Wolf's Rain: Anime Legends - Perfect Collection

Introduction

I'm a traitor to my native anime industry once more. Beez have already released Wolf's Rain in the UK, both in single volume and boxset form. Indeed last year, they put together the ultimate package, all seven DVDs in a faux-leather book, along with the soundtrack CD and plenty of artwork. It's something that even the American audiences didn't get, and it is mighty exclusive. It isn't too badly priced either at a R.R.P of £90, the same price as both previous half season boxsets put together, and those lacked the exclusive extras and cool packaging. I was putting together the money in a Wolf's Rain pot, specifically for this series, when last year, during the height of the credit crunch, and with the pound trading at around $1.30, the US Region 1 Perfect Collection from Bandai was announced. A simple m-lock case holds all seven DVDs, no bells, no whistles, and it was pre-release discounted at under the customs limit. Eighteen pounds, ninety pounds, you do the maths.


I have to admit though that it wasn't just the price that stayed my wallet. The premise wasn't all that appealing to me either, with a show centred around four talking wolves. That seemed just a little too Disney to me for comfort. After all, I gravitated to anime just because it wasn't Disney. This despite the fact that the acclaimed Studio Bones accomplished the animation, and none other than the sublime Yoko Kanno created the soundtrack. There's only so much positive hype that a person can ignore before even he reluctantly climbs aboard the bandwagon. Read on to discover just how wrong my preconceptions were.


There is an ancient legend, one that tells of a paradise on Earth, something that is sorely needed in a time where people huddle together in enclosed cities, while all that remains outside are barren wastelands. The legends say that only wolves can find this paradise, but wolves have been extinct for two hundred years. Except they haven't. Wolves walk among humans, disguised in human form, and with good reason when some people interpret the legend as a story of the final days, and see wolves as heralds of the apocalypse. Three wolves live in a domed city, Tsume, the leader of a gang that raids the authority for food and wealth, Toboe, a young wolf that was adopted by humans, and has been living on the streets since his 'grandmother' died, and Hige who makes living among humans seem effortless. But their lives change when a fourth wolf named Kiba wanders into the city, following the scent of Lunar Flowers. Lunar Flowers are meant to point the way to Paradise, but this time the scent leads Kiba to a strange girl named Cheza, held in an experimental tank. Cheza is unique, a genetic creation, and together with Kiba, Toboe, Hige and Tsume, the five of them will take the long and perilous journey to Paradise. They will be pursued in their quest by humans seeking power in the waning days of the world, and who want to wrest paradise away from the wolves.


This collection gathers all seven discs of Wolf's Rain together, presenting the 30-episode series, along with extra features, in one handy m-lock case.

Volume 1: Leader of the Pack
1. City of Howls
2. Toboe, Who Doesn't Howl
3. Bad Fellow
4. Scars In The Wasteland
5. Fallen Wolves

Volume 2: Blood and Flowers
6. The Successors
7. The Flower Maiden
8. The Song of Sleep
9. Misgivings
10. Moon's Dream

Volume 3: Loss
11. Vanishing Point
12. Don't Make Me Blue
13. Men's Lament
14. The Fallen Keep


Volume 4: Recollections
15. Grey Wolf
16. Dream Journey
17. Scent of a Flower, Blood of a Wolf
18. Men, Wolves, The Book of the Moon

Volume 5: War For the Soul
19. Dream of an Oasis
20. CONSCIOUSLY
21. Battle's Red Glare
22. Pieces of a Shooting Star

Volume 6: Paradise and Poison
23. Heartbeat of the Black City
24. Scent of a Trap
25. False Memories
26. Moonlight Crucible

Volume 7: Final Encounters
27. Where the Soul Goes
28. Gunshot of Remorse
29. High Tide, High Time
30. Wolf's Rain

