Ame & Yuki - Die Wolfskinder

As part of Madman Entertainment's Reel Anime Festival that now come very two years since 2008. Its aim is to showcase some of the freshest and new Anime films that have been recently released in Japan to the rest for Australian and New Zealand for a limited time only. I managed to catch two films during its run; Berserk: Egg of the King and Wolf Children. I can only hope I see the other two From Poppy on a Hill and Children Who Chase Lost Voices when they come out on DVD.

Here's my review of Wolf Children: Mamoru Hosada could be one anime Director who could rival the international reputation of his former employers; Studio Ghibli.

"Wolf Children" is his third feature after the successes of "The Girl Who Leaped Through Time" and "Summer Wars".

The Stoy follows Hana; a young University Student who falls in love with a strange young man. It soon turns out he's a mysterious Half-Wolf-Half-Man descendant. Things start to take a more drastic turn when He dies leaving Hana alone to raise her two Children they bore.

The rest of the film follows the children as they grow up and how Hana manages to raise them and deal with their gift, habits, situations and morals.

The central action takes place in their new country home surrounded by wilderness and their interactions with the town folks and wild life.

Like Hosada's previous works, this film has fantastic and unique character designs; that aim more to realism and art-house scene than traditional anime designs.

The story is very heartwarming and cute as time goes on, there are some dark parts that become very heart wrenching. There's some very distinctive Ghibli influence in this piece of work, But I'm glad Hosada takes to his own territory.

To some viewers it maybe a little too long running at almost at 2 hours. But overall its a superb anime film even if your familiar with Hosada's other films or not Wolf Children is great and must be seen, I highly recommended it for a heartwarming journey of endurance, love, coming of age and prosperity.

If you'd ever need to know why 2D animation is still relevant, or why the slew of 3D animated films can't seem to dent and push the former out of fashion, then perhaps Wolf Children encapsulates all the reasons why this is so. There's a lack of charm with the very clinical approach to animated films, especially with loads of images created digitally, and now for the 3D format, and this charm is always ever present in the traditional art form for the big screen. And don't forget that story remains king.

Director Mamoru Hosoda continues on his roll with a brand of animated films that are extremely well received, because not only are they drawn to perfection in anime style, but also his films touches the emotional core on humanity, and this will inevitably move you with his style and delivery of such strong stories, whether written by someone else, as a film adaptation of novels such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, or like in Summer Wars and Wolf Children, stem from his own imagination. And what a fantastic reservoir of imagination he's tapping from as well, either telling stories with relevance to a digital age, or as in this case, a fairy tale like allure that is deceptively simple, yet concealing a very strong ode to motherhood.

Yes that's right. For the most parts throughout this film, I thought it also resembled Yoji Yamada's Kabei: Our Mother, in the sense that this film takes on story proportions centered around a mother's unconditional love for her children, and the continuous strive to make ends meet and bring up her children to the best of her ability, inculcating a value system into her young ones. And the episodes the mothers encounter strengthen their resolve and determination, just goes to show the lengths they will go to in ensuring proper upbringing filled with love, care and concern. This simple narrative will undoubtedly move, only if it's done right, which Wolf Children did, complete with a fantastical element which provides a refreshing examination looking in, with a little bit of grotesque morbidity if one cannot look away from.

I dislike to use this analogy, but perhaps it may strike an immediate chord with the current generation. Twilight has progressed and shown the decision Bella made to be with Edward, and in some ways, Wolf Children is like a what if to that scenario had she decided to be with Jacob. Hana (voiced by Aoi Miyazaki) meets up with a tall, handsome stranger in class (Takao Osawa), and before you can say Twilight, they fall in love, and it is revealed that her lover is a Wolfman. Undeterred, they begin a family, and soon Hana gives birth to the titular daughter Yuki and son Ame, before tragedy strikes and the family becomes a dysfunctional one without a father figure.

