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Wolf's Rain Vol. 1: Leader of the Pack
Bandai // Unrated // June 22, 2004
List Price: $29.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
"There's no such place as Paradise. At the ends of the earth, there's nothing at all."In the distant future, humanity lives in great domed cities on a desolate Earth, and wolves are thought to have been hunted to extinction over 200 years ago. But unknown to man, wolves instead began to live amongst them, disguising themselves as humans. Legend has it that at the end of the world, wolves will lead the world to Paradise – and one wolf, Kiba, is convinced he knows the way.
Wolf's Rain originally aired around 2 in the morning in Japan, but it gained enough attention that it was picked up by Cartoon Network's Adult Swim only a few months after its conclusion, where it was recognized not only for its unique plot but also its stunning animation. There was certainly a lot of talent behind the show (it was crafted by Studio Bones, the group behind Cowboy Bebop) but along with that were equally high expectations. The five episodes here are primarily to introduce the characters and set up the quest the four main characters will undertake.
As the series begins, Kiba is exhausted. The white wolf has journeyed from the mountains and into the city in search of Paradise, led by the scent of lunar flowers and a voice that seems to beckon him. He doesn't know where it will take him or what will happen, but he's determined to find out. Meanwhile, Quent, a middle-aged alcoholic with a fondness for rifles, is convinced that wolves still exist – and that he must kill every last one of them. The two encounter one another, and with the help of Blue, his black dog-that-looks-suspiciously-like-a-wolf, Quent manages to capture the ragged Kiba and turn him over to scientists for examination. He
escapes, of course (it wouldn't be much of a series without the main character), with the help of wisecracking Hige, and soon the two meet up with two others: naïve Toboe, a domesticated teenager, and badder-than-he-really-is Tsume.The rest of the episodes lay down some typical anime trappings: an overly serious noble that seems evil but has his own as-yet inscrutable reasons, an unemotional "flower maiden" that possesses a special power, and, yeah, a couple of robots for good measure. But the heart of the series is the idea that we're relating to wolves as we would people, and the approach to that is sort of novel. It works, although it's a bit strange to see four "people" chowing down on a rotting gazelle carcass or licking their wounds. We're reminded that they may look human, that's for our benefit.
Video:
A nice transfer with some moderate aliasing here and there, but overall clean with bright, vibrant colors (partially owing the rich color palette of the show). The screenshots are duller. Exactly what I'd expect from a show that originally aired in Japan a mere year before its North American release.
Audio:
As with most anime series, the original stereo language track is the best – voices are appropriate for the characters and the acting is excellent throughout. Some may understandably opt for the English 5.1 track
instead for a much fuller sound, though; I was tempted. It's a shame (but understandable) that five-speaker tracks aren't more common for television shows, as the sound here is excellent. There are some great visceral sound effects like a person's larynx being crushed. There's also an English stereo track, as well as English subtitles, of course.The English actors do a decent job in spite of some questionable dialog in places, and the track is fine for those inclined that way. The real standout exception is Johnny Yong Bosch, who is just fantastic as a subtle, natural-sounding Kiba. Crispin Freeman (Tsube) has some fans and an instantly recognizable voice, but every character of his sounds the same to me, and a lot of the time it seems like he's mismatched with the characters he plays (Captain Tylor, of The Irresponsible Captain Tylor, is a prime example). He's closer here, but Tsube still sounds too deep, too heroic. Joshua Seth as Hige and Mona Marshall as Toboe have perhaps the most obvious "character voices" on the show, which can be distracting. And as in most dubs, stilted delivery occasionally rears its ugly head. But it's inherent in the trade, I suppose.
The music in Wolf's Rain is good (with the exception of the awful, awful opening song "Stray" which you can safely skip without missing any of the episode), but admittedly it's hard for Yoko Kanno to top her previous work in Cowboy Bebop. Music is not so much the focus here as it was there, but she still manages to work in some nice themes, including the striking credits song, "Gravity."
Extras:
The six-minute Japanese cast interview (the first of two) is the only one most people
will take a look at – the cast take turns asking each other questions and are alternately goofy and contrite while talking about themselves and their characters. There's also a textless opening and ending, the pilot film (with a demo version of "Gravity"), a variety of promotional material, and trailers for other Bandai series.Conclusion:
There's a lot of setup on this first disc, but the characters in Wolf's Rain are likeable and there's enough action blatantly inserted to hold your interest until the main story really gets going. Whether it can draw out its "hero's journey" over 26 story episodes remains to be seen. Recommended.
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