Picture

Wolf's Rain gets a NTSC 4:3 regular transfer on these Region 1 discs. Aside from the slightly lower resolution, the image is clear and sharp throughout, and gratifyingly free of artefacts and compression. The anime looks absolutely stunning on these discs. It's the transfer that this show deserves, coming from Studio Bones, with consistently high production values and standards. The show is bleak, moody and atmospheric, and that is reflected in the subdued palette, and rundown depressed future dystopian world design. The animation is of consistently high quality, bordering on the cinematic, something that is breathtakingly made clear in the show's opening sequence, a bandit raid on a train. It makes you wish that this was made in a wider format, but the 4:3 frame is put to good use regardless. The character designs are excellent, memorable and well animated (both human and lupine), and there's no doubt that the imagery from this show will stay with you long after other shows have been forgotten.

Sound

You have a choice between DD 5.1 and 2.0 Surround English, as well as a DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese track. As my preference as always is for the original language version, I'm a little disappointed that there's no surround option here. That said, even the Japanese stereo offers splendid audio, expressive but not overbearing, and adequately conveying the action and the music, especially after having a little Prologic applied to it. It's a good English dub from what I sampled, up to the standards demanded by the story and the characters, and on a par with the original actors. There's certainly nothing to complain about here. As for the music, well it is Yoko Kanno, and not only does she choose the most worthy and interesting of projects to compose for, but her music, as always lifts the anime into the stratosphere in terms of quality. Her score can be breathtaking, evocative, soaring, as well as subtle, gentle and mesmerising. Frankly I'm at the point now where I will buy a show, simply because it has her name attached to it. And I haven't been disappointed yet.

Extras

Seven discs are presented in an m-lock style case. One on the front, four on the central panel with two overlapping on each side, and two discs overlapping on the back. All discs get animated menus and jacket pictures, and the menus are quite evocative, in the form of a leather bound book illuminated by flickering candlelight.

Disc 1

This has a seven-minute interview with the cast, Mamoru Miyano (Kiba), Kenta Miyake (Tsume), Hiroki Shimowada (Toboe), and Akio Suyama (Hige). It's a light chat, barely scraping the surface of the show. You'll also find the textless credits, a pilot film, two promo films, and four 15-second mini-promos for the show, all in all about 5 minutes worth of trailer. Other trailers on this disc include Yukikaze, Dragon Drive, and Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex.


Disc 2

This follows up with an eight-minute interview with the cast, Unsho Ishizuka (Quent Yaiden), Takaya Kuroda (Darcia), Kaho Koda (Cher Degre), Mitsuru Miyamoto (Hubb Lebowski), and Ansa Ogasawara (Cheza), and again it's really just an introduction to the cast. There is also a six-minute Staff Interview with director Tensai Okamura, producer Masahito Minami, and sound director Kazuhiro Wakabayashi all commenting. There are textless end credits for episodes 7, 8, and 10, and finally there are trailers for Stratos 4, GITSSAC and Infinite Ryvius.

Disc 3

This disc just offers textless end credits for all four of its episodes, and trailers for GITSSAC, Dragon Drive, and Galaxy Angel.


Disc 4

Textless end credits for episodes 17 and 18, as well as trailers for GITSSAC, Stratos 4, and Kaze no Yojimbo are your lot. The trailer for the Stand Alone Complex Console Game is here too.

Disc 5

Textless end credits for episodes 19, 20, and 21, as well as trailers for GITSSAC, Stratos 4, and Kaze no Yojimbo are your lot. The trailer for the Stand Alone Complex Console Game is here too.

Disc 6

You get the textless end credits for episodes 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26, as well as trailers for GITSSAC, Kaze no Yojimbo, and Gundam SEED.

Disc 7

Just the trailers for GITSSAC, Kaze no Yojimbo, and Gundam SEED here.

Conclusion

If there is a list of must own anime, essential titles that should be on every shelf, it's a fairly short list. You can stick Cowboy Bebop on there, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and maybe one or two others. Well you can add Wolf's Rain to it also, and it's probably not just a coincidence that Yoko Kanno supplies the music as well. As a composer, she has a distinct talent for picking worthy shows to work on, either that or her presence inspires animators and creators to give a hundred percent to making the show as good as it could be. And like all the best anime shows, Wolf's Rain is immune to simple categorisation and analysis, certainly beyond the scope of a hastily written review.


