Wolf’s Rain

RELEASED 26 June (Ultimate Edition out now) 2003 | 15 | Blu-ray Director Tensai Okamura Cast Mamoru Miyano, Kenta Miyake, Hiroki shimowada

The operatic Wolf ’s Rain is an early release by anime studio Bones, which has made outstanding SF series – most famously Fullmetal Alchemist. It envisaged a wintry, doom-laden world long before Game Of Thrones came to TV. A group of young men are on a journey to protect and escort a magic-seeming maiden. But they’re not really men; they’re wolves who project the appearance of humans.

Wolf ’s Rain lacks razzledazzle visuals, but it’s a hugely compelling quest. It’s often harsh, but has astonishingly lyrical high fantasy moments, such as when the maiden summons an enchanted road of flowers. The wolves come to seem like her Arthurian knights, even in a world of modern trucks and Frankenstein laboratories. While there’s a vampiric villain, the best supporting characters are a couple whose journey intersects with the wolves.

The astounding finale is as wondrous as anything in anime, lifted heavenward by typically brilliant music from composer Yoko Kanno. Note that though described as a 30-part series, it’s really 26 – 15-18 are redundant recap episodes.

Extras Three interviews; promotional films; textless opening/closing songs. The pricey Ultimate Edition (£70 more!) comes with a 100-page art book, nine art cards and three A3 posters. Andrew Osmond