Utawarerumono

Utawarerumono (arbitrarily translated as Not Quite Human, The One Being Sung, or more elegantly as A Song Given Voice) is originally a turned-based strategy H-game from Leaf/Aquaplus, the same people who gave us the To Heart series. It's not remotely a dating sim though; instead you have an oriental fantasy setting with (presumably) epic RPG-style plot. And human characters with furry ears and tails. Ahem.



Our amnesiac hero wakes up in the care of Eruruu, an apprentice physician dog-girl who will join the party as the primary healer. Apparently he was found gravely injured in the woods, and with an unremovable mask covering half his face. Soon he is introduced to the rest of the family -- Tsukuru, who is Eruruu's grandmother as well as the village elder, and Aruruu, the younger sister who takes quite some time to warm up to him. Keeping up with general convention, Eruruu's parents are long dead.

The first episode centers on our as yet nameless hero settling into the village, meeting new acquaintances such as Teoru and his wife Sopoku. It also features Eruruu being generally cute (especially with reaction to scandalous tail stroking scene). Trouble is brewing on the horizon, however -- the village receives wounded soldiers from time to time, as there is an ongoing war. Things take a rapid downturn with the arrival of Nuwangi, Eruruu's childhood friend turned obnoxious representative of the oppressive local government who rides into the village with his guard entourage to announce an increase in taxes. He makes a move on Eruruu only to be cockblocked by our hero. Drama!





Nuwangi then nurses his wounded pride by demolishing the village shrine for Mutikapa, the local tiger deity, which invokes its fearsome wrath. Our hero's exploits in this crisis are revealed in the second episode, which further establishes his place in the community and hints towards an emerging leadership role. By this time Aruruu has completely warmed up to him, and Tsukuru finally gives him a name, one which Eruruu is all too familiar with. The party also gains a tiger cub, the offspring of Mutikapa which Aruruu names Mukuru.



The rebel militia is introduced in episode three, in particular Oboro, the dual-knife-wielding ninja featured in the opening sequence, and his frail and sickly sister Yuzuha. Tsukuru has some dealings with them, and our hero eventually becomes party to this. The village once again receives a visit from Nuwangi, who this time around brings along his father Lord Sasante. An altercation happens, which leads to tragic consequences. The village population, along with the rebel militia, exact their revenge in episode four, and from then on they have passed the point of no return.



The first few episodes are a set up for an all-out war campaign, and there's still the mystery of our hero to unravel. Each episode is well paced and directed such that it leaves you looking forward for more. The art, although certainly not as high-budget as shows like Haruhi Suzumiya, is still pretty decent, with detailed backgrounds and consistent style. They've evidently poured some money into the CG, since the fire and spark effects in this show is the best I've seen in anime so far. The background music is a good fit, preserving the epic adventure feel without being extravagant, and with a hint of ethnic instrumentation. Cast interaction is a plus as well, and this shows as the various members of our RPG party start coming together. This series will be running for 26 episodes, so there's much more to come.

Opening theme: Musouka by Suara. One of the best theme songs of the season, I could loop this without getting tired.
Ending theme: Madoromi no Rinne by Eri Kawai. This reminds me of the theme from Haibane Renmei; mystical and enchanting.

Right now #yesy is the group that's ahead in regards to fansubbing this series; their subs are legible, well proofed and reasonably accurate, so I'd recommend going with their releases.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

OH MAN I WAS EXPECTING 30 FRAMES DEDICATED TO OBORO TWIRLING HIS SWORD THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANTED

Get over it. Or watch the preview for episode 5.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

This thread died pretty quickly

All episodes have been released now (#yesy is up to 22, while #your-mom covers the remaining 4). I didn't expect the series to suddenly turn into Escaflowne, then Scrapped Princess, but overall it was a satisfying (if rather gloomy) ending.

YUZUHAAAAAAAAAAAAA

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Yeah, YM's subs were worth it.

The background music and songs in the show have been excellent, particularly the final ending theme which was used almost in its full-length entirety for episode 26. I was expecting it to be released on the TV soundtrack (which comes out on 10/25, link here), but it's actually been out for a few days on Suara's 2nd album. I've ripped it from a lossless source to mp3. It's got to be one of the best anime songs of this year, eliciting rave reviews such as:

[14:04:56] <CHz> Man, this ED theme is EPIC.
[14:06:23] <Tails> Blah this is awesome

Here it is!
Utawarerumono final ED - kimi ga tame

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

In the game,

Spoiler:

Hakuoro fathers a child with Yuzuha and she dies after giving birth (the baby is left with Oboro).

As for Hakuoro,

Spoiler:

The anime ending is extremely similar to the game ending, where it is strongly hinted that Hakuoro indeed returns (notice Kuuya, Aruruu, Kamyu and Eruruu turning around after noticing something/someone).

I was speaking idiomatically.