Wolf's Rain

Rumaging through my files this morning and I got to watch Wolf's rain. Wolf's Rain (ウルフズレイン, Urufuzu Rein?) is a Japanese anime series created by writer and story editor Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones Studio. The series was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno. It focuses on the journey of four lone wolves who cross paths while following the scent of the Lunar Flowers. They form a pack and decide to seek out the Flower Maiden in order to open the way to Paradise. Along the way, they must avoid a fanatical wolf hunter and the nobles who wish to use the Flower Maiden to create their own Paradise.
Wolf's Rain spans twenty-six television episodes and four original video animation (OVA) episodes, with each episode running approximately twenty-four minutes. The series was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV and the anime CS television network, Animax. The complete thirty episode series is licensed for Region 1 release by Bandai Entertainment, in Region 2 (Europe) by Beez Entertainment and in Region 4 by Madman Entertainment. The series was adapted into a short two-volume manga series written by Keiko Nobumoto and illustrated by Toshitsugu Iida. The manga, which was released while the series was airing, is a retelling of the story rather than a straight adaptation. It was originally serialized in Magazine Z and has been released in North America by Viz Media.
The anime series was well received in Japan, being the third ranked anime series in its time slot while airing on Fuji TV. The Bandai Entertainment English language release sold well in North America. It helped Bandai gain the 2004 Anime Company of the Year award from industry news company ICv2 in the ICv2 Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga. The manga adaptation was selected as one of their top ten anime products of 2005 and sold well in North America. Reviewers of the series gave it high marks for characterization, visual presentation, and its soundtrack, while disparaging the existence of four recapitulation episodes in the middle of the series. The manga adaptation also sold well in North America and received good reviews, though reviewers felt its short length resulted in a rushed plot and neglected supporting characters.

Plot

According to an old legend, when the end of the world comes, Paradise will appear; however, only wolves will know how to find it. Although wolves are believed to have been hunted to extinction nearly two hundred years ago, they still exist, surviving by taking human form.[1] Freeze City is a northern human city in a world where the majority of people live in poverty and hardship.

Kiba, an injured lone white wolf, goes to Freeze City following the scent of the Lunar Flower, which is the key to opening Paradise. There he encounters Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, three other wolves who were drawn to Freeze City by the scent of the Lunar Flower and are now living in the city. The wolves encounter Quent Yaiden, a former Sheriff of Kyrios, obsessed with hunting down wolves, and his dog Blue. Cheza, the Flower Maiden who is destined to lead the wolves to Paradise, is being studied at a laboratory under the care of Cher Degré. She is awakened by the smell of wolf's blood. As Kiba and Hige approach the lab to find her, she is stolen away by Lord Darcia the Third, whose people created Cheza.

With the Flower Maiden gone, the wolves have no reason to stay in the city. Despite some initial misgivings and suspicions, they decide to stay together and follow Kiba in his search for the Flower Maiden and Paradise. As they pursue Cheza, the wolves travel through various cities and the remnants of former habitations. Cher joins the city's army to try to recover Cheza, while Cher's ex-husband Hubb Lebowski searches desperately for Cher, and Quent continues his relentless pursuit of the wolves. When Blue eventually encounters Cheza, it awakens her wolf blood from dormancy and causes her to leave Quent and take on her own human illusion. She joins Kiba's pack and travels with them for a while, developing a relationship with Hige. After she becomes separated from the pack, she travels with Cher, while Hubb finds himself traveling with Quent, who is now searching for Blue as well as the wolves.

The wolves and the humans come together in Jaguara's city, where the captured Cheza is being held. In attempting to rescue the abducted Cheza, Kiba, Tsume, and Toboe are captured. Tsume and Toboe are thrown into a dungeon with Hubb while Jaguara attempts to use Kiba's blood to force Paradise to open. Blue and Cher also make their way into the Keep, as does Quent. Darcia interrupts the ceremony as Kiba and the other wolves break free and rush to free the Flower Maiden. Darcia battles Jagara along with Kiba, and finally slays her as the keep begins to collapse. The wolves and the humans barely escape with their lives, and Quent is gravely wounded saving Blue from an oncoming vehicle after escaping from Jaguara's city.

