MovieChat Forums > Ôkami kodomo no Ame to Yuki (2012) Discussion > Loved the film, but...

Loved the film, but...

posted 8 years ago by Chefeetaboopers
1 reply | jump to latest

The ending and a few other things just ruined it as being a perfect movie, in my opinion. Now, it doesn't mean I won't count it as one of my favorite movies. It just means some things irked me, such as:

The father's death is speculated that he got hit and/or drowned while hunting due to his animal instincts taking over. What I don't get is the fact that he told Hana that he had to learn to hide/surpress his wolf side because he had to live with his humam family members for many years. So, shouldn't he have been able to ignore that instinct?

I can't help but feel like somewhere along the way, Hana could have prevented her kids from choosing one side over the other. I felt like the father embraced both sides, thus he was able to use both forms and live as a human and a wolf. I felt like Hana should have shown her kids that they get the best of both worlds. Like, she should have gone out with them to explore nature and do things like hunting and befriending wildlife while going back to their human roots to ensure her kids were educated and learned the ways of humanity. It's really sad they had to choose one side over the other. In that location, you'd think they wouldn't need to choose. I know Hana went through hell, and I admired her hard work and dedication to her kids, but I still feel like she sorta tried to firce humanity more than the wolf side. If I were in that situation, embracing both would have been the best option in my opinion.

I really wish we had learned more about the wolf at the place that Hana worked at. You would think she'd have tried to get to know the wolf more and have both kids interact with it more because it's a wolf.

I really hate how the kids basically just left her. To me, it just felt horrible since Hana basically got the *beep* end of the stick.

Overall, I feel like they should have moved to the country in the first place and everything woukd have just been fine, then.

I'm overthinking it, I know.. I just really loved the whole wolf family thing and hated seeing them get all broken up and have such a sad ending. :(

[–] bimlanders 8 years ago

I think you are projecting your misgivings about characters (fictional ones) that aren't you. You wanted to them to choose otherwise. And I agree that it would be a false dichotomy to say they can choose either wolf or human, as a permanent form (since they could choose both). But the choices the children make are their own.

Ame's choice is (I feel) purposely mysterious, as our human ability to relate to choosing to be a beast of the wilderness is limited to our own sphere of experience. This is why I have no misgivings about Ame's choice, since it need not, nor should his motivation be spelled out and simplified. Who could know for sure? His wolf side proved to be more dominant, that's it. He didn't feel welcomed by the human world. That's enough for me.

Yuki's choice was more obvious, and doesn't require a defense. She wanted to get along in the human world where she found acceptance, friends, and a future. She knew that being a wolf conflicted too much with the real human world.

Sure, they could be both, and not simply choose one or the other. But they didn't.

Also, to address your thoughts on the children abandoning their mother, you could say that Ame certainly did, but he was considered an adult by wolf standards, a fact established in the film. Yuki did not abandon her mother; she went away for middle school, and will presumably still be a part of her mother's life. Also, Hana is a most determined and steadfast character, and is ultimately selfless. It was never about *her*, and that is what makes this story all the more touching and human, and defines her character.