Search - Wolf's Rain - War for the Soul (Vol. 5) on DVD

Build-up to the climax

D. Allen | Sparks, Nv USA | 12/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Kiba, Tsume, Hige Tolboy and Blue head towards the City of the Noble villeness, Jagera, while along the way, running into some familliar charactors. The world, it seems, is rapidly coming toward the end. As Hubb, Cher and Quint are in persuit, we begin to learn of each's background, and it seems as though all (including Blue and Cheza)continue to run into circumstances where they trade off traveling partners. And wat's up with Hige? Hige begins to suffer strange bouts of headaches and dementia...all to do with his past. There is a lot to it, but as they used to say in "The Prisoner", "That would be telling...".
Again, the storytelling, soundtrack and animation are fantastic. This series is something quite different than any other Anime series I've ever seen. My only real complaint about the series is why we don't seem to see too much of the wolves in their true wolf form. I know there are a lot of idiots out there who like human-centric shows and games, and who would equate stories involing animals as Di$neyesque, yet this is a story (as admitted by writer/director Keiko Nobumoto), about a pack of wolves on a journey...that fact alone makes this story unique. I suppose they are trying to suggest that the wolves have human like emotions and feelings (I've raised and have been around wolves most of my life, and in my opinion, true wolves are probably the closest thing to humans in the animal world). On a side note...many of my friends have asked what's up with the way the wolves are dressed in their human guises...what I read into it is that the wolves don't really understand the concept of fassion...to them, cloths are just scaps of cloth and leather that cover the body from the feet to the neck. My suggestion to the producers is that if and when they make a film or season 2, the story would be alot more interesting and challanging to show the pack in their true wolven forms at least half the time.
If you have seen most of the episodes so far, this disk is the build up to the fianl five episodes. Pay carefull attention, because what happens in most of these episodes has meaning in the final five episodes. If you've only seen this series on Adult Swim, pay attention to the opening credits (never shown on the Saturday Night airings of Adult Swim through 2004). It has a lot to do with the final episode. If you are about to order the entire series, or just getting ready to recieve the final disk, go out and get a couple of boxes of tissue to go with it...it's going to be a trademark Studio Bones ending (IE: Cowboy Bebop), though more open to a film or a second season.

"

Absolutely Beautiful!

David Christian | Idaho | 01/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a huge anime fan, and this is by far the best. Lemme just say, God I can't even find the words to describe to you how wonderul this series is. It inspires hope and takes the viewer on a journey into myth and fantasy. The whole series is actually based on a true story in Japan. A few hundred years ago, the entire population of wolves in Japan became extinct. There are people there, even today that report wolf sightings occasionally :)

If you're a fan of wolves, or looking for something a little different, CHECK THIS DVD OUT!

The musics great, the drawing is perfect -- not just a random bunch of stills like most animes, but actual movement! You get 4 episodes per DVD, each is a little over 20 minutes long. This DVD includes:

19. A dream of an oasis -- this episode takes place right after the incident at the keep. Kiba finds a place where he is truly happy, and wonders if he has finally found paradise.

20. CONSCIOUSLY -- this is by far my favorite episode in the entire series. It has gorgeous music, and the scene by the lake will stay with you forever, just brilliant.

21. Battle's Red Glare -- Orcom's men are fighting against an enemy, and the wolves are caught in the middle. We see a lot of Blue in this episode (she's so cute as a puppy :) and Cher.

22. Pieces of a shooting star -- The group decides to cross a sea of ice, but it turns out not to be such a good idea :( Toboe goes crazzy and we finally getta see the runt kill some stuff.

I can't say enough about this series -- unless you've seen the whole thing, you can't judge it. It's made by the same people as "Cowboy Beebop" and this DVD is preparing us for the typical BONES conclusion ;) The next DVD is way sad and very depressing; no matter how tough you are, you will be crying by the end."

The Best Series Ever!!!!

Vivian E. Mendoza | flo | 04/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This episode was just as good as the other five, oh, who am I kidding, it was awesome!!! The minute it came out I immediatly bought it. These episodes were truly amazing. The first episode was about how kiba thought he,d found paradise,and met a pretty girl there named Mew. But something was wrong their and he couldnt seem to remember much...Youll find out when you bye it. Meanwhile Hige, Toboe, and Tsume are trying to find him. Hige seemed depressed, I think its because they cant find Blue. I dont want to spoil anything else, I guarrantee youll LOVE this volume, and you can tell its good by how much stars it has, so please bye it, and please see if this helped you, it helps me alot to know if something is good. Bye!!! Youll Love It!!!"

Turning the Corner

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 04/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After DVD #4 in this series turned into a recap, it is quite a relief to find the story underway again, with all of the characters following one path or another towards Jaguera's keep. Most viewers don't realize that this is a 30 episode series (the last four are an OVA), but even with that much remaining, these episodes are tense and exciting as we build to our first chilling meeting with the darkest of the Nobles.

The opening episodes follow Tsume, Toboe, and Hige in their search for Kiba. As hope dims their irritation with each other mounts only the discovery of a native tribe calleed the Hmong (very much echo our own Navaho and Hopi cultures) manages to keep the peace. There the wolves are accepted, and we first encounter the legend that it was wolves that were the first people, from whom humans were made. This experience makes so great an impression on Toboe that he feels a strong urge to remain with the human tribe. Kiba, in the meantime, seems to have wandered into a version of paradise. It is a beautiful world of woods and water where he meets a beautiful feline (My) who seems to be his soul mate. Gradually we realize that, for all his happiness, he is in danger of forgetting both Cheza and his quest. Finally they are reunited, and the wolves start out again after Cheza, somehow closer together for all their experiences.

The wolves come upon a battle between Jaguera's troops and the remaining soldiers of a large city. The join in and are directed to Jaguera's castle when the seek clues about Cheza's whereabouts. Next, attention moves to the fates of Cheza, Blue, Hubb, and Cher. Several battles trigger a great deal of path crossing and the four are first reunitied and then split up to make their way to the final confrontation. Then we are back with the wolves on their trip across a sea of ice. This brings about one of the most dramatic fights of the series as Toboe suddenly comes of age as a wolf and ceases to be the runt of the litter in one spectacular moment. Finally we come to Jaguera's keep for one final chilling image. Once again, we know why this has been a consistently excellent series.

One of the things that make this series so memorable is the consistent attention to character development. So many anime hold themselves to a minimal amount of character writing. We rarely see characters like go through the kind of development that Quent Yaiden work's through as he realizes that Blue is a wolf, not the family dog, or Toboe's remarkable turnabout in this DVD. We wind up caring as much about the characters as we do the plot, as much impressed by their depth as we are by the artwork and music. Wolf's Rain turns into a memorable experience, rather than just an entertainment. I cannot recommend this series enough."