“Seton Academy: Join the Pack!” is a strange, funny, occasionally cruel comedy about a school full of anthropomorphic animals and the one human boy who can’t stand them. The anime, based on Bungo Yamashita’s manga, ran for twelve episodes on Tokyo MX, Sun TV, BS11 and KBS Kyoto from January 7 to March 24, 2020. It’s a show about a boy who hates wolves and a wolf who wants him to stop, and it doesn’t care much about making either of them sympathetic.
The premise is simple. Seton Academy is a school where humans and anthropomorphic animals live together. The females look like cute girls with animal ears and tails, while the males look like their actual species — dogs, cats, deer, wolves. Because of a falling human population, the animals now outnumber the people. Jin Mazama is a teenage boy who attends the school as one of only two human students. He hates animals, especially wolves. Ranka Ookami is a female Hokkaido wolf who dreams of forming her own pack. She picks Jin as her target, and the show spends its runtime watching the two of them fight, bond, and slowly learn to accept each other.
Trailer, via Crunchyroll.
Jin Mazama and Ranka Ookami
Jin Mazama is the main character, and he’s not a nice guy. He hates animals because they’re loud, messy, and constantly trying to get close to him. He has a crush on Hitomi Hino, the only other human student, and he’s deeply uncomfortable around Ranka, who won’t leave him alone. His hatred is the engine of the show’s early jokes. He throws things at her, walks away from her, and generally acts like she’s a pest.
Ranka Ookami is the opposite. She’s a wolf, and she wants a pack. She sees Jin as a potential mate and a partner in crime. She licks his face, follows him everywhere, and refuses to take no for an answer. Her approach is relentless, and the show leans into that energy for most of its run. She’s the reason the show works, even when the writing stumbles.
“Species shmecies! If we’ve shared face-licks, you’re a friend to me! Welcome to the pack!”
The Supporting Cast
The rest of the school is a mix of characters who exist mostly to push Jin and Ranka toward each other. Hitomi Hino is the other human student, and she’s a quiet, gentle presence who Jin likes in a way he can’t admit. Yukari Komori is a deer who’s Ranka’s best friend and a constant thorn in Jin’s side. Miyubi Shisho is a rabbit who’s obsessed with Ranka and tries to steal her attention. Kurumi Nekomai is a cat who’s jealous of everyone and everything. Chroe Mashima is a fox who’s Ranka’s rival. Gigasu Terano-sensei is the teacher who’s constantly trying to break up fights. These characters fill out the world, but they don’t get the same depth as Jin and Ranka.
The male animal characters are mostly background noise, voiced by Kenjiro Tsuda, who gives them a gruff, angry energy. They resent Jin for being human and for Ranka’s attention, and they spend most of their screentime complaining about both. They’re not meant to be memorable, and they aren’t.
The Voice Cast
The voice acting is solid across the board. Hina Kino plays Ranka as a mix of sweetness and steel, which is exactly what the character needs. Haruki Ishiya plays Jin as a stiff, uncomfortable teenager, which fits his character perfectly. Yume Miyamoto and Misaki Kuno bring warmth to Hitomi and Yukari, while Konomi Kohara and Sora Tokui play Miyubi and Kurumi with the kind of energy that sells the show’s premise. Yoshino Aoyama plays Chroe as a sneering rival, and Tomokazu Sugita plays King Shishino as a calm, commanding figure. Tessyo Genda’s Gigasu Terano-sensei is a comic presence, and Ayane Sakura voices Manako Kagami with a soft, gentle touch.
Yu Serizawa voices Meimei, a small character who gets one standout scene. The show is at its best when it lets the actors play off each other, and the chemistry between Kino and Ishiya is the reason the central relationship works.
The Animation and Music
The animation is clean and functional. It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. The show uses its budget to draw expressive faces and clear action, and that’s enough. The character designs are consistent with the manga, with the females looking cute and the males looking animalistic. The backgrounds are bright and colorful, and the school grounds are easy to read.
The show also uses its visuals to reinforce its themes. When Jin and Ranka are together, the screen fills with warm colors and soft lighting. When they’re fighting, the colors turn cold and the lines sharpen. It’s a simple trick, but it works.
The music is a mix of energetic pop songs and gentle piano pieces. It’s serviceable, but it doesn’t stick in the memory. The opening theme is catchy, and the ending theme is pleasant, but neither of them defines the show. The show’s identity comes from its writing and its premise, not from its score.
What Works
The show is at its best when it commits fully to its premise. When Ranka licks Jin’s face, when she drags him through the grass, when she forces him to join her pack, the show becomes a pure comedy of manners. The jokes land because the stakes are real for the characters, even if they’re not for the audience. The show also has a sharp eye for the absurdity of its world. Animals of different species competing for resources in a school setting is a rich vein of humor, and the show mines it well.
The show’s weakest moments come when it tries to be serious. The middle episodes lean heavily on Ranka’s past and Jin’s feelings for Hitomi, and the writing strains under the weight of explaining why these two people need to resolve their issues. The show’s premise is built on friction, and when it stops generating friction, it loses momentum.
The Problems
The show’s biggest problem is pacing. The first few episodes are fast and funny, but the middle episodes slow down dramatically. The show spends too much time on Ranka’s backstory and Jin’s feelings for Hitomi, and the result is a stretch of episodes that feel like filler. The show also struggles with its tone. It wants to be a comedy, but it keeps dipping into drama, and the shift between the two modes is jarring. The show can’t decide whether it wants to be a laugh or a tearjerker, and that indecision shows.
The show also has a problem with its handling of violence. There are several scenes where animals attack each other over food or territory, and the show treats these scenes as jokes rather than as consequences. The show’s world is built on a struggle for survival, but the show never lets that struggle feel real. The violence is abstract, and the stakes are low. This is a show about a boy and a wolf, and it’s willing to hurt them both, but it’s never willing to let the hurt matter.
The Verdict
“Seton Academy: Join the Pack!” is a flawed but entertaining show. It commits fully to its premise and delivers laughs when it needs to. The voice acting is strong, the animation is clean, and the writing is clever. But the show’s middle stretch drags, and its handling of violence feels hollow. It’s a show that knows what it wants to be, even when it doesn’t quite deliver on that promise.
The show is worth watching for its premise alone, and for the performances of its leads. But it’s not a show that rewards repeat viewing, and it’s not a show that earns its emotional beats. It’s a fun ride, and then it ends.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | January 7 |
| 2 | January 14 |
| 3 | January 21 |
| 4 | January 28 |
| 5 | February 4 |
| 6 | February 11 |
| 7 | February 18 |
| 8 | February 25 |
| 9 | March 3 |
| 10 | March 10 |
| 11 | March 17 |
| 12 | March 24 |
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