Review Summary: It’s really obvious to say that “life is nuanced.” Yes, no shit.
Writing about something like
Wolf Children is difficult, not because it’s some pure esoteric piece of art that can’t be described with words, but because the themes it conveys ends up covering a vast swath of complex ideas. While some people can call that unfocused or messy (or a downright cynical take could call it emotionally manipulative), I tend to see it as a worthy attempt at trying to highlight how multi-faceted and intersected these major life themes truly are.
Even if you were to have trouble relating in totality to the second feature length film from Mamoru Hosoda, with its accompanying score written and performed by Masakatsu Takagi, you would be hard-pressed to be unable to find
something that tugs at you for whatever reason.
*minor spoilers for
Wolf Children ahead*
Be it the theme of dealing with the abrupt and tragic passing of a loved one; living with the absence of someone you’ve relied upon; imposter syndrome; single motherhood; being a child; struggling with identity as a child; struggling with identity as an adult; having to dedicate yourself to a new skill set with limited time; moving to a new town; letting go of your expectations for other people… there is a LOT that Hosoda and Takagi touch on.
It was a brilliant call by whomever it was that brought on the latter to do the music for this project. In a way, this movie feels like it was made to highlight the type of synthesis of whimsy and depth that Takagi brings to all of his music. All of the above aforementioned themes (and more) are present in the story, but the soul of those themes really find themselves at home in the body of Takagi’s compositions.
The bookends of the tracklist “First Echo” and “Mother’s Song” (the latter sung by the wonderful Ann Sally) captures the transformative nature that all of these minor and major life nuances can have on a person. When you’re introduced to the main vocal reprise in “First Echo,” you’re greeted with a pleasant and quiet melody invoking a burgeoning romance; by the time you hear it for the final time in “Mother’s Song,” that same melody carries with it
years of growth, joy, grief, and reflection.
While the technique and effect it produces isn’t unique to Takagi, he implements it masterfully. With the screenplay, animation, and voice acting bringing everything to life visually, I truly believe that Takagi’s score
are the characters themselves. It
is the story. It’s the thing that gives vitality to the drawings.
People talk all the time about particular characters in stories being “self-inserts,” but I think a major part of the genius of Takagi’s larger body of work is that he’s able to create music that makes it very easy to exist in. It’s “worldbuilding” through sound. Instead of listening to this soundtrack and thinking about how hard it would be as a single mother to raise two half-wolf/half-human children in a society that doesn’t equip you for that job, you find yourself thinking about your own life and all its joys and challenges, or even seeing a projection of what your own life was or could be. It can give you either escape or possibility, and there’s an entire inner landscape to explore, all painted with these soundscapes as backdrops.
I think that’s a beautiful way of engaging with art. While I tend to prefer some of Takagi's other works (
Kagayaki, as well as his
Marginalia series), there’s something undeniably moving about his work on
Wolf Children.
Next time you’re looking for something to listen to, maybe consider throwing this on. At worst, you’ll find some pleasant melodies that you can have on in the background.
At best, you might have just found yourself a guide to help you navigate this vast and unpredictable thing we call life.
