Many people have approached me asking why I actually like this particular art form, anime. Is it the animation quality. The choreography. The fact they manage to come up with ideas that are rather rare in most western studios? Why then am I dancing? To be honest, those are some of the reasons. But there is another reason. And that is their art for storytelling. I mean, some of the well told stories do not major on fantasy too much. Instead, they apply fantasy aspects to improve upon the real world situations. Take for instance Spirited Away, where a little girl is forced to mature quickly in order to rescue her parents. Realistic scenarios could also communicate this idea. It is just that it wouldn’t contain anything remarkable that would appeal to any culture. By including the spirit world filled with strange and dangerous characters, it more effectively showcases her dread of the unknown and what she eventually conquers. Moreover, there is character design, animation, acting, and expressiveness that no physical performance or CGI can ever deliver. One does not have to go very far in search of such classics; Israeli films perform the same around Paris. Other features also have fantasised realism; Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbour Totoro, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. And then there’s this story.
Of all the anime I’ve seen, Wolf Children tends to be the one which comes closer to mastering this particular style. What makes them? We begin with the premise, as always.
Hana is a college student who finds herself enchanted by a strange man during one of her classes. As we know, this man is a half-wolf creature who has been living an outcast life for what he is. Still, Hana does not give up on him and soon, the couple finds themselves wanting children of their own. But when tragedy comes and leaves Hana a widow, she finds out that their children Yuki and Ame inherited the wolf genes of their father. And now, she is alone with kids but she needs to hide a secret from everyone else’s eyes.
As you may deduce, this is a story about the transformations of a family and no more. The film captures various periods of the development and living of the individuals as well as the threats faced and the choices made in order to have a better life. These two, if you are a parent already, or even if you are still in the process of becoming one, or a child – are quite easy to understand. However, it is the fantasy elements which embody them that are meant for wider audiences. Alow me to clarify.
First, I should commend the film for getting the mood right from the start. It is concerned with realism by letting us see who these individuals are and how they previously lived. Hana is a college student who has part time job and is positive in nature. More so, she is solitary and independent. His soon-to-be spouse on the other hand appears to be less lucky. It is pointless to say that he works a low – level job, for him he states ‘I only want to fit in’ – furniture delivery man. Still, it is demonstrated that even if simple, he is capable of dreaming and caring, despite his cold disposition. For any young adults, it is easy to imagine that these are the people and the characters that they can indeed relate to. They are also mature and credible, nothing in them is even remotely fantasy about them – apart from one opening sentence. And then the man tells his confession.
Kudos have to be given, though, in one respect, this scene must be commended. There is empathy for the characters’ anxiety in a rather unusual way; it’s a phase practically every normal boyfriend and girlfriend has encountered before. By now we’ve established that the man has been keeping something from us. He longs to share it with Hana, but she terrifies him and he loses her in the process. And why should he? In real life, this could be someone coming out as an ex-convict: why they shouldn’t be surprised if the other person does not want to see them after that, which is understandable given the circumstances. Still, they have to since otherwise, they will learn in the rough. This is what he wishes to prevent but Hana does everything possible to make her love felt. After which, he also ceases to push her away. And the first time he reveals his wolf-form, she is taken aback. And naturally she is scared, but it’s what you do after that matters. Hana does not care what her partner is. All that counts is ‘who’ he is – a loving, gentle man willing to do everything for Hana. That love is what helps her through the shock so she can begin her life with him after the shock is cleared. Yes, their relationship is sometimes constantly rushed or is so predictable that they feel it is forced, but it is a rather lovely even heartwarming tale of love and acceptance.
The fantasised realism genre continues with Hana living with just her kids. She is no more a self-sustaining undergrad but a stay at home who is nearly breaking down. There are indeed positive moments that Yuki and Ame bring into Hana’s life, however, it is evident that she finds it hard to raise them, particularly when they keep turning into wolves from time to time. But that wasn’t the only thing that is terrible for Hana. There are a lot of other issues such as her hostile neighbours, risk of being accused for child abuse by social workers, eviction by the landlord. She is fighting in a battle like no other. No. None of those problems can be compared with the children’s absence; with the inability to do anything or somewhere. She is not even able to bring them to a physician for the fear of disclosing that secret. Everything starts to feel like a nightmare filled with all those self-destructive thoughts that she wishes she didn’t have. It is like there is a spotlight casting upon her, and her children are always at risk. She doted on them and was never going to let them go as she did her partner.
To those who have never had children, such snippets are rather disorienting. They show how difficult it is to be a single parent in all the work and worry that it takes. Also, the fantasy elements simply add to Hana’s problems. If her kids’ secret wouldn’t compel her to stay in hiding, there would be more assistance for a young woman raising her kids. However, like it is, she seems to be all alone with no exit from her unusually dreadful situation.
In contrast, the purpose of the film is not to demoralize the viewers. Rather, it sets out to demonstrate how difficult things can change if a person has the right attitude and will. And that is what Hana has.
