La Vallée d'émeraude

This movie is unbelievably charming and cute.

It's about the friendship between a wolf and a little goat. The wolf defends the little goat from his wolf friends.... and you can really believe they love one another!

But the movie does deal with more adult themes too. It keeps you caring about what happens to the characters throughout.

The production values are quite good and the characters themselves have quite a wide range of expressions. The designs for the wolves don't look like typical anime designs. And the plot is less convoluted than most anime. I wouldn't show it to the youngest children as there is some mild violence and threat. I think it'd be rated PG.

But anyway You have to see it!

'Arashi no yoru ni' is a beautifully rendered animated film. It's a modern fable about wolf and a goat who overcome their natural enmity and become the best of friends.

On a stormy night, (the English translation of the title) Mei, a goat, and Gabu, a wolf, seek temporary shelter in the same barn. The inside of the barn is too dark for them to see each other. Mei thinks Gabu is a goat and, conversely, Gabu thinks Mei is a wolf. They strike up a friendly conversation and find they have very much in common. They agree to meet for lunch the next day at the same place. When they do meet in the light of day, the truth of the matter becomes mutually apparent. Instead of letting their instincts take over, they have a laugh about the mistake and agree to go to lunch together anyway.

As animation goes, this is a top-notch production. The backgrounds are colorful and detailed. More remarkable, the moving foregrounds are also detailed and rendered with subtle shades. As a story goes, it is a better than average presentation of the "your enemy isn't so bad if you get to know him" theme. There is a slight problem with the scenario, however.

Whenever the two meet, they tend to show great interest in each other. It's an attempt, within the short time constraints of the film, to depict how a strong friendship can develop between traditional enemies. From a child's-eye view, the connection between the two can be seen at face value--the two become good friends. From the perspective of a more jaundiced adult, the friendship seemed to me to have an unintended layer of sexuality. For me, it got in the way of the story.

Nonetheless, this is an excellent effort well worth watching. Presently, it is available on DVD in Japan without English subtitles. Keep your eye out for a US release of a film entitled something like, "On a Stormy Night." I give this film a 7.

"One Stormy Night" is one of my favorite anime movies. At first, this could look as a rip-off of "The Fox and the Hound" (Also a good movie) being a story of how two natural enemies became friends, but this movie manages not only to be different, but also to be good as well, telling a beautiful and heartwarming story, with very likable characters. The animation is beautiful, all the movements are very fluid, and the backgrounds have the level of detail of one movie from Studio Ghibli. I know that friendship is one of the main themes of many Japanese animations, but not many are so tender as this movie. "One Stormy Night" have many emotional and dramatic parts, but combines this with humor and optimism, something that made this movie very enjoyable. I recommend this movie to all the animation fans, not only the anime fans. It is a funny and well made animated tale that deserves more appreciation.

This movie can be considered a piece of art, not thanks to the outstanding background renderings or the beautiful voice acting, but for all the different messages that you may get from it. I really believe this movie will at least touch you with something.

I think kids might enjoy this one but I sincerely believe they won't be able to get as much as an adult would be able to; so yes, this is an animated movie but that doesn't mean it's only meant to be watched by kids.

It's a definite "must watch" for those who like movies that contain deep messages rather than those which are only shown in the shallow area of the images. Really one of the best and very worthy animated films I have watched.

It's one of those films that must be watched without having any idea of what the main theme is, just let the things unfold before your eyes and let the environment and atmosphere of the scenes get to you. Otherwise you won't enjoy it as much as the whole team who participated on the creation wants you to enjoy it, for your mind would be already expecting things, resulting in a lack of suspense.

This movie melt down my heart, I think it was a pure movie about true friendship.

I actually didn't feel it as a romance, but I've read some people did, and I can see why. I think this is just my interpretation of the movie, but still, the relationship between Gabu and Mei was sweet and beautiful.

The animation was surprisingly good, being a 2005 movie. I was very satisfied and the backgrounds were just incredible! The designs of the goats and wolves were also fantastic.

The story is simple, but very entertaining, with a final act that is very different from what I expected.

Overall, a very cute movie, I'd definetly watch it again and recommend.