Wolf's Rain

Wolf's Rain
ウルフズ・レイン (Urufuzu Rein)
Demographic	Seinen
Genre	Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Supernatural
TV anime
Director	Tensai Okamura
Writer	Keiko Nobumoto
Studio	BONES
Licensor	Bandai Entertainment
Network	Animax, Fuji TV
Other networks: Animax Cartoon Network (Adult Swim) Rapture TV, AnimeCentral La Sexta MTV Italia Canal+ Canal+ MTV Central
Original run	January 6, 2003 – July 29, 2003
Episodes	26
OVA
Director	Tensai Okamura
Writer	Keiko Nobumoto
Studio	BONES
Licensor	Bandai Entertainment
Episodes	4
Released	January 23, 2004-February 25, 2004
Runtime	96 minutes
Manga
Author	Keiko Nobumoto
Publisher	Kodansha
Other publishers: Viz Media Shin Vision Heyne Japonica Polonica Fantastica
Serialized in	Magazine Z
Original run	April, 2003 – April 26, 2007
Volumes	2

Wolf's Rain (ウルフズ・レイン, Urufuzu Rein^?) is an anime series created by writer and story editor Keiko Nobumoto and produced by BONES. The series was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno.^[1] It focuses on the lives of four lone wolves who meet 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. The series first premiered in Japan on Fuji TV on January 6, 2003 and ran for a full season of 26 episodes, with the final episode airing on on July 29, 2003.^[2] A four episode 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 recap 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.^[3] The entire 30 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.^[4] The series was adapted into a short two tankobon manga series written by Nobumoto and illustrated 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.^[5]

Contents 1 Plot 1.1 Manga adaptation differences 2 Characters 3 Reception 4 Media 4.1 Episodes 4.2 Soundtracks 4.2.1 Volume 1 4.2.2 Volume 2 4.3 Manga 5 References 6 External links

Plot

The series Wolf's Rain begins in a northern city of a dying world where mountains and forests have been stripped bare and the majority of people live in poverty and hardship. According to a nearly forgotten legend, when the world was coming to an end, Rakuen (楽園, Rakuen^? Paradise) will appear but only wolves will know how to find it. Wolves were supposed to have been hunted to extinction nearly two hundred years ago, however unknown to most humans, the wolves still live, surviving by using illusions to give themselves human appearances.^[6] Kiba, an injured lone white wolf enters a city following the scent of the Lunar Flowers, which are the key to opening Paradise. There he encounters Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, three other wolves living in the city who were drawn there by the scent of the Lunar Flowers. The wolves also have their first encounter with Quent Yaiden, a former Sheriff obsessed with searching for and killing wolves, and his dog Blue. Cheza, the Flower Maiden who will 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 Cheza gone, none of the wolves have any reason to stay in the city. Despite some initial misgivings and suspicions they decide to stick 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 empty shells of former habitations. Cher joins the city's army to try to recover Cheza, while Cher's ex-husband Hubb searches desperately for Cher, and Quent continues his relentless pursuit of the wolves. When Blue eventually encounters Cheza, it awakens her sleeping wolf blood and causes her to she leave Quent and taken on her own human illusion. She joins Kiba's pack and travels with them for awhile, developing a relationship with Hige. After she gets 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 Jagara's city, where the captured Cheza is being held. In attempting to rescue Cheza, Kiba, Tsume, and Toboe are captured. Tsume and Toboe are thrown into a dungeon with Hubb while Jagara attempts to use Kiba's blood to force open Paradise. 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 Cheza. Darcia kills Jagara and battles Kiba as Jagara's keep collapses around them. The wolves and the humans barely escape with their lives, though Quent is badly wounded saving Blue from falling debris. The wolves, now accompanied by 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 causes most of the characters to die in tragic circumstances, until only Kiba, Cheza, and Darcia are left at the place where Paradise can be opened. Darcia is destroyed when he attempts to enter Paradise. Cheza's body disintegrates into seeds. Fatally wounded, Kiba believes his quest has failed, but as he lays dying, rain begins to fall and he sees Cheza's seeds grown into thousands of lunar flowers. As the series close, we see Toboe, Tsume, Hige, and Kiba in their human forms in a modern city. Kiba, who was walking down a busy sidewalk begins running towards a lunar flower lying in a puddle in an alley.

