Wolf's Rain (2003)

Original title

WOLF'S RAIN

Directed by

Tensai Okamura

Genre

dark fantasy, science fiction anime and manga, adventure anime and manga, drama anime and manga, fantasy anime and manga, post-apocalyptic anime and manga

Country

Japan

Length

1 season, 26 episodes

Rated

TV-14

Rating

7.8 of 10 from 201 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

Four wolves who can take human form follow a mysterious scent toward a legendary paradise. They travel across a frozen, dying world while being hunted by humans and other forces.

melancholicbleakdreamlikeslow-burnvisually lushtensecoldhopeful

What happens

Wolf's Rain (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese anime television series created by writer Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones. It was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno. It focuses on the journey of four lone wolves who cross paths while following the scent of the Lunar Flower and seeking Paradise. Wolf's Rain spans twenty-six television episodes and four original video animation (OVA) episodes, with each episode running approximately twenty-three minutes. The series was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV, some of Fuji TV's affiliate stations, and the anime CS television network, Animax. The complete thirty episode series is licensed for a North American release by Funimation, in Europe by Beez Entertainment and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. The series was adapted into a short two-volume manga series written by Keiko Nobumoto and illustrated by Toshitsugu Iida. The manga, which was released while the series was airing, is a retelling of the story rather than a straight adaptation. It was originally serialized in Magazine Z and has been released in North America by Viz Media. The anime series was well received in Japan, being the third-ranked anime series in its timeslot while airing on Fuji TV. The Bandai Entertainment English-language release sold well in North America. It helped Bandai gain the 2004 Anime Company of the Year award from industry news company ICv2 in the ICv2 Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga. The manga adaptation was selected as one of their top ten anime products of 2005 and sold well in North America. Reviewers of the series gave it high marks for characterization, emotional weight, visual presentation, narrative and its soundtrack, while disparaging the existence of four recapitulation episodes in the middle of the series. The manga adaptation also sold well in North America and received good reviews, though reviewers felt its short length resulted in a rushed plot and neglected supporting characters. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

More like this

• Attack on Titan (2013)
• Seraph of the End (2015)
• Made in Abyss (2017)
• Gachiakuta (2025)
• Dr. Stone (2019)
• Gilgamesh (2003)
• Kaina of the Great Snow Sea (2023)
• Uninhabited Planet Survive! (2003)