I get so so so tired of people thinking they are so clever by subverting the audience's expectations of a medium by making it as far from it as possible and repeatedly rubbing that point in your face. "It's a cartoon buuuut there's nudity, foul language, sex, gore and violence! You didn't expect that did you? Did you? did you? Here's more of it to remind you this isn't for kids like you probably thought because you associate this medium with kids entertainment." Sometimes you just wanna slap them and ask "if this was a live action rated R film would you find it necessary to go out of your way to prove that it is what it is? We knew the premise before we even started watching (trailers, previews, marketing synopsis and ratings tell us this!) stop acting like we don't know, looking at you Sausage Party, Happyland Murders, Santa Inc, many other adult cartoons."
My intake on it is the boys dad is a real werewolf & he's always abusing him & always trying to eat him, mother goat lost her older son who's dead inside the wolf's stomach, I think the mother goat rescued the human child from his father who is a real werewolf that claw mark on his sons arm means his father did this to his own son that's why he runs away, it was disturbing & sad to see her own kids burnt from the wolf's stomach acid they're lucky to be alive I'm glad the mother goat tasered the wolf at the end & he turned back into human form, so she puts rocks into his stomach & dumps his the river, now the kids are more a a where of how dangerous the wolf really is & they barricaded the door, to protect themselves from the wolf until they're mother returns.
What’s more strange, someone who 1st created something extremely dark to then make something kids friendly and cute after, or someone who 1st created something kid friendly and cute to the made something extremely dark after?
It’s fitting that the mom looks lovely because she’s loving and protective of her children. I think it’s scary how the dad looks handsome and loving but is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I just realized Natsuki was fighting the Mama goat because he thought she was going to be just like his father but then stops struggling once he sees she’s not doing anything…
Okay, this is kinda funny to me because I was born in Japan and was raised there for a few years and this fairytale was REALLY popular over there. My Japanese Cultural Arts teacher told us this story in the first grade and took us to an actual theatrical production of the story! Because of this, I lived most of my life believing that the tale was Japanese in origin, I didn't realize it was German until I found this short film just last year and looked in the comment section.
This may get buried under the comments, but after Natsuki leaves the window to play with his new family, you briefly see the reflection of a tombstone in the window, indicating that Mama Goat has accepted her biological eldest son's death. It's easy to miss on the first viewing but yeah, still kinda poignant. Poor Toruku...
What you forgot to mention: The smartphone of the father turned on. Showing the picture of Natsuki and his mother, which could mean that the boy was allready kidnapped by him. At the end of the movie we do hear helicopters, which shows, that the mother also was looking for Natsuki the whole time, but not able to find him. Yes, I do believe that in that matter that the boy got kidnapped twice. First by the abusive father and then later the mother with some mental episode because of the cruel loss of her child. So while the first only saw in Natsuki a thing to use for his pleasure and enjoyment, the goatmother saw in him what she lost and held dear. He looks out of the window. Maybe thinking of his real mother. Or thinking "I am finally save now." Or both.
That man was really Natsuki's father. That phone belongs to that man who opened the door with holding falshlights from the phone. So I think whether Natsuki's mom was dead or not, Natsuki had been taken care of by that man(his father). So the man did not kidnapp, but what mother goat did was.
@@bigbearsteven3089 If a couple is divorced and one of the parents attempt to "take" the child away from their other parent, it is also considered a kidnapping.
The different ways Natsuki reacts to the mama goat holding him and his father holding him is just heart breaking. With the mama goat, Natsuki actually relaxes and settles into her arms. With his father, he's visibly uncomfortable.
To add some things about Japan for context in regards to child abuse - when it comes to matters like this, it used to be considered a "private issue". As in, it's between the family, and it shouldn't be in the public eye or discussed by outsiders due to the whole idea of filial piety (devotion to family which is not just a Japan issue but an Asia issue: I'm SEA, so yes, that sadly applies to us, too). That being said, it's a horrible way to deal with it, especially in a country that has a more socialist view since the abuser can simply pretend to show remorse or show a different face to the audience while behind closed doors it gets worse. Child abuse is also not only rampant between family but even at school - particularly with starring athletes and their coaches with punishments ranging from being beaten in front of the team, to getting your head shaved in front of the team. The age range of athletes getting abused is from 13-53 so yes, children can get badly punished. While child abuse is considered illegal in Japan with corporal punishment being banned, it still happens and has alarmingly increased especially during Covid. And this banning rule only started taking fruition because Human Rights Associations in Japan fought hard for years. I do think this all fits together and is shown in the film. Noticeably, even if the children were scarred horribly, there's no law enforcement involved at all. The mother takes care of her children by herself and the children have become more independent too where they stand up to Natsuki's abusive father, and also take initiative with helping to enforce the door at the end. Someone also mentioned in the comments about how to never judge first impressions, and it definitely does seem that way since the mother can be seen as "bad" by society (even more scrutinised as she's a single mother with a lot of children) while Natsuki's dad is the "good" party (father looking everywhere for his child, including a "dangerous" forest). However, we see behind closed doors with the children, the mother, while having emotional scars is still very loving and nurturing to her children and protecting them from a stranger, while the father is utterly horrific and depraved to his son. I honestly don't think the drowning scene is meant to be literal like a lot of the film, and can simply symbolise dropping contact in general, or even just submerging an experience to simply a "pool" of memories and being able to move on. The traps the mother was carrying can also mean that she's now "guarded" or will remain vigilant to outsiders, especially any men who come into her life now. This also again adds to the first impressions idea where we only see the mother with the children in private - we never see her interacting when she goes outside: she could be much colder, harsher, and unfriendly to people, and in the end, it's very understandable why she'd be like that. However, again, people don't really know the full story and will simply judge. Anyway, that's just my two cents. Enjoying your reviews as always, Steve!
