I give you, Wolf Children : A KJ Reviews special edition.
First, I have to say what I always do about this movie. It's a love letter to mothers everywhere.
The film starts with Hana, a college-student (or around that age) when she meets a man she's never seen at the college before. Asking him if he'd like to share textbooks and keep coming to the classes, he agrees. What follows is a cute montage of the two bonding, until eventually he reveals he's half wolf, able to switch between human and wolf forms, and is the last of his kind.
And that is all I'm going into plotwise, only because there will be spoilers and its best to watch this movie without them. So this review may be shorter than usual, though my regular 'animation/music/everything else' will make up for it.
There are a crapton of movies about parents and their relationships with their children, but this one in particular stands out. For one thing, taking out the 'Wolf Children' aspects, Hana is actually a pretty complex character. Near the beginning she asks her children, Yuki and Ame whether they'd prefer to be a human or a wolf, and remarks that she wants them to have that choice, yet by the end its clear she revokes this, and we see her grow as a character as her own part in this story comes full circle.
First of all, there's the blatant use of adult fear in this movie, such as not knowing whats right for your children or...well, nearly the entire ending of this movie. Then there's a scene where, while hunting, Ame falls into a river and almost drowns, with Hana desperately asking him to 'open your eyes!' If a parent doesn't tear up at this scene, they probably don't have a soul.
Then there is Yuki's character arc, as she goes from rambunctious and busy to calm and ladylike. One day, as she is followed by a boy, Souhei, who won't leave her alone, she scratches him and reveals her wolf form, but he doesn't realize the wolf is Yuki, and eventually they become friends. Yuki cries when she thinks that she's ruined everything by revealing her wolf form, but Hana comforts her.
This movie also works on another level of what I think I'll call 'parental realization'. The moment where a parent must understand it's time to let their children go out and get on with their life, with the knowledge that' while the worlds a scary place and, yes, their children might get hurt, they have to let them make mistakes or overcome certain hardships to become better people. Personally, I think this a very interesting message for parents who watch this film, because considering both the realistic and fantasy aspects, both Yuki and Ame go out to start their new lives and are ready for whatever they might face, all because Hana acknowledges that they're both ready.
The ending? I know I usually stop about now to prevent spoilers, but I think I go back on that rule 'just this once' (notice those quote marks, they're a clue for my first after-christmas review)
The ending has to be one of the most bittersweet I've ever seen. Ame goes in one direction in his life while Yuki goes another, and poor Hana is right in the middle of it. Though whereas Yuki sorts out her own problems, Hana goes out to find Ame to solve his for him, and after he leaves for his new life she finally realizes that it's the right life for him and that 'you're where you belong'.
Overall, the film gives us three main characters, who all grow in some way and are all the better for it. And a darn beautiful score and some gorgeous animation to go with it.
Animation: Dear Lord, the animation in this movie...if you can't find one scene that looks brilliant then you're not paying attention. The textures, the shading, the way rain falls on some leaves in one scene, it all looks great. The characters are animated beautifully too, and in most scenes its the smallest of movements that give that moment the emotions and energy it means to convey. Scenes that stick out are when Hana is looking for Ame in the forest, and there are a LOT of gorgeous backgrounds, and plenty of attention to detail.
Music: Again, there is a gorgeous score here. An instrumental of the main theme plays in most places, and the ending song? Dear lord, (sorry for the writing tic, its kind of a verbal tic too) its adorable in such a sweet way, about how a mother will be there to watch her children grow up and leave the roost but she'll still be a little sad or lonely.
Everything Else: Now, the big question. Is this film a masterpiece? In short: Yes. Or course its up to everyone elses opinion, but thinking about this movie now, it does a good job of showing what mothers go through, and , growing up in a single parent household myself, I can relate in some way. We kids, (or teens) take a lot of looking after , especially with how crap the world is now.
Overall, its a beautifully animated film that, while it may not be the masterpiece everyone expects, still tells an engaging storyline and has the animation and music to back itself up.