Anime Wolf's Rain

[Dagger]

The first episode of Wolf's Rain is going to air on AS tonight, and I am [i]very[/i] psyched. I don't know much about this series other than the fact that it has to do with wolves who are capable of assuming human form. However, its premise seems original, and I've been quite taken by Adult Swim's latest offerings (including Witch Hunter Robin and The Animatrix).

Hopefully Wolf's Rain will be equally impressive, despite the fact that it has four recap episodes. I think it'd be a wise move for AS to avoid airing those altogether; since Wolf's Rain is only set to be shown on Saturdays, that would mean seeing a month's worth of recycled material... something which viewers might find a little tedious.

I'll post my thoughts here after watching episode 1. ^_^

~Dagger~

[dposse]

Here is a small summery that gives a little about the plot. I found it on [url]www.tvtome.com[/url]


Summary


The earth is slowly dying...

Humans and remaining animals litter the perishing earth...

Large cities adorn the landscapes, they can be seen from afar as large domes, ruled by the aristocratic nobles that remain from times gone by. On the outskirts of cities, smaller groups of travelers and others congregate and pass through.Wolves used to be plentiful but have now become that of legend, thought to
be extinct for over 200 years. However some still remain and walk the earth, able to take the form of humans these wolves have separated across the globe. Legend says that when human civilization falls, the flower of the moon will call to the wolves and paradise will open. Led by the flower the wolves will be led into paradise and will live there.

Meanwhile in a lab, Cheza, the flower of the moon, lies dormant,encased in a glass sphere and being watched over by a group of scientists and researchers and as she wakes, the wolves begin to be drawn to her.

With a society in dis-repair and a world on the edge of destruction, four individual lone wolves come together. Kiba (Fang), Tsume (Claw), Hige (Whisker) and Toboe (Howling) join up and led by the scent of the flower of the moon, they begin their search for paradise.

[Panda]

I think I will continue watching. The series has music by Yoko Kanno and many familiar english voice actors like Crispin Freeman. Both of which I enjoy the work of. It looks pretty interesting to me so I will stick with it.

I did notice they did a really good job of animation dealing with the physical motion of the wolves. When Kiba (Fang) [spoiler] is limping down the alleyway they animated him holding his hind leg up just at the ischiatic tuberosity like it should be.[/spoiler] It's little things like that I enjoy about an animation.

I really need to see more of the series to decide if it is going to one to add to my anime collection. For now I will watch it on AS. After a couple more episodes I will come back and add more to my post.

What did everyone else think of the first episode?

[Dagger]

I'm so happy! This series is right up my alley, and I can't wait to see episode 2. ^_^

(By the way, dposse, next time you should either put the summary into your own words or comment on it more extensively.)

As Panda already mentioned, the animation is really fluid, natural-looking and realistic. I was especially amazed by the part when [spoiler]an injured Kiba attacks Tsume's men and then goes on to challenge Tsume himself.[/spoiler] Even if CN's censors have edited Wolf's Rain, I'm pleased to see that we're still given a good idea of just how savage and ruthless the wolves can be. Episode 1 contains a surprising amount of blood (surprising if you consider the fact that Inuyasha did not always run uncut).

The background music sounds rich and layered. It adds a lot to the show's bleak atmosphere; I only wish that Adult Swim played the OP theme as well as the ED. I'm also quite pleased with the English dub, which must have been done by either Bang Zoom or Animaze. As Tsume, Crispin Freeman plays yet another stoic, brooding badass--Tsume's voice sounds no different from Alex Rowe's (Last Exile) or Amon's (Witch Hunter Robin). However, I enjoy his acting too much to complain about potential typecasting.

I thought Kiba's opening lines were incredibly well done. Mysterious, cryptic and hauntingly spoken, they immediately hooked me. I enjoy comedies, but serious shows like this one are what continually renew my love for anime.

BONES' character designs are consistently appealing and attractive. Out of the BONES series I've seen thus far (including RahXephon, Kenran Butousai and a tiny bit of Scrapped Princess), I think I like the art in Wolf's Rain the most. It's realistic without looking drab or uninteresting.

The next few episodes should help me decide whether or not to pre-order volume 1.