The wolves, now accompanied by Cheza, Cher, Hubb, and Quent, continue trying to make their way to Paradise, pursued by the now insane Darcia. A combination of environmental factors and Darcia's hostility cause most of the characters to die, leaving only Kiba, Cheza, and Darcia alive at the place where Paradise can be opened. Darcia is killed when he attempts to enter Paradise, and Cheza's body disintegrates into seeds. Fatally wounded, Kiba concludes that his quest has failed, but as he lays dying, rain begins to fall and Cheza's seeds grow into thousands of lunar flowers.

At the series' close, Toboe, Tsume, Hige, and Kiba are in a modern city. They appear to be human; Tsume is riding a motorbike and Toboe is holding a small kitten. Hige is eating a hotdog while walking down the street. Kiba, walking down a busy sidewalk, begins running towards a lunar flower lying in a puddle in an alley.




Changes in manga adaptation

The two-volume manga adaptation includes some of the core events of the anime series with few changes, but as a whole the manga veers greatly from its anime inspiration. Many events from the anime do not occur in the manga, and some of the events from the anime that are presented in the manga are completely different in terms of dialogue, chronological sequence, and final outcomes.[2] In particular, the second volume tells an almost completely different story, with Darcia recruiting Blue to help him open the door to Paradise with her blood. The wolves must go to Darcia's keep, rather than Jaguara's, in order to free Cheza, with Kiba missing but appearing at the end to make the final rescue effort. At the end of the manga, the four wolves and Cheza are sitting on a rock as the clouds break and sunlight streams through for the first time. The world rejoices the end of the Ice Age and rumors that Paradise has been found abound.[3]

In the manga, most of the characters are similar in appearance and personality to their anime counterparts, but some characters seen in the anime do not appear in the manga, including the Nobles Lord Orkham and Lady Jaguara.[2][3]

Wolves

The wolves in Wolf's Rain use illusions to give themselves a human appearance, enabling them to blend into the human world and escape detection. The wolves always retain their true nature, neither thinking nor acting as the true humans in the world do.[1]
[edit] Kiba

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

Kiba (キバ(牙) ?, lit. "Fang") is a white wolf who follows his instincts towards Paradise. When he was young, his pack and family were slaughtered when the forest where he lived was burned to the ground[2] by Jaguara's troops. He was then raised by a shaman[2] who told him that he had a purpose, explaining why the forest had sheltered him from the flames. The shaman told him that he would have a great journey ahead of him, and that journey was to find Paradise. Kiba begins his quest for Paradise in the hope that there he will find "a future". It is revealed later in the series that he is in fact the chosen one who is destined to find and open Paradise. Kiba tends to be impulsive and thinks with his heart rather than his head. He tends to be distrustful toward humans, and in the early episodes his pride as a wolf makes him reluctant to disguise himself as a human,[2] but that changes when he meets Hige, who tells him that his pride won't count for much when he's dead. He's also utterly devoted to Cheza and constantly risks his life to protect her and steal her back from the nobles. After Earth's regeneration, Kiba is seen at a city in his human form.

His voice actor Mamoru Miyano felt Kiba was a "wolf of few words" and that his quiet nature made it hard to know what he might be thinking. Though Kiba is rarely bothered by events, Miyano did not think this was an indication that he was strong, rather he felt Kiba was attempting to hide his insecurities. In depicting the character, Miyano found it most difficult to voice the initial scene of the first episode, in which Kiba lies dying and in voice over saying there is no Paradise and that there is nothing at the end. He was so nervous about shooting the first scene, he had trouble getting the lines and voicing correct, eventually freezing up completely before he was able to calm down and complete the scene.[3]
[edit] Tsume

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese), Crispin Freeman (English)

