Bichael Macobi
Bichael Macobi
  • 1
  • 25 210
Wolf Children Analysis: A Masterclass In Show, Don't Tell
I recently rewatched Mamoru Hosoda's 2012 film Wolf Children, and I was amazed at how well it told its story and tackled its themes through the use of visuals. I decided to put a couple of my thoughts down in this video essay/analysis.
This is not really a critique/review, or a "Wolf Children Explained" video, but more of a "Me gushing about the movie" video.
Side note: I think this film should be shown in future Filmmaking 101 classes, just to cover the use of montages. There are so many in this movie, and they're all so satisfying to watch!
Переглядів: 25 211

Відео

КОМЕНТАРІ

  • @lunaruness
    @lunaruness 3 місяці тому

    Literally watch this to cry every year because I love this movie so goddamn much, and you perfectly articulated why. Thanks Bichael ♡

  • @Sunaru6914
    @Sunaru6914 4 місяці тому

    This movie broke me 💔

  • @alexxx4434
    @alexxx4434 6 місяців тому

    _"Wholeness is not achieved by cutting off a portion of one's being, but by integration of the contraries."_ - Carl Jung

  • @adrianaslund8605
    @adrianaslund8605 7 місяців тому

    I feel like the trajectory of the male child is some kind of commentary on masculinity.

  • @Khushleen125
    @Khushleen125 10 місяців тому

    The movie ending resonated with me. Hana, after expending all her energy and reshaping her life to raise her children, finds herself alone when they begin for their own individual journeys. In a mere 13 years, she witnesses her children defining their own paths, and the moment when she admits she hasn't taught her son enough struck a chord with me. It was frustrating to see him leave, as it seemed like she hadn't gained as much in comparison to what she had sacrificed for them. i realize parenthood isn't about getting back. I realized that I too left my parents a year ago for college and haven't seen them since. Our relationship has been reduced to a weekly phone call, and it makes me sad. I regret watching this movie; my chest feels too heavy, and I dislike this feeling.

  • @goldenraptor7
    @goldenraptor7 11 місяців тому

    The movie really is a masterpiece. I think it has a good overall plot that effects all the characters in a way that is meaningful to each of them. It really is a story of how Hana succeeds as a mother, even when she fails to recognize her own success. The two children mature from infancy to adulthood.

  • @jlp11889
    @jlp11889 11 місяців тому

    I'm a parent of two kids with different needs than your average kid. This film means so much to me. The scenes with Hana and her kids in their early stages of life with Yuki pulling the tablecloth, tipping the dresser, destroying everything and the both of them making ungodly noises at night had to be ripped rom reality.

  • @noneurbusiness2976
    @noneurbusiness2976 Рік тому

    i love the story and i love your film essay, but god this movie would have been so much better if there was no narrative dialogue

  • @pokemonmanic3595
    @pokemonmanic3595 Рік тому

    My friend and I watch movies often, and we have a bad habit of talking through them, mostly about our feelings on it. This was one of the few films where we said nothing throughout and just…experienced it.

  • @et2525
    @et2525 Рік тому

    Wolf Children Analysis: A Masterclass In Show, Don't Tell

  • @Primanovas
    @Primanovas Рік тому

    I’m three years late, but thank you for making such a wonderful interpretation of this movie! Wolf Children is my favorite movie by far, and I love to learn little details I hadn’t remembered when I watched it ages ago or just never picked up on.

  • @secretregion365
    @secretregion365 Рік тому

    Thank you for your analysis ❤ Hope we will get to watch more of them in the future, because you are absolutely amazing at this

  • @ItsYaGirlAvacado
    @ItsYaGirlAvacado Рік тому

    I first saw this movie when I was in the 5th Grade. There was something so emotional about it to me, something that truly did stick with me for years and years- I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was, but I believed it to be the overall story and the horrifically bittersweet ending. When I finally rewatched the movie in High School, I found that the music was also perfect in every way. Since then, I have ADORED the Soundtrack of this movie. I have few Spotify playlists wherein I DON’T have at least one Wolf Children track in the mix, and Circulation particularly has been my go to listen whenever I experience or remember anything life changing. I mean it. This movie is wonderful in so many ways.

