Gakumon!: Ookami Shoujo wa Kujikenai

Before I begin this review, it's worth noting that I am the first to review this title on MAL. It is my belief that every anime deserves at least one proper review, deserves to have its content engaged and reckoned with. No matter how obscure it is, and no matter how long ago it was made, an anime still represents the creative passion of its creators, the hopes and dreams of the team that made it, and as such, I will give this one a fair and honest accounting here. Gakumon!: Ookami Shoujo wa Kujikenai, referred to from here on simply as Gakumon!, is an oddand surprisingly charming little ONA. For those of you who've seen the 2006 film She's the Man, this has the same type of premise- a girl has to blend in at an academy for boys, developing a close relationship with one of the most notable students there. In this case, however, it's given a stereotypical RPG fantasy coat of paint, with Shushu being a wolfgirl and befriending Juzu, the son of the demon king. It's got a good sense of humor, and the chemistry the two of them share as friends seems wholesome and also as a good source of comedy by way of contrast. The comedy and pacing is what makes the story this anime's strongest aspect, though it's still clear that this title serves primarily as an advertisement for the manga and little else. This is more clear in regards to the art, which, while having a fun visual identity and design style, is pretty lackluster in terms of its technical execution, featuring limited animation and somewhat sloppy illustration. As for the sound, while the voice work serves its purpose, there are pauses between segments of conversation which feel way too long for an anime which is otherwise pretty snappy and responsive, especially in terms of its comedy. The characters are good, though they don't have a lot of time to develop. Nonetheless, this little ONA gives you a good glimpse of them and establishes a few of them pretty well, though Shushu and Juzu are head and shoulders above everyone else in this category simply because they get the most screentime. Overall, Gakumon! is a pretty fun little ONA, but it still has some flaws that are endemic of its production type. So, while it doesn't necessarily excel in any one respect, it still has a cool little story going on, even if it's not quite perfect.