anyway, it’s too quick to judge and there don’t appear to be any episode previews outside of a still picture with the title, so I’ll just have to wait and see what’s in store.

* Based on the six DVD/BD volumes that will be released, it looks like this series will only be twelve episodes long. There are two episodes per volume according to the official site.

 

ED Sequence

ED: 「赤頭巾ちゃん御用心」 (Akazukin-chan Goyoujin) by OToGi8
Watch the ED!: Download, Streaming ▼

74 Comments

  1. Darn, if Ryouko got slighty bigger tits that u can see their shape on her normal clothes i’d be happy. I was totally bored of Taiga. The only upside is that she’s got height.

    el loco
    1. google a href tag. Here’s a quick how to:

      http://www.w3schools.com/HTML/html_links.asp

      basically
      1. get the link you want
      2. copy to clipboard
      3. type your comment
      4. open tag a href=”” tag goes inside <>
      5. between quotes paste your link
      6. type a word to avoid the actual link text to be displayed
      6. close tag /a tag goes inside <>
      7. click preview
      8. enjoy

      don’t go tag happy server will hold your comment for approval

      Island Esper
  2. oh… turns out there’s a lot more battles in this series than expected..

    looks like the popular saying proved to be true, “you really can’t judge an anime by its promotional videos”.

    Jaden
  3. I felt like this episode was even better than the last. I liked the RyoushixRyouko development in this one, and we got to see a different side of them both. I thought it was funny how Ryouko is weak on the inside but puts on a “wolf’s outfit”, while Ryoushi is the exact opposite, strong on the inside but weak on the outside. In every respect they were meant to cover each other’s weaknesses and make the other truly strong, which makes for a great dynamic in the series.

    I’m hoping we get to see badass Ryoushi more often though, since he really was kickass when he got serious. We should be seeing more of it though, since we got a glimpse of what I’m assuming is the main antagonist of the series and he seems to hold some kind of grudge against Ookami. Should be interesting to see what his background with her is.

    As for animation quality, I didn’t really notice a drop from last week. Even if it did drop a bit from last week, I still thought that the art and animation were top notch in this episode. Meh, maybe my eyes are blinded by the hype. :p

    Suzuku
  4. The narrator seriously needs to stop talking, interrupting really, after the first few seconds. Also, I have a great personal dislike for the OP song, it doesn’t fit the images well.

    Mark
  5. Ugh…

    I tried giving this series a second chance cos this anime-centric friend of mine (whom I now consider a tasteless twat) said this episode was way better than the first.

    It was only marginally better (3/10 as opposed to 2/10 for the first ep). The characters just annoy me too much to even care for them. The comedy isn’t much better either.

    Dropping this one for good.

    On a side note, I was pleasantly surprised by that Occult anime, so I’ll probably stick to that and catch up with my backlog of Rainbow episodes for this season.

    Lithium
    1. Did you not just realized you’ve described many here as “tasteless twats” as well simply because YOU dislike this show?

      By all means, feel free to explore other shows that suit your tastes better, but don’t go patronizing other people’s tastes simply because it doesn’t suit yours.

      Kinny Riddle
  6. There’s zombies, relationships, and sixth graders trying to bust their teachers balls.
    And now, theres ookami!

    I really enjoyed this episode. While the realism is slightly out there, I don’t think it was wrong for Ryoushi to revert back to his regular self. I mean, it is only episode 2. How can a love unfold THAT quickly? :3

    Unlike episode 1 which had me really disappointed with Ryoushi’s lack of amazing anime strength and valor, this weeks really turned that around with this ability to actually go one on one with someone.

    I’m also super newb with noticing animation hiccups. I didn’t really see a problem here. Good ‘ol fashioned beat em up.

    More ookami for me please. kthxbai<3

    chingoo
  7. After playing the klutzy Yui in K-ON and the hard-working little girl Uiharu in Railgun, Toyosaki Aki’s range of characters continue to grow as the yandere Otome, keeping Urashima terrified of her at all times.

    After Ryoushi gave the Boss the knockout blow, I lol’ed when he said “Only I can get laid with Ryoko!” (To which narrator “Kuroko” quipped “Ryoushi-kun, that’s a very problematic statement!” XD )

    Kinny Riddle
    1. Uh, whut? Is that your personal translation, a joke or from a fansub? 😀
      According to the Mazui subs it’s “The one who catches her will be me…”
      So, which is it?

      boingman
      1. I must have heard wrong then. I would need to watch that bit again.

        Still for “Kuroko” to state that it’s a “problematic statement” says it all for me. 🙂

        Kinny Riddle
      2. Ryoushi said that he’s the Hunter 「狩人」 and will be the one that brings her down. “Shitomeru” 「仕留める」 generally means “to kill”, but I made mention of this in my post that he likely meant he’ll make her his prey (… and win her over).

  8. this 2 episodes have been a disappointment for me. everything is very mediocre and right now stays within the safe zone (character designs, personality traits, the music). i really hope the studio does something different since i do have high hopes for this show.

    hmong007
  9. Certainly, the raping thing wasn’t precisely the best example to give…

    Anyway, I liked the second episode as much or probably more than the first one. The couple slowly getting close top each other and that. If handled well can become an very good love comedy.

  10. I don’t get how people find this series bad. For me, the characters are well written out and enjoyable to watch.

    I like how it delves into how Ookami is determined to get stronger and stronger even though she’s weak inside. Also, Ryoushi is so cool this episode. The character development here is great.

    akani
  11. I enjoyed this episode largely because it brought out a really awesome side of Ryoushi. And I think that he earned some serious points with Ryouko this week. Can’t wait for more.