Manga adaptation differences

The manga series tells some of the core events from the anime series almost exactly, such as the initial meeting of the wolves and the events in the city before they left and Cheza's being taken by Darcia and escaping. As a whole, however, the manga veers greatly from the anime series. Many events from the anime do not happen in the manga, and some of the events from the anime that are presented here may be completely different in terms of dialog, sequence of events, and final outcomes.^[7] 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 Jagara'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 abounding.^[8] Character wise, most of the characters are similar in appearance and personality to their anime appearances. However, some characters from the anime are not seen in the manga, including the Nobles Lord Orkham and Lady Jaguara.

Characters

Main article: List of Wolf's Rain characters

The primary characters of Wolf's Rain are four wolves, Kiba, Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, and Cheza, the Flower Maiden. They must use illusions to appear human in order to survive and move about in human societies, but still live and act very much like wolves. In their journey for Paradise, the group must deal with Darcia the Third, a former Noble driven insane by the death of his beloved Hamona, and Jagara, a Noble who alternately kills and uses other wolves in her desire to obtain both Kiba and Cheza in order to open her own Paradise. Also following the wolves is Cher Degré, the scientist who was studying Cheza and now is driven to understand the legend of the wolves and to help Cheza reach Paradise. Following Cher is her ex-husband, Hubb Lebowski, a police officer who still loves Cher and wants to protect her and help her in her quest. Rounding our the primary cast of characters is Quent Yaiden and his dog Blue. Quent was once a Sheriff, but after his family was seemingly killed by wolves, he became obsessed with hunting them all down to the ends of the earth. He never imagined that his own dog Blue was, in fact, half-wolf and when Blue herself realizes this, she is torn between her love for her former master and her own wolf nature and hatred of hunting her own kind.

Reception

The Wolf's Rain anime series was a moderate success when it aired in Japan, ranking third among anime series airing in the same time slot behind Air Master and Dear Boys.^[9] The series was considered a hit in 2004 for the North American market,^[10] selling well in mass markets as well as in on-line markets and at independent retailers. ICv2 notes that it has a strong appeal for both older teen and adult viewers.^[11] The series was selected as one of the top ten anime properties of 2005 for the the ICv2 Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga.^[12] Its release was also a central reason Bandai Entertainment earned the ICv2 Anime Company of the Year award for 2004.^[10] Critics have praised the series for its unusual focus on non-human characters and the interesting dynamic of wolves behaving like wolves as they interact with the human characters and environments in the series.^[13][14]

"The visuals in this series showcase Studio BONES at their most imaginative, with beautiful backgrounds that depict settings from high-tech mysticism to urban decay to open wilderness. The character designs are equally striking: in their human form, the wolves wear contemporary outfits, making them the most accessible of all characters."

—Carlo Santos, Anime News Network^[14]

The main criticism voiced about the series tends to be aimed at episodes 15-18 which are four back-to-back recap episodes that interrupted the series midway through its original airing.^[14][15] While the recaps have a few new bits of dialog and the occasional new scene, they are almost entirely flashbacks that "contributes precious little to the otherwise interesting narrative."^[16] Reviewers of the Region 1 DVD volume containing the four episodes recommended it be left unbought and skipped as a waste of money, though Bandai's release of the episodes was also considered an improvement over the Japanese release of the series which had the recaps spread over two DVDs requiring them to be bought to get the new episodes on the same volumes.^[17][15] Other critics have complained that while the show had an original and innovative with beautiful visuals and appealing characters, the story itself was poorly paced, undeveloped, and plagued with plot holes.^[9] Yoko Kanno's hauntingly beautiful soundtrack for the series has also been hailed for its beauty and the way it add to the series emotional impact.^[18][14]. The instrumental tracks were found to mirror the show's tone perfectly, evoking feelings of sorrow and loss. One reviewer notes that the soundtrack "shows [Kanno's] skills as both composer and pianist," and is "a treat to hear."^[19] Kanno's work in the series was nominated for an Annie Award in the "Music in an Animated Television Production" category in 2006.^[20] The Wolf's Rain manga adaptation has also enjoyed success in the North American market, with the second volume being the ninth best selling graphic novel on the Nielsen Bookscan report for February 13, 2007^[21] It is considered a major hit amongst manga that are adapted from an anime series.^[22] While critics have praised the artwork, some felt that by being only two volumes, the series is very rushed and makes it hard to connect to any of the characters. It also leaves the impression that the supporting characters, Cher, Hubb, and Quent, were included just so that they would be included.^[23]

