After watching Wolf Children for the first time (in English), I cried for three days straight. Never before had I seen a film that truly gave me an emotional understanding of the sacrifices that mothers make for their kids. Selfless love doesn't even describe it. Everything about this film, from the lush landscapes of Tohoku to the divine score by Takagi Masakatsu, demonstrates an inimitable humanity that Mamoru Hosoda fosters for his characters. While all of his films since The Girl Who Leapt Through Time have explored themes of family and growing up, Wolf Children is surely his masterpiece.

What to say , family can watch this , and talk after about it for days. Kids will like it , adults will like it. So many questions will be raised.Its story about growing up and searching for YOUR place to be in the world. Your secret place.

If the story were about a single mother raising two children after the father dies in a mugging, car accident, or cancer, I think the story would have been infinitely better. Take Usagi Drop, for example, nothing supernatural, just a man raising a little girl, and all the hardships that comes with that scenario. Here's what I would have done. Had the father die from cancer. Give him a military background. The son grows up wanting to be a soldier, just like his dad. He runs away, not to become a wolf, but to join the army. Nothing mom can do to stop him once he's 18. As for the daughter, she has all these big aspirations and a promising career...then ends up being a homemaker by choice. That's how I would have done the story. But Japan HAS to have a lot of supernatural stuff. As it is, the movie is nearly perfect. I just can't help but see the potential if the movie went full slice of life.

This is a film I highly recommend audiences check out. They'll likely get a different experience from it than me, but it's one of those films that you should see at one point in your life.Though I really enjoyed it, I liked some parts more than others. My favorite parts were always when the kids were around five, I was less of a fan of the scenes when they got older and the first 5-10 minutes of the film. As for the ending, people will have different reactions from it. I personally felt unsatisfied. This was a story that I didn't want to end.I have a few other criticisms, but they are all nitpicks that did not affect my overall enjoyment. This is a great film that I suggest you give a watch. My experience watching this film was unique, and yours probably will be as well. There is great storytelling, great moments, and great characters. Its a film that I have a hard time forgetting after I've seen it and it left me wanting more. There was definitely a lot of heart and effort put into this and it left me like no other film has done. Parts of it are slow, but this is an experience that you should not be left out of.