Very cool and I totally agree but as someone in America who is a csa/sa survivor I can assure you things here are very similar here- at least in the south where I am- (not to invalidate the issue obvi)
I have a close friend who's Korean, who went through something similar. His family essentially brushed it under the rug and it left him with trauma he's only just starting to find closure for.
My theory was that the wolf or A wolf had sexually assaulted the goats as well, and that’s why the mother goat is so insistent on keeping them hidden after rescuing them. The older the goats are, the more scars they have, showing that they had been abused before their younger siblings and suffer the most trauma. All in all, every scar in the film would represent how much trauma the children had received. And of course the eldest goat who had died, had been abused so terribly that he had passed away. Just a theory but I hope I explained it decently lol
I see it as more or less the short using literal predators preying on goats and the scars that can leave as an analogy for "sexual predators" preying on kids and the trauma that is left by that.
Looked at it a few times (saw the original and the part with the wolf on him and stripping him of his clothes is much more disturbing). Also feels like it was a mirror image of a mother having to come home and finding her husband abusing her youngest child and the result was attacking him in protecting them. Noticed the phone he dropped had the image of his wife and the boy on it. Really gives me the goose bumps. Gives the impression that this 'wolf' had previously assaulted these little goats/children long ago and the mother was unfortunately was away and couldn't prevent it. Ugh can't look at that scene again.
this is the first example of overthinking i've seen that actually makes sense for once. especially if i can find the original story to see if the kids were eaten in order of oldest to youngest
That theory has me wonder if the wolf that the mother goat opens up at the start of the film was the kids’ father and his devouring the kids is a metaphor for the father sexually assaulting the kids.
If I had a nickel for every time a character named Natsuki was abused by their father, I'd have 2 nickles. Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
I think the father turning into a wolf isn't just how natsuki sees him but how the seemingly normal man turns out to be the beast the goats were indeed hiding from, as he starts to act like a wolf before physically being one, the seemingly normal man revealing himself to be a predator
The love Mother Goat has for her children (and Natsuki) is immeasurable, and really is the heart and soul of the short film. I really hope the family makes cameos in Tomoki Misato's future works or other fairy tales, showing them all in a much happier place. I'd be happy to see a Little Red Riding Hood short, showing the Mother Goat/hunter of wolves, saying a friendly hello with her children playing, then alarmed Little Red is walking through the forest all alone to see her grandmother.
Natsuki's father transforming into a wolf and assaulting him is a metaphor for how Natsuki views his father as an abusive monster and predator. One of the goat children emotionally breaking down after seeing her disfigurement represents a child's emotional and physical scars from abuse along with the mother sheltering her children from the outside to spare them the trauma of being ridiculed by others. The goat children now wearing cloaks of their own and the elder sister comforting Natsuki after the mother dealt with his father symbolizes abuse victims overcoming trauma together and beginning a new resolve in life
@@JazzStation95 I assumed it was, but I'm still trying to figure out how one of the kids being digested to death translates into an abuse allegory. If it was exactly what it is, the child dying from excessive abuse, then the father/wolf would have been dealt with by law (represented by some outside force in an allegory), without involvement of the mother goat. It could be an implication of suicide but I doubt it, suicide is a choice while digestion to death isn't.
Here's a theory: What if the Mother Goat was actually married to the Wolf, but when she found out he was abusing the children she took them away to the woods to protect them?
That would work into the symbolism from the beginning too; the mother finds out her husband has been abusing the kids, takes them away but they all have mental/physical scarring from the abuse. Maybe the one brother didn't make it because he was the oldest and had to suffer the longest and ended up dying/committing suicide because of it. Not sure how the kid would factor in, though. Maybe the wolf from the beginning and the dad in the movie are are two different abusive fathers, and she adopted/kidnapped a kid she saw was suffering like her children did.
Interesting yet dark film, though what happened to Natsuki after his ordeal with the wolf/his father was dealt with? Did he stay with the goat family or was he able to go to his home and be with someone who will take care of him and not abuse him as the ending shows him not with the Goat kids?
He stayed with the goat family he was looking through the window. Idk if it's fine for him to stay but this is animals wearing clothes so it probably will work out
Just wanted to add that in Grimm's stories (and all children's literature at the time), books were filled with dark imagery meant to teach and scare rather than soothe. The symbol of the Wolf (like in Red Riding Hood--funny how they're all wearing "hoods" in this film) represented, among other things, a Pervert. Something for children, particularly little girls, to be weary of. This film spins this on its head to say that the Wolf (or perv) can be anyone, even someone in the family. See the other comment on Japanese culture for more on that. 👌 As for the Red hoods being changed to white, this could have multiple reasons, from simply using the Grimm illustrations from the original text as reference, to the colour white symbolizing death in Asian cultures--but purity and innocence in Western cultures--and Red more symbolizing luck. And also because white fur is cute and fluffy juxtaposed against the gore and disfigurement. I have studied waayyyy too much children's literature 😆
It's also worth noting that fairy tales weren't originally meant for kids. They were told by adults to other adults, like when women were sewing/cooking together. It wasn't until the Grimm brothers, Perault, Hans Christen Andersen, and the other main fairy tale collectors adapted the stories to be more palatable/suitable for kids.
the mom is honestly such a good protector i love how she looks so sweet yet is willing to do awful things for the greater good really love her character
This short aired on German television a few years ago. I remember my father telling me: "There is a Japanese short film airing in a minute, you should watch it." I can definitely say we were both horrified by it.
