The Editorial Department Speaks! The Tear-Jerking 'Kimi to Ookami-chan ni wa Damasarenai'

There are times when you just have to speak out.
While I have a desire to share wonderful things, often the love and preciousness exceed my capacity, and I cannot keep them inside, so they overflow.
(Of course, there are wonderful people who, even if they love something, digest it within themselves without talking about it, maintaining objectivity.)

Well, I am writing this now because I cannot suppress the emotions that are about to explode. I might regret it when I look back on it later. However, I want to record these 'living emotions' of this very moment before I forget them.

The reason I have fallen into this state is that I watched the final episode of a certain work that was released on May 21st.

"Kimi to Ookami-chan ni wa Damasarenai" (Don't Be Fooled by the Bouquet and the Wolf)

This is the latest installment of the popular romance reality show 'Wolf' series distributed on Abema. Speaking of romance reality shows, a while ago there was Fuji TV's 'Ainori'. Recently, Amazon Prime's 'The Bachelor' has been a hot topic.
It is interesting just because it is a world without a script that unfolds through people's emotions, and affection grows for the participants' personalities as the episodes progress. Perhaps there are viewers who empathize by overlapping it with their own past romances. That is precisely why the moment a couple is formed is joyful, and tears fall at the moment of parting.

That said, though.
I spent six years of middle and high school in an all-girls school and spent most of my time in a laboratory at university. Honestly, there is no way I would be moved by the bittersweet romance of young men and women. I was just watching it because my favorite announcer, Ayaka Hironaka, was appearing in it. In the first place, I prefer manga, comedy, and idols over romance dramas.
That was overconfidence. I fell deep into the swamp, and in the final episode, I had the same reaction as the moderator, Natsuko Yokosawa.I cried enough to feel like this is how the Amazon River was born.

With its up-and-coming participants, the heart-pounding feeling of pure love, the date invitation LINE messages that create an uneasy atmosphere, the elimination system based on viewer voting, and the exquisite editing, this work has many charms.From the scene where the 11 people meet for the first time and introduce themselves, to the very end, it is a whirlwind of developments that you cannot take your eyes off of.

Furthermore, this work has an accent that is a little different from other romance reality shows. That is the existence of the 'Ookami-chan' (Wolf Girl).Among the men and women who have come to fall in love for real, there is at least one liar, the Ookami-chan, who does not fall in love.(In this work, the Ookami-chan was hidden among the female participants, but it seems there are also series where there is an 'Ookami-kun' (Wolf Boy) among the male participants. I will definitely watch those.)

In the final episode, there is a 'final confession' where the male members convey their feelings to the female members they are interested in, but all the female members listen to the confession while wearing wolf costumes and holding red balloons. If they accept the confession and hand over the balloon, they are officially a couple, but the Ookami-chan lets go of the balloon.
The balloon dancing in the sky is the proof of the liar, and the Ookami-chan must leave the scene, leaving only a letter behind. She cannot even directly convey the five characters 'Thank you' to the person with whom she spent such intense time.

I started watching it casually, but I enjoyed it like a mystery drama trying to figure out who the Ookami-chan was, and before I knew it, I was captivated by the pure love of each of the 11 people.
In the end,I was facing the direction of Shibuya-ku (the headquarters of AbemaTV, Inc.) and kneeling, saying, 'Please! Everyone, be happy!!!'so pure love is a terrifying thing.

Well, the introduction has become long, but
I will list three charms of 'Kimi to Ookami-chan ni wa Damasarenai' that I felt after watching until the final episode, focusing especially on the emotional aspect. I also have the urge to talk about how 'The XX x XX pair was so...!' or 'Isn't that editing unfair!? No way, seriously!', but since it wouldn't stop for three hours and would be a massive spoiler, I want to convey the charms without spoiling it.

Charm 1: The honest and precious participants
In romance reality shows, sometimes the tearing down of each other by people of the same sex is a specialty.
Watching a romance reality show while saying 'Women are scary!' or 'Men are the worst!' probably has some entertainment value as a variety show.

However, regarding the participants in this work,they are truly, truly all good kids.
That is precisely why I am moved by the story of pure love that each and every one of them weaves.

All 11 participants are stars who will lead the next generation.
And they are a collection of cute, good kids who can think of the other person's feelings more than their own. There is no tearing each other down; they confront each other with honest feelings.It's not just romance; a certain friendship was budding there.