~Dagger~

[stormy001_m1a2]

The anime is not bad, I have finished the whole series. It has drags in some parts but overall it is not bad.

Just don't expect a Hollywood ending though.

One of the better offerings in 2003.

[Zephyr]

Yet another amazing looking series that AS has managed to find for us. I was a bit worried at first when it mentioned that it was done by the same people that did Cowboy Bebop, which could have led to a serious let-down if it had not been so good.

The animation was very well done, and was obviously thought out quite a bit. The occasional shifting between the human and wolf forms durning the fight scenes really added to the whole effect of the show. Also the realism behind the limping wolf scene and the muscle folds on the top of Kiba's snout when he attacked are very nice touches that would have been overlooked in other anime.

So far the first episode has set some pretty high standards for the show. Hopefully the rest will not dissapoint us.

[wolfy129]

I am thrilled with the first episode of[I] Wolf's Rain[/I] and I think it has some potential.

Besides the fact that it is actually about Wolves, the animation is amazing, and the way of the humans is pointed out perfectly. (especially with whats going on in Alaska)

The little boy with the funny hat (Don't know his name, Gomen! =^v_v^=) had the same voice as Tsukasa from [I].hack//SIGN [/I] (an anime I'm totally in love with) Kiba has the same voice actor as Sakaki from [I]Witch Hunter Robin[/I], and of course, Tsume has the same voice actor that Amon had, form [I]Witch Hunter Robin [/I] as well!
Oh yes, and I knew I had heard Hige's voice from a while ago, and I found out he was Tai from the first season of [I]Digimon[/I]!

*breathes in and out* Whew! All these great voices I like in a show about Wolves... *sighs* Smack me If I say I want anymore.
=^n_n^=V Ja ne!

[Bio]

[color=Sienna][font=Tahoma]I really, really enjoy this series, and I've only seen the first episode. The detail is amazing, the dubbing is great, and yea, wolves. That's a plus too.

I also think they chose great voices for the characters, although the human Kiba's voice seemed awkward. I also noticed that the voice actor for Tsukasa did that little boy with the large space between his teeth. I like the idea of the wolf/human thing, but sadly, Kiba has supplied one of my friends with yet another bishy to feed upon. :rolleyes:

... has anyone else noticed his incredible resemblance to squall...?

Err... yea, excluding the human Kiba, the character's appearances definitely seem to match their personalities.


[/font][/color]

[Cyriel]

I watched the first episode recently, and was very impressed by...everything! The art was completely to my liking, and I thought that the voices fit quite well with each of the characters.
[QUOTE]The occasional shifting between the human and wolf forms durning the fight scenes really added to the whole effect of the show.[/QUOTE]
Completely agree. Also, I thought the music was amazing - it not only set up the tone for each scene, but emphasized the mood and heightened the effect of every movement. In all, I'm really looking forward to the next episode.

[Mamma Vash]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS]Wolf's Rain seems to have produced more than was advertised. Music is stylich and moving, but yet is not so obvious that you stop watching the animation. The smooth transitions are terrific and drawing style is suberb. They handle wolf/human shift nicely. Maybe my ears are not too good-- but Kiba sounded like Michael on Witch Hunter,. I think this is going to be a good story, that is beautifully done. Almost makes me want to say " OK Cartoon Netwok, for this I forgive schedule foul ups".[/FONT]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Mamma Vash][FONT=Comic Sans MS']Maybe my ears are not too good-- but Kiba sounded like Michael on Witch Hunter.[/FONT][/quote]

That's a decent guess, Mamma Vash, but you're slightly off the mark. ^_~

The role of Kiba belongs to Johnny Yong Bosch, the highly talented voice actor who also played Vash in Trigun, Claus Valca in Last Exile and Haruto Sakaki in Witch Hunter Robin. I absolutely love his work.

Michael's VA, Dave Wittenberg, is not featured in Wolf's Rain. However, you may know him from .hack//SIGN (Sora) or Onegai Teacher (Kei Kusanagi).