Wolf's Rain is about the end of the world, or rather the end of a world. I've seen plenty of apocalyptic anime series; some better than others, and by and large the most common theme is a dystopian, nihilistic vision of the future, and a pervading sense of hopelessness and inevitability. Said shows would be bleak, dark and relentlessly depressing. Of course there are some stunning shows made with that recipe, Texhnolyze springs to mind, and there's no rule saying that the Armageddon needs to be bright and shiny and have a mascot animal. Wolf's Rain does indeed do bleak and dark very well, but it also manages to balance it with hope and optimism. One of the things that really made this show stand out for me was the thought gone into creating the world and this story. It touches on mythology, on creation myths and myths about the end of the world, and you can see hints of influence from many cultures and belief systems in the way it develops. I particularly noticed Hindu influences in the cyclic worldview, and was impressed at the way it was adapted into the story.


In this story, wolves were there at the start of the world, and it is they who will herald the end, when they are called to find Paradise, which will only open to them. It's no wonder at the start of the story, wolves are considered extinct, having been hunted by humans who want to forestall the end of the world. Except they haven't vanished, instead they hide among men, able to cloak themselves in human form, and elude the superstitious. It's a masterstroke for the animation, as it does away with the need for Disney-esque anthropomorphism, the wolves are wholly lupine and behave as such, but in their human form are able to emote and interact with other people. As the story progresses, the lines between the two may blur, but it's naturally done, and always utterly believable in the context of the story. It's an interesting world that we are introduced to as well, with humans living in closed communities, in domes and in rundown cities, apparently apathetic and uncaring, more devoted to living day to day, than invested in any sort of future. Above them are the rulers, the Nobles who own the cities, and play their games of politics against one another, not caring about the human cost or the damage they inflict. It becomes clear that they are the remnants of a master race, although it's never clarified whether they are superior humans or something different. They are long-lived, have advanced technology at their disposal, and maybe even arcane powers. And among them, hidden, live the wolves. Most of the humans, if they knew about the wolves, would kill them to forestall the prophesied end of the world. The Nobles want to bring about their own form of Paradise, while the wolves have mostly forgotten or discount the prophecies, and just want to live out their days in peace. That's except for one wolf. And key to it all are the lunar flowers.


It's primarily a character-focussed show, and the emphasis on character arcs and developing them over the 26-odd episodes makes this show stand out. The story is strong and engrossing, but it never overwhelms the cast, and as such the show allows for greater empathy and audience investment. You care about what happens to the wolves and the humans in this story, and once it grabs you, it doesn't let go. Central to it all are the four wolves, with Kiba the driving force behind the search for Paradise, determined, proud, and utterly sure of his faith. He's drawn to Freeze City by the scent of Lunar Flowers, in a world where the flowers are considered just as extinct as the wolves of legend. It's there that he meets the other three wolves. Tsume is a lone wolf in search of a pack. He's moody, self-centred and arrogant, but he's still gathered a band of humans around him to raid official transports for food and supplies. When Kiba shows up, offering him a better life and a better future, Tsume's the most reluctant to join him. Then there is Hige, just as much a lone wolf, but one who is easy-going and apt to go with the flow. He's amiable and likeable, but not necessarily all that dependable, apt to think of food first and foremost. Then there is Toboe, the runt as Tsume calls him. He was found as a pup by an old lady, and raised quite domesticated and comfortable around humans. Except that the old lady died, and he was left to scavenge on the streets. He's nervous, fearful and naive, but he's also friendly, trusting and eager.


