Wolf Rain begins in Japan. Sweet.

[Killtacular]

Wolf Rain just started airing in Japan. I've only been able to see a couple of commercials (thanks to a friend who pointed it out to me) but it looks really really good. Same character designer, exec. producer, screenplay, and several animators as Cowboy Bebop, as well as music by Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts, and the art director from Knocking on Heaven's Door. As well as the sound director from Ghost in the Shell: SAC and Princess Monoke.

Now if only I knew what the hell it was about. It looks really cool, though. Just thought I'd say something about it.




Created by: Bones, Keiko Nobumoto
Director: Tensai Okamura
Screenplay: Keiko Nobumoto (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus)
Character Designs: Toshihiro Kawamoto (Cowboy Bebop, 8th MS Team)
Set Designs: Tomoaki Okada (Crest of the Stars), Shingo Takeba (RahXephon, Escaflowne the Movie)
Mechanical Designs: Shinji Aramaki (Bubblegum Crisis)
Art Director: Atsushi Morikawa (Knocking on Heavens Door)
Color Designs: Nobuko Mizuta (Ghost in the Shell)
Director of Photography: Kosuke Arakawa
Sound Director: Kazuhiro Wakabayashi
Music: Yoko Kanno and the Seatbelts
Animation Produced by: Bones
Producers: Masahiko Minami (Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne), Minoru Takanashi (Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus), Go Haruna
Produced by: Fuji Television, Bones, Bandai Visual






Kiba: MAMORU MIYANO (Riku, Kingdom Hearts)
Tsume: KENTA MIYAKE
Toboe: HIROKI SHIMOWADA
Hige: AKIO SUYAMA (Gabil, Macross 7; Hatsuharu, Fruits Basket)
Hubb Lebowski: MITURU MIYAMOTO (Ryu Komon, Ranma 1/2)
Cher Degre: KAHO KODA (Kanoe, X)
Quent Yaiden: UNSHOU ISHIZUKA (Jet Black, Cowboy Bebop)
Darcia: TAKAYA KURODA
Cheza: ARISA OGASAWARA (Aoi Toda Meifa, Cowboy Bebop)

[Weatherman]

That first character looks like a clone of Spike and Ed. Gorgeous desings though. Definatly looks interesting, and that's some pedigreee in the production team.

[joerammstein]

It's everything I knew it would be. Hot damn, I can't wait for the next episode.

But the intro theme is 80's all the way. That's not to say it's bad, it'll just take some time to grow on me.

[Galaxia]

Here is the Wolf's Rain Official Website - too bad it's not in English....The show looks really awesome too.

But the intro theme is 80's all the way.

Since you mentioned the 80's, look at Tsume - he looks a bit like Billy Idol

[Mynd Hed]

That first character looks like a clone of Spike and Ed.

I hate to be the one who explains the facts of life to you, but when two people pf opposite genders have a kid, it ain't called a "clone." And I don't think Ed's that kind of girl. (-:

Just kidding.

Anyway, this is good news, I'll be very interested in seeing this when it comes to the States. If I'm interpreting the Newtype article correctly, this series seems to be about werewolves / shapechangers or something like that.

[joerammstein]

If I'm interpreting the Newtype article correctly, this series seems to be about werewolves / shapechangers or something like that.

Yeah, it's hard to tell at this point, but the first episode makes it seem more like these wolves are simply able to fool humans into seeing them as fellow humans.

[Weatherman]

Yes, I know that MyndHand. though that would be really hard, seeing as Spike ain't like that Ed was...ok, I'm just gonna stop there.

[JustJack]

These people should always make their anime together...it can never turn out badly. NEVER!!

And I love the misty effect...it always looks so great.

[Killtacular]

I can't imagine Bandai not porting this straight over to Cartoon Network (I'm not sure of the demographic in Japan, so I dunno which block), if not at least DVD/VHS.

I bet they'd use Animaze/ZRO Limit again too. It would be creepy to see Kibe voiced by David Lucas. Just way too freaky, all things considered. But then again, with a face like that, it's hard to imagine anyone else. On the other hand, it's a kid.. but.. on the other other hand.. David Lucas plays a teenager in Low Brow...

Plus Beau Billinsglea would be a dead lock for Quent. I could see Melissa Fahn as Cheza (the obligatory mysterious unknown girl), David Lucas with his Low Brow voice for Kibe, Wendee Lee as Cher (sorry, I don't know many female voice actors at ZRO Limit), someone like James Lyon would probably fit Hubb..

[JohnCrichton]

Any word on what it's about? What genre it fits in?

[joerammstein]

I can't imagine Bandai not porting this straight over to Cartoon Network (I'm not sure of the demographic in Japan, so I dunno which block)

Check the fourth pic you posted at the beginning of the thread. 2:40 in the morning. Wolf's Rain is Adult Swim material, without a doubt.

It would be creepy to see Kibe voiced by David Lucas.

I'm guessing you mean Hige, the chubby brown-haired Spike lookalike. Yes, that would be very odd indeed.

Any word on what it's about? What genre it fits in?

Genre? Uh... action... drama? Heh. It's a bleak future where all the forests have been destroyed and wolves have been thought extinct for 200 years, yet for some reason a handful of them live on with the ability to assume human form. There's some vague mention of them searching for paradise, but in the meantime they all have to learn to integrate themselves into human society.

[Kuja's Light]

This show sounds pretty cool. So I'm assuming, that it would be hard too edit it for Toonami, without changing the show. So Adult Swim would be best.

[Andrew]

You can find a review of the first episode by Jasconius right here (where he's been doing this sort of thing for some time) and at Anime on DVD, where his stuff is being reprinted as a new column, "Shin Getter Anime!"

[Kuja's Light]

I love what I see already. The plot sounds really interesting.

[Killtacular]

Man, they sure premiere a lot of crap in Japan. It's like American crap, only with higher production values.. and fanservice.

[Andrew]

Because Fanservice Makes It Better.™

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by JohnCrichton
Any word on what it's about? What genre it fits in?

Looks like fantasy science fiction to me.

[Conekiller]

Originally posted by Matt Wilson
Man, they sure premiere a lot of crap in Japan. It's like American crap, only with higher production values.. and fanservice.

I'm not so sure what you'e trying to say here.....

are you saying you're disinterested in it. or are you just using the word crap as opposed to "sum junk" or what ever

it's just hard to tell cause your wording is weird and you have seemed quite bitter in your posts of late

[Killtacular]

I was talking about that page Andrew showed. Aside from Wolf Rein and the new dot hack series, there doesn't appear to be anything of worth.

[Arxane]

Looks like a kick-ass series. Pretty early to tell with just one episode, but by the looks of things it should be a hotly-anticipated title once it's licensed. And if it's licensed by Bandai (by the sounds of things, they sound like the one most likely to license this), then there's no doubt in my mind they'll try to get it onto Cartoon Network, especially with Bandai and CN in talks about "Ghost in the Shell TV" right now.

This is definitely on my watch-list.

I was talking about that page Andrew showed. Aside from Wolf Rein and the new dot hack series, there doesn't appear to be anything of worth.

I dunno. "Mouse" looks pretty interesting. I mean, you can't help but be interested in a show where a guy is smothered on all sides by boobies...

On second thought, never mind.