CREATOR

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Bones. Nobumoto Keiko

PlOTLINE

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Post-apocalypse. The world is in ruins and so the humans live in aimless existence, ruled by the mysterious and oppressive nobles. Wolves are believe to be extinct, unti one day, a strange white animal shows up in town. And it would be this white wolf, Kiba, who would lead his pack of 3 other wolves in his search for the Moonflower Girl, Cheza, and ultimately reach the Paradise that only wolves are said to know the way to.

COMMENTS

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Starts off great and totally captures your attention, meanders a little in the middle and gets a little lost at times. But overall, the plot is tight. Also, I'm not sure if it's just me, but I find WR very haunting. There's this undercurrent of bleakness that never leaves the story, even during comic scenes, and I LOVE anything that lingers in my mind even after the reading/viewing. On this note, WR is a complete success. I don't believe you can watch WR and walk away feeling *nothing*. Be careful of the angst though; it gets depressing and downright heartbreaking at times. I know of some reviews that call WR an acquired taste. Can't agree more. But do give it a go. You just might belong to the WR-fan camp. ^^

MAIN CHARACTERS

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Below are the 6 main characters in WR that you absolutely must know. There ARE other significant characters but those you can find out once you get your hands on the series! ^_^

KIBA (Fang). A proud, single-minded white wolf who arrives at the ruined city and changes the lives of both humans and wolves. He shares a deep connection to the Moonflower Girl - Cheza and has his heart and mind set on reaching Rakuen (Paradise). He is afraid of nothing, but goes through his fair share of trials and tribulations before realising becoming a capable leader.

TSUME (Claw). A fiercely solitary wolf who uses people for his own benefits. Gruff, brusque with a really harsh tongue, but strangely, is also the one leaping to everyone's defense. Does not hesitate at all to protect those he care about. Like Kiba, he is afraid of nothing. But unlike Kiba, he is uncertain of the existence of Paradise.

HIGE (Whisker). Seemingly happy-go-lucky wolf with a sharp nose and affable manner. But his past is just as mysterious, maybe more than the others with his using a cheerful facade to cover it up. Also quite the playboy with a weakness for the ladies. Has a depth to his thoughts and character that shows up at the most unexpected times.

TOBOE (Howling). A sweet and utterly innocent young wolf with a love for humans that is at odds with his wolf nature. Has a deep yearning to be accepted by humans, and at times, is afraid of his own wolf powers. But along the way, shows that he is far more mature and stronger than his youth and personality would suggest.

CHEZA. The Moonflower girl who shares a deep affinity with the wolves, especially Kiba. She's their guide to Rakuen.

DARCIA. A mysterious noble who is somehow or other related to the wolves and their search for Rakuen. Without giving too much away of the story, Darcia's past and his present twisted ideals would be a significant factor in the direction the wolves later take.

MANGA DETAILS

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Number of volumes : 10
Status : Ongoing

Ok, the artwork for the humans closely resemble the anime. The story in the manga develops at a different pace, and strays from the anime plot at some instances. Also, the artwork for the wolves is a tad too stylised, making them look more like...werewolves on fours. But strangely, the artwork totally grew on me. I mean, I even got to like the way the wolves look! A reasonably good buy, but I just think the artwork might be better if it looks a bit more...polished, shall we say.

SAMPLE 1 (2 pics)

SAMPLE 2 (4 pics)

ANIME DETAILS

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Director : Tensai Okamura
Character Design : Toshihiro Kawamoto
Music : Kanno Yoko
Episodes : 30 (including 4 recap episodes, and 4 OVAs)
Status : Complete

ANIMATION

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Superb, especially the depiction of the wretched, post-apocalyptic world that people are now trapped in. The details are painstakingly depicted, the drawings of the wolves in particular are excellent. Action is smooth. Colours are minimalist, but hey, it IS a barren wasteland of an Earth!

>SCREENCAPS<

VOICE-ACTING

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The Wolf's Rain seiyuu are largely anonymous (comparatively). Even its lead character Kiba is voiced by a near unknown seiyuu. I wasn't particularly captivated, but to be fair, the anime doesn't really test the seiyuu's voice-acting all that much. That said, the voice-acting is very good, and I feel that the cast has risen to the occasion remarkably well.

MUSIC

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The music is composed by a genius - Kanno Yoko. Yep, you need to learn her name. Her compositions are THAT good. Wolf's Rain music is the kind that just completely fits in with the whole theme and mood of the anime. Two words I can think of when it comes to WR music is that it's haunting, and it's surreal. Most of the music is instrumental, but the few vocal pieces the soundtracks contain are good. Standout tracks :

Wolf's Rain OST 1

• Stray (OP)
• Gravity (ED)
• Fragrance Rain (Instru)
• Shiro (Instru)

Wolf's Rain OST 2

• Strangers
• Cycle
• Beyond Me (Instru)
• Face On (Instru)
• Friends (Instru)
• Sad Moon (Instru)

RESOURCES

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WOLF'S RAIN OFFICIAL SITE (Japanese)

RAKUEN'S REQUIEM (Fan site)

MOON RIVER (Fan site)