It's good to know that people aren't going overboard in comparing this show to Cowboy Bebop. Despite the fact that they're quite different both thematically and stylistically, I was afraid fans would immediately expect something with Bebop's inimitable jazzy coolness. Variety is the spice of life, and Wolf's Rain provides plenty of it. ^_^

~Dagger~

[maikiratori]

I must say that when I first saw the commercials for Wolf's Rain on AS, I didn't know what to think, but I could see that the animation was obviously beautifully done and the story did seem kind of entertaining, although I couldn't really tell what it was bout... I figured I'd give it a try... And I am SO happy I decided to watch that first episode (I even taped it for my friend)... Although, the people at my birthday party that I ignored for a hour weren't too happy about it... The opening scene sucks you in with action...You end up feeling like you [I]must[/I] know why the action is the first thing you see... And then you do find out... but a little later (why do I feel like I'm writing a review for a magazine or newspaper?) Anyway, I really do love the show... I am now a fan... I did hear quite a few VA's that were familiar, and I did start naming off the other characters they'd played and really pissing off one of my friends who was watchg WR with me... hehehe it was fun :devil: (I'm horrible at remembering people's actual names... I end up remembering the name of the first character I heard them do... Like Spike for Steve Blum... Although I remember his name because I have CB movie and watched all the extra stuff 5 billion times) I can't wait til the next episode airs... Tape away! ^_^

[r2vq]

Dagger-dono.
The ED for this series is much more gracious and beautiful than the OP.

The OP, [I]Stray[/I] is an... [i]interesting[/i] song to say the least. It has great visuals, but the lyrics just throw me out the window whenever I watch it. It's sung in English, and the singer repeats the word "Stray" at least 30 times at my last count, once it was six times in a row.

Don't get my wrong, it's a nice song, but it's just soooo annoying... stray... stray... stray... stray... stray... etc.

The series I found a great series. ^^ I've seen the whole thing on FanSub before it was licensed, but don't worry, I wont give away any spoilers. Although, the series just makes me want to know more about the story and the wolves. I'd say Wolf's Rain even did a better job at that than Peace Maker Kurogane did.

-ArV

[Dagger]

Toboe is [i]so[/i] cute. I can already tell that he's going to be my favorite of the show's four main characters, and Mona Marshall's voice suits his character design and personality amazingly well. The part when he [spoiler]accidentally kills the falcon[/spoiler] has some great dialogue--more notable for the way it's spoken than for the way it's phrased--and overall is very touching.

Toboe and Hige make the perfect foils for Tsume and Kiba, both of whom are a little... er, less than friendly. I was surprised to see that befriending Hige has already made Kiba start to mellow out a bit. The plot seems fairly linear (as opposed to episodic), which is also nice. There's not much more to say about episode 2, although I'm intrigued by the [spoiler]weird-looking, incredibly long-lived[/spoiler] people featured in its first scene. Can't wait til next week! ^_~

~Dagger~

[Verykawaiineko]

Wolf's rain was something that i stumbled upon a few weeks ago..and i was really glad i did.
The art is beautiful - it resembled the art of Escaflwone the Movie with rather thick lines and rich colors.
The story is very suspenseful as of now w/ the cliffhanger ending on the seconf episode.
The music is done by Yoko Kanno and it contributes to the sad tone of the show
The dub is well dont too
i just cant wait till next week!!
one thing i will complaine about is that for the LONGEST time i thoguht Toboe was a girl...>.>

[demonjersey]

Adult Swim and Cartoon Network are compeletly different. Cartoon Network didn't want to give Saturday's to Adult Swim, but they finally gave in. Probably because they figured with all the cool shows on saturday they would get really good ratings.

As for Wolf's Rain, it totally rocks. What can you expect from the creators of Cowboy Bebop huh? :D

Jersey

[King Vicious 2]

This anime is right down my alley. I like fangs and beasts, you know that type of stuffs. But nothing can ever still my heart from Vicious. He is the best anime character i have ever seen. I havent seen the whole series of wolf's rain, but it seems to be a promising series. Its kool, its good to get away from animes that have mobile suits coming out of their foreheads, or blasts shooting from their hands. this is something new, and it deserves attention. I might go on my list as one of the best animes

[Aurus]

I caught one episode of Wolf's Rain last weekend... I hadn't heard of it until a friend of mine sent me what I'm guessing is the ending song - Gravity - which I have completely fallen in love with. Of course, it's Yoko Kanno, so I don't know why I'm surprised.

