So, after much deliberation I decided on the following anime:
'Wolf's Rain'
Not only was this anime one of the first ones I watched in Japanese (with English subtitles), but it was also one of my favourites for a many years!! The reason I initially chose to watch this anime was due to the main characters being wolves (my favourite animal). The anime itself consists of 30 episodes and was later made into a manga adaptation, consisting of two volumes. The artwork could be seen as fairly basic, however I believe that it's just the mangaka's style of drawing, as the images of the wolves are seemingly more complex than the humans. 'Wolf's Rain' is written by Keiko Nobumoto (the illustrations for the manga were drawn by Toshitsugu Iida).
Side note - 'Mangaka' is the term used for someone who writes manga... An author is to a novel, as a mangaka is to a manga!!
Plot
Set in a post-apocalyptic future where humans live in domed cities surrounded by wasteland, wolves are assumed to be two hundred years extinct. Yet wolves do walk among them, disguising themselves as humans in order to survive in the human world. Now four young wolves will follow the scent of Lunar Flowers on a dangerous quest to find that which legend promises them: Paradise. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367439/plotsummary)
The Pack
There are four main characters, yet the main protagonist of the story is Kiba. He comes across as quite arrogant initially, but as the story progresses you come to realise he's not a man of many words, and is filled with courage, strength and recklessness, abiding only to his desires - to find the "flower maiden" and "Paradise". Initially he travels as a lone wolf, not afraid to show himself to the humans, but as the story progresses he becomes inspiration for the other wolves, eventually leading them to his dreams. The Japanese voice actor who plays Kiba is Mamoru Miyano.
Hige is a sort of upbeat, immature tag-along character who constantly thinks of his next meal, maturing as the story progresses. I personally got the feeling through the anime that he didn't really care about anything before he joined the pack, and even then he had a fairly laid back attitude. Hige is also the most adept at fitting in with the humans and tends to be the character that "breaks-the-ice" in tense situations. The Japanese voice actor who plays Hige is Akio Suyama.
Tsume at first glance seems to have a hot temper and a rebellious attitude to life. He talks down to Kiba and Hige throughout the anime, and constantly dismisses Toboe (despite the affection he feels towards him). The Japanese voice actor who plays Tsume is Kenta Miyake.
Toboe is given the nickname "runt" by Tsume, and is the weakest wolf of the pack. He acts a lot like a puppy and desires an owner rather than the other wolves' desire to run free of humans. However, due to the pack and the series of events they go through, Toboe is able to overcome some of his fears and therefore grow as a person (as it were). The Japanese voice actor who plays Toboe is Hiroki Shimowada.
Other Main Characters
Cheza, otherwise known as the "flower maiden", shares a bond with wolves and is said to be the key to lead the wolves to "Paradise". She is apparently blind, however, this is not fully shown in the anime - if you didn't know she was blind before watching, you wouldn't know afterwards, yet there are a couple of scenes that imply that Cheza cannot see. The Japanese voice actor who plays Cheza is Arisa Ogasawara.
Quent Yaiden is an ex-sheriff who's main aim is revenge. He tells of how his family were eaten by wolves and thus why vowed to avenge their lives by hunting down every last wolf. He seems to be an alcoholic, enjoying his time in the bars in the cities and towns he visits. He is accompanied by his faithful dog, Blue, who is later found to be a wolf. There is much struggle and conflict for this hardened old man, be it physically fighting the wolves or emotionally with the memories of his family, and the revelation of Blue's origin. The Japanese voice actor who plays Yaiden is Unshou Ishizuka.
Blue is initially introduced as Quent Yaiden's loyal dog, however Cheza reveals that she is actually part wolf, thus causing the struggle between her and her master, as well as the rift between her actions and her master's wishes to kill all wolves. She is a kind natured character and is emotionally confused after realising her origin. The Japanese voice actor who plays Blue is Mayumi Asano.
Darcia is the main villain in 'Wolf's Rain', as well as being a Noble. His motive throughout the story is to try to force the gates to "Paradise" himself, so that he could cure his love of the "Paradise Sickness" she is suffering from, resulting in his stealing Cheza. The Japanese voice actor who plays Darcia is Takaya Kuroda.
There are some other characters (for example, ex-partners Hubb Lebowski and Cher Degré), but they are side stories that are better if you watch (plus I'm tired haha)!! The storyline follows the main pack, yet intertwines all of the characters through the series of events that unfolds. My personal favourite character is probably Tsume, since he acts all tough but has a huge soft spot for Toboe. I think he's probably the most naive and timid character due to his past experiences and the fear that those experiences will happen again.
On top of this, I was on www.youtube.com and found this cool fan-made trailer!! It's pretty good, giving you a taste of the anime, without ruining any storyline:
I take no credit for this - user 'yoyo4mo0n' made it.
So, to conclude, I would give this 4.5 stars (out of 5) due to the intertwining storylines and the overall pace of the anime. It's well written, and I've thoroughly enjoyed it every single time I've seen it!! However, I suggest you keep a box of tissues next to you!!
I apologise for prattling on again: sumimasen... And thank those who've read to the end: doumo arigatou gozaimasu.
May good fortune reach you, whoever you are, and remember to keep on smiling.
Melissa xoxo
