Uploaded October 2024 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
What do ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, and an anime movie about a single mother raising wolf children have in common? A lot more than you’d think.
Wolf Children is a 2012 anime film centered around single mother Hana, and her children Yuki and Ame, who can turn into wolves. This provides the children characters with a tough choice in life; between two worlds, do they want to be man or beast? Yuki and Ame come to conflict over this choice, never seeing eye to eye about what they are, despite being of the same blood. And so, following the influence of the philosopher Socrates (told by Plato) and his paradox and method discussed in the opening of the anime, we have to ask; why? Are there really only two worlds, man or beast, for them to choose from, or is the presupposition (assumption) incorrect? Is this why they each feel their side is inherently correct, despite the subjectivity of experience? Overall, the movie creates a compelling analysis and discussion of these ideas, explaining Socrates' principle in story form. It explores subjectivity, the need for certainty, and the conflict created in this pairing; a world which makes two siblings see each other as inherently wrong in violent ways, and how asking “why” more could fix it.
An anime movie video essay analyzing the themes of Wolf Children and its characters Hana, Yuki, Ame, and Sohei
0:00 Introduction
0:50 Part 1
8:34 Part 2
17:08 Part 3
23:47 Part 4
39:36 Part 5
46:49 Part 6
#anime #videoessay #wolfchildren #professorviral
What do ancient Greek philosopher Socrates, and an anime movie about a single mother raising wolf children have in common? A lot more than you’d think.
Wolf Children is a 2012 anime film centered around single mother Hana, and her children Yuki and Ame, who can turn into wolves. This provides the children characters with a tough choice in life; between two worlds, do they want to be man or beast? Yuki and Ame come to conflict over this choice, never seeing eye to eye about what they are, despite being of the same blood. And so, following the influence of the philosopher Socrates (told by Plato) and his paradox and method discussed in the opening of the anime, we have to ask; why? Are there really only two worlds, man or beast, for them to choose from, or is the presupposition (assumption) incorrect? Is this why they each feel their side is inherently correct, despite the subjectivity of experience? Overall, the movie creates a compelling analysis and discussion of these ideas, explaining Socrates' principle in story form. It explores subjectivity, the need for certainty, and the conflict created in this pairing; a world which makes two siblings see each other as inherently wrong in violent ways, and how asking “why” more could fix it.
An anime movie video essay analyzing the themes of Wolf Children and its characters Hana, Yuki, Ame, and Sohei
0:00 Introduction
0:50 Part 1
8:34 Part 2
17:08 Part 3
23:47 Part 4
39:36 Part 5
46:49 Part 6
#anime #videoessay #wolfchildren #professorviral
