Jun 7, 2017
***Warning: This isn’t exactly a review but more like my personal thoughts on this show. There will be a few spoilers. Just watch the movie first. I guarantee you’ll enjoy it thoroughly. ;)
In short, the animation and cinematography were both spectacular. Story was very touching and made me all emotional.
Themes:
Identity, Independence, Mother’s love, Frailty of life – 3 instances: Dad’s fall -> death, Ame’s fall, Hana’s fall
...
Great things the movie did/ Random thoughts of mine regarding specific scenes:
Made me able to sympathise greatly with Hana, as she learned to let go of children you raised for 12 years, seeing them grow into adults able to take care of themselves and find their own path in life.
Showed us that a mother’s love is able to overcome any obstacles come what may – Hana embraced a life cut off from the city and its conveniences, toiled endlessly on housework and farming, and did not abandon her children at any point.
Showed us the children’s gratitude and understanding of their mother’s love – The story was told by Yuki (showing that she understood her mother’s pains to a great extent, and wanted to share her story as a form of recognition of her mother’s hard work); Ame troubled over whether to leave his mom despite how fixated and determined he was in pursuing a life as a wolf; Ame hesitated when his mom called out to him at the end
Hana thought them to love themselves and that foundation was crucial in their growing years. The issues with their identities could have been much worse if they could not decide what to be – a wolf, a human, or even both. As a result, both Yuki and Ame grew up to have confidence and pride in being human and wolf respectively. However, it should also be noted that it was largely thanks to “Sensei” that Ame found his calling. This was in no part due to Hana’s negligence but simply the fact that she had inadequate knowledge regarding the life of a wolf.
The scene where Hana let Ame go and even wished him good luck was so impactful because we knew that she had been taking care of him so much and letting him go was too painful and how to say it, kind of …. Like she was going to lose something else. She lived with only her 2 children for the longest time and… it was just too painful. I could really sympathise with her. Great job Mr Hosoda..
Yuki finally showing her wolf form to Souhei was also really beautiful. Changing her form each time the wind blew… ahh that was so good and I don't even know why. I am no expert but I felt every scene was presented flawlessly. They managed to capture the characters’ feelings very clearly and in a subtle way, as in it was not overly dramatic, you know. It’s a simple story, but it managed to make me reflect on myself – how I treat others and myself, and what I want in life.
In conclusion, this show was just simply marvellous and one of a kind. The scenes were so beautiful I couldn’t help but tear up at certain scenes that merely show the everyday life of the family. Also, I have never watched such a great movie that could spawn in me such deep self-introspection, and I really thank this film for that. Overall a most satisfying 10/10 I’ve ever given for a show. And this was my first and probably would continue to be my most satisfying review I'll ever write.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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