Tsume (ツメ?, lit. "Claw") is a grey wolf with a white scar on his chest and is the second wolf introduced in the series. At first he was living in Freeze City where he leads a "pack" of human thieves. He clashes with Kiba over the latter's claims that Tsume has lost his pride as a wolf for living with humans as he does. Later, he connects with Toboe, a young wolf who also lives in the city. Though Tsume claims he has no need for friends and that he wants nothing to do with other wolves, he comes to Toboe's aid twice and shares a meal with him. Though he doesn't believe Kiba's stories about Paradise, he decides to leave the city with him to search for the place under the excuse that he is tired of the city.[4]

Tsume is depicted as a "a stereotypical angry anime loner"[1] and an "emotionally distant hottie"[5] who is confident, and at times arrogant, but keeps himself distant from his allies.[5] Though he and Kiba continue to come into regular conflict, Tsume eventually comes to believe in their goal and becomes a loyal pack member. It is eventually revealed before moving to Freeze City, he had lived in another location with a large pack of wolves. Jaguara's wolf hunting troops attacked the pack, killing most of his family and friends. As Tsume attempted to flee from the battle, he was cast out by his pack and the alpha male attacked him, leaving Tsume with a large X-shaped scar across his chest.[2][6] Tsume eventually traveled to Freeze City where his self-loathing over his actions caused him to refuse to befriend others.[6]

Of all of the pack, he is closest to Toboe, whom he refers to as "runt." After the young wolf is killed by Quent, Tsume cries over his body.[6] Tsume is the last of the pack to remain standing with Kiba in the final battle with Darcia. He is killed after Darcia rips open his side and legs. Before dying, he whispers to Kiba that "we shall meet again.... in paradise." At the end of the series, Tsume is seen in his human form riding a motorcycle in a city.[7]

Voice actor Kenta Miyake felt Tsume was all about appearances and notes that Tsume always speaks in a harsh manner such as talking down to Kiba, casually dismissing Toboe, and seems to ignore Hige all together. However, he also felt that despite Tsume's seemingly tough nature, that he was the most naive of the pack and the most timid. Miyake felt as if he was Tsume's father, "kindly watching over him" and he used those feelings to guide the way he depicted the character.[3]
[edit] Hige

Voiced by: Akio Suyama (Japanese), Joshua Seth (English)

Hige (ヒゲ(髯) ?, lit. "Whisker") seems to know how to function the best in human society. He tends to use his intuition more than the others, but only when he is not thinking with his stomach instead. Hige is something of a womanizer and is always on the look-out for a female companion. He starts off as a laid back joker, though he matures as the series goes on. His scenting ability seems to be the best of the pack. Before Hige met Kiba, he was brainwashed into being Jagara's lapdog by hunting and leading troops to wolves. The collar that he wears is actually a tag/transmitter that allows him to wander through Jagara's city and is always under surveillance. It also appears to be the thing that controlled him or reprogrammed his memories, as he was trapped in an endless migraine before it was shot off by a soldier. At least 22 other wolves were collared in this way (a soldier inspecting his collar refers to him as "Number 23"); many, if not all, of the others were killed after returning to Jagara's city. He holds a very close relationship with Blue. At the end he is fatally wounded by Darcia. While dying he convinces Tsume to put him out of his misery. He tells Tsume, "I'll see you in paradise." After Earth's regeneration, Hige is seen at a city in his human form.

Voice actor Akio Suyama notes that Hige is a humorous character whose actions and lines often break the tension in an otherwise serious series. This made it fun for him to play the character.[3]
[edit] Toboe

Voiced by: Hiroki Shimowada (Japanese), Mona Marshall (English)

