Wolf's Rain--could I possibly pass up a wolf-related anime? No! The artwork is beautifully done, and unlike too many animes, the characters are not drawn to a specific pattern, so all the characters are distinctive and readily recognizable.

Kiba is a desperate idealist wolf in a world of decay and despair. (Wolves, supposedly extinct, have actually learned to disguise themselves as humans.) The wolves have been prophesied to open the way to Paradise at the end of the world, and he is driven to this goal...gathering around him a few other, scattered, desperate souls. They make their journey in search of a future and an escaoe from a world without hope. At every turn they must overcome the obstacles that other self-seeking creatures put in their path: greedy powerful nobles intent on screwing each other over and grabbing paradise for themselves, humans driven by their own goals and prejudices, and even other wolves, driven into despair.

Kiba is the determination of the group, providing the drive and motivation...he is the one shining, guiltless soul who has the power to actually reach the destination. Hige is a laid-back guy, along for a good time...Tsume is a street tough trying to redeem his soul...and Toboe is a youngster who likes humans and must grow up along the journey.

The characters are interesting, the story is gripping, varied, and convincing, and the artwork is brilliant.

SPOILER AHEAD

I had been warned that the ending was sad, and I was frankly prepared for the worst: I thought that the opening scene of a white wolf lying alone in the snow (perhaps dying) was a preview of the end. But I found the actual ending to be, frankly, annoying and frustrating. I would possibly even add the word 'stupid.' That's the only reason it didn't get four stars from me. Either make it a triumph, however limited and bittersweet, or make it a grand tragedy. The story was powerful and deserved a less waffley finale than this.

Wolf’s Rain is a different, somewhat solemn, and highly ambitious series, which despite a few shortcomings, manages to rank amongst the very best animes.

Something I noticed quite quickly is that many hardcore Otaku in the west either disregard this series or, if they watched it at all, ‘didn’t get it’. Conversely, many ‘Wolf’s Rain’ fans come from outside the usual anime circles, and are often fanatical about it. This isn’t to say there aren’t fanatical Wolf’s Rain fans in anime, but it seems to attract a disproportionate number of fans from outside the ‘circle’.

I think the main reason for this is because Wolf’s Rain falls between the cracks of all the typical anime genres, and doesn’t offer the usual and expected rewards.. It isn’t a romantic comedy, it isn’t mecha, it isn’t a harem series, you couldn’t call it an action series, it’s not exactly sci-fi, it doesn’t have medieval demons in it, it isn’t a gore-fest, it isn’t a parody, and it isn’t uber-cool. One bemused reviewer described it as ‘anime for Goths’. Perhaps, but I’ll go for ‘anime by Herman Hesse’.

It’s hard to talk about Wolf’s Rain without giving away important plot details, but let’s try. The setting is apparently a decaying, post-apocalyptic Earth (the apocalypse, if it actually happened, is left ambiguous. It’s more like the world is just winding down under the pressure of its own corruption). Human cities exist as isolated domes, though within these domes life goes on pretty much as a run-down version of any modern western city. There is advanced technology, but it isn’t shoved in your face. Mostly it belongs to the ‘Nobles’ – not precisely a ruling class, more like a group of powerful and degenerate aristocrats with advanced powers, who largely cut themselves off from the dregs of humanity in the domes.

A mythology exists amongst the humans in this world. Wolves are believed to be extinct, but legend has it that wolves are able to find the gates of Paradise and open them. Few people believe this, but one of the central characters is Quent; an old bounty hunter who believes wolves killed his family and is determined to wipe out those remaining. He believes they have learnt to cast a spell over people, and pass themselves off as humans. He is quite right.

Through happenstance, a group of four wolves, led by the driven Kiba, come together and go in search of paradise, so after a few episodes where the characters get acquainted in one of the city-domes, what you end up with is a sort of spiritual road-story/quest.

That’s simplifying things enormously. Wolf’s Rain is a very complex series, but unlike much anime, the complexity isn’t so much in the plot as such, as its philosophical ramifications. Huge discussions have ensued as to what Wolf’s Rain is ultimately about, but let’s just say that it’s a mixture of Wagnerian Norse Ragnarok (Gotterdammerung is conjured strongly to mind), Hindu mysticism, Christian biblical motifs, Buddhist concepts, and probably other religious/spiritual content that I’m missing. Pretty obviously this is a bit outside the norm for anime, and maybe the only other well-known series which ventures (less ambitiously or successfully) into the same area is ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’.

