Goldo
12-30-2005, 11:50 AM
Wolf's Rain
- A review by Omega Rugal, a.k.a. Kanzeil Kurayami
I initially saw this series on television last year and it looked interesting to me. This year I just got the DVD Box Set and after seeing the series from beginning to end, I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. It has now become in my top list of favorite anime of all-time.
In the eventual future where the world is slowly decaying, wolves are thought to be extinct. However, there are those who believe that wolves still exist, that they have simply put a spell on the rest of the world to hide themselves. There are also those that believe that humans were born from wolves as told in the banned Book of the Moon.
The tale begins in a worn-out city where four stray wolves are inevitably drawn together by the scent of the artificially created flower maiden. They leave the city together on a journey to find both the flower maiden and "paradise". However, the wolves are not the only ones who set out on a journey. There is an ante rage of others including a wolf hunter who despises every last wolf in the world, a dark fallen noble whose entire life has been consumed by saddness, a detective who gives up everything to try to rekindle his failed relationship with his ex-wife, and many others who are also seeking to fulfill their own goals. Everyone is inevitably caught up in the wolves' journey to paradise and the impending death of the world. However it seems there is more than meets the eye when the mysterious nobles become involved and make the road to paradise a much more dangerous one. All the forces of the world will collide pitting the ultimate conflict which will not only determine the fate of those involved, but the fate of the world itself.
Plot: The story of Wolf's Rain is very compelling and addicting from the very beginning. It is also told in an excellent manner revealing not too much all at once, but taking the time to make it seem more alive and flowing. With a lot of cultural influences in this story, especially Native American folklore, this story is rather unique among the anime world and will definitely interest anyone that enjoys more than just mindless violence. There is also a heavy emotional effect this series can have on the viewer and I believe that anyone who doesn't cry at least once during this series, is truly dead on the inside.
Plot Rating: 9/10
Characters: The characters in the series are fleshed-out rather well and each have their own unique personality and history. Because the characters are developed as well as they are, it adds to the story and the emotional effect of each situation. The confrontations between some characters are also done in a fashion that makes them seem more alive and not as flat and dull as many characters can seem. Even the most minor of characters have a habit of seeming very much alive. Because of this it is easy to get attached to the characters and really sets you up for the emotional ride this series puts you on.
Character Development Rating: 9.5/10
Visuals: The impressive visuals of Wolf's Rain can be noticed almost instantly. I find that the style of animation used in this series is my favorite sort. Without going overboard with useless colors, the visuals are really used well in conveying the presentation very well. The character's themselves are drawn very well and the colors used in their eyes are great in displaying the current state of each character. Although the best visuals can be found in the wild with a ranging variety of forests, icy terrain, mountains, deserts, and even the occasional beautiful green field. The exception is that the cliche run-down cities isn't as pleasent on the eyes. Some of the best animation I've seen in an anime.
Visual Rating: 9.5/10
Sound: The soundtrack of Wolf's Rain is composed by a few various artists but has mainly of the tracks done by Yoko Kanno. There is an impressive variety of music found in this series and almost every track is done beautifully. The music really adds to the emotional effect of the series profoundly. This has to be my favorite soundtrack of any anime I've ever seen. My favorites of the bunch would be Strangers, Cloud 9, and Heaven's Not Enough.
Sound Rating: 10/10
Dubbing: The voice talent of Wolf's Rain very impressive and the chosen actors for each character I believe were excellent choices. Kiba is voiced by Johnny Young Bosch (Vash of Trigun), Tsume is voiced by Crispin Freeman (Zelgadis of Slayers), Hige is voiced by Joshua Seth (Tai of Digimon), Toboe is voiced by Mona Marshall (Izzy from Digimon and apparently a lot of South Park characters...), and Darcia is voiced by the infamous Steven Jay Blum (Spike of Cowboy Bebop). I'm glad to see that the voices aren't done emotionless and dull. They are full of life and in the more emotional scenes you can really see the talent of the voice actors. The other characters also have great voice actors and really give a nicer feel to some of the voices that were more neglected in the Japanese version.
English Dubbing: 9/10
Japanese Dubbing: 7/10
My Overall Rating on this series: 10/10 !!!
- I have never given any series a perfect score in my life in any review but Wolf's Rain forces me to give it a perfect 10/10. I highly reccomend this series to anyone, anime fan or not.
Downsides: The only one I can think of is all of the episodes found in the 4th volume (Recollections). All four episodes of this volume were 99% complete flashbacks of the first three volumes and were a complete waste of time. Now I can understand the recap if it were being watched on television where each episode plays once a week but watching it on DVD can just slow the pace of the series. I suggest skipping this volume and ging on witht he rest of the series because it is honestly nothing more than a complete recap of what yopu saw in the first three volumes. I also hear that the visual quality of the series. If you aim to buy this series then I suggest buying the box set. However, if you are doing it in volumes, then skip Volume 4.