It's not just a simple flower that drew Kiba to the city though, rather a curious young girl named Cheza. As part of the Nobles plan to create their own paradise, Cheza was engineered, a girl created from the Lunar Flowers, and as such she became a pawn of the Nobles. She's currently in the possession of the Lord of Freeze City, and she's being held in a tank, subject to countless experiments. It's Kiba's aim to free her, and have her lead them to Paradise, but she's like a newborn, experiencing the world for the first time. As a Lunar Flower, she has a natural affinity for wolves, and Kiba's arrival in particular begins to awaken her from her slumber. A Noble named Darcia, whose own tragic story began with Paradise, created her and he wants to use Cheza to restore what he has lost. But he's just one Noble player in the game, and it becomes clear that another Noble named Jaguara has far more destructive designs on Cheza.


The first human we meet is wolf hunter Quent Yaiden, who comes to Freeze City apparently tracking Kiba. His constant companion is a large hunting dog named Blue, and he has in his heart a thirst for vengeance ever since his family was killed by a pack of wolves. He's certain that the wolves finding paradise is synonymous with the end of the world, and even if there is a paradise, it won't be one for humans. When the four wolves start their quest, he's hot on their tracks. Also on the trail is researcher Cher Degre, who was leading the study of Cheza before she was taken from the laboratory. She's committed to her work, fascinated with the Lunar Flowers, so much so that it led to the break up of her marriage to Detective Hubb Lebowski. Hubb enters the story when he runs into Quent Yaiden, and slowly learns that the fairy tales about wolves have a grain of truth to them. As the stakes are raised and the situation becomes serious, he realises what his ex-wife has gotten into, and decides to rescue her. As occasionally happens, their divorce wasn't at all rancorous, and instead has merely increased the affection between them.


Wolf's Rain had a somewhat bumpy ride in its creation, initially a 26-episode television series. You can see the episodes in volume 6 offer a major story conclusion, and a climactic crescendo, but remain a non-ending in terms of the character stories. The final four episodes were direct to DVD OVA episodes that actually raised the already excellent animation quality, and took the story to its natural conclusion, dramatic and emotional, but comparatively understated next to the end of the TV series. Of course other than the rather odd pacing, it's a total non-issue in this complete series collection, as are the recap episodes. A lot of shows have them, when money becomes scarce, or animators need to be rested. Halfway through will be a clip show that succinctly tells what has come before, an essential reminder when you are watching one episode a week, but annoying when you watch the show as a marathon. Wolf's Rain has four of them, and all of them in a row. You have to wonder what the studio was facing that required them to down pens for a whole month. In this set, Disc 4 is devoted to them, and you may watch it once, out of curiosity, but you'll lose nothing by ignoring it completely, and you certainly will never return to it. They are put together well, clip shows that recount the story through four of the characters' points of view, but they really offer nothing new. When the singles were released by Bandai in the US, volumes 4 and 5 were released a week or so apart, and fans had the option of ignoring volume 4 altogether. In the UK, Beez reorganised the episode distribution so that the recaps were spread across two discs, meaning you had to buy them all. But once again, it's a total non-issue in a complete collection.


Wolf's Rain is a peerless story, with character development miles above the usual anime stereotypes. This is smart, thoughtful writing, excellent voice acting, and it looks effortless. It comes together in a way that just draws you in, and ties you emotionally to the characters. It's a deft blending of light and dark, of hope and despair that is far more moving and affecting than something that would be relentlessly bleak. With that as the solid foundation, there is the astounding animation, of almost theatrical quality throughout, with gorgeous character designs, and lush and detailed settings. It almost makes a world teetering on the edge of oblivion an attractive prospect. Of course there is Yoko Kanno's music, which as so often is the case, is an extra character in the show, perfectly reflecting the mood and emotion of the story, the gravity of the highs and lows, and downright delicious in its own right. Soundtrack CDs are available. The only disappointments are the extras, which other than a couple of promising featurettes on the first two volumes, peter out into title sequences and trailers. There ought to have been much more. But even still, Wolf's Rain is a show that you will watch again and again, and a reminder that talking animals doesn't always mean Disney.