Wakaranai

Here’s another very recent announcement that anyone with a vested stake in the otaku fandom will be keeping a close eye on. Announced nearly alongside the release of its source, a PSP game, Ookami Kakushi is a promising upcoming anime with involvement from some of today’s creative heavyweights in the otaku realm: the story and concept was penned by the prolific Ryukishi07 (the man behind gory/moe Higurashi and its spiritual successor, Umineko), while the designs are contributed by the lovable Peach Pit (whose distinctive, shoujo-style designs can be seen in their manga, Rozen Maiden and Shugo Chara). Even before reading further, this combo was enough to perk my interest and fling the series into my must-see-when-it-comes-out list. Ryukishi07’s storytelling abilities are impressive. Even if I’ve been a bit disappointed with Umineko as of late, his penchant for stories with grand scope and complexity is admirable. Peach Pit’s designs have always grabbed me. The Rozen Maidens have become iconic and my personal love for Amu’s design in Shugo Chara knows no bounds. So this could really be a great match-up. The premise already sounds intruiging:

A 16 year old boy, Hiroshi Kuzumi, started to live in a new town that is located in the mountains. The town is separated into new and old streets by the river, and many mysterious local cultures still remain. Although confused and enjoying his new life, one person kept her distance from him: class committee member Kushinada Nemura. In their few encounters she gave him a word of advice: “Stay away from the old streets”

It sounds a bit like Higurashi, especially when you check the time it’s set, Showa 58, the same timeframe as Higurashi. But there’s already a strong hint of a fresh mystery lurking in that plot synopsis. Is it too much to ask for that the game, or at least the anime doesn’t again do a short-arc loop style of story? That will be tiresome after two series of it already. At least the new character designers will bring something new to the table. Now here’s a chance for some real moe bishoujo characters to come out! Here’re the designs for the game (I suspect they will look better in anime form too):

source

I’m really looking forward to seeing this and even to hearing new information on it. In the mean-time, kirapika has compounded all the available information on the game, including the game opening and trailers. My sole worry is that it being done justice in anime form hinges on whether studio DEEN are graced with the production role of this series following the tradition of Higurashi and Umineko. In other words, I hope a better studio gets the title. Studio DEEN have just managed to pull off Higurashi (despite a number of instances of glaring QUALITY), but there is some pretty broad room for improvement in the adaptations of Umineko and Higurashi.