Media

Episodes

Main article: List of Wolf's Rain episodes

Wolf's Rain spans 26 television episodes and four OVA episodes, with each episode running approximately 24 minutes. The series was originally broadcast in Japan simltaneously on Fuji TV and on the anime CS television network, Animax. The first episode premiered on January 6, 2003 and the final episode aired on July 29, 2003.^[2] Animax also aired the series on its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and other regions. All 30 episodes of the series were aired in the United States as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup in 2004.^[24] It was broadcast on Europe's digital specialty station Rapture TV from November 14, 2005 to July 06, 2006.^[25][26] It also aired in the UK on AnimeCentral starting November 4 2007, with only the first 26 episodes airing.

Soundtracks

All of the music for the Wolf's Rain soundtrack was composed and arranged by Yoko Kanno.^[18] The vocals were recorded around the world, including Japan, Poland, Brazil, the United States, and Italy to offer a diverse range of music and give the soundtrack an international flavor. The vocal songs are performed by various artists, including Maaya Sakamoto, Raj Ramayya, Ilaria Graziano, Steve Conte, and Joyce.^[19] Two CD soundtracks have been released for the series, containing a total of 44 tracks.

Volume 1

Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack, Volume 1
Soundtrack
Released	March 29, 2003 (2003-03-29)
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	64 minutes
Label	Victor Entertainment
Producer	Yoko Kanno, Toshiaki Ota, Shiro Sasaki

Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack, Volume 1 was originally released in Japan in March 29, 2003 by Victor Entertainment.^[27] It was released in the United States by Bandai Entertainment on May 11, 2004 under the title of Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack.^[4]

Track listing

1. "Stray" (Steve Conte) – 5:22
2. "Rakuen"(ラクエン) (Yoko Kanno) – 3:03 (Requiem in English release)^[4]
3. "Coração Selvagem" (Joyce) – 3:28
4. "Renga" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:32
5. "Pilgrim Snow" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:22
6. "Leaving on Red Hill" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:58
7. "Shiro" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:04
8. "Dogs and Angels" (Joyce) – 3:01
9. "Strangers" (Raj Ramayya) – 5:03
10. "Sleeping Wolves" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:07
11. "Tip Toe Waltz" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:31
12. "My Little Flower" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:43
13. "Could You Bite the Hand?" (Steve Conte) – 3:39
14. "Valse de la Lune" (Ilaria Graziano) – 3:03
15. "Hot Dog Wolf" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:23
16. "Silver River" (Yoko Kanno) – 3:24
17. "Sold Your Soul" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:25
18. "Visions of a Flame" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:33
19. "Run, Wolf Warrior, Run" (Joyce) – 5:55
20. "Gravity" (Maaya Sakamoto) – 3:23
21. "Paradiso" (Yoko Kanno) – 3:47

Volume 2

Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack, Volume 2
Soundtrack
Released	January 21, 2004 (2004-01-21)
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	68 minutes
Label	Victor Entertainment
Producer	Yoko Kanno, Toshiaki Ota, Shiro Sasaki

Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack, Volume 2 was released in Japan on January 21 2004 by Victor Entertainment.^[27]

