Okami-san and Her Seven Companions
| Ōkami-san | |
_Vol01_Cover.jpg) Cover of Ōkami-san light novel first volume as published by ASCII Media Works | |
| オオカミさん | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action Romantic comedy |
| Light novel | |
| Written by | Masashi Okita |
| Illustrated by | Unaji |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| Demographic | Male |
| Original run | August 10, 2006 – January 10, 2011 |
| Volumes | 12 |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Masashi Okita |
| Illustrated by | Kurumi Suzushiro |
| Published by | ASCII Media Works |
| Magazine | Dengeki Daioh |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | April 2010 – present |
| Anime television series | |
| Okamisan and her Seven Companions | |
| Directed by | Yoshiaki Iwasaki |
| Studio | J.C. Staff |
| Original network | AT-X, Chiba TV |
| Original run | July 1, 2010 – September 16, 2010 |
| Episodes | 12 |
The Ōkami-san (オオカミさん) series is a collection of Japanese light novels by Masashi Okita, with illustrations by Unaji. The series started with the release of the first volume in August 2006 titled Okamisan and her Seven Companions (オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち, Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi), and as of January 2011, 12 volumes have been published by ASCII Media Works under their Dengeki Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation by Kurumi Suzushiro started serialization in the April 2010 issue of ASCII Media Works' shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh. A 12-episode TV anime adaptation aired in Japan between July 1 and September 16, 2010, and has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment.[1]
Plot
A romance comedy parodying fairy tales such as Little Red Riding Hood, The Ant and the Grasshopper etc. Ryōko Ōkami (the eponymous Ōkami-san) is a tomboyish high school girl. She is a member of a "trading" club so called Otogi High School Bank. She and the other members of the club (such as her partner Akai Ringo aka Little Red Riding Hood) fixes student's (or "client") problems, at any lengths, in exchange for the student helping them out later.
Characters
Main characters
- Ryōko Ōkami (大神 涼子, Ōkami Ryōko)
- Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (Japanese); Brina Palencia (English)[2]
- The protagonist who is fierce, like a wolf, and flat-chested, fights thugs using special Neko Neko Knuckles developed by Majolica. She tends to put up a strong and fierce front to disguise her inside nature, where she is a bit more kind and frightened of certain things. Although generally hostile about Ryōshi's wimpiness, she soon accepts him as someone who can watch her back in fights. Later in the series, she would sometimes blush when she sees Ryoshi. It should be noted that Ōkami-san's character fits into the tsundere category for anime idioms. She is a close friend of Ringo Akai and is based on the wolf from the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood and others, though on several occasions she is shown to be very different from her base character; she mostly tries to act and be like the wolf, "wearing a wolf's clothing". She'd originally been an honest and innocent girl, but in Junior High her former boyfriend Shirō attempted to rape her, and when she told her friends, they refused to believe her and accused Ryōko of fabricating the story in anger after being dumped. After this, she transferred schools and struggled to be "strong" enough that she would need no one and not risk being betrayed again. She develops feelings for Morino later on in the anime.
- Ryōshi Morino (森野 亮士, Morino Ryōshi)
- Voiced by: Miyu Irino (Japanese); Joel McDonald (English)[2]
- A shy boy who cowers when confronted by other people and so keeps his distance. He has a crush on Ryōko and following a failed confession to her, he is somehow enrolled into Otogi Bank, where the others hope to use his low noticeability to avoid being detected. However, Ryōshi is much braver when hidden in darkness, and fights from afar using a wrist-mounted slingshot armed with pachinko balls with extreme precision, as shown when he knocks a baseball flying in midair about to hit Otsū. He is also known to perform well in fist fights if Ryōko is in danger. He is based on the hunter in the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood who captures the wolf or Ōkami-san.
- Ringo Akai (赤井 林檎, Akai Ringo)
- Voiced by: Kanae Itō (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)[2]
- A petite red-haired girl who has been longtime friends with Ryōko. She is the one who recruits Ryōshi into Otogi Bank. She is a close friend of Ryōko Ōkami, and is always trying to involve herself with her best friend's love life. Like Ryōko, she tends to smile to hide her true feelings, and admires Ryōko for trying to become stronger. She is based on the Little Red Riding Hood from the book of the same name, though some aspects of her scheming, manipulative personality closer resemble the poisoned apple ("Ringo" means apple) of Snow White, a fact which is occasionally referenced by the narrator and other characters. She is also the half sister of "Snow White" Shirayuki Himeno and feels responsible for her past. However,thanks to Ryōko she moves on from the past.