It's fairly common for there to be themes of child abuse or child predation in brothers Grimm stories. With several people who study them relating some stories to childhood SA, especially the ones which depict animals eating children or eating other animals personified to represent children. Which relating sexual predation to actual predators isn't unique to myths about kids. Even some Greek myths depict sexually predatory behavior, the deceit surrounding it, and the effects on the victim as being eaten. The succubus and incubus would be an obvious example. Because of that it's actually a common interpretation of this story. With the wolf in this story and others like little red riding hood, often times being seen as an analogy for pedophiles. Because of that, you could argue that the wolf the father turned into and the wolf from the very begining were actually the same animal. That the six surviving kids could be his past victims, with the seventh dying, and the eighth victim being his own child. All of them scared from his actions, and another parent stepping up to end the abuse. Ultimately killing him to make sure that it ended.
Yep, I'm pretty sure the intention of the "Little Red Riding Hood" story was to warn women not to trust strange men while they travelled alone. There's also the _very_ messed up original Sleeping Beauty story.
@@errortryagainlater4240 I don't know how true this is, but I heard that a very old version of Little Red Riding Hood literally had the wolf tell her to take her clothes off and get into bed with him. Thankfully in that version, she was able to run away from him.
@@DraidtheSpacePirate my mother is one, I thank her everyday. As soon as she figured out what my father was doing she got me out of there asap (I was barely out of toddling years before he started, st least as far back as I can remember it might have been earlier). Despite medical examinations the police decided to do nothing (as is typical of them in many of these cases). I still suffer with ptsd and a lot of trauma, but you can get through it. It sickens me to think that there are people out there who even have a remorseful bone in their body, maps etc on Twitter, when it comes to these monsters.
I love symbolism in fairy tale stories, and I've especially grown fascinated with symbolism of wolves. Wolves can represent our internal desires or perversions, such as predators, sexual attraction, hunger, or maturation, such as puberty and menstruation. Here, trauma being represented by the goats' and Natsuki's scars, and the predator who inflicted said scars being a wolf, it's a well-crafted metaphor for childhood abuse. I don't think the mother goat saw Natsuki as Toruku, nor was it necessarily her way of coping with the loss by believing/pretending it was Toruku. I think she saw Natsuki as being just as vulnerable as her own kids--him in the sheep poncho as a visual metaphor of him being prey for a predatory wolf--and wanted to keep him safe as well. Almost as a way of making up for what happened with Toruku where she couldn't keep him safe. Saving the one child who had no one in his life to protect him
I like how they took a cautionary tale and turns into a metaphorically story to help people heal. It's a nice change of pace. We need more stories like that in this day of age.
I think it’s also worth noting the mother of the goats left her children as a means of taking care of them, to provide for them, while the boys father had seemingly been looking for him. On one hand some might at first glance think why would a mother leave them knowing there is dangers and view her as not good while the father would on the outside might seem good for eagerly searching for his son. I think it’s not just the appearances of the children’s trauma but also even though it might sound cliche things aren’t always as they seem. The mother was not bad nor was she at fault for her children experience an awful thing, but without knowing the full story sometimes parents are looked at a certain way for things that happen to their children they couldn’t prevent. And the father was bad for assaulting his son as well as the others but probably to those unaware didn’t seem bad. Probably seemed like “oh he’s looking so hard for his son what a good father” when in reality was a wolf in sheep clothing as it were. A lot of times we see what we want to see in people or what we assume until like the mirror being turned to reveal the damage, we finally know the truth or the whole story of the person. We know a very small fraction of what a person is like until we actually get to know the real them.
There's also the fact that the mother has 7 children, even when she had lost her son, she had 6, keeping track of 6 let alone 7 little kids isn't easy, before factoring in wolves and other predators. So it's safer for them to be left at home where they have some protection, then leaving with them where one could get lost, lured away, or otherwise hurt
don't forget the part where the mother kidnaps someone else's child to cope for her own loss, it puts her own actions and mental state into question. and it only worked out for her because the child she kidnapped just so happened to have come from a much worse situation
It really is sad how society demonizes single mothers when often than not it's the father that decided to leave (or in even less common circumstances (thankfully) she's trying to escape and keep her children safe and ofc the opposite absolutely happens) and abandon his children, and she decided to remain despite that. I'm not making sweeping generalizations, I know the opposite can absolutely happen or the child can be abandoned by both parents. What I'm trying to say is that society often makes sweeping generalizations (like how for centuries it's a woman's duty to raise the kids and for the man to provide, none having to do with the other even though it's essential for both parents to be involved in their children's upbringing) based on historical social systems that cause more trouble than they're worth, we as a society don't look at individuals as objectionably as we can, but make predetermined judgements that we've been conditioned to believe for all our lives. Which ends up hurting the children and possible parent even more. A parent could be a busive but because they present themselves a certain way, that's automatically assumed to be their constant behaviour. Predators come in all shapes and sizes after all. And they're adept at covering their tracks so they can continue their behaviour.
