Ranked #487

Arashi no Yoru ni

*Constructive* criticism welcome, just leave me a comment.

Tired of long, detailed, action-packed anime for the moment? Cuddle up to Arashi no Yoru ni, then! This is the slice-of-life story of an odd pair of friends, who will travel to the ends of the earth and sacrifice it all for each other.

A wolf and a sheep. Mortal enemies right? Not here! Through a strange set of circumstances, we end up with the very strange pair, Gabu, a wolf, and Mei, a lamb. You'll have to watch and see how they manage! ^^

This is primarily some mushy-gushy friend stuff, there's no real action here, though it has its tense moments that make the story what it is. Arashi fills the feel-good niche very well, and those searching for a cute-sweet anime with a happy ending will find it here. On the surface, Arashi appears to be something of a kid's movie, but there are several serious moments that will attract older fans, plus the concept of protecting and going through tough times with friends is a universal feeling that anyone can relate to, young or old. Older anime fans can come away with the same renewed sense of friendship as the younger ones can.

Art in this one is well done. I'm pretty positive some of it is CG, but it blends so well with the actual animation that it is very hard to tell apart, and it makes for some excellent transitions. All the characters, despite their same-species appearance, are all distinguishable from one another and the seiyuu are well-matched to their character. There is a strange absence of music in some places; it may bother some people, but it really serves to reinforce what is being said and done on-screen rather than occupy you with a musical score also. The main characters Gabu and Mei are both very likeable, though a little cliche to their species, wolves portrayed as conniving and vicious, and lambs as a little too innocent and trusting. I digress, however, this is completely acceptable for what could be taken as a children's film. I would have liked to see more of the wolf and goat tribes, but what was there sufficed for the story.

If you ever feel like straying from the path of typical anime series, or just need a cute little pick-me-up, please give Arashi no Yoru Ni a try; you won't regret it! read more

A cute and lovely story conveyed by gorgeous art. One can't ask for a better thing to watch on a Sunday afternoon.

This is a children's movie, surrounded by an aura of good feelings and easy humour. But everyone needs good feelings and easy humour once in a while! The story is simple, as well as the objective: a wolf and a sheep are friends and, no matter the differences, they will fight for their friendship till the end.

This story is pampered by beautiful art. One of the better I have ever seen. In a digital-traditional mix sometimes you're not sure what is watercolour and what is tridimensional animation, which results in a very pleasant experience to the eyes. The beauty of the art helps to characterise the personalities of our characters. The sweet, round and fluffy lambs (which actually look quite tasty, from a certain perspective...) opposed to the ugly and flea ridden wolves (fact that makes them hilarious characters, even though they are ferocious and scary)

This way the simplicity of the characters and the story turns into something very interesting and heart-warming.

A must-see if you have children running through your house and you want them to sit quiet for almost 2 hours. I tried it and it works! read more