ookami kakushi episode 8

Sorry I’m late. I was away on the weekend and when I got back, I badly cut my pinkie finger. So if I make any typos, blame the carrot that slipped.

But on to more important things: Who is Kaori? And what does her taking the Hunter mask mean? And is it really necessary to wear it in broad daylight, parading for half the afternoon with a group of seniors dressed in white?

No real synopsis because I figure if you’re reading this you’ve probably already watched the episode and have either followed the series thus far or have caught yourself up.

I’m surprised to see Kasai-san – or Mr Hawk, as RP calls him – questioning someone with as much authority as Nemuru. And during a town meeting, no less. I guess he does this confidently only because she’s been reprimanded by her father – Kushinada Juuzou – for her soft actions toward Isuzu, Kaname, and now Hiroshi. Kasai had a mask which leads me to think that he’s a part of the Hunting Pack. He was also leading a small mob of others, wielding sticks to capture the Temptation. What I don’t get is why the Hunters went to capture Hiroshi when Kasai had explicitly said that he had hired an expert to deal with him, and that way, they weren’t breaking any rules by handling any human Fallen. Unless I’m mistakenly assuming that Hiroshi is the Temptation, or that perhaps there is more than one Temptation to deal with and Hiroshi is the only one who they had to hire someone to detain him.

Speaking of the so-called expert, I lost a lot of respect for Sakaki when he was fighting Nemuru in the construction site. Sure he was up against a non-human, but he knew that and he seemed little prepared for it. I suppose what counts is that he knew exactly what to say to lure Nemuru there, and now he’s one step closer to his revenge. Poor Doctor Kushinada though seems so desperate he’s even going as far as putting sensitive information into Sakaki’s hands – and we all know he’s not exactly trustworthy when it comes to the Jouga Wolves and the people of that town; not when he’s got one thing, and one thing only in mind. Way to use Hiroshi to his own advantage though. Hiroshi’s such a tool it gives me chest pains.

Something this episode made me realize about Hiroshi is that despite being the protagonist, he’s very passive. Very seldom does he do anything on his own; he’s almost always moved by the other characters around him (aside from the phone call he made to Sakaki, which Sakaki said himself, was unexpected). In this episode in particular, though, I felt that Hiroshi wasn’t the main focus though he was of central importance, and we got to see a lot more of Nemuru, Sakaki, and Kasai. It’s interesting to see all the different groups laid out, and though we don’t understand their purposes, we can see how some of them don’t have the same methods of reaching what may be the same goal (the preservation of the Jouga kind), and thus working against each other. Nemuru’s really out on her own now that she’s defied her father who clearly has the most authority over the Wolves.

Now Kaori. I can’t even wrap my mind around what might possibly be going on with her. She’s accepted a Hunter mask and had even anticipated the moment she would be approached by Doctor Kushinada for whatever reason he showed up for. She’s also referred to as the Lady White Wolf – which had been mentioned in an earlier episode but I’m too lazy to search what exactly had been said or in what context it was said. At that time, I remember thinking that the White Wolf was Nemuru though, since her hair changes white and she has a white tail in her hunting form. Could it be that Kaori is the replacement for Nemuru now that she’s been relieved of her Hunting duties? If Nemuru succumbs to the temptation that is Hiroshi, will Kaori show up to deal her punishment?

I know it’s not ideal to end with questions and speculation, but hey, that’s all I’ve got.

Oh: And I’ve updated the Counting Rhyme.