@@fawnieee ive never heard of any woman being demonized for bring a single mother. Ive heard of plenty of men being demonized for being potential pedophiles and rapists. But a single mother is usually never suspect of anything unless it becomes too obvious. Like with munchausen by proxy.
As someone who has experienced (mostly psychological) child abuse this story really feels relatable with the metaphor of the father being a wolf I just generally feared my dad and saw him as... something, like a black void with no soul, just pure narcissism
I went through that too... And, in the last few months, I've been able to tell other people about it and they are all trying to make me forget it. They say it's a child silly point of view and that im exaggerating a normal every-mother-behaviour. Sometimes, I feel miserable with the thought that I hate my abuser. But your comment made my laught a lot aaaaa " saw him as... something, like a black void with no soul, just pure narcissism" YESSSSSSS YESSSSSS totally! I Will never feel guilty about it again
@@jojo_maciel Oh my god, same??? What the heck? Are we the same person?? LMAO No but seriously you should never feel guilty about that happening. You were just a child and no child ever deserves abuse. People who say that shit just scream ignorance and I'd say to cut them out of your life or tell them to mind their own damn business and keep their mouths shut since they very obviously don't know how it feels. Hope you have an awesome rest of the year!! 💕
@YaBoiNissy The Weirdo Disgusting perverts love the original folk tale because it involves a wolf. Some of these perverts have the time, skill, and desire to make art and animation and post it online to scar the minds of others with.
@@RoninCatholic sadly what you said is really true. i can't look up certain folktales involving wolves in them without seeing another tag, clicking it for more and scrolling down, and accidentally find,, some perverted art or fanfic
The white fleece they have kinda represents innocence, and for the sheeps a lot of innocence is taken away. Seeing Natsuki hold on to that cloak of wool hiding his scars i guess could mean he’s tried to hide under the little innocence he has left.
As an abuse and childhood SA victim, this was so hard to watch, but it’s so nice to see a happy end to such a story. I wish my mom had tried to protect me.
@@bromodragone8405 it's ok. My rest of family supported me when everything came out. But this short...... I still cry at the end when the mother goat hugs natsuki
I think your interpretation is spot on. I think Natsuki’s character really emphasis dealing with trauma. In the beginning you point out that the mother goat (whether willingly or not) calls Natsuki her son. This interaction tells us that she hadn’t come to terms with losing her son or with dealing with the trauma. Your observations of the mirror and the coats the young goat children have in the end really help with the trauma argument.
I thought it was about human trafficking and abuse. The mother goat being a social worker and foster mom, tries her best to hide these kids away from their abusers. But, since most of these children run off back to their abusers/abusive families, or don't realize fully why they should hide, they get dragged back in. The eldest didn't make it. Either literally, due to physical abuse, or metaphorically, as a point of no return. The human child then comes into the picture. He wants to be reunited with his mother. But his foster mother, the mother goat, is trying to protect him from the wolf, his father. The mother goat may relate the child with the eldest brother due to similar history or she's trying make up for failing the other boy. That's also why the boy has scarring. The boy ties to escape, not realizing the wolf, his father, is right outside the door. It could mean that the boy's mother may not be abusive, but she was allowing the abuse to happen. Whether or not she really kills the father in the end or it's symbolic of removing a threat to the child, these wolves are people. The end where she's setting traps may mean she's taking a more active roll in hunting these criminals down. While the better defense is due to her foster kids now realizing the full danger and being able to accept that they need to defend themselves and others in their situations.
thats what i thought too! I thought mamma goat was fostering these kids who werent related to her as part of her job to protect any who suffered sexual abuse
@@doindaworst5824 If you notice, the human boy's coat is a lamb. But at the end it looks like it has horns. It may be symbolism that he became a goat much like how the other goats became other animals and the father was a wolf. None of them are actually these animals it's just a representation.
If I had a nickel for every time an indie production had a cute, badass goat mom with an adopted human kid and child-endangerment-related trauma, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
the mirror flip hits especially close to home, wow. a close friend of mine just confronted a history of CSA and remembering all the way back to age 11 when it first happened has been harrowing. My friend's parents even stopped speaking about it thinking their child seemed "normal" and didn't want to bring it up. For anyone in a similar situation, do not sweep something like this under the rug, it's a lot more painful to still have something like this be unresolved over ten years later than to just get professional help immediately.
Huh. I actually watched this and didn’t really feel disturbed. I think it’s because I immediately knew what the story was supposed to be. I heard the fairy tale once. I think the little goats still look cute in spite of the scars. I kinda like this style of stop motion using sewn figures, it’d be nice if it was used more. I think it was also used in beastar’s opening. I like Japanese stop motion
It's because TH-camrs and people like to blow this stuff out of proportions. Just watch some of Mista GG's "I watched disturbing films you send me" and most of the time his reactions are the same as mine: "Wait that's it??"
I have not heard this tale before. Been reading some of the old Brother's Grim Andersen and whatnot fair tales just because they're said to be really dark (WHICH THEY ARE) and are such a cultural staple in ways people don't even understand or realise.
