Wolf Guy…what a strange beast it is. I find myself captivated by it in spite of its glaring, myriad flaws.

The series is shameless in its gratuity--almost pornographic, really. The author can't go one volume without showing Ms. Aoshika’s tits, or attempted rape, or someone jizzing themselves. Likewise with the violence; there's a masochistic undertone to the beatings Inugami takes, seeing how pointlessly brutal they are.

Clearly, this is a Seinen suffering from Sekirei Syndrome--there are several more mature series done far more tastefully. A lot of the graphic elements feel tacked on for little more than shock value.

None of the characters are particularly original or appealing. Some are interesting—Haguro and his slutty girlfriend come to mind—but only for being so over-the-top and unrelatable. Inugami himself is an unlikeably pompous bastard; Ms. Aoshika’s only interesting traits are A) her massive tits, B) getting raped when she was younger, and C) her pedophilic, fanservicey lust for Inugami.

The plot feints in potentially interesting directions…but it’s usually centered around Inugami being a jerkass, getting knocked around, turning into a wolf, and pretending he doesn’t want to fuck his teacher. The author tries mightily to make him seem relatable, but it’s all stuff we’ve seen before (“He was born under an unlucky star! He’s scared of trusting people! He’s an alienated youth in a non-traditional family setting!”).

And yet.

Given all that, of the half-dozen non-Jump series I’m reading, it’s the only manga I’ve marathoned and caught up with. Vinland Saga, in contrast, was vastly superior right out of the gate, and I’m still content reading a chapter a day. Why is that?

The incredible artwork, for one thing. It’s a damn shame the artist is being wasted on such a crappy story—there are several stunning moments throughout the work. One can only imagine the things they could do with a more capable partner.

But beyond that, it’s basically popcorn. For all the story’s flaws and preachy pretentiousness, it’s fun to just sort of breeze through it with your brain turned off and enjoy the ride.

Thus, while every instinct tells me to say otherwise, I can’t give this any less than a 7.5.