Wolf Children (2012) (Blu-ray) (English Subtitled) (Hong Kong Version) Blu-ray Region A

The film tells the story of Hana (Miyazaki Aoi, Nana), a college student who falls deeply in love with a polite young man (Osawa Takao, Goemon) who turns out to be a werewolf of sorts. Despite his condition, they fall immediately in love and are soon living together, Hana giving birth to two children, Yuki and Ame, both of whom have inherited their father's tendency to turn into a wolf. After he sadly dies, Hana decides to take the youngsters away from prying eyes, moving to a rundown home in a remote country village near to the mountains. Here, she tries to bring them up as normal human children, while coming to terms with the nature of their animal side.

Wolf Children is a little different to Hosoda Mamoru's previous films, as despite its werewolf romance premise, it shies away from adventure and fantasy in favour of peaceful contemplation that recalls earlier Ghibli classics. Certainly, the film does bring back memories of Totoro with its rural setting and depictions of nature and the countryside, with its young characters exploring the wilderness and learning about their own paths in life. Though the story is essentially pretty predictable, it plays out well and is pleasingly free from too much artificial drama, even if as a result there are stretches when very little actually happens. Instead, film mainly focuses on the theme being different, whether this be Yuki and Ame in their struggle to fit in with normal society, or Hana herself, who as a single mother faces up to stigmas and difficulties. Though the film is thoughtful and relatively slow moving, Hosoda's approach is measured and mature, enough so to keep things surprisingly grounded, and it's engaging and quietly emotional throughout.

Probably the film's main draw is its gorgeous animation, and on that score Hosoda certainly doesn't disappoint, with some amazing and beautifully done visuals. Again, the film here may remind some of Totoro with the same kind of harmonious and tranquil beauty, the fields, forests, mountains and animal denizens of its setting being brought to delightful and colourful life through what was clearly loving craftsmanship. The character work is similarly impressive, with Hana, Yuki and Ame all appealing and distinctive, even if the two kids are unsurprisingly at times made a little too much on the cutesy side with their puppy dog style antics. This, coupled with the solid script adds depth to the film's themes, and though there's nothing terribly new to its plot or themes, it comes across as earnest and well-meaning in a manner which is both upbeat and bittersweet.

There's really a great deal to like and enjoy here, and Wolf Children has enough heart to ensure that it should go down with anime fans and doubters alike. Exquisitely made and capturing that all important sense of wonder, it's easy to see why it proved such a massive hit in Japan, and confirms again that Hosoda Mamoru is indeed one the most talented names working in animation today.

by James Mudge – BeyondHollywood.com