I think the part where they form together to fight the werewolf could be a metaphor for how sticking together with others can help take down any trauma. It does help greatly to know other people know your pain and want to stand by you.
This short film was absolutely terrifying. And what I loved about it was how seriously it took a child's trauma. And didn't make the lambs or the boy's trauma seem bigger than the others. And how we got to see exactly what their trauma was. The lambs being eaten alive, and the boy's sexual abuse from his father Beautiful and scary at the same time
I interpreted the father turning into a wolf as the sheep kids realizing that he was the human child’s enemy. their enemy or the cause of fear was always a wolf, for the human child the father was the cause of fear. Just like how they begged for their mothers help when the wolf was eating them, natsuki begged for his mothers help when his “wolf” was “eating” him. Such a good film
My interpretation's pretty heavy here. I think the wolves are just abusive family members who scar their loved ones. I think the reason the mother removes the kids from the one wolf, and that they're all scarred, is because it was once their abusive father, or another family member, who left deep scars in the children from heavy abuse. The mother's distraught to see Toruku dead, not realizing he's dead, which I interpret as potentially having commit suicide due to all the abuse from the family member, essentially it being their fault. Or, the child was abused so bad they died from it. The mother's deeply grieving, shutting the world out from her scarred children so they're never hurt again, all of them portrayed in the story of the goat family and the wolf. I believe the mom taking in the child could be, as you said, literally her mistaking the child as her own, or that she's so deeply grieving she convinces herself it's him. The other kids are fooled a bit as well, but the most scarred sees it's not him. She's the one who received most of the abuse, so she's the most hardened in the heart, until Natsuki reveals to her how bad she'd REALLY been hurt. Unintentionally, he reopens her wound in her heart, and she cracks, before he gives her his strength, or in this case, his cloak. The others are amazed that he's scarred, too. They now think more than ever he's their brother, as he'd seemed unscarred until he took off the cloak, showing he's just as bad as them, but in a different sense. He covered her scars, like covering the trauma with his own cover, revealing his own. Another wolf prowls in, another abuser, but of the lost child who the goats took in as family. His father, as is revealed, is sexually abusive, so he isn't revealed as a wolf yet due to the facade of having some humanity in him. He comes to his son, joyed to find him, only to reveal his joy is more sinister as he starts biting his son's clothes off, and... Uh, rips it all off, lowering his pants in the film. A truly dark scene. The goat kids who also suffered abuse try to fight off the father, but he's too strong for the kids, even flinging them into harm's way just to violate his own son. The mom finally saves Natsuki before the father can really begin to harm. Tasering the father, he collapses to the side with his pants down, seeming human but still a dirty wolf. It shows those wolves are actually people, but horrible, abusive people that the kids view as monsters. The family hug together, Natsuki still naked, but safe now as the wolf is down, his father having been fought off, which it's likely he'd done this in the past too and Natsuki wasn't saved from it, hence the bruising. The girl pulls down the hood with a smile, bearing her scars in the open as a sign of solidarity, to show she's willing to show her scars too, as she'd been abused but is over it now. After all this, the outside seems just a bit brighter than before, as the air was red before, but now it's lively. The kids finally seem to be healing as they work together to keep themselves safe, new cloaks on them to show they all gained strength of their own now. Their new brother in the window, looking out at a brighter seeming world as he is now safe, surrounded by others who were willing to be there for him. The mother filling the father with rocks and drowning him is more symbolic of adopting his son and taking him away, as so he may never hurt the boy again. Natsuki, now Toruku, lives with his family in safety and happiness, as the father's supposedly drowned. The father drowning could also be symbolic of being shunned by society for realizing what he'd done to his own child, now legally unable to be around kids, and condemned to a life of misery, like how he was making his child miserable. I know it was long, but the message is strong, to help those who are abused and extend a hand to those in need. We all have our own scars, but it is so, so important to stick together. It saves lives when people work together. Especially kids, to keep a child safe is so important. If there is any signs of abuse in friends, family, or children, please do not be afraid to step in and save them. We have to stick together as a species. Scars don't make the people, wisdom and heart does. Do not judge by appearance, and never turn your back on those who need help.
while i definitely agree its more symbolic my takeaway from my first viewing of this was 'mom's gonna go kill her some pedophiles, good for her'. but 100% i think it represents weaponizing knowledge and advocacy to 'trap' and prevent abusers from being able to get to victims.
I was honestly scared this wasn’t going to end well, like I straight up thought this would be a morbid version of Hello Kitty or My Little Pony based on the title. However it’s surprisingly quite wholesome
I think the girl with the mirror just represents what it's like to see yourself mangled. I was in a car wreck back in highschool and mlmy scalp ripped open . They stapled me back up and drugged me good . A month later I woke up alone at night and stumbled my way to the bathroom to see my new face covered in blood and staples . I didn't even know what happened to me but luckily a nurse heard me crying and explained everything. .bi hope no one who reads this ever has to experience that shock and horror.
God i haven’t gotten to that scene in the manga, but it hurts me everytime i hear about it, like honestly all the struggles with the beast of darkness guts goes through is intense but he’s one of the best characters ever written with character development despite everything he still became truly enlightened.
