Note: This review was taken from an essay I wrote a couple days ago reviewing the movie Wolf Children. Hence the structure is much more rigid. This is my first attempt at writing a review so any critiques are appreciated! Spoilers from here on out.
The Beauty of Wolf Children
Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children is an animated movie about a mother, Hana, and her two wolf children Ame and Yuki. This masterful slice-of-life film depicts a span of seventeen years beginning with an only mother learning how to raise two wolf-human hybrids after the passing of her husband, and ending with the children finding their identities, and moving on from their mother. While the movie’s main flaw is its animation, Wolf Children, with its beautiful original soundtrack that enhances the scenes to which it is attached, its incredible pacing, and its superb characterization of Ame and Yuki, spins a heartwarming tale any audience can enjoy.
One of the main complaints about Wolf Children is its plain animation. In comparison to other animated films made in 2012, such as Wreck-It Ralph and Brave, Wolf Children might look lackluster in comparison. This is a valid argument. Japanese animation is generally hand-drawn, and so less detail was put into the character designs. The faces generally contain no additional detail other than the basic eyes, nose, mouth, and eyebrows. Clothes are geometric shapes with only one shade of coloring and maybe a few wrinkles. However, where the animation shines is in the backgrounds and scenery. The house which Hana repairs is illustrated very carefully, in order to show its hidden beauty once all the rubble and dirt is cleared away. The different engravings on the windows, and the colorful stone countertop and sink are minor details that Hosoda chooses to emphasize in order to show that with a little bit of hard work, the house was a diamond in the rough. One of the two scenes where the animation and attention to detail is particularly astounding is when Yuki runs through the snowy forest. The fluidity of the movement in first person as Yuki weaves through the trees, the spreading of the snow as Yuki lands from her jump, and the shadows of the trees cast upon the snow puts the audience in Yuki’s shoes and makes the scene feel real. The other is when Ame climbs the mountain with Sensei. This scene also employs the first person point of view as Ame races past Sensei to the reach the top of the mountain. Waxing and waning mist, graceful first person movement, a gorgeous waterfall, and detailed forest creatures produce a stunning scene that is absolute eye-candy. Overall, the animation quality is still solid, managing to shine at the most important scenes of the film.
The soundtrack of Wolf Children, composed by Masakatsu Takagi, employs orchestral instruments and comforting vocals to enrich the ambience that the movie creates. One of the most notable pieces in the film, "Kito Kito - Dance of Your Nature", plays as the family races through the snowy forests and hills. In the city, Ame and Yuki were forced to conceal their wolf forms but in the countryside, that restraint does not apply anymore. The vivace strings and piano accentuate the emotions of thrill and joy as Ame and Yuki gallop across the white wilderness, unrestricted and free. The rest of the ensemble pauses and the piano solos, contrasting with the beginning of the piece, letting us absorb the breath-taking scenery of a lone winter tree atop a cloudy white hill, backed by a boundless, cloudless blue sky. The music hits its peak as Hana topples down the hill and the final climax synchronizes with the howls of her wolf children and herself, cries of freedom and delight. The orchestra decrescendos as the scene ends with hearty laughs from Hana and her children. Another piece that stands out in the film is "Mother's Song" which plays during the end credits. Reminiscent of a folk song, the elegant vocals accompanied by the background piano manage to capture the essence of Hana’s tale in the movie: from the anticipation of birthing children to watching them leave. The stills that linger on the side are reflective of the lyrics being sung. While Ann Sally sings “Someday, when you set out on your journey/ I'm sure I will see you off with a smile/ U-u-u, u-u-u, but perhaps I'll be a bit lonely/ U-o-on, u-o-on Please, live strong”, the scene where Ame leaves his mother and heads towards the mountain is pictured on the side. The song leaves a lasting impression on the viewer, reminding us of all the hurdles, long and high, that Hana jumped through in order to successfully raise her children. “Mother’s Song” perfectly concludes the film, evoking relatable memories from one’s childhood or maternity, and eliciting bittersweet smiles and tears.
