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A couple months ago, I decided to scout out some of the series in the Spring 2008 anime season. I found Kure-nai, and decided to give it a try. The OP scared me, and I almost turned this into an instant "drop." Really glad I didn't, because this show was a rare find.

Story
With only 12 episodes, it can be difficult to turn out that perfect storyline. Even so, they did a good job. The show is focused around the inner struggles and relationships of and between a seven-year-old aristocrat girl and her bodyguard, a poor, sixteen-year-old high school student. Nothing mind-blowing, but a sufficient premise ... all the same. However, it's paced very well, fast when it needs to be and slow when it's appropriate. I never felt the series get dull.

Realize that this is a both a comedy and a drama, and in my opinion, it does an effective job at being both. However, there is some action mixed in. It's enough to give the series an interesting push, but it seldom drives the story. Adrenaline seekers, you will be disappointed. That said, I thought the action was handled quite well, and the fighting that does occur are some of the most intensely emotional scenes within.

Art/Sound
While the media of the show was pretty high-quality, it has a tendency to go into estrogen overload mode, and that proved a bit trying for me. Pastel colors, curvy lines, and high heels galore. I got more used to it as I went along, but I still skipped the OP and ED most of the time. But that's an issue of taste, and in all honesty, it really wasn't all that bad. It was actually pretty well-animated, too.

I didn't care for OP/ED songs themselves, and I felt that most of the background music was pretty unmemorable. I say that because I really can't remember much of it at all. I know the music effectively aided the visuals, but it's probably not what I'd listen to standalone. However, there is one song that struck me, one usually played during the most intense moments of the anime, and it has stayed with me the way few can: a lonely, haunting piano playing a melody as beautiful and sad as the tune of an old music box. This alone may be enough for me to get the OST.

Character
The characters were strong. Certainly Shinkurou and Murasaki were done well, but the support cast was also impressive. In only 12 episodes, there wasn't quite enough time to really delve into most of them, and it could be argued that only a handful of the characters actually play any sort of vital role to the story. But even without seeming "significance," they take the story and make it alive. Shinkurou and Murasaki have friends and neighbors, personal lives, and human bonds with the people around them, and it is those they interact with that gives the series its feel of realism. I found myself interested in the side characters, and I think I could watch Kure-nai again even just to see more of them. I was also impressed with how they took such an overbearingly female cast and a story with romantic undertones and prevented it from taking on "harem" clichés. The support characters all seem to represent different aspects of and attitudes toward life, and each gives the series a unique insight into the story.

Shinkurou and Murasaki were even stronger characters, though. They, too, were very human, and at times painfully so. Murasaki, the lovable, huggable bundle she is, has led a life that has left her bizarrely mature in some areas and frustratingly impossible in others. Shinkurou, for all the good in his heart, has his own set of shortcomings, and sometimes you find that he's not the fearless hero you want him to be. The relationship between them, however, is the best part of the show, and before you scream pedophilia, know that the relationship does not, at least in my opinion, carry sexual undertones. It's really quite a clean and healthy situation between them. Creepy people, you too will be disappointed.

As far as my personal opinion on the series as a whole, I'd love to give it a 10/10, but I do feel it wasn't really masterpiece-level as far as sound and story go. Didn't keep me from enjoying it like one, though. Definitely one I'll be buying if/when it ships overseas.

This isn't a series that I would recommend to everyone, but it is a series that I consider amazing. If you're not sure, pick up the first episode, stay with it until the end, and see if you'd like to watch more. Maybe you'll love it, maybe you'll never touch it again. At any rate, it's definitely one that's worth trying.

What happens when contractors run into a fanfic author? This is Darker than BLACK on crack. It's a standalone episode placed in no definite part of the timeline and completely irrelevant to the actual story, so there's no need to worry about spoilers. The art and sound are the same as the series, and the same characters are used.

It gives absolutely no further resolution to the series, but I can say that at least it gave me a good laugh. The humor is well-done, and the episode so absurd you can't take it seriously. The only thing I'd mention is that I'm glad I gave ... the real ending to the series a day or so to sink in. The mood change would have been a bit drastic. If you want my advice, finish the series first, then sometime go back and watch this when you're just looking for something short and amusing.

Better known as episodes 27-30, the Wolf's Rain OVAs are like the natural four last episodes of the series. If you've read my review of the 26 episodes of the anime, I had a few gripes. Combined with the OVA, on the other hand?
It becomes STUNNING!

Intense, emotional, and gripping, the OVAs are the climax of Wolf's Rain. This is where Nobumoto really shined... a good shounen series, but with a seinen-class masterpiece of an ending. The story is given proper closure and the action is at its flashiest, but the characters are beyond what I can describe. It brings them alive and pulls you in, ... and I found myself near tears for people I hadn't even cared about before.

Make sure you set aside time to really watch this. Prior to watching this, I thought Wolf's Rain was overhyped. That notion has now disappeared.

Wolf's Rain is a very good series. It's placed in a largely action-oriented, urban environment, and incorporates many science-fiction themes. It feels like a shounen anime, though with a greater dramatic emphasis than most. The dub is fine, if that's your preference.

I'll leave the story summaries and the general praise of the series up to other reviewers. In my opinion, it really doesn't deserve perfect 10s all the way. There are more than a few plotholes throughout, the characters can be bland at times, and I personally couldn't stand the opening song. It started out well, but slowed down in the middle. In truth, I ... give it an overall of about 7.5.

Let me say this, though: the series is VERY GOOD in its entirety. Whether you're thinking of watching it or only partially through, realize that the middle of the series gets dull, and it may kill your desire to continue. But keep watching! Skim past the four recap episodes if you have to, just watch it! The end makes up for the dullness.

The final advice I give is this: regardless of what anyone has told you, watch the OVAs as if they were part of the series! These are the final episodes... 27-30. Though better than most anime, the original "ending" of episode 26 is slightly disappointing and doesn't provide much closure. The scores I have given here do not reflect the OVAs, but if they did, they would definitely have to be higher!

In short, I found the bulk of the anime far from perfect, but keep watching, and I promise you will NOT be disappointed.