Another very subtle element I noticed in the last scene, is how the big sister goat's eye is conveniently covered up in every shot, as if to leave it open to interpretation how much she has healed or not, or even just to visually represent that the scary parts are over now, and that things are better. It could also be interpreted as the family not seeing the scars on her, just the sweet, little goat underneath them because she is not her trauma to them, she is part of the family, and a person they love dearly.
I know just enough spoken Japanese that I could understand most of the short film. I have a very similar interpretation to what you said in the video. But I want to add, that I think after tasing the father/wolf, I think the mother realized the human child wasn't her missing child, and still chose to take him in anyway, understanding the trauma he's been through. The child now has a safe place to stay and heal along with his new siblings.
Yeah, that's a really good stop motion too. However, I don't think that it can be considered dark. It's hella scary for sure, gives me chills every time, but I don't see any hidden message behind it. One thing I never understood is why Peter frees the wolf at the end. I mean, what was the point of capturing it and showing it to everyone if you were going to let it go anyways?
@@fm_0523 he probably planned to kill it, but after realising the wolf was only hunting for survival, he let it go. The message is that no one is a monster, and the only real monsters are poeple who kill for no reason, at least, I think that's the messgae.
I watched this on tv when the creator of the stop-motion was featured on a show. It gave me a lot of feelings and a lot to think about. I love these kind of animations that tackle difficult topics and wish there could be more of them in mainstream media.
It feels absolutely strange now to say that the original fairytale this was inspired by was my absolute favorite as a child. I grew up with these stories and would have my mother read them to me at bedtime and as cruel as they could be, they seemed completely fine to me and my parents. I only feel a little weird about it now because these stories are well known in german speaking countries but most other places have barely heard of them and with the cultural difference it would be unthinkable to read a story to a child that has cruel death in it. I'd also like to mention that at the end of "the wolf and the seven young goats", after the wolf falls into the water, the children and mother goat dance and sing in celebration of the evil wolfs death.
Tysm for going over this, it’s been popping up on my recommended, but I’ve been too scared to actually check it out, it’s really nice when people explain creepy things on TH-cam and still show some of the visuals so when I actually check it out I know what I’m getting into
As far as my interpretation, yeah it's child abuse, and coping. One thing that I would mention is how depressing it was that the kid gave the goat his hood. It implies he was coping with his own trauma. He was strong enough to give up his coping mechanism to help another, however. Given how the source of trauma was still alive, it can be said he wasn't fully ready to let it go, unless he knew he was going to get away from his father. Now that I think about it, it's possible he was not expecting to be found by his father and that's why he gave up his hood.
I remember watching this. I saw this a couple of years ago in the summer when I was an enumerator for the Census. I saw it when I was also getting my flu shot along with my parents. The film creeped me out, but I felt a feeling of relief from the ending. I’m glad Natsuki is with a much more loving and protective family, a family of goats.
Can we just talk about for a moment how Stop Motion can make som e masterpieces of Horror? Take Coraline for example the overall structure it has as the film gets darker is complimented nicely with the animation!
@@silashurd3597 I saw that movie when I was young, and it was pretty good. The story actually feels like a legend from Japanese culture and the characters were pretty great.
I remember hearing that fairy tale involving a bunch of goat kids, a big bad wolf, and the littlest kid being the one to save the day. This is... a rather twisted interpretation of such a tale. Like, the fact that the short opens up where the fairy tale ended, and is deconstructed by having the eaten kids actually be somewhat digested, is a HELL of a way to start!
i kind of also had your own visualising of the film the same way you did, but on the part of the father becoming the wolf i already knew it was metaphorical and some other parts i didn't consider, like the mother forcing herself to believe the kid is actually her lost child as another thory of why she thought he was, the thing about the mirror and the scars and so on, but anyway, that's a really and surprisingly wholesome short made with stop motion and made in *japan* , i'm very happy you saw it
Don't mess with Goat Mum! Especially when she has a taser. Where did she get a taser from anyhow? Overall I think that was a cool animated short. The scene showing Goat Mum shouldering those traps was badass. Guess she's the *hunter* now.
I accidentally ran across the animation today,I was surprised when I spotted this video hours later because I didn't know you covered it haha. I'm glad to see another view on this dark yet oddly wholesome-at-the-end tale.
Honestly, I've really come to respect this short as it tackles an extremely serious subject, child predation and the serious harm it can cause, with the upmost respect and never once feels like what it's doing is just for the sake of being shocking. Compare that Cuties, which thinks the best way to to show why sexualizing children is bad is by sexualizing children.
I love this short film. This is one of the most beautiful short films ever. The animation. The writing. The music. The design. Everything about this is amazing.
