Review: Wolf Children

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda and licensed by FUNimation Entertainment, Wolf Children tells the story of a woman named Hana, spanning nearly a 13-year timeline.  While working part time and attending university classes, Hana meets a quiet, lonely man and begins befriending him.  Their love for each other grows as months pass by, and the man eventually reveals a surprising secret to Hana one night, showing that he’s a wolf man, part human and part wolf.  She remains by his side, however, and over the course of time, Hana gives birth to two children—a girl named Yuki and a boy named Ame.  A twist of cruel fate ultimately takes the wolf man from her life, leaving her to fend for herself and her children alone.

Although lacking deeper characters that I could emotionally invest in compared to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Summer Wars, this movie touches on some serious themes that many face throughout the world.  With dazzling visuals and an enchanting musical score, being a single parent, coping with the loss of a loved one, and letting your children spread their wings are all explored.  Its simplicity and straightforwardness have an air of charm that encourages the viewer to stick through till the end.

The film’s animation is fluid and detailed.  The mixture of CGI and regular drawing is present throughout the movie; however, it doesn’t scream for attention, blending into one magnificent package of artwork.  Sometimes the backgrounds and surrounding art possessed the appearance of real life pictures—the light perfectly glinting off a surface, or the swaying of a grass field.

Time progression is conveyed through occasional montages, or portions of scenes intermingling and flowing into one right after another to show the children growing.  Such scenes are cleverly handled—continuing down a hallway with the side view of classrooms and their grade numbers as one example—and the pacing isn't jolting or confusing to keep track of for the viewer.

Whether bounding over snowy hills or climbing mountain slopes to reach a glimmering vista, the soundtrack whimsically carries the viewer along for the ride.  Each melody enhances the mood of its particular scene, never distracting or feeling out of place.  The ending credits feature a beautiful song called Okaa-san no Uta written by Mamoru Hosoda and sung by Ann Sally; its lyrics and soft tenor are bound to tug at your heart as still frames from throughout the story appear as credits scroll.

The voice acting is top-notch as well, the English cast including great actors like Colleen Clinkenbeard as Hana, David Matranga as the wolf man, Jad Saxton as older Yuki, Micah Solusod as older Ame, and Jason Leibrecht as Souhei.  They deliver their lines with ease and convincing emotion, definitely assisted by the good translations and scripting.

Where the high production values succeeded in great presentation, the overall story failed to leave a lasting impression on me.  There was one instance in the opening that immediately had me on the fence about the whole movie.  The scene’s heavy insinuation of bestiality sent a cringe down the extent of my spine.  I understand that Hana fell in love with the wolf man and didn’t think him to be a monster; it’s conceivable that is what was attempting to be expressed.  Hey, I've seen the Beauty and the Beast before, too, but the Beast at least turned back into a human.  That element of the scene felt tacked on and unnecessary as if to be in the face of the viewer about such a sensitive topic.  He didn’t need to be in his wolf form.  I’m aware it is supposed to be fantastical in that aspect, but it succeeded in just weirding me out.

I think Wolf Children would have benefited in having fewer time skips, especially in the beginning with Hana and the wolf man.  It is shown through quick clips that these are deep characters, but we aren’t given time to delve into their strong bond.  The wolf man seemed to suffer the most from these jumps; I wasn’t able to connect with his innate workings, which caused his death to lack impact.  Yes, it is shown that the wolf man died, but the how and why are never addressed.  We’re merely left in the cold to surmise what could have happened.  Without the deeper exploration of his character from the onset, my heartstrings weren’t pulled as much as I thought they would be.

Of course, I sympathize with Hana and her determined personality to do whatever possible for her children; it was wonderful to see a responsible, determined adult.  Her worries about doing enough for them—always yearning to protect them from hardships—was what grasped my attention most in the film.  The close camaraderie among the neighbors of the rural area she moves to was one of the strongest points in the story for me.  Yuki and Ame were adorable, and I was genuinely curious to see them grow.

However, even these rich elements don’t reach their highest potential.  The near nonexistent interaction between Hana and her children in the latter half of the film left me confused, yearning to see some crucial, parental guidance.  I was unable to be fully engaged with what was occurring on screen all the time.  It felt as though the movie spread itself too thin—covering too many concepts or themes and never venturing deeper than their surfaces.

Instead of loving the entirety of the movie, I find myself choosing only select moments as my favorite.  There was an overwhelming sensation that I was watching the characters from the peripheral, never fully being welcomed into the fold of their lives unlike Hosoda’s previous titles.  It may be due to the story being set against past tense narration.  The ending is already laid out at the onset, and we get a predictable idea of it by the time the credits come on screen.

Unfortunately, I have no real desire to re-watch it.  I can’t say that I hate or love the movie; it simply is there resting in my collection.  Maybe I entered into its world with slight preconceptions, expecting more of it because of Mamoru Hosoda’s name on the cover.  Regardless, it does contain heartfelt themes and memorable scenes trickled throughout.  Its technical quality merits at least one viewing.  Even though Wolf Children wasn’t my cup of tea with honey, others may find it irresistibly charming and overlook what I considered to be flaws.  My copy will be living the rest of its days on my shelf, being lent out once I've suggested the better movies I own.

Rating: Try it

*all screenshots taken by me

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