Summary: 

The Wolf Children follows the story of single mother Hana as she moves to the countryside after losing her husband, who was part wolf, with her two young children, Yuki and Ame. The story spans thirteen years as she tries her best to take care of both children. Meanwhile, Yuki and Ami try to find their sense of belonging within the world. 

“Hey! What do you guys want? To be humans? Or wolves?….I was thinking of moving, so that….you could choose whichever one you want.”

As a young cub, Yuki initially embraces her wild side, which is a testament to her wolf heritage. However, as she matures, she grapples with her unique identity, feeling different from her peers and gradually adopting more human behaviors. In contrast, initially more subdued, Ame becomes increasingly fascinated by nature and the wilderness, shunning school in favor of learning survival skills from an elderly wolf.

As a single mother, Hana is full of anxiety. She doesn’t want her children’s secrets to be discovered. So, she makes Yuki promise her never to reveal her secret at school (although there was an incident, it was quickly resolved), and after losing her husband, she tries to keep Ami away from the wild as much as possible. Ultimately, it comes to the point where Hana, after meeting her deceased husband in a dream, accepts both her children’s fate. Yuki remained to live with her and shortly moved to into a middle school girl dormitory, while Ami became an adult wolf and left home to live in the wildness. 

“I still haven’t done anything for you yet.”

Review:

While I am single and have no children, I enjoyed reading about Hana’s journey as a single mother. A few of my friends are single parents, and if there is anything I have learned from them, then parenting is no easy journey. Hana’s struggles as a single mother were perfectly portrayed and aligned very well with the stories and issues I often hear from my friends who are now parents. 

Yuki’s and Ami’s self-discovery journey was also written beautifully. From a young age, it was clear that they both were polar opposites. As they grew older, they both wanted to explore Yuki, the human world, and Ami, the wilderness. However, little is provided about their thought processes since their stories are secondary to Hana’s. Yet, I would like to clarify Yuki’s desire to live as a human. That desire came out of her curiosity, and she began to enjoy it as she started to attend school and befriend other children her age. Additionally, it’s not that Hana and Yuki neglected Ami, causing him to choose the wolf path, but due to his personality–introverted and quiet–he naturally became interested in the wilderness. The paths they each chose were befitting for them. 

Overall, The Wolf Children is a beautiful and heartbreaking journey about a single mother. Hana is a good mother who only wants the best for her children, even if she must let them go according to their wishes. The manga is a short read, but if you cry easily, I don’t recommend reading this out in public or if your family is around. There’s also a movie, so if you don’t like reading, definitely watch the movie.

“Ame, Yuki….you brought them up to be great. It’s all because of you, Hana. So….you don’t have to worry anymore more….Hana.”