‘The Wolf Children’ is an anime movie released in 2013. This movie is directed by Mamoru Hosoda, the man who also directed ‘The Girl Who Leapt Through Time’ and ‘Summer Wars’. This movie is about a human girl named Hana, who fell in love with a werewolf in her campus. Together they had two children and living in a small apartment. One night, her husband died in hunting for foods out of instinct for his children when they were still no older than 2 years old. This accident leaves Hana alone and devastated, not knowing on how to raise the children who are different from her by herself. Leaving to a countryside and abandoned her campus life, Hana tries hard to study about motherhood and learning what is necessary to raise wolf children.
Yuki and Ame. Those are the name of the children. Yuki is the older sister while Ame is the younger brother. As they grow older, Yuki and Ame began showing their differences. Conflicts appeared here and there, giving headaches to their mother. Yuki and Ame have different views on how to live as a werewolf. When Yuki realizes she wants to blend with the human society, Ame refuses to do the same and chooses to stop school and live in the mountain with the wolves. This here is the very conflict that Hana needs to face. Deep inside she doesn’t want Ame to leave her and follow his life choices to live in the mountains for she thinks it’s dangerous for a boy of his age. Yet as the times goes on, Hana realizes that her son is mature enough to be responsible for himself. There was one thing that Hana learned and that is to let go and have faith in her children. She knew just how important it was to let them grow and find their own life choices yet not forgetting how much love she could still give to them.
There are good things that I can mention about this movie and why it deserves such good scores from the critics.
- Visually appealing art and good character designs. The background art is so beautiful and serene, good choice of colors and also the details are quite appealing. The character design is also humbly looking, it is one of Mamoru Hosoda’s traits.
- A heartfelt family themed movie that shows you the struggle of parenthood.
- The movie also included teenage adolescence that appears realistic despite of spice of fiction which werewolves mythology.
- Shows the will power strength and hardship of a mother.
Mixing fantasy and family genres in one movie and making them enjoyable with a tinge of heartfelt drama is no easy task. It’s hard to make sure that the movie is not out of the original plot line, making sure that it stays with that desired soap opera in mind. The expressions, cinematography, colors. music, everything falls perfectly. Making ‘The Wold Children’ a movie that’s hard to forget and stays in the back of your mind.