- A review by Omega Rugal, a.k.a. Kanzeil Kurayami
I initially saw this series on television last year and it looked interesting to me. This year I just got the DVD Box Set and after seeing the series from beginning to end, I have to say that it exceeded my expectations. It has now become in my top list of favorite anime of all-time.
In the eventual future where the world is slowly decaying, wolves are thought to be extinct. However, there are those who believe that wolves still exist, that they have simply put a spell on the rest of the world to hide themselves. There are also those that believe that humans were born from wolves as told in the banned Book of the Moon.
The tale begins in a worn-out city where four stray wolves are inevitably drawn together by the scent of the artificially created flower maiden. They leave the city together on a journey to find both the flower maiden and "paradise". However, the wolves are not the only ones who set out on a journey. There is an ante rage of others including a wolf hunter who despises every last wolf in the world, a dark fallen noble whose entire life has been consumed by saddness, a detective who gives up everything to try to rekindle his failed relationship with his ex-wife, and many others who are also seeking to fulfill their own goals. Everyone is inevitably caught up in the wolves' journey to paradise and the impending death of the world. However it seems there is more than meets the eye when the mysterious nobles become involved and make the road to paradise a much more dangerous one. All the forces of the world will collide pitting the ultimate conflict which will not only determine the fate of those involved, but the fate of the world itself.
Plot: The story of Wolf's Rain is very compelling and addicting from the very beginning. It is also told in an excellent manner revealing not too much all at once, but taking the time to make it seem more alive and flowing. With a lot of cultural influences in this story, especially Native American folklore, this story is rather unique among the anime world and will definitely interest anyone that enjoys more than just mindless violence. There is also a heavy emotional effect this series can have on the viewer and I believe that anyone who doesn't cry at least once during this series, is truly dead on the inside.
Plot Rating: 9/10
Characters: The characters in the series are fleshed-out rather well and each have their own unique personality and history. Because the characters are developed as well as they are, it adds to the story and the emotional effect of each situation. The confrontations between some characters are also done in a fashion that makes them seem more alive and not as flat and dull as many characters can seem. Even the most minor of characters have a habit of seeming very much alive. Because of this it is easy to get attached to the characters and really sets you up for the emotional ride this series puts you on.
Character Development Rating: 9.5/10
Visuals: The impressive visuals of Wolf's Rain can be noticed almost instantly. I find that the style of animation used in this series is my favorite sort. Without going overboard with useless colors, the visuals are really used well in conveying the presentation very well. The character's themselves are drawn very well and the colors used in their eyes are great in displaying the current state of each character. Although the best visuals can be found in the wild with a ranging variety of forests, icy terrain, mountains, deserts, and even the occasional beautiful green field. The exception is that the cliche run-down cities isn't as pleasent on the eyes. Some of the best animation I've seen in an anime.
Visual Rating: 9.5/10
Sound: The soundtrack of Wolf's Rain is composed by a few various artists but has mainly of the tracks done by Yoko Kanno. There is an impressive variety of music found in this series and almost every track is done beautifully. The music really adds to the emotional effect of the series profoundly. This has to be my favorite soundtrack of any anime I've ever seen. My favorites of the bunch would be Strangers, Cloud 9, and Heaven's Not Enough.
Sound Rating: 10/10
Dubbing: The voice talent of Wolf's Rain very impressive and the chosen actors for each character I believe were excellent choices. Kiba is voiced by Johnny Young Bosch (Vash of Trigun), Tsume is voiced by Crispin Freeman (Zelgadis of Slayers), Hige is voiced by Joshua Seth (Tai of Digimon), Toboe is voiced by Mona Marshall (Izzy from Digimon and apparently a lot of South Park characters...), and Darcia is voiced by the infamous Steven Jay Blum (Spike of Cowboy Bebop). I'm glad to see that the voices aren't done emotionless and dull. They are full of life and in the more emotional scenes you can really see the talent of the voice actors. The other characters also have great voice actors and really give a nicer feel to some of the voices that were more neglected in the Japanese version.
English Dubbing: 9/10
Japanese Dubbing: 7/10
My Overall Rating on this series: 10/10 !!!
- I have never given any series a perfect score in my life in any review but Wolf's Rain forces me to give it a perfect 10/10. I highly reccomend this series to anyone, anime fan or not.
Downsides: The only one I can think of is all of the episodes found in the 4th volume (Recollections). All four episodes of this volume were 99% complete flashbacks of the first three volumes and were a complete waste of time. Now I can understand the recap if it were being watched on television where each episode plays once a week but watching it on DVD can just slow the pace of the series. I suggest skipping this volume and ging on witht he rest of the series because it is honestly nothing more than a complete recap of what yopu saw in the first three volumes. I also hear that the visual quality of the series. If you aim to buy this series then I suggest buying the box set. However, if you are doing it in volumes, then skip Volume 4.