This is another one of those shows that makes me wish I could stay up later. I'm completely hooked, even though I've only seen one episode which made little to no sense. *grins* I could definitely tell that the quality of animation was pretty darn high, and well, anything with Kanno's music is going to grab my attention sooner or later.

So, are DVD's out in the US yet, or will I have to be sneaky and watch it on TV?

[the_fizz]

[color=royalblue]I had never heard of it before CTN showed, but I must say it turned out to be a great show. I hope they keep it on for more then a few weeks. I looked on AS.com to see how many shows, but it only have a few up, I just hope that doesn't mean they are only going to show a few episodes. I would really like to see more of it. :p [/color]

[Dagger]

[quote name='Aurus']So, are DVD's out in the US yet, or will I have to be sneaky and watch it on TV?[/quote]

Volume 1 was originally supposed to come out on June 22, but for some reason Bandai recently announced that its release would be partially delayed. The regular disc will still hit stores in June, but the limited edition artbox set has been bumped back to July 6. I'm going to hold out for the artbox. However, if you don't care about that kind of thing, it might be easier to wait until June than to stay up late and watch (or tape) the series every Saturday.

~Dagger~

[G.D. Ryoko]

I love Wolf`s Rain. I really enjoyed the first couple of episodes. The animation looks really good. When I heard it was made by the creators of Cowboy Bebop, I got really excitied. The voice acting is wonderful, I enjoy listening to Crispen Freemen`s voice. I can`t wait to see tonight`s episode.

Part of the reason why I started watching Wolf`s Rain was because it was about wolves and wolves are my favorite animals. All in all, I think that it`s a great anime from what I have seen and I hope the ending is pretty good. I`m not a fan of bad endings.

[Guest Vash513]

I knew that I would like Wolf's Rain from the moment I saw preveiws for it on AS. I have seen every episode that AS has played so far and I love it already. A big plus: A lot of the english voice actors are the same as those in Trigun (my favorite anime, hence my name).

Kiba - Vash (Johny Yong Bosch)
Hige - Knives (Joshua Seth)
Toboe - Kaite (Mona Marshall)
Neige - Milly (Lea Sargent)

Some of that information MIGHT be wrong...but I'm pretty sure it's all accurate.
But anyways...I've found that Wolf's Rain is very quickly joining my list of favorite animes.

[Cahoots34]

...Is anyone else picking up some subtle shounen-ai undertones from this series? It may simply be that all series I've seen where the male characters pair themselves off so ...well, deliberately (Gundam Wing and Weiss Kreuz, to name my personal favourites) basically invite more salacious interpretations of dialouge and interaction, but it seems to me that some truly plausible arguements for Hige/Kiba and Toboe/Tsume might be made.

[demonjersey]

Yea the boxed has been pushed back to 7/6/04, but if anyone wanted to you can always pre order it at Gamestop. Me, I'm just gonna wait until it comes out and buy it. You get some really neat stuff in it. You get an exclusive 'kiba' plush wolf and The Wolf's Rain Original CD Soundtrack. Also a cast interview #1, textless opening, textless ending, pilot film, promo film collection, on-air promo collection.

The whole thing costs $50 bucks, but o well. I think it's worth it so I can't wait!

Jersey

[AniSmith]

I had been wanting to see this anime, ever since i received the soundrack...it was from Yoko Kano, so i decided to check it out. Really good, a mix between jazz and a Native American sound.

Anyways, i was amost going to start getting fansubs, when i heard that it would air sooner or later in AS, of course 4-5 months later it happened and i cant believe that its on a weekly basis, i hate waiting *hmm* i wish that they would air it from Mon-Thurs, (Really Tues-Fri because of the time 12:00AM is a new day, so technicaly its not monday, but tues)

I like the characters so far, but i keep getting angry at the Kiba...yelling at the screen to come his hair!!! i know its lame but whatever :D...its just that i dont like male characters with their hair like that, they look girly, IMO 'specially with his big blue eyes. COMB you HAIR! *it's ironic because i really dont comb mine ^^' *

cant wait to find out what's up with the guy in the mask and the flower maiden(s?) and paradise