  • @redcrowinparadise
    @redcrowinparadise Рік тому

    I watched this movie and expected a masterclass in show, don't tell and pretty much the entire runtime has exposition and omniscient narration in it lmfao holy shit

  • @Maon22
    @Maon22 Рік тому

    This video is a masterpiece

  • @soggy2371
    @soggy2371 2 роки тому

    Bro, you need to keep making content. You are great.

  • @HieuTran-kx7mp
    @HieuTran-kx7mp 2 роки тому

    Thank you for the analysis, you brought up a lot of insights and how the use of visual with no words impact the movie! I appreciate it. By the way, there is a manga based on this, the art is a bit different but very good if anyone wants to check it out.

  • @williamvue4418
    @williamvue4418 2 роки тому

    Man I just now remember this movie and I want to cry

  • @evangelion10123
    @evangelion10123 2 роки тому

    This movie being nine years old now. I remember watching it when it first was released, because if my uncle. Some of the scenes are still so touching that it still makes me cry.

  • @MelodiCat753
    @MelodiCat753 2 роки тому

    I still love this movie, but I am bothered by its false dichotomy. An obvious question when watching is why can't you be both a wolf and human? And as you say, the movie does answer it: you die. The father dies because he was a wolf in the human city. But is that really fair? The father does die hunting in wolf form, sure, but are we supposed to believe that every attempt to express one's wolf side in human society is to lead to tragedy? Of course not. Yuki privately shows her wolf form to Sōhei as you mention, and it is okay. One can safely be a wolf and human. If we use the word "masking" in addition to conformity, I think my criticism becomes more clear. Much like how neurodivergent children are taught to act "normal," Yuki is taught to mask, to act human, to hide her interest in reptiles and bones. She's partly taught this by her mother. telling her to hide herself in public, and she's partly taught this by society. If she doesn't act "normal," then "normal" kids will be less likely to be her friend. So she changes. Maybe she finds being a regular human girl fulfilling, and that's totally valid. But given the shots of her looking down while with friends, the film seems to tell us that suppressing is hurting her. In the long run, masking is toxic for neurodivergent people, and there's a movement to accept people for who they are. Even if they are the only werewolves supposedly remaining, there will still be people out there she can relate to. The struggle to find friends is something many queer and neurodivergent folks deal with, and the movie's solution is to befriend cishet people instead. You say that Yuki accepts herself in the end, but does she? Sōhei says he will keep her secret, but he does not say she is still wonderful as a wolf. Yuki only stays in wolf form for a few seconds before immediately turning back. A part of herself is still seen as a secret that must be kept, and that doesn't seem healthy. Once Yuki goes to school, we literally only ever see Yuki in wolf form when she claws Sōhei, when she and Ame fight, and in the brief moment where she reveals her form. Her wolf self is something to hide, and it only comes out in anger. Even if she will end up living mostly human, a better balance could be found than what is presented in the film. Similarly, Ame goes all-in on wolf without being respecting as a human. It was very important for him to leave his mother: I see that, and I'm not suggesting he should have stayed. He also has the right to leave any way he sees fit. Perhaps if he wasn't as forceful, if he hadn't have left suddenly and put up a clear boundary like he did, his mom wouldn't have let him leave. But still, Hana is a kind mother, and she was not narccistic nor toxic. He could have left on a more understanding note, telling her he needs to go but that he loves her. But instead, he just leaves, and we don't see any emotion from him. One could argue that he's a wolf so he won't necessarily have that same emotional understanding as humans, but to that argument I question if that person has ever seen a wolf. Wolves are animals too, and they have emotions and feelings. Ame becames a generic "edgy" guy, and it's not entirely likeable. This discussion brings me to a hidden assumption in the film that you didn't touch upon: despite the film promoting identity discovering, it still upholds traditional gender values. Yuki is a girl, so she must be feminine. Being a wolf is incompatible with being feminine, so being a wolf must be a secret. Ame is a boy, and boys can't be timid, so he must be strong. Hana is a bit of an exception, as she's shown as an independent mother figure, but the film still pushes her children in traditional gender directions. It is totally okay for people to go in whatever direction they choose, but in a story about conformity, the fact that they do these big character shifts (Ame becoming fierce, Yuki being docile) in the direction of gender stereotypes bothers me. I love Wolf Children. I love its simple melancholy feeling of a mother raising her children. The snow scene is one of my absolute favorites. But I find I like the first hour of the movie a lot more than the second half. It's natural for kids to drastically change as they grow up. I'm very different than the self I was in Elementary school. Even still, I find I enjoy the kids' personalities before the large time skip/montage. Yuki's energetic self is cute and endearing and real. Her older self is stiff, normal, cold, always cast in blue light. Ame's younger self is close to his mother and has room to grow, and his older self is emotionally distant and aggressive. I can't help but feel that if the story did allow for a break in the dichotomy, for a larger balance of wolf and human, I might have enjoyed the characters more as they age. I hate Wolf Children so much and I love Wolf Children so much. Thank you for your analysis!

