Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen is and adaptation of the manga and a prequel to the series Utawarerumono which aired in 2006. I haven't really read the manga itself or watched the prequel, so I'm just going to share my own opinion about my experience in watching this series.
This series started airing last Fall Season 2015 (October) and it has 25 episodes in total. The reason why I put this on my watch-list back then was mainly because of the art style, it caught my attention to detail which it really delivered up until the last episode. Never have I encountered or seen an episode wherein the characters were lazily drawn (it shows) or the story was getting boring. At first I thought that I wouldn't understand the plot because it was a prequel to the first series but surprisingly, it isn't that much connected or rather you can watch the series by itself without the need to really watch the first series.
This series started airing last Fall Season 2015 (October) and it has 25 episodes in total. The reason why I put this on my watch-list back then was mainly because of the art style, it caught my attention to detail which it really delivered up until the last episode. Never have I encountered or seen an episode wherein the characters were lazily drawn (it shows) or the story was getting boring. At first I thought that I wouldn't understand the plot because it was a prequel to the first series but surprisingly, it isn't that much connected or rather you can watch the series by itself without the need to really watch the first series.
I'm not going to tell you the whole story because you can easily look that up on wikipedia or something and it's a 25 episode-long story so yeah, it's gonna be a long one. But here's the main thing I can tell you: Haku (the main protagonist) was found by Kuon in the middle of nowhere. He doesn't remember anything, not even his name, so when Kuon found him she tried to help him and acted as his guardian. Kuon was the one who gave Haku his name. From that moment, Kuon tried her best to teach Haku everything he needed to know in the world he doesn't even remember.
Now, on to what I can say about the series as a whole. It was very very interesting. Interesting because you never know what's about to happen in the next episode that followed. (not unless you watch the previews at the end of each episode) Also, this series is very exciting. The setting is like an old Japanese empire (well, I think it is because the land was called Yamato) but there's also a secret there.
I'm not going to tell you guys any secret or suprises that I've encountered with this series and instead, I'm just going to tell you my impression of the last episode, how it was delivered and how good the ending was for me. Note: If you haven't watched the series then you might not understand what I'm saying but for those that have watched it, then read on.
I'm not going to tell you guys any secret or suprises that I've encountered with this series and instead, I'm just going to tell you my impression of the last episode, how it was delivered and how good the ending was for me. Note: If you haven't watched the series then you might not understand what I'm saying but for those that have watched it, then read on.
So, prior to the last episode, Oshutoru was having a battle with Vurai and fortunately, Oshutoro won but paid a price (his life). Oshutoru died in the last episode after he won the battle with Vurai, but Haku's comrades did not know of this because they fled to a safe place (Ennakamui) along with the sick princess of Yamato. It was only Haku and Oshutoru's sister Nekone who were there when Oshutoru died.
With the current situation of Yamato, Haku decided to carry on Oshutoru's will of saving the princess and saving Yamato. He thought of a plan where it would change his life forever, and that was to disguise himself, and act like Oshutoru, or rather, BE Oshutoru himself so that he could lead and act to save both the princess and Yamato. This means abandoning his past life as Haku. When Haku (disguised as Oshutoru) and Nekone went to Ennakamui they told everyone that Haku was dead. Kuon, didn't want to accept it at first and thought that it was a joke but when Oshutoru said to Kuon that Haku was really dead, she was speechless. After that, Kuon left Ennakamui and travelled elsewhere, being depressed (as I see it) by Haku's death.
Haku had thoughts of telling Kuon that he was alive and that he's just disguised as Oshutoru but that would make his plan of saving Yamato a little harder to execute because if people knew about Oshutoru's death then there won't be any chance of saving Yamato at all. He knew about this and so he just simply "killed" himself and abandon his relationships with his friends and focused on the bigger and more imporant matter.
So.... what did I tell you? It's really interesting isn't it? XD It's very long too, I've only explain the last episode but look at what I've written already. XD If you find this series interesting as well, and you like mysteries, then this is surely a must-watch for you guys! You don't really need to watch the prequel to understand the whole plot of the story because the series speaks for itself. There isn't an episode where you need reference to the first series. So yeah, I highly suggest this series! I'm sure you'll get hooked from episode 1 until the last! :D