    Fono
  12. Per what I expected, meaning not very good at all. Everything fell conveniently into place in the favor of Ryoushit. Two minute of badassary does not make up for an entire episode, and likely an entire season, of hardcore loserdom.

    Thanks for trying and failing, this show is on my shit list.

    Remy
  13. Better than the first episode, certainly, though I’d agree that the animation of the fight scenes wasn’t great. Also, I liked Satomi Arai in Railgun…but as the narrator, shutting up once every now and then would be nice.

    ZoboCamel
  14. @ U Doh

    It also depends too. For me at least, I felt that this season is great so far.

    @ Remy

    If you think that everything falls conveniently into place, you might as well not watch any anime because many anime’s plot falls conveniently into place especially when the series are more toward being light hearted. Besides, that two minutes of badassary is mainly to show the contrast between Ryoushi and Ookami so I think that it was actually a good thing.

    I don’t know what’s going on lately but there seems to be a lot negative comments everywhere that are not usually insightful and a lot of time resort to calling names and such. Somehow reminds me of Digg.

    Silver
    1. Still doesn’t take away that this is mediocre anime, highlighting another Japanese Bitch Boy gets girl routine. I bet there’s a whole bunch of insight there…isn’t there?

      Remy
  15. Does the school the kids go to in Ookami-san not have a dress code? I don’t understand Ryoko’s outfit at all – it’s a disgusting cross between a sailor uniform and a cocktail dress. It’s retarded. I also don’t like the unneccessary emphasis on her “flat chest” – who gives a fuck? When I was in High School I didn’t go around making fun of girls for having flat chests, shit to me a chest was a chest, and I’d be happy to fondle it, flat or busty. Fucking Japanese; they make a main character that can punch harder than men (not realistic) then they focus on her chest that is flatter than a man’s. Is she actually a fucking man who lost his dick in a freak accident?

    1. what’s up with you saying that a girl cant’t hit harder than men!?!?! I understand your outrage on the flat chested thing,cause i feel the same way, but wtf is up with that male chauvinistic shit!

      Kurerian
      1. Women can’t hit as hard as men because of their body structure, among many other gender differences. People are just built that way. Of course, there are exceptions, like when you compare the punching power of a basement dwelling skinny otaku to that of a female bodybuilder. However, when making a general comparison, women are weaker physically than men. Blame it on that extra X chromosome.

        science
  16. I think Ryoushi’s relationship with Ryouko is cute. His actual battling skills are cool. It’s funny to see the other Otogi Bank members in action, even though they’re only strong in numbers. XD
    I can’t wait to see more of this. It shouldn’t be 12 episodes. :O

    InfinitelyMe
  17. This show seemed ready to be the next big thing, but instead, we got a really generic show with horrible characters and dialogue. I eat romantic comedies up, and so far, I’m disappointed. Did I mention the dialogue is atrocious?

    Kickflip
  18. After Ryoushi hit the gangster head and Ryouko admitted to his coolness, I actually laughed like crazy over the Arai Satomi’s voice-over narration. The AAAAAH-HA Kuroko-like expression got me.

  19. I think the assumption that being cool and a good fighter isn’t a compliment when you say it to a girl is kinda stupid. It’s counter productive to train fighting if you don’t want to be strong, so I would assume that she shouldn’t mind being called strong.

    cirith
    1. But you know, I’m sure that as a girl, you would much prefer to be called cute over strong. Of course it’s not the case for every girl, but given the case that she puts “wolf clothing on” and wants someone to rely on, she prefers to be noticed more as a girl perhaps?

      Sora no Kaze
  20. Seems like everyone at Anime News Network who watched and reviewed this show and the majority of anime blogs hate this show didn’t even get more than a 3 averaging a 2.5 on almost all reviews kind of sad its beat out by Amagami SS and barely bearing Shukufuku no Camapanella, to be honest that show is boring as hell but Ookami-san pisses a lot of people off with its humor and lame story. Shiki has been a pleasant surprise and you know what your going to get with High School of the Dead.

    Shiki
  21. @divine

    I’m heavily disagreeing with the animation being horrible because it looked totally cool. Its fighting sequences remind me of that fight scene in toradora which was messily cool and awesomely choreographed. Of course it could have been smoother like what Index and Railgun do but those two series is J.C. Staff at their best (animation-wise) and Ookami isn’t. Still though it was really cool and those electric punches from ookami reminds me of biri-biri.

    ahelo
    1. Like I mentioned in the post, you have to step through it frame by frame to see the shortcuts they took compared to the first episode. In particular, look at their faces. It didn’t look bad in motion, but it still wasn’t as pretty as last week.

  22. I don’t know why people were expecting so much from this show. This show doesn’t looks that awesome to me. Interesting but certainly not something I look forward to each week. Just something I can see to pass time.

    Diasen
  23. Don’t know about you guy but I had enough of that narrator, I’ll drop this. Good visuals and a “might-be-interesting” story ain’t enough to cover the annoyance that is having to hear Kuroko narrating every damn thing that happens on-screen.

  24. And just like that, my opinion of this otherwise spineless, Joe Everyman protagonist has vastly improved. Call me a sucker for stealth protectors, but this one is starting to get good imho.

    Lastly, I couldn’t help but recall Littlekuriboh’s oh-so-dramatic line, “Our protagonist!!” to which, in my mind, this was directed towards Ryoushi. XD

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