As part of Madman Entertainment's Reel Anime Festival that now come very two years since 2008. Its aim is to showcase some of the freshest and new Anime films that have been recently released in Japan to the rest for Australian and New Zealand for a limited time only. I managed to catch two films during its run; Berserk: Egg of the King and Wolf Children. I can only hope I see the other two From Poppy on a Hill and Children Who Chase Lost Voices when they come out on DVD.
Here's my review of Wolf Children: Mamoru Hosada could be one anime Director who could rival the international reputation of his former employers; Studio Ghibli.
"Wolf Children" is his third feature after the successes of "The Girl Who Leaped Through Time" and "Summer Wars".
The Stoy follows Hana; a young University Student who falls in love with a strange young man. It soon turns out he's a mysterious Half-Wolf-Half-Man descendant. Things start to take a more drastic turn when He dies leaving Hana alone to raise her two Children they bore.
The rest of the film follows the children as they grow up and how Hana manages to raise them and deal with their gift, habits, situations and morals.
The central action takes place in their new country home surrounded by wilderness and their interactions with the town folks and wild life.
Like Hosada's previous works, this film has fantastic and unique character designs; that aim more to realism and art-house scene than traditional anime designs.
The story is very heartwarming and cute as time goes on, there are some dark parts that become very heart wrenching. There's some very distinctive Ghibli influence in this piece of work, But I'm glad Hosada takes to his own territory.
To some viewers it maybe a little too long running at almost at 2 hours. But overall its a superb anime film even if your familiar with Hosada's other films or not Wolf Children is great and must be seen, I highly recommended it for a heartwarming journey of endurance, love, coming of age and prosperity.