- Liszt Kiriki (桐木 リスト, Kiriki Risuto)
- Voiced by: Hirofumi Nojima (Japanese); Micah Solusod (English)[2]
- The president of the Otogi Bank. His skill is cross-dressing, which he uses to gain information normal men can't obtain. He is almost never seen working.He is always seen with his eyes closed, but he would open them when he's dead serious, revealing gold eyes. He is most likely a parody of the Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper as during the opening and ending scenes he is shown playing a violin while his usual pairing, Alice, is working on her computer, and in the closing sequence he is further shown buried under snow while Alice is in an underground "nest".
- Alice Kiriki (桐木 アリス, Kiriki Arisu)
- Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese); Terri Doty (English)[2]
- Liszt's cousin and secretary in the club. As said above she most likely fits the ant description in Aesop's fable The Ant and the Grasshopper as she is shown working and usually in a serious manner. Also, her hair's front resembles the antennae of an ant, and the first two syllables of her name, "Ari", is the Japanese word for "ant".
- Otsū Tsurugaya (鶴ヶ谷 おつう, Tsurugaya Otsū)
- Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)[2]
- The club's maid who has an obsession for returning favors. When she was young, she was saved from a car accident by a boy who died before she could thank him, resulting in her having a fear of not being able to return a favor. She is based on the crane from the Japanese tale Tsuru no Ongaeshi.
- Tarō Urashima (浦島 太郎, Urashima Tarō)
- Voiced by: Shintaro Asanuma (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)[2]
- A first year transfer student who is a year older than everyone else. He shows no interest in men but goes completely amorous towards girls. Although he is very flirtatious, he seems to have special feelings of love for Otohime. He is based on the title character from the Japanese tale Urashima Tarō. It is heavily implied that he is in an intimate relationship with Otohime, and he occasionally enters a "gentleman mode" after Otohime drags him off and "extracts various things" from him.
- Otohime Ryūgū (竜宮 乙姫, Ryūgū Otohime)
- Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki (Japanese); Caitlin Glass (English)[2]
- A girl with an obsessive crush on Tarō, who cares for her greatly but on some occasions, is scared of her. It was thanks to Tarō's motivation that she changed from a chubby bullied elementary student to a thin beauty. She constantly grabs Urashima and drags him into the closet, and the narrator remarks "I'll let your imagination figure out what they're doing", giving hints that they have some kind of sexual relationship. Although Tarō often runs from her advances, he does have special feelings for her, and can even be considered her boyfriend. She is based on Princess Otohime from the Japanese tale Urashima Tarō. The reason she is called turtle is because Otohime from the legend was a turtle on land when she met Tarō. Her relationship with Mimi Usami is also resemblant to the fable, The Tortoise and the Hare.
- Majolica le Fay (マジョーリカ・ル・フェイ, Majōrika Ru Fei)
- Voiced by: Kimiko Koyama (Japanese); Lindsay Seidel (English)[2]
- Called Majo for short, she is a self-proclaimed mad scientist who builds various devices such as Ryōko's Neko Neko Knuckles. She is based on the sorceress Morgan le Fay. She also takes the role of a fairy godmother at times.
Secondary characters
- Momoko Kibitsu (吉備津 桃子, Kibitsu Momoko)
- Voiced by: Yūko Kaida (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English)
- Nicknamed Momo-chan-senpai, she is disciplinary committee member of Otogi High School. She is bisexual and will sometimes make suggestive passes at Ryōko, while using her 'dumplings' to get assistance from naive boys. She is based on the titular character from the Japanese tale Momotarō, and is often accompanied by a trio of students whose names and appearances are based on the Monkey, Dog and Pheasant that accompany Momotaro on his journeys.
- Yukime Murano (村野 雪女, Murano Yukime)
- Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese); Lydia Mackay (English)
- She is Ryōshi's aunt. She is a novelist, and landlady of apartment "Okashisou". She is based on Japanese tale Yuki-onna.
- Mimi Usami (宇佐見 美々, Usami Mimi)
- Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese); Jad Saxton (English)
- She is based on the hare from the Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare. She is Tarō's and Otohime's childhood friend, and since very little she has held hostility towards Otohime, calling her with the mocking nickname of "turtle".
- Ami Jizō (地蔵 亜美, Jizō Ami)
- Voiced by: Mikako Takahashi (Japanese); Tia Ballard (English)
- She is based on the Jizō from the Japanese tale Kasajizō.
- Lamp Aragami (荒神 洋燈, Aragami Ranpu)
- Voiced by: Atsushi Ono (Japanese); R Bruce Elliott (English)
- The principal of Otogi High School, who often requests certain 'services' from the bank in exchange for a lot of the club's more expensive items. He is based on the Genie of the Lamp from Aladdin.