Fearing that her children may be discovered to be wolf-human hybrids, with a number of scenes showing the challenges she faces such as their tantrums and uncontrollable changes, or the dilemma faced when they fall sick, she decides to uproot and move into the countryside, where life is simpler, neighbours are far away from one another, and there is room to, well, let her young ones roam in the vast grasslands and mountain sides. A new life beckons, and the film begins its homage to all moms having to struggle to bring up their children in unfamiliar surroundings, with little assistance, and plenty of inexperience.

As a storyteller, Mamoru Hosoda excelled in character development, as we journey together with Hana in her upbringing, with the children endearing themselves to you in double quick time. They are adorably designed, drawn and brought to life, whether in their human form, or in animal form. We identify with everyone easily because of the inherent humanity Hosoda gives them, whether or not we are already a mom, or reflect that onto the challenges faced by our own mom's upbringing of ourselves. And both Yuki and Ame, besides their gender, have very contrasting qualities, from young to their teens, a tale told to just about the time where teenage rebellion and the need to forge their own independence take centerstage.

There are plenty of episodes in Wolf Children that covers a spectrum of emotions, from comedy to those that will set heaviness in your heart. The innocence of the children will not get lost on you, and in fact will rub off you, while the pains of growing up will also touch a raw nerve, as Hosoda clearly knows which moments in one's teenage life to translate his story for the screen, bringing relevance the forgetting that the children were in fact more than meets the eye. And the animation is clearly Hosoda's vision in having details balanced with the occasional need for scarcity, which nailed it especially when the narrative calls for some distance either physically, or emotionally, and it's a stylistic choice that's already seen in a number of his films.

Mamoru Hosoda set up his Studio Chizu with this production, and I'm really looking forward to more stories in the coming years. Meanwhile, Wolf Children is a must watch, and a clear favourite for the year. A little pity that it's not opening on more screens, but make your way to the Filmgarde cineplexes as this remains an exclusive to the chain. Meanwhile, I'm going to look back at Hosoda's filmography on DVD/Blu!

This film was excellent, may I even say better than spirited away? Possibly. The Wolf Children was much(for lack of a better word)better than I had expected. I simply astonished me. The animation was fantastic the background was exquisite, and the storyline was moving. Mamoru Hosoda has not failed again, if you liked this I would suggest you watch "Summer Wars" or "The Girl Who Leaped Through Time".

Wolf Children is massively underrated in my opinion.

Though there is no spoiler here, I would like to say one thing about the ending, the ending is not conclusive, it is quite open, though still powerful. So because of this, some people may not like the ending, at first it had me in tears because of its beauty, but also had me angry because of the ending. But still a fantastic film.

Ratings:

Animation: 9.5/10

Storyline: 9.8/10

Background scenery: 10/10 (Amazing background scenery, greatly drawn)

Character personality: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

Thanks for reading.

• Nik

This movie was incredibly well done. In my opinion, aside from the supernatural aspects of the characters themselves, this is a very real and down to earth story about a mother trying to raise two children who are different and the struggles she has to go through alone. I find the characters in this movie to be incredibly realistic and relatable. The music is great and it does not overtake any scene, but rather it adds to the mood of the scene it is required to enhance. As someone who, along with my sister was brought up practically alone by my mother, I feel that this movie also reminded me of her day to day struggle as well in terms of raising two energetic children without any outside help whatsoever. The animation is very crisp and beautiful as well. If you haven't seen this movie yet, go see it, and if you have any reservations (just as I did) you should go see it anyway. This movie was one of a kind.

Even though this is a fantasy movie, it is notable for how real it feels. The fantasy elements inform the plot, but it is the very real human emotions and connections that fuel the movie. This feels more like a thinly veiled version of real life than something fanciful.

The movie is constantly moving, but in a quiet way. It touches your heart, not with big moments, but with small ones. It is a movie about love of all kinds, and while it is admittedly an idealized version of love, a story of the sort of unselfish, uncomplicated love that only exists consistently in movies, it is truly lovely.

It is also often quite funny, well paced, and thoroughly entertaining.

Having seen Mamoru Hosada's previous films Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, I see him as the successor to Hadeo Miyazaki, who (alas) cannot live forever. Hosada is a very different filmmaker, but he has the same ability to make fantasy real and human, and to make me happy.

Watch this movie.