Toboe (トオボエ(遠吠え) , Tōboe?, lit. "Howling") is the youngest of the group, often acting more like a puppy than a wolf. Toboe was raised as a pet by "Granny", an elderly woman, whom he accidentally killed in an unrestrained act of playfulness. The silver bracelets are all he has left of her. Toboe maintains an affection for humans that none of the other wolves can understand (with the exception of Blue). On one occasion Toboe saves Quent from freezing to death in the snow by sharing his body warmth with him, and is later grateful to discover that Quent has survived despite the fact that Quent immediately tries to shoot him. Toboe looks up to Tsume and usually follows him when the group splits up. He also seems to have the best hearing out of all of them. He often is more shy than bold, although when the pack is in dire threat his rage can stand beyond his timid nature and propel him ravenously into battle. An example of this is when the pack are crossing an ice floe and are attacked by a giant walrus. At first, Toboe is frozen in fear, but when it seems that the others are about to be killed Toboe suddenly attacks the walrus himself and manages to defeat it despite almost drowning in the process. Though he still acts like a puppy in some ways, the others now consider him an adult, and a valuable fighting partner. In episode 29 Toboe unsuccessfully attempts to protect Quent from Darcia and both he and Quent are mortally wounded. Realizing that it was Toboe who saved him previously, Quent finally understands that wolves are not evil and comforts the dying wolf as his own life ebbs away. As he dies Toboe has a vision of Paradise in which he is reunited with Granny and able to run and play as a pup. Later Tsume spends some time alone with Toboe's body and drops his tough facade to weep for his friend, and even confesses the truth about his scar. After Earth's regeneration, Toboe is seen at a city in his human form.

Hiroki Shimowada, who voices the character, felt that though Toboe was "young and inexperienced", he also acted as the go between for the other three, giving them a buffer or a bond as needed. He suggests that the other wolves keep him around because they view him as a kind son.[3]
[edit] Blue

Burū (ブルー?)
Voiced by: Mayumi Asano (Japanese), Jessica Straus (English)

A wolfdog who was pet to the family of Quent Yaiden. After the destruction of her home and family in the village of Kyrios, she travels with Quent hunting wolves under the belief that they were responsible for the tragedy. She lives her life as a pet dog, unaware of her wolf bloodline. Upon meeting Cheza, the wolf in her is awakened. Unable to continue hunting her own kind, she leaves Quent to travel with the pack to Paradise. She grows especially close to Hige, and later tells him she will follow him wherever he goes. Near the end of the series, after Quent's death, Blue is killed by Darcia while trying to protect Hige and Cheza.
[edit] Nobles
[edit] Jaguara

Jagara-kyō (ジャガラ卿?)
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (English)
Part of one of the three feuding Noble Families. She fell in love with Darcia to the point of obsession but was rejected by him for her younger sister, something which she never forgave Hamona for. She began to set up an ancient spell used by Lord Darcia the First to create a 'Noble's Paradise' to please and lure Darcia to her, abducting Cheza from Darcia's Keep. In the process, she ordered the murder of Hamona and soon struck out to eliminate the wolves, who were heading to her domain. But her plan ended in failure when her plans were thwarted by the wolves. She was slain by Darcia while her city fell into chaos.
[edit] Darcia

Darushia (ダルシア?)
Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda (Japanese), Steven Blum (English)
The third generation of the Darcia family of Nobles, who were said to be cursed after Darcia the First disappeared into "Paradise". Due to his grandfather's curse, Darcia is now plagued with the eye of a wolf. He seeks to use Cheza to somehow revive his lover Hamona,[2] who has been stricken with "Paradise sickness", in which her soul is "taken by Paradise", causing her to fall into a coma. But Hamona's death changes that plan, with Darcia mysteriously disappearing after the destruction of his keep until he resurfaces at Jaguara's city, the loss of Hamona driving Darcia mad. Eventually after avenging her death, he discards his love for Hamona, saying that "she is nowhere now", and assumes the form of a giant wolf, revealing his clan to be descended from wolves that chose to become completely human. After killing all of Kiba's pack, he walks toward what he believes to be paradise but is then incinerated, leaving only his wolf eye.
[edit] Others
[edit] Cheza

Cheza (チェザ?)
(pronounced chez-ah) Voiced by: Arisa Ogasawara (Japanese), Sherry Lynn (English)
The Flower Maiden (花の少女, Hana no Shōjo?), a girl who was artificially created from a lunar flower[2] by the noble Darcia the First using the lost art of alchemy. She was in a state of suspended animation in a scientific research lab, and was awaken by the smell of wolf blood spilled in the brief fight between Tsume and Kiba. She shares a special bond with the wolves, especially Kiba, and is the key to opening Paradise. It is said by Darcia the Third that she is blind. This appears to be borne out by a scene in which she almost walks over the edge of a cliff but regains her footing apparently by touch. Her eyes are bright red.
[edit] Cher Degré