- Shirō Hitsujikai (羊飼 士狼, Hitsujikai Shirō)
- Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)
- He is the student council president of Onigashima High School, a school of delinquents intended to conflict with Otogi High School. During middle school, he tried to rape Ryōko but failed, but after that he spread bad rumors of Ryōko and no one believed in her, causing her to become fearful of him and transfer schools. He is based partially on The Boy Who Cried Wolf. However, like other characters, he's drawn from multiple sources; in this case, he is also based on the wolf in sheep's clothing figure. It may be noted that the kanji 狼(Rō) translates as wolf.
- Himeno Shirayuki (白雪 姫乃, Shirayuki Himeno)
- Voiced by: Yukari Fukui (Japanese); Kara Edwards (English)
- She is the half-sister of Ringo. She is based on Snow White. (Shiro means white, Yuki means snow.)
- Saburō Nekomiya (猫宮 三郎, Nekomiya Saburō)
- Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Japanese); Jerry Jewell (English)
- A Third-year at Otogi described by the narrator as a "Pretty Boy." Knowledgeable about Ryōshi and the Otogi Bank, he takes it upon himself to "Train" Ryōshi, he even takes part joining Ryōshi and company to Onigashima High School to save Ōkami because when he was younger, he was saved by Ōkami from a bunch of delinquents. His hair is shaped into cat ears, and his name, attitude and mannerisms are cat-like (i.e. meowing after every sentence). He is apparently a skilled fighter who easily overcomes Ryōshi. He is based on Puss in Boots. He is first shown in episode 6 where Ryōko saved him from the delinquents in a flashback. Neko means cat in Japanese.
- Machiko Himura (火村 真知子, Himura Machiko)
- Voiced by: Satomi Satō (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)
- She is Ryōko, Ringo, and Ryōshi's classmate. She is based on The Little Match Girl.
- Narrator
- Voiced by: Satomi Arai (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)[2]
- The narrator tells the tale and often has sarcastic and offensive remarks, usually pertaining to flat chests, at which main characters often break the fourth wall to glare at her.
Media
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2010) |
Light novel
| No. | Release date | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | August 10, 2006[3] | 4-8402-3524-4 |
| 02 | December 10, 2006[4] | 4-8402-3643-7 |
| 03 | April 10, 2007[5] | 978-4-8402-3806-9 |
| 04 | October 10, 2007[6] | 978-4-8402-4024-6 |
| 05 | February 10, 2008[7] | 978-4-8402-4160-1 |
| 06 | July 10, 2008[8] | 978-4-04-867134-7 |
| 07 | January 10, 2009[9] | 978-4-04-867464-5 |
| 08 | May 10, 2009[10] | 978-4-04-867822-3 |
| 09 | September 10, 2009[11] | 978-4-04-868015-8 |
| 10 | January 10, 2010[12] | 978-4-04-868279-4 |
| 11 | July 10, 2010[13] | 978-4-04-868645-7 |
| 12 | January 10, 2011[14] | 978-4-04-870130-3 |
Anime
The anime series by J.C. Staff, titled Okami-san and her Seven Companions (オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち, Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakamatachi), began airing on July 2, 2010. The opening theme is "Ready Go!" by May'n while the ending theme is "Akazukin-chan Goyoujin" (赤頭巾ちゃん御用心, Careful Akazukin-chan) by OToGi8. At Otakon 2010, North American distributor Funimation Entertainment announced that they have aqcuired the right to the anime and will stream the ongoing series on their video portal and will then release the series on home video on April 3rd, 2012. [15]
Episode list
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References
- ^ "Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi TV Anime Reportedly Green-Lit". Anime News Network. December 22, 2009. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "TVアニメ『オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち』公式サイト｜役員一覧（スタッフ＆キャスト）" (in Japanese). otogi-bank.com. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと七人の仲間たち" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんとおつう先輩の恩返し" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと "傘" 地蔵さんの恋" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんとマッチ売りじゃないけど不幸な少女" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと毒りんごが効かない白雪姫" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと長ブーツを履いたアニキな猫" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと洗濯中の天女の羽衣" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんととっても乙女な分福茶釜" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんとスピンオフ 地蔵さんとちょっと変わった日本恋話" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんとおかしな家の住人たち" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと○人間になりたいピノッキオ" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved July 11, 2010.
- ^ "オオカミさんと亮士くんとたくさんの仲間たち" (in Japanese). ASCII Media Works. Retrieved January 11, 2011.
- ^ "Okami-San and Her Seven Companions Cast Announcement". FUNimation. 2012-01-26.