    • @secretregion365
      @secretregion365 Рік тому

      Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I enjoyed reading it, you have a talent to start a channel where you analyse movies/cartoons/anime/etc. Have you ever thought of that?

    • @MelodiCat753
      @MelodiCat753 Рік тому

      @@secretregion365 Awwww, thanks so much! I love analyzing stuff, but I'm more into creating my own stuff. If I ever did post analyses, I'll definitely reply here, though!

  • @armanhossain7453
    @armanhossain7453 2 роки тому

    Now i feel soo much more bad for hana because she cant help ame even if she wants like she can help yuki. Just because she isnt a wolf.....

  • @armanhossain7453
    @armanhossain7453 2 роки тому

    I am subscribing just because you made an analysis of this masterpiece.

  • @opalmari6147
    @opalmari6147 2 роки тому

    You praised the wordless storytelling. I think the sex scene is just another example of that. He just revealed that he’s half wolf. If they were to get together like that and the shadow still showed he was human, it would mean he’s still covering up his true side for her. That she hasn’t accepted him for who he is. Him and his wolf form in the scene is a representation that he’s come out with a secret and she is perfectly fine with it. She understands his secret and she still loves him all the same. Also in terms of her being a very nice person, it’s not like that person doesn’t exist. She’s just a pacifist, and that’s extremely common with people who are alone. They don’t want confrontation and you don’t do things that other parents would do like tell their child off. Having a large amount of patience is common because they’re willing to let things go and slide because they would rather be in the background. Also that’s another case of silent storytelling. Hana is there to be the conductor and for the ride of her children’s lives. She is just there in the background to help them whenever they need it, and this gives them 100% freedom to do whatever they want with their lives and how they go about the world like she wanted. It reinforces the fact that she wants them to choose for themselves. If she was more rule and anger based like a lot of parents are, or got upset at something they did, it would be negating her wish that they could grow up how they want to. Also she’s learning everything from scratch, and so you have the chance of being extremely pacifist or extremely authoritarian because you don’t know entirely what you’re doing. And it’s not like she doesn’t have flaws. Just because she doesn’t fit the “norm” doesn’t mean she doesn’t exist and that she’s a bad character.

    • @marocat4749
      @marocat4749 29 днів тому

      I think its because she has too, she has moments wher eits shown she struggles and its very very hard to keep up, and she falters. She probably needed a change of scenery as much for her as ther children. Plus nice she found a place to fit, the villagers, god i love that grumpy old man.

  • @brandondeplanche8274
    @brandondeplanche8274 2 роки тому

    I like this movie because it's so different from others you get comedy, action, romance, thrillers and more. I think of this movie as a story which shows change to love to tragedy to caring to protecting to growing to letting go. I give this movie.(10/10)

  • @othrsdmusic
    @othrsdmusic 2 роки тому

    Such a good video. Wolf Children does not just do a great job at "show, don't tell", it shines in its dialogue as well. And, intelligent dialogue is something anime does not do right most times, especially modern anime, I feel.

  • @Agpicklefeet
    @Agpicklefeet 2 роки тому

    Very underrated analysis, you are well spoken and make points I didn't think of!