Wolf Children’s immaculate pacing is due to its clever usage of wordless sequences. Hosoda condenses thirteen years of trials and tribulations without so much as completely skipping over any period of time into a two hour film. The first of the wordless sequences that Hosoda animates is the yearlong span after Hana’s husband reveals his wolf form, illustrating the building of the family. Whereas a time-skip or any spoken summary of the events would have felt unnatural, Wolf Children highlights the pivotal parts of the maternity process for Hana, feeding us important details such as how Hana couldn’t go to the hospital due to the fact that her baby might be a wolf, or that the photograph was her husband’s hometown. Another wordless sequence that seamlessly portrays a span of four years is when Ame first goes to school. In under a minute, Hosoda contrasts Yuki’s and Ame’s school experiences, showing how Yuki continues to adapt and befriend more people, while Ame sinks further into seclusion up till the point where he does not even come to school anymore. Small inclusions such as this scene are important because they further develop the characters and allow the story to progress smoothly and naturally. Every scene in Wolf Children serves either the development of the characters or the progression of the story; the pacing is so refined that the removal of any scene would make the movie feel incomplete.
As the second half of the film is largely focused on identity, Wolf Children uses two characters, Ame and Yuki to explore identity-oriented themes. Throughout the film, Ame and Yuki serve as foils, highlighting the identity crisis that they encounter as half wolf and half human hybrids. Yuki’s extroverted personality aids her interaction with the other girls in her class. As she adapts and becomes more feminine, she starts favoring her human form. Ame’s introverted disposition and lack of manly traits make him the subject of bullying by the other guys in the school. He turns to the forest, and starts favoring his wolf form. At one point in the film, their ideals clash. Ame states that Yuki should come study with Sensei while she reproaches Ame for not coming to school, and the argument results in a brawl. The scene and the character’s struggles are all too relatable, as one reviewer states, "Wolf Children‘s message takes on a completely different meaning when you’re the child of parents who immigrated from another country to the one you were inevitably raised in. Fighting between the human-oriented Yuki and nature-loving Ame represent countless moments spent agonizing over how poor your parents’ English is or how little you can speak of your heritage tongue (Kylaran). In another scene, the audience sympathizes with Yuki as she cries over hurting her classmate Souhei, over losing control. The viewer empathizes with Ame, yet cries as he leaves Hana in order to protect the forest. Their situations mimic ours whether it be betraying a parent’s wishes and leaving to go to university out of state against their will, or arguing with a sibling over one’s decision to become a painter. Hosoda creates characters to which people can understand and relate, which is what makes Wolf Children such an amazing film.
One of the main complaints about Wolf Children is its plain animation. In comparison to other animated films made in 2012, such as Wreck-It Ralph and Brave, Wolf Children might look lackluster in comparison. This is a valid argument. Japanese animation is generally hand-drawn, and so less detail was put into the character designs. The faces generally contain no additional detail other than the basic eyes, nose, mouth, and eyebrows. Clothes are geometric shapes with only one shade of coloring and maybe a few wrinkles. However, where the animation shines is in the backgrounds and scenery. The house which Hana repairs is illustrated very carefully, in order to show its hidden beauty once all the rubble and dirt is cleared away. The different engravings on the windows, and the colorful stone countertop and sink are minor details that Hosoda chooses to emphasize in order to show that with a little bit of hard work, the house was a diamond in the rough. One of the two scenes where the animation and attention to detail is particularly astounding is when Yuki runs through the snowy forest. The fluidity of the movement in first person as Yuki weaves through the trees, the spreading of the snow as Yuki lands from her jump, and the shadows of the trees cast upon the snow puts the audience in Yuki’s shoes and makes the scene feel real. The other is when Ame climbs the mountain with Sensei. This scene also employs the first person point of view as Ame races past Sensei to the reach the top of the mountain. Waxing and waning mist, graceful first person movement, a gorgeous waterfall, and detailed forest creatures produce a stunning scene that is absolute eye-candy. Overall, the animation quality is still solid, managing to shine at the most important scenes of the film.
The soundtrack of Wolf Children, composed by Masakatsu Takagi, employs orchestral instruments and comforting vocals to enrich the ambience that the movie creates. One of the most notable pieces in the film, "Kito Kito - Dance of Your Nature", plays as the family races through the snowy forests and hills. In the city, Ame and Yuki were forced to conceal their wolf forms but in the countryside, that restraint does not apply anymore. The vivace strings and piano accentuate the emotions of thrill and joy as Ame and Yuki gallop across the white wilderness, unrestricted and free. The rest of the ensemble pauses and the piano solos, contrasting with the beginning of the piece, letting us absorb the breath-taking scenery of a lone winter tree atop a cloudy white hill, backed by a boundless, cloudless blue sky. The music hits its peak as Hana topples down the hill and the final climax synchronizes with the howls of her wolf children and herself, cries of freedom and delight. The orchestra decrescendos as the scene ends with hearty laughs from Hana and her children. Another piece that stands out in the film is "Mother's Song" which plays during the end credits. Reminiscent of a folk song, the elegant vocals accompanied by the background piano manage to capture the essence of Hana’s tale in the movie: from the anticipation of birthing children to watching them leave. The stills that linger on the side are reflective of the lyrics being sung. While Ann Sally sings “Someday, when you set out on your journey/ I'm sure I will see you off with a smile/ U-u-u, u-u-u, but perhaps I'll be a bit lonely/ U-o-on, u-o-on Please, live strong”, the scene where Ame leaves his mother and heads towards the mountain is pictured on the side. The song leaves a lasting impression on the viewer, reminding us of all the hurdles, long and high, that Hana jumped through in order to successfully raise her children. “Mother’s Song” perfectly concludes the film, evoking relatable memories from one’s childhood or maternity, and eliciting bittersweet smiles and tears.