Complaints about Wolf’s Rain tend to be along the lines that it is slow, and that the end is depressing and doesn’t make sense. I can’t really address those criticisms without giving away too much of the story. Let’s say though that the tone of the story gradually changes as the series goes on, and that the final four episodes (which were not broadcast as part of the TV series, and are only available on DVD) are where the whole thing comes together. If you haven’t seen these OVA’s, then you can’t possibly have a grasp of what the series is about. I will warn you though, that if you’ve got this far, you may find the later episodes very sad – depending on how you choose to interpret the final episode.

Wolf’s Rain has a few weaker points. The action is sometimes just a little slow, and you could argue that some plot developments are left underdeveloped, acting as distractions. On the other hand you could argue that non-essential diversions re part and parcel of the road movie, and don’t need to mesh together seamlessly. Another criticism is that the four main characters are somewhat two-dimensional. They each tend to project one particular characteristic. Again, you could also argue that these elements are necessary to form a fully-fleshed ‘meta-character’ represented by the group as a whole. One valid criticism is that the four ‘recap’ episodes in the middle f the series are pretty unescessary, and if buying this on DVD you could omit that disc without concern (it’s called ‘Rememberance. Disc 4 or 5. I forget)

Wolf’s Rain ventures into very spiritual and metaphysical territory by its end, and like very few other anime series, I found it haunting me long after it was over. It’s one of those few series which make me feel as if it would be a while before I could bear delving back into the superficial eye and brain candy that anime usually offers up.

Wolf’s Rain was created by the writer of Cowboy Bebop and Tokyo Godfathers, so it’s reasonable for expectations to be high. If the series doesn’t go down as a popular classic like ‘Bebop’, it might be because it aims a little over the heads of those expecting wham-bam thrills and a storyline which relies more on technical intricicies than philosophical contemplation. Not that Wolf's Rain is merely cerebral. There are some really emotion-choked sequences in the later half of the series.

The animation is of a strong standard, and the animation of the wolves themselves (when they’re shown in their lupine form) is probably as realistic as any animal animation I’ve ever seen.

The music is by Yoko Kanno, so you know it’s going to be good. Truly, it’s outstanding, and I could recommend the soundtrack CDs even for those who haven’t watched the series. And Kanno’s music allows me a way of tying up this review.

The episodes open with a song called ‘Stray’, for which the lyrics and vocals were supplied by some bloke or other who I’ve never heard of. Personally I don’t like it much. It sounds like something Hall and Oates would have done in the 80’s, and seems to promise a dumbed-down action/quest series. However, at the end of each episode we get a polar opposite: an exquisite, slow ballad called ‘Gravity’, which is at once beautiful and sad. Accompanied by the closing sequence of a wolf running in slow-motion profile against a slowly rising moon or dawning day, this song managed to give me goosebumps and send chills down my spine every single time I watched it. All 30 episodes. If you want a quick litmus test as to whether you’re going to enjoy this series, try this: if you like the opening theme and don’t like the closing theme – pass. You probably won’t enjoy Wolf’s Rain. If you have the opposite reaction, and it’s ‘Gravity’ which affects you, press on. “The road keeps on calling me to go on”. It fits, because if there is a simple message from Wolf’s Rain, it might be that the destination is really the journey.

from the creators of Cowboy Bebop comes this visual spectacle with what sounds like a strangely recognizable title, 'Wolf's Rain'. the animation and backgrounds of the series are remarkable for a tv series and very beautiful. though i have no fear in saying the entire series as a whole holds up little compared to Cowboy Bebop. the series is played out as if the story is original, and plays it well, however we can see through the thin structure of the storyline that is gilded with visual substance and high style. this was why i was not nearly as fond of it as Cowboy Bebop. in fact i could easily never finish the series (which i didn't, and probably won't).

the characters can be loveable, but nothing is so striking about them to get attached over. it seemed that the creators tried hard enough to make them less categorized as in other animes, but not enough to draw true individuality. the music in the series helps ALOT, and if not for it, even more of the series would feel mediocre. all in all, it's a treat to watch, and the characters have there brief, but none the less existing moments of distinctiveness. the overall feel is just beyond, 'eh'.