  • @metaplays5055
    @metaplays5055 2 роки тому

    Dude you really deserve more subs if this Is the level of quality of your work this was really we spoken and really well done all together keep it up dude

  • @Rozthedeerb
    @Rozthedeerb 2 роки тому

    Still wish ami would visit his momma

  • @Leuska-yy6zx
    @Leuska-yy6zx 2 роки тому

    man, this was really well done video and analysis... u should make more ❤️

  • @ilana6105
    @ilana6105 2 роки тому

    you showed me aspects of this movie I wasn't really paying attention to before. great analysis!

  • @solarliquid_gaming5941
    @solarliquid_gaming5941 2 роки тому

    At first i wasn't really liking the movie when i watched it but after a while i gave it time and it became one of my favorites. It shows that movies doesn't have to have dramatic fight scenes or betrayal every thing doesn't need to be told as well to understand whats trying to be shown. The characters the acting all of it is pretty good and the movie feels realistic in a way.

  • @nexttravel7828
    @nexttravel7828 2 роки тому

    PLEASE MORE VIDOES! This analysis is great!

  • @harshpatial11a42
    @harshpatial11a42 2 роки тому

    Man...you are nice....♥️💯

  • @Voidwatcher
    @Voidwatcher 3 роки тому

    Many anime movies have dug their claws or ideas into me for YEARS. Decades even. Those that have are "Grave of Fireflies", "Wolf's Rain" and of course "Wolf Children". They have stuck with me, for MANY years. I was born in the 80's. Not a youngin. Yet these movies or series, have last a VERY lasting impression on me.

  • @sketchtoons9587
    @sketchtoons9587 3 роки тому

    You are a master at analyzing great storytelling and breaking down deep themes!!! You inspired me to take deeper look at movies I love! I hope one day, you’ll make another vid! They world needs more videos like this!!!!

  • @Eerondeimon
    @Eerondeimon 3 роки тому

    Really dope analysis video👍🏾

  • @struggleralex
    @struggleralex 3 роки тому

    This video is incredible! You should keep up because clearly you have the talent.

  • @cadr0ne
    @cadr0ne 3 роки тому

    Beautiful, simply beautiful, I'm a year late to this video, but damn, this's quite a good video, I hope you'd do more, left a comment and like

  • @digitalparty9891
    @digitalparty9891 3 роки тому

    This guy deserves more subscribers. Awesome video.

  • @NKSdaily
    @NKSdaily 3 роки тому

    Great man.. please do it on A SILENT VOICE

  • @vinyoung1883
    @vinyoung1883 3 роки тому

    Love this anime, and loved your essay on it! I hope you do more!! Consider me subscribed! :)

  • @cyrusalexander950
    @cyrusalexander950 3 роки тому

    I was always wondering what made this anime so special. I mean there are similar movies like "Laputa Castle in the sky" and "Mirai", but they just don't seem to capture the moments as well as "Wolf children" does. This analysis really helped me in writing the fanfiction im working on, thanks!

  • @danieldavid3945
    @danieldavid3945 3 роки тому

    I have seen a small channel with barely hundred subscribers blow up to 15K over 3 months, with your talent to explain in depth you can gain far more subscribers if you keep up the hard work. I will be your 19th subscriber :)

  • @weebsan2182
    @weebsan2182 3 роки тому

    Underrated Aff

  • @erickgonzalez2887
    @erickgonzalez2887 3 роки тому

    Gotta say for a channel so small this was a really good video, good job ^^

  • @Louiservc
    @Louiservc 3 роки тому

    Great video! Amazing work. This is a very special movie for me and I’m really happy for having your video to watch. Hope you keep doing these videos, I’m looking forward for your next work.

  • @Casuuuual
    @Casuuuual 3 роки тому

    how does this video have so few views?!

  • @left4dead906
    @left4dead906 3 роки тому

    Great Review

  • @AnthonyGarreffi
    @AnthonyGarreffi 3 роки тому

    Wow... 'Well done. Your review was incredibly insightful. I would never have seen a fraction of what you were able to, not only

  • @EdwinZha
    @EdwinZha 4 роки тому

    You beat me to the punch. I was getting ready to make an analysis video on the wordless storytelling of this film, but after a quick youtube search... its already been made, and made really well, to say the least. Enjoyed the vid tons..