Wolf's Rain

This series is absolutely beautiful! It attempts to blend cultures and legends of many countries (North America, Russia, Japan) and does so in a way that is believable. It flows nicely until the end (except for the four OVAs which are really just flashbacks of the previous episodes) and is one of the saddest, yet somehow comforting endings of any series I've ever seen. The characters are easy to relate to, and their relationships are wonderfully portrayed by both the Japanese and English voice actors. The most touching relationship in this series is that between Kiba, the alpha wolf who desperately searches for Paradise, and Cheza, the Flower Maiden who can lead him there. It is so sweet that I found myself thinking 'aww' several times while watching. Although some may be disappointed with the conclusion, I think it's one of the better ways to end a series (much better than the manga did, by the way) and leaves the viewer thinking about philosophy, religion, and spirituality. An imaginative, creative, and all around great series that everyone (especially wolf lovers like me!) should take the time to watch. If you just want to hear the story, skip the four OVAs (I believe they are the last four on the first volume). You're really not going to miss much if you cut those out.

SUMMARY -- Many, many, many years ago the Earth was ruled by wolves. Today they are just mythical beings, existing only in fairytales. But that's what people think. Wolves have adapted themselves to live among the mortals by taking human form, but they are faster, stronger and more flexible than any human. In those ancient times mankind has prospered to its highest peek. But something happened (and nobody's quite sure what it was) and civilization has collapsed. Now, a tyrant rules every city. People are miserable. The legend says that wolves will come back and bring Paradise to Earth...

MY OPINION -- Wolf's Rain is a 21 or 22 episode (depending of a web site) fairytale, about a pack of wolves searching for Paradise. Animation is superb like in most of latest Anime series (e.g. Hellsing or Cowboy Bebop). It's fluid, clear, and the drawing is very colorful. Characters may be a little clichéd but that's usual for Anime. Wolf's Rain looks like Mad Max vs. Cowboy Bebop (created by Keiko Nobumoto). The problem with Wolf's Rain is that you have to have some elementary knowledge about Japanese mythology and fairytales. For if you don't the enjoyment won't be complete. Music is excellent. Something like 80's pop-rock. Main character names are given by their traits (Kiba = Fang, Tsume = Claw, Hige = Whiskers, Toboe Howling). There is no dubbed version yet, but if there is I advise you to look the original Japanese language ver. with English subtitles. Acting is good since the actors are veterans from such Anime as Akira, FLCL, Sakura Wars, X, Cowboy Bebop etc. Story is continuing from episode to episode so it means you have to see them all (except maybe ep. 15-18 which are recap, so you can skip them) to fully understand what's going on. Story is interesting, animation is excellent, acting is very good and production is of highest grade. What more a man could want?

VERDICT -- Wolf's Rain is one of the best Anime series in the last couple of years (since Cowboy Bebop and Hellsing that is). It has something for every generation. Sometimes it may be confusing, non-consequent or slow but you'll forget all of that with the beginning of the next episode. In the sea of new age animated series for kids there aren't many titles that can praise about intelligent, interesting and action packed story/script, or with good acting as a matter of fact. Most of today's TV shows are there to make you stay by your couch absorbing dumb information that mean squat! This Anime will glue you to a couch but from a very different reason. I really enjoyed Wolf's Rain and I sincerely hope that you will too...

It's not that I did not want to reward this movie with a straight forward 10. It's just out of a principle of mine that I don't give away '10-s' because I believe that a movie or series which you thought of being the best, can be surpassed by something which you just didn't happen to know yet. Or a movie which simply has not yet been made. But Wolf's Rain really gave me the feeling to release my self of that believe.

Honestly, Wolf's Rain is one of the greatest tales ever been told. In all of the 30 episodes in which it is contained, it proofed to be an overwhelming experience. This begins at the very first episode and brings the viewer to a dramatic and beautiful climactic end.

One other absolutely great anime-series has to be Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. This anime is able to bring you to the point of thinking about: intelligence, the questions: what is a human and what's not and where are the boundaries? And what's the near future like and will science-fiction turn to every-day technology. (They already have a professor in cybernetics at the University of Reading, you know.) Wolf's Rain however is all about the goals that we have to set in our lives to keep us going and all the feelings and emotions which lie on this road towards these goals. The human and emotional approach of Wolf's Rain is easier to understand for most people then the far more rational approach of the Ghost in the Shell-series. But in my point of view these two are part of the same amazing coin because these anime-series truly know how to amaze the viewer.

Anyway Wolf's Rain is a perfect example of the grand potential of the anime-genre. I'm not a person who likes to cry a lot, but I'm not ashamed to say that I had to shed a tear while watching the last parts of the series. This series will make it very clear that the power of animation is to be able to maximize the expression of every element of the story. After seeing this anime, it became one of the reasons why I am an anime-fan. Try it out let it be a great expansion of your anime-collection or let it be a superb way to get acquainted with the anime-genre.

I originally found this series on Adult Swim last summer, midway through the series, while scanning through the channels for something to watch on late-night television. I had never seriously watched anime before, and found myself fascinated with this series, especially with the characters. Not all people will find them so interesting, as some have pointed out, but if they appeal to you at all they will grow on you by the end of the series.

As for the flaws, they mostly are with character depth. Each character really has one main feeling, as you could probably guess from watching any episode. The conflicts, twists, and connections between characters make up for this, though, and while you could probably guess a number of the twists, they still have a great impact.

Take in mind, though, that this comes from someone who is obsessed with the series. After seeing one episode, I fell hopelessly in love with it, though not for anime in general, as some might.

Animation here is much better than typical anime, with many talents from Cowboy Bebop, and the overall feel of it is that you don't really mind the shortcuts taken in animation, as they don't really distract you from enjoying the show.

If you want to sample the show before seeing a good amount of it, see at least the first five episodes (or DVD 1) before giving up, as it takes a short amount of time for the series to get into full gear. But once in full gear, you'll love it.

30 episodes, with 4 recap episodes, probably the worst part of the show. Hence, don't buy DVD 4 if you end up wanting to own the series, unless you're a compulsive anime freak who must have all of the disks for the art/whatever. Even then, the episodes (15-18) really don't mean anything, and probably were a chance for the animators to have a vacation off in the tropics. But definitely watch episodes 27-30 if you watch the rest of the series. These are the most abstract of the series, and are very well done.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

Just finished watching episode 27-30 (which were delayed and only released on DVD for some reason, I think a conflict with the network airing in Japan). The original 26 episodes aired on TV though.

The ending reminded me of the RahXephon one, and probably not without coincidence, since Bones (the studio making the anime) did both series.

It is a sad and dark tale about a pack of wolves trying to survive in a hostile world, on their way to a place they call "Paradise" which apparently is a better place than their present.

Recommended if you like serious, melancholic and a bit thought-provoking series.

8 out of 10