A heart-wrenching story about how far someone will go to stay alive, action packed and thrilling, suspenseful till the very end, Wolf's Rain is a tale woven with a yearn for purpose, hope, dedication, a lust to survive, and ultimately sorrow. With memorable characters, a well thought out plot, meaningful dialogue, and a fantastic soundtrack, I believe that Wolf's Rain is one of the most satisfying anime's to date. However the anime being only 30 or so episodes was rushed, and near the end can be a little confusing. That being said, it's an intoxicating anime from episode one, and well worth the watch!
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Wolf's Rain is an anime about the struggle for survival in a world doomed to the fate of an Apocolypse, commonly know throughout the anime as the 'Opening of Paradise'. Paradise is a Heaven that only the Origin of Creation can enter, the Origin Species are wolves. Humans were created by the Wolves and eventually the Humans hunted the Wolves to the brink of extinction. To save themselves, the Wolves created a semi-magical illusion that allowed them to be seen as humans by the naked eye. The last of the handful of wolves left were drawn to a city. This city carried the scent of Lunar Flower which all wolves are subconciously drawn to. Kiba, Tsume, Toboe, Hige and eventually Blue (with Blue only being half wolf) came to-gether as a pack in search of the Flower Maiden, Cheza. Cheza was created by the noble Darcia clan in order to open the Gates of Paradise. However, the Darcia clan eventually fell, and Cheza was sent to a labritory within the city to undergo multiple tests. Cheza however would only stir as a reaction to wolf blood. With the scent of wolves all around her Cheza eventually awakened to continue on the journey to search for Paradise with the newly formed pack. Along the way Cheza is captured multiples times, each time putting the lives of both humans and wolves at risk.
The anime ends with Cheza dying and all of the wolves except Kiba and Darcia (in wolf form), dead. Eventually, Kiba and Darcia fight to the death, where they both die in the frozen wasteland that was the Birth of Paradise. Cheza also dies right before Kiba bleeds to death, turning into thousands of Lunar Flower seeds that are thought to have been what opened Paradise in hand with much wolf blood being spilled upon the ground.
As the closing of episode 30 draws near you see all of the wolves except for blue in a city similar to what the story began in. Only this time, a lone Lunar Flower is seen in an ally within the filthy streets. Perhaps with the reserection of both the wolves and humanity there is hope to be found yet... It is believed among fans that because Blue was only half wolf that she was not reborn, reinforcing the idea that full blooded wolves had the ultimate power over life and death.