Shēru Dugure (シェール·ドゥグレ?)
Voiced by: Kaho Koda (Japanese), Kari Wahlgren (English)
A scientist involved in studying Cheza.[2] She is fascinated by Cheza and desires to understand her and her purpose. She and Hubb were once married, but divorced after her work with Cheza became more important than her marriage. In episode 27 Cher dies when the cliff she is on breaks off and she falls to her death. Snowflakes fall as Hubb holds her dead body and weeps.
[edit] Hubb Lebowski

Habu Ribōsukī (ハブ·リボウスキー?)
Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese), Bob Buchholz (English)
A police detective and ex-husband of Cher Degré. He is still very much in love with Cher and seeks to protect her, often half-jokingly asking if they still have a chance together. After Quent had shot Kiba, he was detained and questioned by the police, including Hubb, at which point Quent said that the animal he had shot was no mere dog, but a wolf. After hearing this Hubb began to obsess over the matter, and once he was given a copy of the banned "Book of the Moon" by Cher after she leaves to hunt Cheza with a commander of the army employed by Lord Orkam, he became completely and utterly enthralled with them, teaming up with Quent as he continued his search for Cher. His death occurs when he allows himself to fall while climbing up a cliff in the next to last episode. He is seen with a cigar in his mouth and inhailing the scent of Cher's scarf in his final moments.
[edit] Quent Yaiden

Kuento Yaiden (クエント·ヤイデン?)
Voiced by: Unshou Ishizuka (Japanese), Tom Wyner (English)
An ex-sheriff from the town of Kyrios.[2] The destruction of his village and the killing of his wife and son Russe by what he thinks was a pack of wolves have led to his deep and abiding hatred for wolves,[2] which is rivaled only by his perpetual desire for a stiff drink. He lives a life on the go with only Blue to keep him company and aid him in his pursuit of wolves to kill. After Blue discovers her relations to the wolves, Quent's suspicions are confirmed, and as he still struggles with his hatred for wolves, he decides that she is not his dog any more, but eventually accepts it towards the end as he learns his family's murderer was Darcia before he was killed by him.


The Wolf's Rain anime series was produced by BONES and directed by Tensai Okamura. Keiko Nobumoto was the writer and story editor, while Toshiro Kawamoto created the character designs.[4] The series premiered in Japan on Fuji TV on January 6, 2003 and ran for a full season of twenty-six episodes, with the final episode airing on July 29, 2003. A four episode original video animation (OVA) was later created and released to DVD to provide a fuller conclusion to the story than the original television run did, and to make up for the four recapitulation episodes that originally broadcast in the middle of the series. The first two OVA episodes were released on January 23, 2004, with the final two released a month later on February 25, 2004.[5] Animax also aired the series on its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and other regions.

Except for the four recap episodes, the entire Wolf's Rain anime series aired in the United States as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup in 2004.[6] It was broadcast on Europe's digital specialty station Rapture TV from November 14, 2005 to July 6, 2006.[7][8] It also aired in the UK on Anime Central starting November 4, 2007, with only the first 26 episodes airing.[9][10]

Wolf's Rain is licensed for Region 1 DVD release by Bandai Entertainment. The entire series, including the four OVAs, were released in seven individual volumes that contained four episodes, except for the first two volumes, which had five episodes. With the first volume, Bandai offered a stand-alone version and a limited edition version, which included an art box, Kiba plushie, and the first CD soundtrack. Bandai also released the thirty episodes in a complete series box set and in a two part "Anime Legends" collection.[11][12]

In Region 2 (Europe) the series is licensed by Beez Entertainment, which also released the entire series, including the OVAs, in seven individual volumes. In Region 4, Madman Entertainment owns the series license and released all twenty-six episodes and four OVA episodes in the form of a complete series box set.[11]