Crunchyroll Fantasy Drama Is Equal Parts Heartwarming And Weird

Wolf Children focuses heavily on family and growing up. The two children, Yuki (Haru Kuroki) and Ame (Yukito Nishii) are polar opposites their whole life. Their mom, Hana (Aoi Miyazaki), works hard to give them the freedom to learn and grow so they can safely decide who they want to be.

Yuki is a young girl who can’t decide between being a wolf and being a human. She shifts between both easily and embraces both natures. Her wolf side gives her a sense of boldness and confidence that she uses to hassle her brother and mother.

Ame, the other sibling in Wolf Children, is a shy and quiet boy. He’s spent a lot of time reading books that involve the big, bad wolf and hates the animal side of himself. He is often bullied by the local wildlife and feels uncomfortable anywhere but at home.

From the beginning of Wolf Children, it seems obvious that Yuki is going to be a bold girl who embraces her animal half, while Ame is going to ignore his wolf side and be a human. However, as they grow older, their personalities shift, showing them to go quite the opposite way. Yuki embraces school and her friends, avoiding turning into a wolf while Ame ends up taking charge in a nearby forest after his mentor passes away.

In between the children growing up, you see Hana as she struggles to learn to be a mother and take care of wolves on her own. She works hard to provide for her children, and make life comfortable for them. It’s bittersweet when her children grow up and leave her at such a young age at the end of Wolf Children.

While Wolf Children is overall heartwarming, it’s hard to get into if you don’t know what to expect. Early on in the story, there are some weird moments as Hana’s partner reveals himself to be part wolf. They even have an intimate moment while he’s in partial wolf form that almost made me turn off the movie right there because I didn’t know what to expect of the rest of the film.

Though it’s an odd moment for sure, it’s very brief and not an integral part of Wolf Children. The rest of the film focuses on familial drama and love and the balance between trying your hardest to do the right thing and being yourself. If you can overlook this barely-there moment, the rest of the movie will sweep you away and leave you longing for your family.

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Mamoru Hosoda directed Wolf Children. Hosoda has managed to develop quite a fan base due to his unique style and interesting movie plots. Some of his more notable works include Mirai, Belle, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, and Summer Wars.

Crunchyroll offers Wolf Children subbed and dubbed for their premium members if you want to give the movie a watch for yourself.