Wolf's Rain

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 first saw the previews for Wolfs Rain on CN, Adult Swim and was surprised. It's ot often that you see such an interesting plot that grabs you right from the get-go. I of course watched it and fell in love. The animation is amazing and fluid thanx to the people who also animated Cowboy Bebop. The characters are deep and interesting, and their personalities contradict each other making it a lot of fun to watch.

The music is average in my opinion but still it is above normal anime standards for good. The one bad thing is the flashback episodes 15-18. They are a waste of time and get you to forget the story. Other than that it is a spectacular series, right up there with Bebop in my opinion. I would give Wolfs Rain a 9 1/2 out of ten and a jar of cookies. I highly recommend this series to anyone who doesn't mind a little swearing and blood. ^^

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.

When my brother first explained the storyline of Wolf's Rain, the first thought that came to mind was "Typical Werid Anime Storyline". After watching the first few episodes, you really really grow accustom to the characters, scene and the overall feel you get from the situations. Id like to start off with commenting on the plain out engulfing soundtrack, its underscribable the styles of music used, but it just works perfectly with the situations.

The series is also "short", only 30 episodes makes for a nicely sized series, not so long that you get sick of watching it, but not to short to the point you feel cheated. I will say that when the series was over, I felt like..... "What do I do now?" it was just that great.

Try the series out, really pay attention, and I promise if you like very richly told stories that this one more than delivers.

This is one of the single most important anime series ever, it single-handedly helped revive the fan side of the industry and created a digi-sub boom. That is why I love this show. I had waited for this show for ages when I first heard about it, when I finally saw it I was amazed. Atmosphere is the body of the show.

From beginning to end this show is presented as a simple adventure/mystery story, but it is much more than that. There is far more to praise in this show than a great number of what was on at the time of its premier in Japan, but this along with Witch Hunter Robin and Gundam Seed represent the kind of quality that the current industry is capable of.

Enough Praise...

Yes there is a lot going for it, plot, character designs, music, atmosphere, character development, but it has one downside, much like the afore mentioned Witch Hunter Robin, it is essentially an Evangelion clone. This is not evident until the end of the show, and it does not hamper the quality of the show, but it does promote a trend. The ending, unlike Evangelion, is happy, and is the most amazing ending one could possibly ever wish for out of this show, but it is a bit cryptic, but satisfying nonetheless.

Wolf's Rain is gold, the kind of gold that we get today. Hopefully we get more like it in the upcoming years.