Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki

Wolf Children: Ame and Yuki (おおかみこどもの雨と雪) is a Japanese animated movie that was directed and co-written by Mamoru Hosoda. It features great voice actors and has a great storyline that capture's the viewer's attention without fail. The story the film shares is endearing and will most definitely capture your heart!

Plot

Hana is an average college student who studies hard and works a part time job to pay the bills. On a normal day during a lecture, one student in particular sticks out to her as she realizes he doesn't have a textbook. At the end of the class, when everyone is turning in their attendance sheet, she realizes that student failed to turn in his own and chases after him. After one more meeting, Hana and the student form a friendship due to her kindness when she offers to share her own textbook with him.

They grow to know one another, their bond deepening with each passing day, but Ookami holds a secret from her. When he doesn't meet with her as they had promised to one night, he realizes that she really cares for him when she remains at their meeting spot for hours waiting. He then reveals his secret - he's a Japanese wolf, an extinct species that has the ability to shift between a human and wolf form. Hana is surprised, but is not afraid and doesn't hate him. Their relationship then turns from one of friendship to love.

Soon they discover that Hana is pregnant with their first child and it's a joyous occasion. Due to Ookami's bloodline, Hana doesn't get help from the hospital or a midwife when giving birth for fear that their child would be born as a wolf. Their first child, a baby girl, is born on a snowy day and is named Yuki. No more than a year later, they give birth to another child, a baby boy named Ame as it was raining that day. Due to his natural instinct to provide for his family as a wolf, tragedy strikes when Ookami is killed during a hunting accident, leaving Hana as a single mother of two. Hana is devastated at the loss of Ookami, but she is determined to give their children a good upbringing.

City life makes this hard with fussy neighbors and the fact that Yuki and Ame can be rowdy, and as time goes by, Hana wonders if she should let the children choose what they want to be: human or wolf? Ultimately, Hana decides to move to the countryside. While times passes and Ame and Yuki grow older, the two find their places in life while facing different problems with Hana being there to protect them like she promised Ookami.

Overall

This movie was an absolute pleasure to watch and I know that I'll love watching it again and again. The acting was spot on, the world the film showed was mesmerizing, and the storyline held my attention completely. The relationship that was fast-paced between Hana and Ookami was deep and the way the movie portrayed it was heartwarming and so was the love Hana had for her kids. This movie is great fun and moved me to tears numerous times. I have to say that I would recommend it for anyone to watch, especially to those who are fans of Hayao Miyazaki's works as it has the same type of magic that his movies carry.

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