Understanding the conditions around her completely, Hana takes a brave step and decides to take her family away from the crowded city to the village. There she restores an old, broken down house single-handedly, and turns it into a real house. With that, she notices Yuki and Ame learning to take up responsibilities while she also goes on a hunt for new skills such as farming, or rather new occupation hunting. Also, she has to reckon with the fact that they will grow older, and obviously wish to go out of their home for a reasonable duration. In particular: going to school. At first, Hana is quite hesitant because the children have always been with her and have never been to large gatherings. And there is no guarantee that they will not lose themselves, there are times you will be surprised at how violent giants can be over petty gains. These are typical parent’s fears for most parents of disadvantaged children. Should we risk letting them go to a co-ed school till they are settled? Is a special school more advisable? School at home? What would be the least risky option? Ultimately, it is Yuki’s desire to go to public school that propels Hana to concede to this wish for the children. Also, as every mother would wish, she too hopes her children will be treated the same as all the other.而せいこうがすんだところで。
All that is around us is the proof of Hana’s tenacity. It is not that she gets rid of her problems swiftly, but it is a strong mind having which she brings herself out of such situations. This rational approach enables her to make correct decisions concerning her children, even in situations which are likely to be more tough than usual. For everyone who is a single parent – spend a little time to get acquainted with Hana’s story. It does not matter what kind of troubles you have, if she could bear such worse in absolute, you know you too could. There is a right place and time for everything.
As for the state of balance, I appreciate how this film incorporates both darker and lighter scenes. There are many too many for enumeration in this paper, but every single one can be vividly described. For example, there’s that moment when Hana finds out her partner is dead. It starts with just her, and the sound of rain. When she tries to find him, it starts raining heavily. And when finally she does manage to get a vision of him, there is calmness all over and all that can be heard are her screaming out of horror. Otherwise, another scene involves her and her children in snow playing. Nothing is said or any sound made Not even words or music the lights, some nice pictures and an inspirational background music that is all that they need. There are such moments and yes they are present in the film. There are scenes where expository dialogue is unavoidable, well perhaps except for some moments. Also at such times, the animation speaks, or the action doesn’t proceed because there is no need, for example, when Hana finds out that she is going to be a mother or feels like being torn between a hospital and a vet, or is in a forest. Does it need to be explained in detail what was shown? For the last, they use different camera angles, lighting, water, and shadows and other things to depict the big scope of it. I do not make reviews of such or draw attention to animation in my articles very often. But in that case, mistress is the word that comes to mind, it’s an auxiliary geisha piece.
Another important point is depicted by the characters that Hana meets during her travels. There is her partner (of course), who is able to reproduce control long afterwards. Her new neighbours, who assist her in moving to the village. Mr. Nirasaki, who is sometimes severe but has positive intentions. And a boy named Souhei, who inadvertently learns of the family’s secret and therefore resolves a situation and completes the plot.
And then you have, the names of the residents of wolf children: yuki and ame. We track every development in these kids, starting from the time they are born to their early adolescence. What is more, the narrative explores how factors arising after birth can change the course of a person’s life; it demonstrates that development within an environment of children aspires them to seek diverse avenues later in life. Let me explain.
To begin with, the character is named Yuki, the elder of the two siblings, who tells the story as well most of the time. Since the first time she spoke, she is more self assured than her brother, by understatement, son is not yet able to speak. Loud and overbearing, she boasts about her prowess of being a wolf exactly. Nothing about her, but plainer than one is. Still, in her case, it was rather different as she had school and friends and she learned how having a human girl body was so much fun. Following it, she ceases being a wolf hybrid – in all the ways a child would it seems – and aims to harness her all into being the most outstanding human being possible. On the other hand, Ame follows a different path, the one that is about defeating the dragon. There is little doubt he is a reasonable and steady individual who as most kids can be termed as lazy sofist. To avoid heartbreaks, however, he does cry a lot, he is very weak, physically. For example, as a child, he doesn’t love change and will cry in reaction to everything. Part wolf, he feels this way because of prejudices that other people have, particularly books for children. The fact that his father comes so close to dying leaves every breath exhaled. This was, in itself, encouraging for the girl, though probably not to this stranger. In the unfortunate side, though, it requires him to quit school.
To be more targeted, an aspect worth noting is amplifying Ame’s tertiary motives. Having acquired new skills, he seeks in this way to restore the lost harmony in nature. Still, it is a concern. Hana thinks that her son is taking up a very risky choice and considering the human years he is very young. At a figurative level, it may represent parents fearing such a possibility where their children get into life of crime or even worse, something unidentifiable about. It is also important to hightlight though that previous to this, Hana was holding that as an option, if her children wished to, they could be wolves. Now she is more objectional. Ame’s choice also creates a rift with his sister, because the two sister and brother do not share the same views on what they are and that creates violence in the relationship. The life of a T teenager is complicated already. Yet for Yuki and Ame to have to undergo such a peculiar oedius crisis- as well as their consequent melencholy. The story is still richer than life in that it adds that dimension which is outside of reality.
Among the many other features phenomena and relevant weaknesses mentioned above Wolf Children probably has all these aspects but is especially outstanding in the way it illustrates the focal issue of the family and family relationships. The reason why this anime is interesting for the viewers is not that the parents are supposed to care for their children – it’s the other way around and the incident happens more than once in the course of the narrative. The viewer’s attention is further preserved with a plethora of new plot twists and action and unexpected fight sequences supplemented by new characters who have different breathtaking fighting styles. There are many scenes that some people would like in particular and they would recommend this to be viewed by animation lovers of their ages and people who are mature enough to discuss and defend femininity and portray masculinity. This is children’s painstaking work which only the smallest and innocents can make and the end of childhood begins.
Watch Wolf Children on Kimcartoon
