Play Diary: Okami 1

The title sequence uses closed captions with a pretend spoken language voiceover. The first thing that strikes me is that visually impaired are disadvantaged here. Real spoken language would have let them hear the story (but increased localisation time).

+ To start the story
Why do I get a 'continue' option when I haven't started yet?
After a while of trying to load it complains that there are no available saved games.
"Return to title screen without loading?"
I say 'no' (which is the default action), but then it just tries to load the (absent) saved game again.

The game starts, a new title sequence shows but pauses after each subtitle with a downward facing arrow. I press the down arrow on the Wiimote but nothing happens. It wants me to press A.

It's a bit annoying that I have to press the A button after every 6-12 words or so. I wonder if it'd be better to let this run an automatic cutscene, but provide rewind / forward controls like when you watch a real movie.

Not sure I really understand the back-story:
Kamiki is cursed by a monster, Orochi, to whom a villager is sacrified every year.
Nagi goes instead of his love, Nami. He fights Orochi but just as he's about to die the wolf Shiranui turns up and fights the beast, creates a tree, and blesses his sword. Nagi kills the monster but Shiranui dies.
Villages erect a statue to Shinarui and put Nagis sword in a cave.
Later someone finds the sword, which unleashes Orochi again.
Tree spirit Sakuya asks (female) Okami Amaterasu to fix the world.
Wandering artist / bug Issun has a sword called Denkomaru.
Villagers spirits inside the fruit of Sakuya's tree must be released.
We come to realise that Amaterasu is Shiranui reborn

Sometimes you can speed up the display of subtitles by holding the A button, but not always. For example, talking to Yomigami for the first time. But when Issun speaks immediately afterwards I'm able to speed up the display of his subtitles.

Cutting the fruit: I tried my celestial brush several times but couldn't get it to drop and had no idea why. Randomly I managed to get it to work - perhaps it was because I was slightly closer, or did a slightly better line? No feedback why this technique was better than the others I tried.
Drawing the sun - I tried to do a filled-in sun, but eventually I did just a circle and that's what seemed to be required.

Throughout all of this early stage I feel a little patronised. I'm basically on rails having to try out all my new skills without any real context - these tasks exist purely to make sure that I know how to perform them. It feels too obvious. I'd prefer to test my skills on my own terms, in pursuit of tasks that I'm personally involved in through choice, not ones that I'm obliged to do because I'm on rails. And I've spent quite a long time doing this now (1:30hrs)!

Kind of bored with it all now. The story's nice but the game's not engaging me. I feel no personal motivation to continue. I feel like I have to do what the game wants me to do, which is a bit tedious and not what I like about games.
Quitting.