History Anime / WolfChildrenAmeAndYuki

* MorphicResonance: Ame and Yuki's wolf forms have tan fur but keep their human hairstyles. [[spoiler:Ame's fur turns completely bluish-grey once he becomes an adult.]] According to the film's artbook, this was done intentionally to show that the children will always retain some form of humanity even when they otherwise look completely wolfish.

** [[spoiler:When Ame makes his choice to leave humankind and his family behind to live as a wolf on the mountain, Hana desperately calls after him, begging him to reconsider.]] Any parent who has truly, honestly wanted what was best for their child will empathize with her plight, of whether the the potential to actualize one's future is worth the sacrifice of one's bonds. "What have I taught you?" indeed.

** When Ame makes his choice to leave humankind and his family behind to live as a wolf on the mountain, Hana desperately calls after him, begging him to reconsider. Any parent who has truly, honestly wanted what was best for their child will empathize with her plight, of whether the sacrifice of one's bonds is worth the potential to actualize one's future. "What have I taught you?" indeed.

* AdultFear: Ame nearly drowns after falling into a river while trying to catch a bird. Having lost her lover in a similar scenario, Hana is understandably scared out of her wits when Yuki pulls Ame out and he isn't breathing. Thankfully, Ame lives.

-->'''Hana''': [[spoiler:"Ame, wasn't I supposed to teach you something important in your life by now? What did I teach you?"]]

* CerebusCallback: The first time the Wolf Man hunts, catches, and cooks a pheasant for Hana, it's an extremely sweet moment that's also played for laughs. [[spoiler:The second time, it's the cause of his death.]]

* {{Foil}}: Hana and Souhei's mom. Both are single parents who are protective of their children. However, Hana comes from a poor background, is immensely compassionate and humble, and fully dedicated to raising her kids. What little is seen of Souhei's mom paints her as more well-off (she wears expensive-looking jewelry), prideful, and unforgiving. She also ultimately neglects Souhei in favor of her new husband and baby.
** What's more, [[spoiler: Hana never once went out of her way to remarry, even if it would've been more convenient, for the sake of protecting her children's secret. Souhei's mother, on the other hand, has the luxury to remarry.]]

* {{Irony}}: As toddlers, Yuki embraces her wolf side and often transforms while Ame prefers his human form more and even states that he hates his wolf heritage at one point. [[spoiler:Towards the end of the movie, Yuki prefers being human while Ame abandons his human side altogether and decides to live as a wolf in the wild.]]

** Yuki was born on a snowy day; Ame was born on a rainy day. "Yuki" and "Ame" are the Japanese words for snow and rain, respectively. ** [[spoiler: Ame also abandons his humanity and lives as a wolf in the forest on a rainy day.]]

* HideYourOtherness: Hana teaches Ame and Yuki to never turn into wolves around other people. [[spoiler:Yuki gives up turning into a wolf altogether so she can fit in at school. The reason why she is so unnerved by Souhei at first is because he said she smelled like a dog, which reminded her that she still isn't a normal girl deep down.]]

* RunningOnAllFours: Ame and Yuki do this a lot, easpecially when they're little

** Yuki and Ame playing chase in the park as wolf pups is an adorable sight.[[spoiler: Their older selves tearing through the house while brutally fighting is considerably less so.]]

* ExplainExplainOhCrap: [[spoiler:When Hana tries to tell Ame off from going to the mountains, she states how "even though 10 years is adult age for a wolf...", then pauses in shock. She then tearfully begs Ame to listen to her as she realizes what she just said.]]

** On the morning of Ame's first day of school, Yuki eagerly instructs her brother about school. But as he wanders in the opposite direction of the bus stop, she bossily pulls him away, somewhat annoyed. [[spoiler: This clues us in the gap that will form from Yuki enjoying school and Ame feeling distant from it, not to mention Yuki treating Ame's choice to be a wolf with impatience.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:Near the beginning of the movie, Hana asks the children whether they would be humans or wolves if they could only be one thing. Both kids react to their future choice. (Yuki's eyes widen when Hana says "people", and Ame's eyes widen when she says "wolves".) Yuki is also standing on two legs like a human while Ame is on all fours like a wolf.]]

** Nobody lives their entire life with the same personality they were when they were younger. People change. [[spoiler: Just because Ame was born a timid, frail ShrinkingViolet doesn't mean he wouldn't grow out of it. And Yuki's pride in being a wolf changes as she adjusts to being around other kids.]]

* Foil: Hana and Souhei's mom. Both are single parents who are protective of their children. However, Hana comes from a poor background, is immensely compassionate and humble, and fully dedicated to raising her kids. What little is seen of Souhei's mom paints her as more well-off (she wears expensive-looking jewelry), prideful, and unforgiving. She also neglects Souhei in favor of her new husband and baby.

* HideYourOtherness: Hana teaches Ame and Yuki to never turn into wolves around other people. [[spoiler:Yuki gives up turning into a wolf altogether so she can fit in at school. The reason why she is so unnerved by Souhei at first is because he said she smelled like a dog, reminding her that she still isn't a normal girl deep down.]]

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Zig-zagged. The wolf people are depicted as Honshu wolves, which were only about a foot tall in real life and had short legs. They do seem to share the Honshu's elongated snouts and lanky bodies, but their thick fur and long legs are more similar to the timber wolf and the Iberian wolf respectively.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Zig-zagged. The wolf people are depicted as Honshu wolves, which were only about a foot tall in real life and had short legs. They do seem to share the elongated snouts and lanky bodies, but their thick fur and long legs are more similar to the timber wolf and the Iberian wolf respectively.

* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: While it's never explictly stated where Hana and her kids move to in the country, their new home bears many similarities to the town of Kamiichi in the Toyama prefecture. It's a small rural community tucked within lush wilderness and snowcapped mountains just like in the film. The family house is basically a carbon copy of [[https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/guide/NTJtrvsp0034-en/ an actual farmhouse that has been in the area since the 1800s.]]

* NoCommunitiesWereHarmed: While it's never explictly stated where Hana and her kids move to in the country, it bears many similarities to the town of Kamiichi in the Toyama prefecture. It's a small rural community tucked within lush wilderness and snowcapped mountains just like in the film. The family house is basically a carbon copy of [[https://japantravel.navitime.com/en/area/jp/guide/NTJtrvsp0034-en/ an actual farmhouse that has been in the area since the 1800s.]]

* BookWorm: Hana goes through stacks of books on childcare and raising wolves to better understand how to take care of her kids. Later, she reads up on how to plant crops. Ame seems to have inherited this trait from her, as he browses through picture books about wolves and the manga shows him skipping class in order to camp out in the library and study up on the mountains.

* Bookworm: Hana goes through stacks of books on childcare and raising wolves to better understand how to take care of her kids. Later, she reads up on how to plant crops. Ame seems to have inherited this trait from her, as he browses through picture books about wolves and the manga shows him skipping class in order to camp out in the library and study up on the mountains.

* FriendlessBackground: While living in the city, Hana didn't have any friends until the wolf-man came into her life. Justified since she's juggling being a university student with a part-time job, so she didn't have a lot of time for a social life. This turns around when the family moves to the country and Hana befriends many of the villagers.