Track listing

1. "Heaven's Not Enough" (Steve Conte) – 5:14
2. "Shiro, Long Tail's" (Yoko Kanno) – 3:23
3. "サイクル (Cycle)" (Gabriela Robin) – 4:32
4. "Beyond Me" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:39
5. "Mouth On Fire" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:57
6. "Hounds" (Yoko Kanno) – 3:32
7. "Rain Of Blossoms" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:19
8. "Separated" (Yoko Kanno) – 4:10
9. "エスケイプ (Escape)" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:28
10. "Face On" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:14
11. "爪の砂 - Tsume No Suna (Tsume's Sand)" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:07
12. "Flying To You" (Ilaria Graziano) – 2:21
13. "Night Owl" (Yoko Kanno) – 3:41
14. "死の森 - Shi No Mori(Forest of Death)" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:56
15. "インディアナ (Indiana)" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:53
16. "Amore Amaro" (Franco Sansalone) – 2:29
17. "フレンズ (Friends)" (Yoko Kanno) – 3:54
18. "Tell Me What The Rain Knows" (Maaya Sakamoto) – 1:41
19. "Float" (Yoko Kanno) – 1:40
20. "Trace" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:52
21. "Sad Moon" (Yoko Kanno) – 2:19
22. "Cloud 9" (Maaya Sakamoto) – 5:01
23. "Go To 'Rakuen'" (Yoko Kanno) – 5:25

Manga

The two tankōbon manga series was originally serialized in Magazine Z magazine, with the first chapter premiering in April 2003.^[28] The manga, which was written by Nobumoto and illustrated by Toshitsugu Iida, is an almost complete retelling of the anime story. Each chapter of the manga series is called a "grope" which is a reference to a Japanese phrase for arriving somewhere after enduring hardships.^[7] The two volumes were released in North America by VIZ Media as individual volumes in 2004 and 2005. Each volume included a full color first page, editor notes on the translation and cultural references, and remarks on the creation of the manga from Iida. The volumes use similar front covers as the Japanese releases, though the colors are more muted and with the usual Viz banners added to the top and bottom. An exclusive edition of the first volume was released on November 5, 2004 in Borders and Waldenbooks stores that included a collectible box to hold both volumes and a 3D lenticular card.^[29] The Viz English release is adapted by David Ury, who also acted as translator and Egan Loo.^[7] The series has also been released in Germany by Heyne with the first volume released in November 2005 and the second in January 2006. The series was translated by Christine Steinle. The series is licensed for release in Europe in Italian by Shin Vision, which also holds the license for the Italian release of the anime series. Japonica Polonica Fantastica has released both volumes of the series in Europe in Polish.^[28]

Volume	Pages	Gropes	Release Dates
			Japan[28]	US[30]
1	186	5	July 23, 2003	November 3, 2004
Kiba, a wounded white wolf, goes to a city in search of the Lunar Flower that can open the door to paradise. There he meets Tsume, Hige, and Toboe, three other wolves using illusions to appear humans so they can live in relative safety in the city. All four soon find themselves the target of Quent Yaiden and his dog Blue, who seek to kill every remaining wolf in the world. Cheza, the Lunar Flower, awakens at Kiba's arrival, but she is stolen away by Darcia. The four wolves join together and leave the town. After a rough trip through a town that violently rejects all outsiders, the wolves are able to meet with Cheza, who sensed their presence below and jumped from Darcia's airship to float down to them.
2	238	11	February 23, 2004	February 1, 2005
The four wolves fight a large pack of wolves that went crazy after seeing Cheza, but Cheza realizing her wolves were losing, sang the crazed wolves to sleep. Her song also affects Blue, who realizes for the first time that she has wolf blood in her. Darcia recaptures Cheza, badly wounding the four wolves in the process. Darcia aims to open Paradise using Cheza and the blood of Blue, whom he found in the woods and recruited for the project. After a fight with Darcia that leaves Kiba completely blind, the wolves are able to free Cheza and escape Darcia's keep just before it collapses. At the end, as the wolves and Cheza sit on a rock, the sun breaks through the clouds for the first time and the Ice Age ends, leading people to believe that Paradise having been opened.

References

External links

• Bandai Channel's official Wolf's Rain site (Japanese)
• FujiTV's Official Wolf's Rain site
• Victor Entertainment official site for the CD soundtracks (Japanese)
• Madman Entertainment Official Site (Australian release)
• Wolf's Rain (TV anime) in the Anime News Network encyclopedia
• Wolf's Rain (TV anime) in the AnimeNfo.com encyclopedia
• Wolf's Rain (TV anime) in the Internet Movie Database
• Wolf's Rain (OVA) in the Anime News Network encyclopedia
• Official Viz Wolf's Rain manga site
• Wolf's Rain (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia