User reviews

Even though this is a fantasy movie, it is notable for how real it feels. The fantasy elements inform the plot, but it is the very real human emotions and connections that fuel the movie. This feels more like a thinly veiled version of real life than something fanciful.

The movie is constantly moving, but in a quiet way. It touches your heart, not with big moments, but with small ones. It is a movie about love of all kinds, and while it is admittedly an idealized version of love, a story of the sort of unselfish, uncomplicated love that only exists consistently in movies, it is truly lovely.

It is also often quite funny, well paced, and thoroughly entertaining.

Having seen Mamoru Hosada's previous films Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, I see him as the successor to Hadeo Miyazaki, who (alas) cannot live forever. Hosada is a very different filmmaker, but he has the same ability to make fantasy real and human, and to make me happy.

Watch this movie.

In the vein of films like Totoro, and in contrast to Mamoru Hosoda's previous Summer Wars, this film glides along without an epic struggle driving the story. Rather, the greatest moments are the depictions of family life and the picturesque sketches of Tokyo and the Japanese countryside.

The story begins with the start of the eponymous wolf children's parents' love, and progresses through births, deaths, moves, the first day of school, and their growth into adults. The story is almost too ordinary, but in its normality, its moments are universal. One can't help but stare in awe at the beauty of life as it happens, and be reminded of the beauty of one's own mundane yet special lives.

The art is also quite something. Tokyo's bustling life is reduced to warm glows of winter, and the Japanese farms and countryside is rendered beautifully whether it be in rain, sun, or snow.

Watch it. It's not of the same scale as Hosoda's previous Summer Wars or The Girl Who Leapt through Time, but it packs an emotional punch that surpasses either of them. You'll shed a few tears, and marvel at the beauty of the world and our lives.

As part of Madman Entertainment's Reel Anime Festival that now come very two years since 2008. Its aim is to showcase some of the freshest and new Anime films that have been recently released in Japan to the rest for Australian and New Zealand for a limited time only. I managed to catch two films during its run; Berserk: Egg of the King and Wolf Children. I can only hope I see the other two From Poppy on a Hill and Children Who Chase Lost Voices when they come out on DVD.

Here's my review of Wolf Children: Mamoru Hosada could be one anime Director who could rival the international reputation of his former employers; Studio Ghibli.

"Wolf Children" is his third feature after the successes of "The Girl Who Leaped Through Time" and "Summer Wars".

The Stoy follows Hana; a young University Student who falls in love with a strange young man. It soon turns out he's a mysterious Half-Wolf-Half-Man descendant. Things start to take a more drastic turn when He dies leaving Hana alone to raise her two Children they bore.

The rest of the film follows the children as they grow up and how Hana manages to raise them and deal with their gift, habits, situations and morals.

The central action takes place in their new country home surrounded by wilderness and their interactions with the town folks and wild life.

Like Hosada's previous works, this film has fantastic and unique character designs; that aim more to realism and art-house scene than traditional anime designs.

The story is very heartwarming and cute as time goes on, there are some dark parts that become very heart wrenching. There's some very distinctive Ghibli influence in this piece of work, But I'm glad Hosada takes to his own territory.

To some viewers it maybe a little too long running at almost at 2 hours. But overall its a superb anime film even if your familiar with Hosada's other films or not Wolf Children is great and must be seen, I highly recommended it for a heartwarming journey of endurance, love, coming of age and prosperity.

Wolf Children, or Ōkami Kodomo no Ame to Yuki (Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki) as its called in Japan, is hands down one of the best movies I have ever seen. Not even counting its ranking among the anime category, Wolf Children takes place in my own personal hall of fame movies. In this movie, director Mamoru Hosoda completely blows away all expectations with a film that will really touch you. Wolf Children is a story of trials, perseverance, and the love of a family. For parents, you have nothing to worry about, the full extent of violence being very little. However, it is best to watch with your children, as there are a few amazingly sad moments. Wolf Children can be seen alone, or in a group with equally satisfying results. If there is one negative point I could make on this movie, it would be the first 5-10 minutes being slow, but after the first 5 minutes or so, you become completely entranced and will wish it were longer. If you come to love this movie as I do, watch "Summer Wars" by the same director, another movie both adults and children can love.