bruh what, I accidently clicked on the little goat animation and i exited it before the intro even started and now i see this video in my recommended O.o
This is from the Spanish fandubbed version (it has no hardcoded subtitles): Once upon a time, there lived a young Mother Goat who looked after her seven children: Toruku, Lecon, Mell, Jog, Cocoa, Ceasar and Nono. Every day, she would go into town, and every time she left she would tell the children to not open the door, for the Big Bad Wolf would try to get in and eat them. One day, the Wolf managed to break in and gobble them up whole, except for Nono, who hid in the grandfather clock. The Wolf went for a nap in the woods, and Nono told Mother Goat what had happened when she returned. Mother Goat, with tears in her eyes, found the sleeping Wolf, and then, using her scissors, cut open his belly. She pulled out each of the children, who were scarred and hurt by the Wolf's belly; as Lecon was eaten second, her injuries were the worst of them all. But Mother panicked as she realized that her oldest son, Toruku, was missing. She looked back in the Wolf's stomach but couldn't find him, as he was already digested and gone. In anger, she filled the Wolf's guts with stones, and when he woke up, he was overcome with a terrible thirst. Shambling over to the river, he fell in and drowned as Mother Goat brought her kids back home and tried to heal them, with denial creeping into her heart on Toruku's fate. She never let them leave, and never let them touch anything, always telling them to board the door whenever she left, with no exception. The children knew what had happened in the back of their minds, but they never truly realized or accepted, wanting to believe it to be like a bad dream. In a place far away, there lived a young boy named Natsuki. He lived with his Mother and Father, who both loved him very much. But from infancy into childhood, Natsuki began to worry about his Father, as something was happening to him. Mother loved Natsuki so much, and Natsuki felt whole with her around, but Father began to act strangely around him, and he was always fighting and angry with Mother. Then, one day, his Mother disappeared; he didn't know how she was gone, as Father never told him, but he would grow angry with his son when he asked. Father then began to watch Natsuki intently, keeping him from his friends, harshly dragging him around in public, and so on. It was then over time that Father was overcome with a terrible, horrible evil deep inside him and ---- well, you'll understand that for another time. What you need to know now is that Father would hurt him in horrible ways, and Natsuki would wear the soft, pristine white wool coat with sheep ears that Mother made for him so long ago. He wore it to hide the marks Father left on him, and to brokenheartedly try to remember his Mother's love and care. One day, Natsuki ran from his Father while they were at the market, and he ran into Mother Goat on the way. Desperately wanting to believe that Toruku was alive, she mistook Natsuki for him since the hood made him look like a lamb. She then believed that Toruku was alive, thinking that Natsuki was Toruku. She took him home, and filled with panic that she would hurt him, Natsuki struggled as he tried to leave. Mother Goat tried to calm him, and gave him a loving hug. Natsuki then stopped fighting, her hug reminding him of his Mother's loving embrace. She smiled as she called out to her kids before she left; Natsuki was confused, realizing that Mother Goat believed he was her son. Natsuki was scared when she left him in the house, but he was terrified when he found out he was not alone. Natsuki then saw the children, who were scarred by their time in the Wolf's guts. While Natsuki saw them as creepy and scary, they were really friendly and kind, as they believed that he was their brother. The oldest sister, Lecon, was suspicious by the way Natsuki acted and tried to leave, and seeing no scars but pristine wool, she began to realize this boy wasn't Toruku, and the other children began to see it as well. Natsuki, filled with panic and fear that they would hurt him like his Father, tried to leave through an open window Mother Goat left open for air. Climbing on top of a mirror, he reached out for the window when he lost his balance and fell over, turning the mirror as well, and in it Lecon saw the truth. Lecon let out a cry as she saw a monster in the mirror. But then tears stung her eyes when she realized it was her reflection; there was no monster, it was her. Forced to remember her trauma, scared and saddened by her ugliness, Lecon burst into tears as she hid under the writing desk, filled with shame at her disfigured body. The other goats ran to and comforted Lecon, and Nono looked at Natsuki upset before he turned to comfort his sister. Natsuki was surprised by the kind bleats of sadness and comfort the goatlings gave to Lecon. But still afraid, he snuck to the door, and began to remove the broom holding it shut when he looked back and stopped. Natsuki thought that they were monsters, but as he looked on their kind eyes filled with concern and care for their sister, he realized that they weren't monsters - they were scared and scarred little kids like him. Feeling sorry for Lecon, Natsuki walked up to her as she sat crying under the desk. Taking off his coat, he wrapped it around Lecon as the kids stared in surprise at what they were seeing. Natsuki put his cloak on Lecon, covering her scars and the soft touch of it reminding her of the days she was happy. She looked in admiration of the boy who gave comfort to her, but she then saw the bruises on his arms. It was then that one of the children looked out the window and saw someone coming. Fearing it was the Wolf, the children hid, leaving Natsuki alone and in the open as the figure forced it's way inside. Natsuki stood unmoving in fear as his Father stepped in looking for him. He ran to and hugged Natsuki, but the boy knew what would happen next. The Father began to press onto him, and Natsuki tried to tell him to stop. But the angry Father let the evil slip into his heart as he thrashed him around, and began to undress him as he prepared to --- well, maybe I shouldn't say. Calling out for his Mother, who's life the Father had secretly taken, Natsuki cried as his Father moved in. Seeing this angered the goatlings, who angrily bleated as they came out of hiding to tackle onto Father. Father shook them off, and they joined together into a giant to fight off the monster and protect their friend. Father knocked them over, thrashing as Lecon fell onto his back and held on for dear life. Lecon reached out to Natsuki to help him up to get away, and the tearstained boy reached back, only for Father to grab her and hold her in the air as they hatefully glared at one another. Mother Goat then arrived to see her children lying about dazed, with Father throwing Lecon aside as Natsuki called for his Mother again. Mother Goat grabbed a taser in her bag, and used it to zap the Father unconscious. Overcome with sadness and guilt, Mother Goat hugged Natsuki as he finally let out his pain by crying into her hug. The children picked themselves up and ran to hug Natsuki and Mother Goat, relieved that she was home and Natsuki was safe. Lecon wiped away the boy's tears as she took off his hood to show her scars. Smiling, she told him it would be okay. Mother Goat came to accept the loss of Toruku, giving a small gravestone in the yard; she adopted Natsuki to give him a safe and proper home, surrounded by the closest brothers and sisters he ever had. Cutting open the Father, she filled him with stones and rolled him into the river where he drowned, never to hurt Natsuki again. Every day while she looked for food, she would set traps to protect the woods from any terrible fiend, whether they be man or Wolf. She made coats for all the kids, and helped them realize that they shouldn't be ashamed of what happened to them. With a newfound happiness, they began to move on with their lives, leaving their pain behind them. Natsuki had great difficulty putting his past behind him, never able to forget the pain, but with his family he could finally be happy again. The End.
