Anime Fix

Wolf’s Rain
GENRE: Action/Adventure
DIRECTOR: Tensai Okamura
MUSIC: Yoko Kanno

PLOT: The world seems to be coming to an end. Is PARADISE lost? or just waiting to be found? The search for PARADISE is main root of this quest driven adventure animeWolves, apparently are the key. By following the the Moon flower Maiden, our band of companions will obtain their goal…maybe. In the first episode, we are introduce to a dizzying array of characters and given bread crumbs to help us on our way. The story centers around ‘wolves’ who are, well…wolves. They have the ability to project a human form and co-mingle w/ us. Thought to be extinct, the wolves are eking out an existence in an icy world on the verge of collapse. Enter Kiba, a white wolf. He has picked up the scent of the moon flower and journeys off in pursuit of this prize that will hopefully lead him to PARADISE. The episodes proceed at break neck speed, our heros surviving one misshap after another…until ep. 15-18 [ here we encounter a series of recaps as told by the members of the pack...may want to jump ahead to ep 19, where the story is picked back up] I’ll not spoil this for you, but I will recomend watching final episode alone… with a box of tissues…

[NOTE: this is by the creator of Cowboy Beebop. You may notice many similarities. I did...gao]

CHARACTERS:
KIBA: the main protagonist of the story.He is a white wolf and in all honesty is like the others in that they are predictable quest Archetypes. He is the packs leader and is single-mindedly driven in his actions.[voiced by Mamoru Miyano]
Tsume: the scared[physically and mentally] taciturn loner. He is another alpha male and a reluctant member of the pack.[voiced by Kenta Miyake]
Hige: Is the jester of the troupe. A happy-go-lucky wolf who is just there along for the personal amusement [vioced by Akio Suyama]
Toboe: the innocent. Always being protected by the others…until…he grows his teeth for the group and himself. He does manage to keep his innocence and remain true to his character to the end.[voiced by Hiroki Sjimowada]
Blue: The outsider w/ the heart of gold that wins her way into the group…and out…and in…and out…
Cheza; the Moon Flower Maiden. She leads the pack toward PARADISE. She plays the cleric role and is a healer.
Quent: the revenge driven villain who seeks the total annihialation of the wolves.
Darcia: the supernatural villain. Is driven by his quest for finding PARADISE for himself. He is part wolf.

GENRE: This is a quest/adventure anime. There is a goal that they seek and this drives the plot. Unfortunately, this anime adds little to the quest genre and is a bit predictable.It grows darker and darker as our heroes are repeated bludgeoned by fate and misfortune.

THEMES: Among many, the main underliner is the theme of friendship, muddling along together to overcome the obstacles life puts in your path. Their comarauderie is the only thing that keeps you from shooting the wolves yourself and putting them out of their misery.

STYLE: The background is a character in and of itself, the desolate and decaying world in which our heroes journey. The artwork is well done, even if at times loses perspective [ ie. Kiba shot by Quet in ep 1] Once, we leave the city and journey thru the snow blasted wastelands, the anime becomes more plot driven as the visual is quite lacking.
The music is subdued, it adds to amp up the tension, but is not overpowering…..it is eloquent in its understatement, though I would not have had so much electric guitar and drums if I were to score the eps.

CONCLUSION: I enjoyed watching this anime and own the series on DVD.I was a bit critical in this review, but I have high standards…gao. I recomend it if you are looking for a quest driven anime.