This film was excellent, may I even say better than spirited away? Possibly. The Wolf Children was much(for lack of a better word)better than I had expected. I simply astonished me. The animation was fantastic the background was exquisite, and the storyline was moving. Mamoru Hosoda has not failed again, if you liked this I would suggest you watch "Summer Wars" or "The Girl Who Leaped Through Time".

Wolf Children is massively underrated in my opinion.

Though there is no spoiler here, I would like to say one thing about the ending, the ending is not conclusive, it is quite open, though still powerful. So because of this, some people may not like the ending, at first it had me in tears because of its beauty, but also had me angry because of the ending. But still a fantastic film.

Ratings:

Animation: 9.5/10

Storyline: 9.8/10

Background scenery: 10/10 (Amazing background scenery, greatly drawn)

Character personality: 10/10

Overall: 10/10

Thanks for reading.

• Nik

You will after seeing the beautiful animation, and emotional purity of this film. This is a somber look at the struggles of a single mother completely out of her element, and fighting for each and every inch of ground in unfamiliar territory. While the comparison to Hayao Miyazaki is both inevitable, and present, Hosuda has established a unique style of story-telling that will help distinguish him from other animators, and hopefully bring him some much needed attention from international audiences. Never one to shy away from tear-jerking, Hosuda spins a somber tale of an unconventional family with unique challenges, and yet still makes it nearly universally relatable. While this film is technically in the fantasy genre, it is easily recommendable to fans of all film styles and all ages, with only some slight warnings for tasteful, completely non-sexual nudity.

If you'd ever need to know why 2D animation is still relevant, or why the slew of 3D animated films can't seem to dent and push the former out of fashion, then perhaps Wolf Children encapsulates all the reasons why this is so. There's a lack of charm with the very clinical approach to animated films, especially with loads of images created digitally, and now for the 3D format, and this charm is always ever present in the traditional art form for the big screen. And don't forget that story remains king.

Director Mamoru Hosoda continues on his roll with a brand of animated films that are extremely well received, because not only are they drawn to perfection in anime style, but also his films touches the emotional core on humanity, and this will inevitably move you with his style and delivery of such strong stories, whether written by someone else, as a film adaptation of novels such as The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, or like in Summer Wars and Wolf Children, stem from his own imagination. And what a fantastic reservoir of imagination he's tapping from as well, either telling stories with relevance to a digital age, or as in this case, a fairy tale like allure that is deceptively simple, yet concealing a very strong ode to motherhood.

Yes that's right. For the most parts throughout this film, I thought it also resembled Yoji Yamada's Kabei: Our Mother, in the sense that this film takes on story proportions centered around a mother's unconditional love for her children, and the continuous strive to make ends meet and bring up her children to the best of her ability, inculcating a value system into her young ones. And the episodes the mothers encounter strengthen their resolve and determination, just goes to show the lengths they will go to in ensuring proper upbringing filled with love, care and concern. This simple narrative will undoubtedly move, only if it's done right, which Wolf Children did, complete with a fantastical element which provides a refreshing examination looking in, with a little bit of grotesque morbidity if one cannot look away from.

I dislike to use this analogy, but perhaps it may strike an immediate chord with the current generation. Twilight has progressed and shown the decision Bella made to be with Edward, and in some ways, Wolf Children is like a what if to that scenario had she decided to be with Jacob. Hana (voiced by Aoi Miyazaki) meets up with a tall, handsome stranger in class (Takao Osawa), and before you can say Twilight, they fall in love, and it is revealed that her lover is a Wolfman. Undeterred, they begin a family, and soon Hana gives birth to the titular daughter Yuki and son Ame, before tragedy strikes and the family becomes a dysfunctional one without a father figure.

