Watashi no Ookami-kun

A treat for all the Fruits Basket fans out there!

I absolutely love Fruits Basket, and for those of you who have been with me since the beginning will know this from one of my very first (and very dull) reviews I posted back when the blog was called Only Animanga. But times have changed, and I hope my posts have changed for the better and are keeping you guys interested and awake while reading them.

I digress.

So, Watashi no Ookami-kun. I came across this when I went to Forbidden Planet in London and was checking out what manga they have (and wow do they have a big manga collection!). The synopsis did mention that this is a manga for fans of Fruits Basket, and it didn't lie. I really enjoyed it.

It's a very short series though, only four volumes long I believe. Now I like stories of different lengths so I'm not fussed about this because you do find hidden gems in the short series of manga and anime out there, and this is one of them.

Watashi no Ookami-kun stars Kusunoki Komugi, a high-school girl who moves in with her father and starts a fresh life as a high-school student in another school. There she meets Ookami Yuu, a boy who takes a sudden interest in her because of her scent. This may ring bells and you'll probably be thinking "oh no it's another Twilight". Yes it does seem like that at first, but trust me when I say it's nothing like that after a chapter or so. And by a chapter or so I mean that Yuu is a strange fella; he's good looking and popular, but keeps his distance at the same time. He's not the only one either; there are three more boys just like Yuu in that they're popular and good looking but keep their distance. And that's all the similarity there is.

Things gets more Fruits Basket-y from here, because one day Komugi realises that Yuu and his friends are like this because they turn into animals, with Yuu being the one who turns into a wolf. There's a story behind it too, but it's different to the Sohma Family curse in Fruits Basket. This one has something to do with the animals having some sort of stronger spiritual power within them which gives them the ability to turn into and live among humans peacefully. Once she discovers their secret, Komugi must keep this to herself otherwise Yuu and co will erase her memories of them.

As a result, Komugi becomes friends with Yuu and like one of his friends who is quite adorable, while one of the other ones sort of hates Komugi and the other appears but doesn't do much. They are a lovable bunch, and of course since this is a manga, romance blossoms between Komugi and Yuu. It is a really cute romance too; it's not over the top or neglected in any way throughout. It's balanced well and adds to part of the story in a way as you learn more about Yuu and friends. There are some obstacles that come in their way, but they're added in at just the right times and don't drag out which is something I like about this.

The story overall is well-balanced and no part is given more attention than the other. This works with the series being a short one, but I would have liked it to have continued for about two or three volumes more. It leaves you wondering how Komugi, Yuu and friends carry on after the ending, and although there was a glimpse of past Yuu and co, I would have liked a bit more of the past. Like, there is another character connected to Yuu and his friends, but you don't see much of him around. He kind of reminds me of Shigure with a bit of Akito, and I'm sure those of you familiar with Fruits Basket will know what I mean by that when you've read this.

Overall I highly recommend Watashi no Ookami-kun if you want a short but sweet manga with some interesting characters and a good story. It definitely has Fruits Basket vibes to it, but it is different from Fruits Basket in its own way. That's something I like a lot about this series, and it's a shame it's a very short one. But it is definitely re-read worthy.

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