Forum - View topicREVIEW: Wolf's Rain BD+DVD
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penguintruth
 Posts: 8467 Location: Penguinopolis |
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I've always found Wolf's Rain to be a case of wasted potential. It has some of the best pedigree in anime history (Nobumoto, Kawamoto, Kanno), but it does so little with it. Most of the characters are paper-thin vehicles for the themes rather than living, breathing agents of the tapestry, and a lot of the interesting ideas and concepts go ill-utilized throughout. I find the main wolf characters to be so abysmally dull that it is really hard for me to care whether or not they find Paradise. Blue the wolf-dog is the only good wolf character and the show should have been about her and her struggle between the two worlds she was in. Instead it languishes, mostly in the final act, looking for a way to stretch out its plot beyond its purpose.
At best, Wolf's Rain is a decent show with some excellent staging and composition, but with little else, and at worst its a complete boondoggle. Even Kanno's OST is mostly forgettable, outside of a few tracks. This should be one of the greatest anime ever made, but it pales when compared to some of Nobumoto's other works, like Macross Plus and Cowboy Bebop. It's not even in the same league. |
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Key
Moderator
 Posts: 18247 Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley) |
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I'm definitely part of the "some audiences" Jacob refers to here. I could never get over the cold overtones that the show emanated, so I just found its last few episodes to be pointlessly depressing. In fact, the show so failed to resonate with me emotionally that I've long wondered if I missed something about it when I hear others rave about it. But I do remember it having a good dub and a great soundtrack. |
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Top Gun
 Posts: 4621 |
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For my money Wolf's Rain remains one of the greatest anime series ever created. Stunningly beautiful, heart-rendingly tragic, cryptic and contemplative and mysterious and philosophical, with a tone that's somehow both starkly nihilistic and enduringly hopeful. It remains one of the few works of fiction that managed to all but reduce me to a sobbing puddle. And the music...my God, it's Yoko Kanno's masterstroke. Even today, years later, there are certain tracks that instantly send shivers down my spine. And that goes double when coupled with the show's visuals: I don't think I can make it through the scene with Cheza and the wolves in that flowery meadow, or even Kiba lying in the snow in the show's very first moments, without choking up a bit. I've seen it multiple times (though sadly not for years now), and yet I doubt I've gleaned a tenth of what it has to offer. I have the original big Bandai boxset, but even if this is just a digipaint upscale, it's an absolute double-dip for me.
(Fun fact: this was one of the first "real" anime series I stumbled across during my first forays into late-night TV in college, and the first episodes I saw of it were the last 4 or 5. One hell of an introduction, right?) |
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Hagaren Viper
 Posts: 773 |
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I found this line a little dumbfounding because it's... completely true. I just rewatched the show recently and I can't remember anyone ever mentioning her sight or the show itself making much of a reference to it. But it's something I've known about her and reading that makes me not sure where I got it from. Maybe I read something elsewhere or maybe the show itself was really subtle and I just kinda got it. I have the Bandai sets so I don't feel the need to double dip, but this is an interesting show for sure even if if they were so dang vague about everything. Great to hear Joshua Seth in a main role. |
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Videogamep
 Posts: 564 Location: CA |
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Pretty much my take on it. It's been a few years now, but I remember recognizing that it was well made across the board and liking the atmosphere, but I never got that emotionally attached to it. The story just never had the emotional hook it needed for me to love it. It was always kind of distant and hard to really get into. |
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gwdone
 Posts: 272 |
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Jacob,
That was a very good article and review!!! Thanks!!! I'm a lover of Wolf's Rain, Texhnolyze, and Last Exile. The original collectors art box for Wolf's Rain has to be one of the most oddly shaped special box set housing I own. Pretty wildly shaped. I also love that Wolf's Rain demands patience. Many of my other favorite series requires giving time for the full story lines to develop. It's just one of the aspects of why I respect and adore many of the series that's formatted in that manner. I do like fast paced and action packed as well. That's what's great about anime to me. You can pick from so many mannerisms of execution, then revisit the series that one feels they are in the mood for while enjoying and respecting the efforts of the delivery itself. Again, super job Jacob!!! |
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DangerMouse
Posts: 3984 |
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Awesome. This was a fantastic show, so it's great to hear that they did a great job with it. Funimation does what Anchor Bay-don't. Wish they had had the rights to co-produce the SAC blu-ray sets with Manga Ent's materials for the video, dub, subs, and extras. They would have probably done a fantastic job with it like on this and Bebop and included all of the old extras. spoiler[Though they've ofcourse also had occasional instances of their own audio track mistakes, though usually of the accidental mono/stereo variety, rather than the totally bizarre one on the first SAC set.]
Agreed. I wish she would have gotten to write even more great original anime after these.
Really liked all three of these shows, Texhnolyze was another great unique show, Wolf's Rain is up there near the top, and Last Exile is one of my absolute favs. |
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Gewürtztraminer
 Posts: 1028 Location: Texas - Its like whole other country. |
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Liked the show, but do not know about revisiting, or upgrading? to this.
At this point I really can not see watching this again. It joins the huge pile of anime I own that I will probably never rewatch. At least its not the also huge pile of anime I own that I will probably never even watch. Really cant see upgrading what I already have. This might be a tough sell for Funimation. |
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wolf4537
Posts: 13 |
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Wolf's Rain = MY #1 ALL TIME FAVORITE ANIME. Nothing else will ever top that!
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