Fearing that her children may be discovered to be wolf-human hybrids, with a number of scenes showing the challenges she faces such as their tantrums and uncontrollable changes, or the dilemma faced when they fall sick, she decides to uproot and move into the countryside, where life is simpler, neighbours are far away from one another, and there is room to, well, let her young ones roam in the vast grasslands and mountain sides. A new life beckons, and the film begins its homage to all moms having to struggle to bring up their children in unfamiliar surroundings, with little assistance, and plenty of inexperience.

As a storyteller, Mamoru Hosoda excelled in character development, as we journey together with Hana in her upbringing, with the children endearing themselves to you in double quick time. They are adorably designed, drawn and brought to life, whether in their human form, or in animal form. We identify with everyone easily because of the inherent humanity Hosoda gives them, whether or not we are already a mom, or reflect that onto the challenges faced by our own mom's upbringing of ourselves. And both Yuki and Ame, besides their gender, have very contrasting qualities, from young to their teens, a tale told to just about the time where teenage rebellion and the need to forge their own independence take centerstage.

There are plenty of episodes in Wolf Children that covers a spectrum of emotions, from comedy to those that will set heaviness in your heart. The innocence of the children will not get lost on you, and in fact will rub off you, while the pains of growing up will also touch a raw nerve, as Hosoda clearly knows which moments in one's teenage life to translate his story for the screen, bringing relevance the forgetting that the children were in fact more than meets the eye. And the animation is clearly Hosoda's vision in having details balanced with the occasional need for scarcity, which nailed it especially when the narrative calls for some distance either physically, or emotionally, and it's a stylistic choice that's already seen in a number of his films.

Mamoru Hosoda set up his Studio Chizu with this production, and I'm really looking forward to more stories in the coming years. Meanwhile, Wolf Children is a must watch, and a clear favourite for the year. A little pity that it's not opening on more screens, but make your way to the Filmgarde cineplexes as this remains an exclusive to the chain. Meanwhile, I'm going to look back at Hosoda's filmography on DVD/Blu!

This movie was incredibly well done. In my opinion, aside from the supernatural aspects of the characters themselves, this is a very real and down to earth story about a mother trying to raise two children who are different and the struggles she has to go through alone. I find the characters in this movie to be incredibly realistic and relatable. The music is great and it does not overtake any scene, but rather it adds to the mood of the scene it is required to enhance. As someone who, along with my sister was brought up practically alone by my mother, I feel that this movie also reminded me of her day to day struggle as well in terms of raising two energetic children without any outside help whatsoever. The animation is very crisp and beautiful as well. If you haven't seen this movie yet, go see it, and if you have any reservations (just as I did) you should go see it anyway. This movie was one of a kind.

Disclaimer: I'm not very familiar with anime or Japanese movies.

During the movie I had a hard time understanding how the whole "werewolf"-part of the movie was helping it. It adds an unneeded layer, that feels tacked on to appeal to young adults in the post-twilight world. The movie is a nice story about a woman in a difficult situation working hard - making her own luck - to keep her family safe and happy. The mother is an inspiring figure, and the children are cute, and you can clearly see the love between them. The struggles the children face are similar to what many children does, and so I'm sure people of all ages can relate to (parts of) this movie. But then there's the wolves.

I'm not saying that movies in general should strive to be realistic, and using wolves to represent a part of human nature is bad. I'm just saying that I didn't feel it added anything to this story, and it could have been told just as well without it. At the same time: if I had enjoyed the werewolf "mythos" more, then I might have gotten even more out this movie (and story) than I did.

The animation is very well done, and there are several beautiful shots in this movie. I liked the soundtrack as well.

Wolf Children tells the tale of two children, who have been born to a normal university female student and to a werewolf man. From their father they inherit the ability to turn into wolves, which manifests almost immediately after their birth. Unfortunately their father dies and it quickly becomes apparent that werewolf children just cannot be brought up in the city. At least not alone. Thus their mother does the sensible, but also risky, thing and moves to the countryside to farm the land and to raise her children in peace.