Wolf Children’s immaculate pacing is due to its clever usage of wordless sequences. Hosoda condenses thirteen years of trials and tribulations without so much as completely skipping over any period of time into a two hour film. The first of the wordless sequences that Hosoda animates is the yearlong span after Hana’s husband reveals his wolf form, illustrating the building of the family. Whereas a time-skip or any spoken summary of the events would have felt unnatural, Wolf Children highlights the pivotal parts of the maternity process for Hana, feeding us important details such as how Hana couldn’t go to the hospital due to the fact that her baby might be a wolf, or that the photograph was her husband’s hometown. Another wordless sequence that seamlessly portrays a span of four years is when Ame first goes to school. In under a minute, Hosoda contrasts Yuki’s and Ame’s school experiences, showing how Yuki continues to adapt and befriend more people, while Ame sinks further into seclusion up till the point where he does not even come to school anymore. Small inclusions such as this scene are important because they further develop the characters and allow the story to progress smoothly and naturally. Every scene in Wolf Children serves either the development of the characters or the progression of the story; the pacing is so refined that the removal of any scene would make the movie feel incomplete.
As the second half of the film is largely focused on identity, Wolf Children uses two characters, Ame and Yuki to explore identity-oriented themes. Throughout the film, Ame and Yuki serve as foils, highlighting the identity crisis that they encounter as half wolf and half human hybrids. Yuki’s extroverted personality aids her interaction with the other girls in her class. As she adapts and becomes more feminine, she starts favoring her human form. Ame’s introverted disposition and lack of manly traits make him the subject of bullying by the other guys in the school. He turns to the forest, and starts favoring his wolf form. At one point in the film, their ideals clash. Ame states that Yuki should come study with Sensei while she reproaches Ame for not coming to school, and the argument results in a brawl. The scene and the character’s struggles are all too relatable, as one reviewer states, "Wolf Children‘s message takes on a completely different meaning when you’re the child of parents who immigrated from another country to the one you were inevitably raised in. Fighting between the human-oriented Yuki and nature-loving Ame represent countless moments spent agonizing over how poor your parents’ English is or how little you can speak of your heritage tongue (Kylaran). In another scene, the audience sympathizes with Yuki as she cries over hurting her classmate Souhei, over losing control. The viewer empathizes with Ame, yet cries as he leaves Hana in order to protect the forest. Their situations mimic ours whether it be betraying a parent’s wishes and leaving to go to university out of state against their will, or arguing with a sibling over one’s decision to become a painter. Hosoda creates characters to which people can understand and relate, which is what makes Wolf Children such an amazing film.
Mamoru Hosoda’s Wolf Children, is a successful film due to its great animation, its marvelous soundtrack, its flawless pacing, and its relatable characters. Although the lack of action, the character designs, and the slower nature of the film might not appeal to younger audiences, Wolf Children’s nearly universal appeal makes it a great watch for mature audiences. Based on all of the criteria above, Wolf Children receives a rating of nine happy families out of ten.
Citations:
Kylaran. “What I Unexpectedly Got Out of Wolf Children.” Behind the Nihon Review. Behind the Nihon Review. 12 June 2014. Web. 3 December 2015.
Post Review:
My MAL is /Glaceon0 for anyone who would like to know. If you want me to review any anime, light novel or manga, just let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do!
Citations:
Kylaran. “What I Unexpectedly Got Out of Wolf Children.” Behind the Nihon Review. Behind the Nihon Review. 12 June 2014. Web. 3 December 2015.
Post Review:
My MAL is /Glaceon0 for anyone who would like to know. If you want me to review any anime, light novel or manga, just let me know in the comments and I'll see what I can do!
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