If the story were about a single mother raising two children after the father dies in a mugging, car accident, or cancer, I think the story would have been infinitely better. Take Usagi Drop, for example, nothing supernatural, just a man raising a little girl, and all the hardships that comes with that scenario. Here's what I would have done. Had the father die from cancer. Give him a military background. The son grows up wanting to be a soldier, just like his dad. He runs away, not to become a wolf, but to join the army. Nothing mom can do to stop him once he's 18. As for the daughter, she has all these big aspirations and a promising career...then ends up being a homemaker by choice. That's how I would have done the story. But Japan HAS to have a lot of supernatural stuff. As it is, the movie is nearly perfect. I just can't help but see the potential if the movie went full slice of life.

At first I have to say this film is worth 8.2. The sweet flow of the anime is really great. Mother's affection, which is the main topic of this sector anime, is presented perfectly by Hosoda(Sir).... This is one of my favorite anime films of all time.I appreciate that it has no such sides which contains mystery, thrill, action, adventure (The things mankind prefer much nowadays) but the significance of Mother's Love can't be shown much greater than this film.Especially I have no intention to spoil the story, but i can't help mentioning the best line from the trailer- "You can think this is a fairy tale but, to a mom it hadn't!" My Review - "You may feel that you are a complete misery to the world but don't think so.... because you will always be a same treasure to your mother even if the world is against you, she will always be at your side." and this is my thoughts that snatches me into the core of the film..really...really great film, just try to give it a run. It is a pure family anime, you can enjoy it with your family members.Thanks for paying your precious time to read this anime. I think you will appreciate my thoughts.

A1|10/10|**** I have not watched many Japanese animated films; I've seen three Ghibli films (I loved "Grave of the Fireflies"), and that's it. I just never had much incentive to seek out Japanese animation, which is odd for one who adores the medium. Despite this, I wanted to check out "Wolf Children." I watch my animated films on Kiss Cartoon (unless I own a physical copy), so I headed over to its anime equivalent, and found a version with subtitles, since I always try and watch films in their native tongue. I could barely keep my eyes off the screen, for what I saw was a wonderfully simple film of what is something so complex and bizarre. Its design is so quaint, yet so artistic. Much like Brad Bird did with "Ratatouille," Momaru Hosoda manages to take a very odd concept, and transform it into an involving, moving and ironically real experience."Wolf Children" tells the story of Hana, a nineteen year old college student, who falls quickly in love with a man, who harbours a personal secret. The unnamed man, who I will refer to as Wolf Man, has the ability to transform into a full wolf at will. He has found an accepting person in Hana, who loves him and his lupine ways, and the two move into a small flat, and have two children; Yuki, born on a snowy day, and Ame, born on a rainy day. Together, the quiet, loyal Wolf Man and peppy Hana raise their two children, but struggle to make ends meet; Wolf Man, who works as a moving man, hearkens to the wolfish instinct of hunting for his mate and cubs. While doing so, he dies in an unfortunate accident, when in wolf form, in a heartbreaking scene where a devastated Hana falls to her knees as she sees her husband being thrown in the back of a garbage truck. Hana is forced to drop out of college and quit her job, as she makes use of the Wolf Man's savings to help raise their two kids, who, like their father, can change into wolves at will.We watch Hana struggle even more without her lover, as she is not only raising two young children, but wolf cubs, who chew on her belongings and cause chaos, especially the hyperactive Yuki. Hana is at a loss of how to care for them, as is shown in a darkly humorous scene where Yuki falls ill, and she is not sure whether to bring her to the vets or to a doctor. She studies parenting books and books on raising puppies and wolf behaviour, exhausting herself so she can raise her children to be happy and healthy. Obstacles are inevitable, for Hana cannot bring her children to hospitals for checkups and vaccinations due to their condition, and, in order to keep them hers and to avoid prying eyes, she moves to a large house in the country.For such a strange set up, Hosoda managed to produce a moving feature full or reliability and heart. It seems rather simple, and in a way it is, but complexities lurk under this wolf's skin; here we have a story of a devoted mother and wife, who refuses to give up on her family, no matter how tiring the circumstances may be. We see Hana farm fields of potatoes, only to fail time after time, until help comes when she least expects it. She ends up making unlikely friends, despite the difficulties of keeping her children's secret hidden, and trying to protect them from the world. As time goes on, we see Hana come to terms with the fact, that the wolf ages faster than the child, and even though they may be ten years old as children, they are fully grown wolves, who need to find their own paths. For Yuki and Ame, we see two children trapped between two worlds, who are unsure of whether to follow the call of the wild, act more human, or try and balance on the edge between man and beast. What we have is a multi faceted story, about motherhood, family and love. We have three people facing the trials of adolescence and childhood all at once, of dealing with disability and how others may perceive them. Here we have three individuals, who struggle with who they are and who they may become, with the only person who can understand dead and gone.So many beautiful themes, all handled so delicately and with great care. Such likable characters, such a pleasant, homely tone. The animation is lovely, and reminded me so much of these story books I had as a child, which happened to be translated from Japanese into English. So in watching this film, I had a sense of nostalgia I was not expecting. There are no scenes of epic triumph, but moments of life and joy and glorious happiness, of crippling sadness. We see privilege, prejudice, acceptance and passion. With Hana, Yuki and Ame, we see life in a way we have never seen it before; through the eyes of both man and beast. There's no magic, or ultimatums or deadlines. "Wolf Children" is complex in its simplicity, and simple in its complexity; it's refreshing and engrossing to the last second.All the pure loveliness and heart of this wonderful film shine in not only the relationships between the characters, but in two scenes; one that is before the climax, and another in the snow, with Tagaki Masakatsu's score accenting the simple joy and pure emotion of what dances before us on screen A must see.