From that intriguing beginning we get a beautiful film about the problems of growing up while straddling two heritages. Yuki, the older of the two children, is much more outgoing and brave, and she's at first much more comfortable with her wolf blood than her brother Ame, who's more cautious about the wolf within, but also understands it on a level that Yuki can never reach. It's a very fitting allegory and the film takes full advantage of the possibilities offered. Especially near the end the film has some absolutely beautiful and thoughtful moments when the children, now young teenagers, finally have to start making decision about which of the worlds they want to belong to.

I also have to praise the character of the mother, Hana. She's so often clearly way in over her head, but her stubbornness and constant cheerful outlook on life carry her through even the hardest periods. She's very human in how she struggles, but in the best possible way, because it's exactly her humanity that gives her strength.

Studio Madhouse's animation style is still very smooth and fluid, though I do find that their character models are a bit simplistic when you put them against lush nature backgrounds. Not really a problem, but personally I would have preferred a bit more naturalistic approach to the designs.

Wold Children is a fantastic film for all fans of anime and for those that are interested in the dichotomy between the world of beast and the world of man.

Probably the best anime I have seen recently. From the director of 'The Girl Who Leapt Through Time' gives us this wonderful fantasy-drama. This movie is kinda resembling Miyazaki's 'My Neighbour Totoro', only the place it takes place and a bit with the characters. Other than that it is an awesome movie with a totally fresh concept as per my knowledge.

All the three main characters, a mother and her two kids were lovable. Aoi Miyazaki never stops impressing me where she appears here as a mother. Her roles from various movies are always coming with a surprise who peaking high and higher, she really rocks. The two kids' characters as well very adorable. Like the two sisters in 'My Neighbour Totoro' these two made the movie look great. Actually it was a tale about a mother who raises two wolf children. As a single parent, her hard work and dedication to the kids to grow up having a normal and happy childhood she must sacrifice her life.

When her husband dies, Hana must take care of the kids where she lacks the knowledge of their kind to give support. She finds difficulties in city to raise them so she decides to move to a rural where she can cut the communications with the other humans. Growing her own vegetables in the backyard, facing the different seasons and going through all the ups and down in life she almost achieves her ambition.

It did not look like an anime movie, it looked almost a real one with many cool and colourful frames. The story commenced with a nice love story with a little heartbreak. Then the most enjoyable parts begin with lots of laughs until the approach of the end where it brings lots of emotions before concluding with a powerful howl. It had very nice background score in all the crucial portion of the tale. In other word to say, the movie was just like what I expected and more than that. I felt the movie was short and was not ready to accept the end. You know, it is better being short and sweet than with unnecessary drag in a tale. This is a movie that everyone will love, especially kids and families. Like I said if you are a die hard 'My Neighbour Totoro' movie fan then you must not miss it. So highly recommended by me.

That does sound like a bold statement to make, but, while some of the first part of the film is rather rushed and the ending is inconclusive and literally begging for a few minutes longer, Wolf Children is as good a film as that. The best assets were the animation and the way the story is handled. The animation is absolutely fantastic, always have liked the anime style and Wolf Children is one of the best recent examples. The colours are both atmospheric and beautifully gentle, never bold or in your face but intimate-looking without being too twee-looking, while the backgrounds are exquisitely detailed and the characters move expressively.

The story may sound simple and twee reading the plot-line but is actually none of those things. It fills the running time almost perfectly and uses some very mature and relatable themes dealing with them in a way that's sensitive and beyond its years while also making it accessible for a wider audience(a quite difficult thing to do and Wolf Children does this better than most animated films). Not only this, but it is very emotionally powerful as well, plenty of scenes are cute but a lot of it is either charming or heart-wrenching without making it too dark. The script is pretty much the same, it doesn't ever sound childish nor does it sound over-complicated or preachy(considering the themes tackled these were and are very easy traps), none of it is enough to completely go over children's heads neither is any of it dumbed-down-sounding to adults.