Seeing them convey their feelings while being clumsy makes my heart flutter, and seeing them respect the other person's feelings and step back makes me feel like my heart is being torn apart. I want to make some adults drink the dirt from under their fingernails. Really.

▼ Here are the participants who are such good kids that you'll want to support them.
Nagisa Saito
Mizuki
Aimi Nagai
Chise Haruno
Kureha Nakagawa
Karin Sunazuri
Ogo Natsuo
Totaro
Ryutaro Imai
Robin
Matheus

Charm 2: The tear-jerking Bouquet Rule
Isn't the 'Bouquet Rule', which is a special rule limited to this season, the greatest charm of this work?

'When an Ookami-chan is handed a bouquet by a member when they are alone, she must not tell any lies.'

When I heard this rule, I thought, 'That's a nasty rule for the Ookami-chan.' Before the final confession, you hand a bouquet to the person you are interested in and ask, 'Are you an Ookami-chan?'
If you expose their true identity that way, you can avoid having a fruitless romance. It is a groundbreaking rule that allows participants to avoid risk, but for the Ookami-chan, it is a nasty rule where her true identity might be revealed.

However, in reality, the bouquet was not just a tool for risk avoidance. There were participants who believed in the person they liked and did not ask until the end, and there were participants who asked with a strong resolve that their feelings would not change even if they were an Ookami-chan.

And for the Wolf, it wasn't just a terrifying rule where their identity might be exposed.
This is because the Wolf does not choose to lie.
Even though they accepted the role of a liar as a job, it is impossible for their heart not to be moved while spending time surrounded by people who like and trust them. The participating members eventually became precious people to them. How painful it must have been to have to keep deceiving such precious people.
The bouquet handed over in such a painful situation, along with the question, "Are you the Wolf?"
Rather than feeling, "I've been found out, what should I do?", perhaps they felt a weight lifted off their shoulders, thinking, "I can finally tell the truth." Seeing the Wolf shaking their shoulders and shedding tears after revealing their true identity, I couldn't help but think, "I'm glad you were able to be honest."
In the loneliness of having to keep deceiving, the short moments of being able to be honest that precious people provide.
The bouquet was a warm gift sent to a lonely heroine.

Charm 3: The Perfect Insert Songs
Songs by popular artists such as IVE's "LOVE DIVE -Japanese ver.-", This is LAST's "#Joutowa", and Vaundy's "Sonna bitter na hanashi" are also part of the charm of this work.
The suspicious love patterns of the 11 members and the bitterness of youth are heightened by these wonderful songs.

Among them, the song that struck a chord with me isRena's "Usotsuki" (Liar). This song, which is said to depict a girl who puts on a brave front, has been used in the Wolf series for two consecutive seasons, including this one.
This song is captivating with Rena's clear voice and the poignancy of a girl who cannot be honest.
Listening to it again after watching the final episode, I felt it was a song made for the Wolf.

Liar, liar
I lie to my heart
I don't want you to be fooled
By my lies
I don't want you to be kind
To me

The Wolf who participated after being given the role of a liar. They may have been confused by the changes in their emotions, and in the end, they might have felt like they would collapse from guilt if they didn't also deceive their own heart. No matter how much you try to rationalize things, you cannot bind your emotions.
The lyrics "I don't want you to be fooled" and "I don't want you to be kind" felt like the prayer of the Wolf, wavering between their responsibility to their job and their surging emotions.

I usually listen to music on my way home from the nearest station, but lately, every time "Usotsuki" plays on shuffle, I cry, and people passing by look at me with pity. I feel like they are thinking, "I guess they had their heart broken, I don't know.". It's almost a conditioned reflex... I wonder if this is what they call "Pavlov's dog".

......There is still so much more I want to write, but I will end it here for now. If you are interested, please watch the work yourself and let yourself be struck by the emotional impact.

Honestly, I didn't think my emotions would be so stirred by the romance of young men and women.
The Wolf has to lie, but our emotions are usually free. If there are chains that bind our emotions, they are pride, embarrassment, and imagination in the wrong direction. In most cases, if you close your eyes and take a deep breath, you will surely be liberated.

It is better to live honestly, following your heart.
The results woven by making honest choices will surely be refreshing.

(Text by Yama)

▼ Click here for other works featuring the cute and cool participating members.