The History of Wolf's Rain

Wolf's Rain is an original anime television series created and written by Keiko Nobumoto and produced by the studio Bones, directed by Tensai Okamura. It premiered on Fuji TV on January 6, 2003 and ran twenty-six episodes to July 29, 2003. There was no manga, novel, or game underneath it: the story existed because Nobumoto wanted to tell it.

The television run did not, in the end, contain the ending. Production fell behind mid-series, four recap episodes aired in a row, and the broadcast closed at episode 26 with the villain's castle falling and nothing resolved. The true final four episodes arrived as an OVA on DVD in January and February 2004, numbered 27 to 30 by everyone who owns them.

In North America the series became a genuine hit for Bandai Entertainment, airing on Adult Swim in 2004 and helping Bandai win ICv2's Anime Company of the Year award for 2004. Two decades on, it holds the reputation it always had among the people who finished it: one of the saddest, most beautiful original anime ever made.