Utawarerumono

Alternate Titles: The One Being Sung

Original Japanese Release Date: 2006

Episode Length/Run-time: 26 Episodes

Summary:

Eruruu finds an injured man in the forest near her village.  She brings him back and her grandmother,  the local healer, nurses him back to health.  He has no memories of his past and is given the name Hakuoro.  He is kind spirited and helps those in need and saves the village from a wrathful deity.  Upon which he is appointed the village leader and despite his peaceful wishes fate has a different plan for him.

Review:

If this anime was 13 episodes and they just cut it off halfway through it likely would’ve gotten a much better score.

In many ways this anime is basically a harem, but since the majority of the characters admire (I think) more than love Hakuoro it makes the harem more bearable.  The only (obvious) character who is in love with him is Eruruu and honestly their relationship is quite cute.

The anime has a fantasy flare, somewhere between olden Europe and Japan.  There are catgirls, wing girls, twins, wolf type girls, something for everyone.  The story is simple but nicely executed in a way that is enjoyable for most viewers.  It covers the basics: humor, action, romance, light-hearted fluff.  But it doesn’t go too far into any one of those.

The problem comes in the form of the last 6 episodes.  Halfway through you’re kind of wondering where the series is going, and just when you think you’ve figured it out… BAM! You’re slapped upside the face, dunked in water, and hung up to dry and just when you think you’ve figured out what they’re doing, they decide to blindfold you, drag you behind a car, drop you somewhere, naked, and end the series.  That’s the ending to Utawarerumono and that’s the main thing that brings it down.

[starrater]