Ookami Kakushi - Episode 6

Following Issei's "disappearance" last episode, it seems that recent goings-on have unearthed a certain amount of panic in the midst of certain factions - Coupled with a poor Hassaku harvest due to the hot weather, demands are growing for even greater action to be taken against whatever ills are ailing the town. It appears that there's one individual at the centre of much of the perceived problems, and I get the feeling we can all guess who that is...

Meanwhile, Isuzu is understandably struggling to come to terms with the loss of her brother while trying to keep up her usual sunny exterior, and her inner turmoil also appears to be bubbling up from beneath the surface when it comes to her feelings for Hiro... and we all know what happens when feelings of affection become a little overbearing in this series.


So it goes that Isuzu ends up going a little bonkers as she declares her undying love for Hiro, a state of affairs which leads to her facing off against Nemuru in a rather impressive little physical battle that ramps up some further clues as to exactly what is going on in this town, although plenty of questions still remain - Not least with the town doctor, the medication he's been dishing out and his own part in proceedings.

I get the feeling that by this point most of you will have well and truly decided whether you love or hate Ookami Kakushi, as it's certainly well and truly set out its stall when it comes to very slowly revealing its many mysteries while traversing a path that already feels rather well worn by the likes of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. Indeed, the crazed Isuzu we see this episode could easily have been Rena from that series without too much of a stretch; an odd juxtaposition of love so great it almost turns to hatred.

To be fair the deeper mysteries of this show are, once again, keeping me watching, but beyond that I have to confess that Ookami Kakushi is starting to look pretty run-of-the-mill in many ways - It doesn't have anything in particular that you can really get excited about, so if the secrets of Jouga haven't grabbed you then nothing else about the series will. Then again, those unravelling mysteries are kind of the point, so perhaps you could argue it's simply delivering exactly what it always intended to.

Finally, perhaps the biggest mystery of all this week should perhaps be the following - How did Hiro's bleeding arm manage to heal itself, and his bloodied shirt clean itself, within mere moments during this episode? Perhaps official Ookami Kakushi washing powder is just around the corner in terms of series merchandise...