Chirin no Suzu/YMMV

• Animation Age Ghetto: This is probably one of the reasons this film is mostly unknown in America.
• Crowning Music of Awesome: The Japanese songs.
• Fridge Brilliance: Does Chirin look like a ram should? No wonder the flock couldn't accept him.
• Fridge Logic:
  • Whoever owns that farm should simply repair the hole in the fence.
  • Why are almost all the sheep ewes? Is Chirin the only male lamb out of his entire flock? Why are there no rams in the flock?
  • Why did the sheep just sit there like useless idiots when Chirin breaks down into hysterical weeping over his mother's corpse? Why did they not even try to offer help or comfort to him?
  • If Chirin could headbutt right through a thick tree, why was he unable to headbutt right through Wolf?
  • Why did Wolf not put up much of a fight against Chirin in their final battle? Suicide by Cop perhaps?
  • The collar around Chirin's neck. It just seems to mysteriously get larger when we see him as a adult, it should have either fallen/broken off by then or cut into his neck.
  • Why does Wolf apparently kill for sport? He doesn't seem to be interested in eating his kills.
• High Octane Nightmare Fuel:
  • Begins with the scene where the Wolf King kills Chirin's mother. This actually applies to the entirety of the movie, with a whole bunch of scenes, including:
  • A scene in which Chirin falls into a big cavern after trying to attack the wolf.
  • A scene where a bird is killed by a snake as she tries to protect her eggs and Chirin accidentally smashes her eggs trying to defend them.
  • Chirin's transformation into a demonic-looking ram.
  • The Wolf is frightening-looking even when he's not attacking anyone.
  • Chirin and the wolf killing other animals.
  • The profoundly bleak ending.
• Crowning Music of Awesome : The opening song in both the Japanese and English versions sets the tone for the story perfectly. That tune WILL haunt your dreams.
• Narm:
  • Chirin's meltdown after his mother's death would've worked a lot better if his mouth wasn't opened comically wide and he wasn't dancing.
  • Chirin's meltdown after finding out he accidentally smashed the mother bird's eggs seemed to be over dramatic.
  • In the English version, Chirin's voice actor was being overly dramatic in both instances. Chirin's voice actor in the Japanese version was not so overly dramatic.
• Everyone Is Jesus in Purgatory:
  • Some interpret the story like this: the sheep on the farm represent society in general, Chirin represents the pain and suffering that comes from being a non-conformist, Wolf represents the ultimate non-conformist and the story illustrates the need to conform to society.
  • Here is another interpretation: the sheep on the farm represent society in general, Wolf represents war in general, Chirin's mother represents the innocent bystanders killed senselessly in war, and Chirin represents the war victims who become warriors and soldiers in an attempt to fight back and to end war violently. By that interpretation, Chirin becomes a warrior perpetuating the war he intended to end, and when he finally ends it, it is too late. He cannot reintegrate back into society and he is left with nothing to live for. The story would then be about the horrors and tragedies of war. One detail that supports this interpretation is that Wolf's name in Japanese can be spelled out as War in English.
• Family-Unfriendly Aesop: There is no sugar-coating this. The film is loaded with this type of Aesop.
  • Lesson one: Do as your mother says no matter what, or horrible things will happen to you.
  • Lesson two: Revenge will ruin your life.
  • Lesson three: The strong survive, the weak die.
  • Lesson four: Do not break away from the group you were born in, or you will be left with nothing.
  • Lesson five: You should accept fate, and not even try to make your own destiny.
  • Lesson six: Do not pretend to be something you are not.
  • Lesson seven: Do not go against your nature.
  • Lesson eight: Life is not fair.
  • Lesson nine: It is better to stay in the known than it is to venture into the unknown.
  • Lesson ten: No Good Deed Goes Unpunished. An important detail to understand is that this story is the product of Japanese culture. One aspect of Japanese culture is that the group is better than the individual. Chirin tried to be an individual rather than be part of the group of sheep, and the film demonstrates the problems of doing that.
• Misaimed Fandom: Believe it or not, some viewers believe that Chirin was stupid at the end and that he should have killed those sheep. Some also think that at the end, he should have taken in a wolf cub or a lamb (who should have snuck out of the farm) as an apprentice. Granted, the sheep were not very sympathetic. In fact, all this could qualify as Rooting for the Empire. What do you think?
• Ubermensch: Wolf is most certainly this. The Last Man turns out to be the whole flock of sheep. Chirin starts out as part of the Last Man, and he tries to follow Wolf's example to become the Ubermensch. He fails. Why? Well, Wolf is the Ubermensch because it is his nature. Chirin tried to become one for the sole purpose of killing Wolf to revenge his mother. The problem with that is that the Ubermensch is not supposed to be driven by revenge or emotions attached to such concepts. Another problem that causes Chirin to fail is that it is in his and his kind's nature to form attachments. He proves to be unable to kill off the Last Man when Wolf tests him to do so. He ends up killing off Wolf because his attachment to his past and his mother is stronger than his attachment to Wolf. The Last Man rejects Chirin, which leaves him with no one to become attached to. In the end, Chirin realizes that he failed to become a wolf (i.e. the Ubermensch). Chirin failed to realize that the Ubermensch has to avoid being dominated by attachments. He also failed to realize that he had to think about what to do after he achieved his revenge on Wolf. Chirin failed to realize that the Ubermensch has to be a leader with a vision and not a follower. He failed to build up any society and dies and becomes a ghost as a result. This story seems to demonstrate what can happen when the Last Man tries to become the Ubermensch.
• What Do You Mean It's for Kids?: This movie was aimed to children as a cautionary tale, but is so dark, violent and depressing that hardly any children would enjoy watching it.