Let me start off by saying this review will have some spoilers in it, so you have been warned.Wolf Children is the story of Hana, a college student who meets a werewolf and falls in love, has a whirlwind romance, gets pregnant, and ends up having to raise two werewolf children on her own. Hana deals with problems, some of which will be familiar to most parents, and others which will be familiar to most dog owners (such as chewing on furniture). All things considered, Wolf Children is a solidly good movie. However, it's not as good as the hype it's received.Let's break it down:Animation: 9.0 This is full of high quality visuals. Absolutely beautiful, especially the gorgeous scenery once Hana moves to the country! All the motion is smooth, the colors are outstanding and vivid, everything looks amazing. If there is any flaw, I would have to say the initial transformation of the father into a wolf was a bit of a letdown. It's pretty much just a slow morph from man to man-wolf, and it really could have been a lot better. This movie has little to offer in the way of effects, and this transformation was their chance to shine, and I feel it was a missed opportunity. But still, it's a small gripe. On a side note, I'm a bit confused as to why Wolf Daddy tells Hana not to watch him transform, and then proceeds to transform extremely slowly over a couple of minutes (which of course Hana sees), however it is clearly established later on that the transformation can be instant.Sound: 8.0 The voice acting was great. Very believable emotions, and the voices seemed to fit the characters very well. The music was good but not great. It was the typical orchestral background music which you would expect for a movie like this, and there really wasn't anything wrong with it. However, there wasn't anything which I could listen to by itself. To get a perfect ten in this category, I have to be looking for the music online after I finish watching the show, and that's not the case here.Story: 7 The story is good. We see approximately twelve years of Hana raising her two wolf children from infants to middle school. Each has to find their own way, human or wolf, and it is interesting to see how they make their choices and how they deal with their dual natures. This was a great concept, which you would expect from Mamoru Hosoda, who brought us Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, but the concept wasn't masterfully executed. Actually, it did seem like the movie was trying too hard to be a Ghibli film at times, especially once they moved to the country. Specifically it was like watching Totoro, but with less magic and mystery. It had the look but not the feel. There are some scenes which are badly mishandled. (spoiler!)Toward the end, Ame, Hana's son, runs off into the woods during a typhoon. Mom, of course, runs after him nearly dying while trying to navigate the woods during the intense storm while searching for her son. Unfortunately, instead of playing this as an emotional farewell, it is played for unnecessary drama and excitement. Why? Because the show was nearing its end, and they needed a dramatic climax, that's why. It was fairly obvious and I was not impressed by it. Finally, the story lacks any real ending at all. We get to see that the children have decided which world they want to live in, but that's as close to a resolution as we are going to get. This is, after all, a slice of life film, and that's what we get. A slice.Characters: 7 Hana is the main character, and that may be one of the movie's biggest problems. Miyazaki's films had a sense of wonder, mostly because we experience the world through the eyes of very young characters. In this movie, we mostly experience it through the eyes of an adult going through difficult circumstances. The story is narrated by the daughter, but she is only a major character for the last half of the movie. The father is a real letdown. He is only in the movie very briefly, has only a few lines, and apparently passed on a genetic predisposition to run outside during horrible weather. In fact, we never even learn his name, which pretty much relegates him to the status of an extra. Overall: 7.75 I liked it. I would recommend it. However, there's nothing here that's going to bring you back for a re-watch. I should also point out that my wife and daughter actually got angry at me for not giving it a perfect 10 rating, so it apparently appeals more to female audiences. But I stand by my review.