Fall Anime Review: Wolf Girl and Black Prince

My review of the fall's anime continues with Wolf Girl and Black Prince.

Wolf Girl and Black Prince (Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji)

Wolf Girl and Black Prince (Ookami Shoujo to Kuro Ouji), or Ookami Shoujo for short, follows high school student Erika Shinohara, who lies to her friends about her romantic exploits. To "prove" that she is telling the truth, Erika shows her friends a picture of a guy that she saw on the street. Unfortunately for Erika, it turns out that the seemingly random guy is Sata Kyouya, the "Prince" of the school. To prevent her friends from knowing the truth, Erika makes a deal with Sata to act as her fake boyfriend, except there is a catch; she must be his dog of sorts and do whatever she says when others are not around.

Compared to the other shoujo anime that I have seen, Ookami Shoujo is a bit unique. Usually, most of a romantic comedy is about the girl eventually determining that she likes the guy, and while the buildup ranges from well done to annoying, that is the usual structure. Ookami Shoujo is a bit different since the characters are already bound in a fake relationship, so a lot of the "getting together" part is bypassed. Of course, the first half of the series is about Erika eventually deciding that she likes Sata and that she desires a real relationship, but the humor makes it entertaining.

Ookami Shoujo's biggest problem lies in how it can be frustrating at times. Sata is a jerk, and yet Erika keeps trying to pursue him, even if Sata shows no interest in her for a long time. At times, you begin to question why Erika continues to put herself through being turned down, but after about two or three episodes that plotline is resolved, and the series corrects itself and becomes more entertaining.
Towards the later part of the series, there is an arc featuring Nozomi Kamiya, a fellow classmate, who is a ladies’ man, in that he always has a group of girls that follow him around without committing to a relationship. What he is shown to do is nothing dark or explicit, but his interaction and arc involving Sata feature interesting themes and strong development for both characters.
TYO Animations' work on the series is quite strong throughout. The designs are a little less out of portion compared to this year's Ao Haru Ride, which was also a well made shoujo romance, and the general aesthetic is appealing.
The romance's conclusion is relatively satisfying, especially in the sense that it goes further than the average shoujo series, and the comedy is generally funnier than average as well. Overall, Wolf Girl and Black Prince is a fun watch that fans of the genre should enjoy. However, having not seen all that many shoujo series, it may be very clichéd, so be aware of that.

Watch if you like: Shoujo romantic comedies, Romance, 

*7.5/10*

More Fall Anime Reviews:
Fall Anime Review: Part 1
The Fruit of Grisaia
In Search of the Lost Future
Terra Formars
Yuki Yuna is a Hero

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