History Anime / ChirinNoSuzu

* DyingLikeAnimals: Chirin doesn't want to be like the other sheep. It's understandable for Chirin to feel that way, since the sheep know about Wolf's existence and yet do nothing about it.

Until one day, the [[SugarApocalypse farm is attacked]] by the fearsome [[BigBadassWolf Wolf]], and Chirin's mother is killed trying to protect him. Confused and angered by this, Chirin runs off to find the Wolf. At first he plans to kill the wolf, but finds that he's far too weak. Instead, he becomes the Wolf's apprentice, no longer wanting to be a weak sheep, but instead wanting to become a strong wolf like him.

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: [[spoiler: Chirin at the end. [[TearJerker And he doesn't learn to accept himself, nor do others accept him.]]]].

* BigBad: Wolf.
* BigBadassWolf

* ChekhovsGun: The bell Chirin wears around his neck proves to be significant. It is stated early on that he wears it because his adventuring causes him to get lost, and his mother needs to hear the bell ring to find him. This precise situation happens early on. At the end of the film, he still wears the bell around his neck. That bell is the only thing that allows the sheep to identify him, but they reject him because they cannot believe that someone they knew turned into a ferocious beast. [[spoiler: When he vanishes (and presumably dies and becomes a ghost), everyone can hear his bell ring from the mountains. The song at the beginning of the Japanese version of the film pretty much reveals that the ringing bell is a symbol and a reminder of the tragedy of Chirin.]]

* CoversAlwaysLie: Subverted with both the Japanese (pictured) and U.S. home video covers. The movie does start out this way at first, but then, [[DarkerAndEdgier well...]]

* CorruptTheCutie: And how!
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Chirin's fight with Wolf ends up as this. Chirin killed Wolf so easily that there is clearly no sense of triumph to be had. Well, that may have been the point, since the film shows why revenge is a bad idea.]]
** And earlier on, [[spoiler: the inverse happened, with the Wolf effortlessly (as in he didn't lift a finger and was asleep) defeating Chirin. It was kind of obvious, since Chirin was just a little lamb.]]

* {{Determinator}}: Chirin constantly follows Wolf, determined to learn how to become stronger. Then when he does become his apprentice...

* DoNotDoThisCoolThing: The film presents the moral that revenge is totally not cool. The film essentially goes out of its way to avert this trope. How well did it work? Well, take a look at the MisaimedFandom entry in the Your Mileage May Vary section.

* [[spoiler: DownerEnding]]

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Chirin.

* InformedSpecies Chirin's adult form at the end is supposed to be a ferocious ram, but he vaguely resembles more of a wildebeest or a goat instead and nothing like the other sheep in the film, not even himself as a lamb. As a result of this, [[spoiler:at the end of the film, he ends up being chased out of his own farm!]]

* ItsAllAboutMe: Chirin pretty much adopts this attitude in the second half of the film. He did try to save a bird's nest of eggs from a snake, which shows that he is/was capable of caring about others. This attitude is justified at first because he starts out as a child. When he grows up...not so much.

* KnightOfCerebus: Wolf.

* LonersAreFreaks: Wolf, because he is a [[IncrediblyLamePun lone wolf]].

* MoralMyopia: Let us face it, this trope applies to just about everyone. The sheep only care about eating, growing fat, and staying within the boundaries of the farm. Chirin's mother is probably the only character to have any sense of morality, and she died for protecting her son. The other sheep cannot take care of Chirin or even try to comfort him after such a horrific loss. Wolf will hunt and kill whoever and whatever he pleases - in fact, he never shows regret or remorse for killing Chirin's mother (let alone even mentioning it). Although he does say about the law of life dictating that some must die so that some might live, which indicates that he kills not out of pleasure, but because he feels that it has to be done. Chirin starts out with the morals - or lack thereof - of the sheep, before he ends up taking on the morality of the Wolf. Justified at first because he is a child, and children need to adopt a moral code first. However, once he grows up, he hunts and kills other animals without regret or remorse and he would have killed his fellow sheep too. However, he remembers his childhood and turns on Wolf because "I was one of them!" and Wolf was going to kill the sheep. The sheep reject Chirin because their "morality" does not allow predators to live with them.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: The story seems to play this straight. This is especially jarring when Chirin actually becomes friends with Wolf despite the fact that Wolf killed Chirin's mother. In fact, it becomes very clear that Chirin will side with whoever he wants and he thinks that he is right and everyone else is wrong. However, the ending subverts this trope.

* HeWhoFightsMonsters: [[TheAbyssGazesAlso Chirin]].

* NeverSayDie: Averted.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Wolf said "In order for some to live, others must die." He is basically referring to this trope. Sure, no humans appear in this story, but considering how the characters in this story are like humans...well, you get the idea.

* TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste: In-universe. Chirin had so much potential and wasted it utterly and completely. Characters from TheLionKing, Disney/{{Bambi}}, and TheLandBeforeTime suffered similar losses and managed to lead fulfilling lives. Chirin did not.

* NeverSayDie: '''Averted hard.'''

* TheyPlottedAPerfectlyGoodWaste: Chirin had so much potential and wasted it utterly and completely. Characters from TheLionKing, Disney/{{Bambi}}, and TheLandBeforeTime suffered similar losses and managed to lead fulfilling lives. Chirin did not.

* {{Determinator}}: Chirin constantly follows Wolf, determined to learn how to become stronger. [[ItGotWorse Then when he does become his apprentice...]]

* DownerBeginning: Chirin is a sweet little lamb living a blissful, innocent life. Then ten minutes later, his mom is killed by a wolf, and he immediately seeks revenge. And it [[ItGotWorse all spirals]] even further downhill [[TearJerker from there]].

* DownerBeginning: Chirin is a sweet little lamb living a blissful, innocent life. Then ten minutes later, his mom is killed by a wolf, and he immediately seeks revenge. And it [[ItGotWorse all spirals]] [[ItGotWorse even further downhill]] [[TearJerker from there]].

* ItGotWorse: And how!

Things [[UnderStatement sort of go]] [[DownerEnding downhill from there]]. If you're looking for a sheep-and-wolf anime with a happy ending, try ''ArashiNoYoruNi''. For something of a similar theme and tone, see ''WatershipDown'' and ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs''.

* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Adult Chirin looks very different from all the other sheep. It's {{Justified}} because of how he lived.

Things sort of go [[DownerEnding downhill from there]]. If you're looking for a sheep-and-wolf anime with a happy ending, try ''ArashiNoYoruNi''. For something of a similar theme and tone, see ''WatershipDown'' and ''Literature/ThePlagueDogs''.

* LonersAreFreaks: Wolf, because he is a [[IncrediblyLamePun lone wolf]]. Chirin in the eyes of the other sheep.

* BreakTheCutie: And how!

* CorruptTheCutie: [[TheWoobie Poor Chirin never gets a break...]]

* BreakTheCutie

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: [[spoiler: [[TearJerker The end]]]].

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: [[spoiler: [[TearJerker the end]]]].