I always look out for good music in a film, as a very keen musician and as someone studying classical singing. Wolf Children does have a good music score, no, a great music score, gentle and ethereal mostly but also with some rhythmically driven parts too, matching what's going on nuance for nuance. The characters are adorable but not in a sickly way while also engaging and distinct in personality, they are flawed but also easy to identify with. The voice work is beautifully delivered too and fit the characters and their personalities very well. Overall, a beautiful film that is almost as good as the best of Studio Ghibli. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Compared to other anime, this is above average only. Its not very realistic story through out but still able to entertain with not too much illogic.

Overall the story is just so so, nothing exciting nor stunning.

Hana is a student who meets a boy who comes to class without even being enrolled. This boy turns out to be an endangered werewolf, but she falls in love for him. Their love seems undying, and they end up making it , bringing two children into the world: Ame (what does it mean in Japanese: Rain) and Yuki (what does it mean: Snow). After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident while hunting for food for their children, the young woman must find ways to raise the werewolf son and daughter that she had with him while keeping their trait hidden from society.

After the successes of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) and Summer Wars (2009), Hosoda decided to start his own studio, Studio Chizu, and with the help of the production company of his previous films - Madhouse - he successfully carried out this ambitious project. The agreeable story revolves around the maternity as main issue of the plot, a favorite theme of the director, in fact Hosoda was closely linked to his mother. With this premise, Hosoda's goal was to portray Hana's growth from her early motherhood at age 19 until her evolution over time. Of course, the children Ame and Yuki also become protagonists of the story as it is channeled through them. In 'Wolf Children', director Hosoda managed to direct a story that masterfully combines a familiar and humorous tone with a more complex and somber one, achieving more depth than his previous films and making it easier for it to reach the hearts of viewers with tenderness but also with a certain cruelty, a faithful reflection of the difficulties of life and motherhood.

Fun and endearing film, more than one person may be surprised by the second half of the tale, in which the style begins to change as it progresses to something more serious and mature, with touches of drama, and that tendency of the director to prolong the atmosphere more than necessary. This remarkable film contains great sensitivity without disdaining conflict and pain, providing a perfect relation between technical and argumentative quality. Being appointed for a wide spectrum of public, approaching realism despite its fantastic tendencies.

The film has all the necessary elements to be a success among anime fans. It is a story of great fantasy involving a brave, courageous family. One of the highest-grossing films in Japan in 2012, with more than four million viewers and one of the highest-grossing films by Mamoru Hosada , getting $55 million worldwide and $52.5 million in Japan . His early work included episodes of the children's series "Digimon" and one of the films of the manga "One Piece." His first big hit was: ¨The girl who leapt through time¨. This film was an important step in his notable career in anime. Initially, the anime was released in only a few Japanese theaters, but word of mouth boosted the series, eventually gaining international fame. Hosoda, considered the new Hayao Miyazaki by anime specialists, is responsible for notorious Japanese animation films. In fact, he usually has the artistic direction of Studio Ghibli veteran Youi Takeshige (Spirited Away). Hosoda is free to combine in his films to perfection 2D environments with 3D animation, resulting in a dazzling visual feast. He has made important anime such as: "Summer Wars" (2009) and "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" (2006), both of them winners of the Sitges Festival and the Japanese Academy awards for best animation film. In 2012 made the famous film ¨Wolf Children¨. Perhaps his best-known film was "Summer Wars", which tells the story of a young genius who travels to a town pretending to be a girl's boyfriend, but the situation becomes complicated when a mysterious artificial intelligence begins to take control of a virtual world known as Oz, a mix of online game and social network. His two last animes were ¨Mirai¨ (2018): a young boy encounters a magical garden which enables him to travel through time and meet his relatives from different eras, with guidance by his younger sister from the future and Belle (2021): a shy high school student living in a rural village, for years, she has only been a shadow of herself. But when she enters "U", a massive virtual world, she escapes into her online persona as Belle, a globally-beloved singer.

Sienna's Rating: 8 Stars Sebastian's Rating: 8 Stars Paul's Rating: 8 Stars

Watched July 2020.