This reminds me of a Romanian fable, "the goat and her three kids", from 1875, story by Ion Creangă, is a story about a mother Goat that decided to leave her 3 sons at home and tell them to not open the door to anybody, until she comes home. Then, the wolf who noticed it had a plan, he went to the bear so he could change his voice, so he sounds like the 3 sons' mother, just so they would open the door for him, and he could eat them. When he arrived to the house, the three sons saw that it wasn't their mother, so they decided to hide around in the house, beacuse the wolf wanted to eat them. The eldest hid on the other side of the front door, the middle goat child under the bed, and the youngest, in the chimney. The wolf burst in. He ate the eldest son right away. Then took a rest on the bed, and sneezed, so the middle child said "god bless you", therefore he got eaten as well. Only the youngest survived the slaughter, beacuse after eating his 2 brothers, the wolf left. Petrified, the littlest goat remained in the chimney, until his mother got home and saw the great amount of gore in her house, 2 of her 3 sons dead.... They cooked up a plan afterwards, they invited the wolf over to eat dinner, in their garden, but they would rig his chair up, right above a pit with fire, covered by a sheet of grass, a mechanism triggered by a rope. The wolf accepted the invite to eat at the Goat's house, right outside, and once he started feasting on the well prepared goods, it hit him. The mother goat pulled the rope, and the wolf fell with the chair in the pit of fire. He screamed, he begged, and he tried to escape, but to no prevail. After they killed the wolf, the youngest goat, and his mother celebreated by eating the rest of the dinner she prepared. Moral of the story? Don't let strangers in your house or you will end up like sons. Don't be evil like the wolf, or your actions will always be accounted for. And lastly, don't say "god bless you" when a murderer sneezes.
I am SO happy that a french TV station put it on their website cause this is a beautiful gem. I watched it multiple times to understand it fully the day I discover it, crying all tears from my body
By the thumbnail, I thought it was a horror kids film that involves blood covered sheep trying to kill someone or a blood killing cult of sheep but the actual story is way more terrifying.
Hi, Steve. I would like you to review these animated films: -Fire and Ice -Once Upon a Forest -Wizards -American Pop -Heavy Traffic -Starchaser: The Legend of Orin -Fantastic Planet -Gandahar -Coonskin -An American Tail -The 3 Rugrats movies -Hey, Good Lookin' -Bambi -Oliver and Company -The Great Mouse Detective -Belladona of Sadness -Flight of the Dragons -Delgo -Heavy Metal -Titan A.E.
The helicopter sound just before the credits implies people are looking for Natsuki and/or his father, which makes me think the goats are some kind of yokai and the boy has been spirited away.
The scene where the scarred goat looks in the mirror and screams hit me so hard. By the end I was sobbing my eyes out from this short. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before or ever will. I am going to go cry now. Goodbye.
This is very interesting as the actual meaning behind Little Red Riding Hood (which this story reminds me of partially) is that the wolf represents mens' uncontrolled sexual desire and how it literally turns them into monstrous beasts lusting for innocent children. Also, that explanation about that scarred sheep who sees herself in the mirror for the first time, really hit me personally. It perfectly described how I feel and what I've been through from past trauma.
I watched this one a few months ago and still pops into my head from time to time. Beautifully animated and filled with so many horrific images and implications. The father got what he deserved in the end, that’s for sure. Everything he did made me feel so much disgust and horror.
This film actually made me cry, I use to go through a lot of different dads when younger because my mother had some problems herself. I’ve witnessed her go through all sorts of things while getting second hand verbal abuse. (Somehow). I can relate to the films meaning. It also reminded me the aftermath my sister went through.
i remember reading a story when i was really young of a happier version of the little goats. there were seven little goats living in a cottage with they're mother goat, one day the mother decides to leave the cottage to pik berries, she warns her children to be careful of the wolf, they will know its the bad wolf, if they see two big gray feet under the door, and if they hear a disgusting hoarse voice. when the mother leaves the children are left to play, soon enough the wolf does come by and starts to knock on the door, claiming to be the mother of the goals, of course the goats hear his hoarse voice and tell him to go away, where he leaves to a bakery to eat some honey in order to make his voice sweeter. when he returns to the cottage the little goats almost believe him until they see his giant gray feet. when they send him out again he goes to a farm where he covers his legs in white flour. once again he goes back to the cottage and this time the little goats let him in thinking its they're mother. they are in horror seeing it is the wolf coming to eat them. quickly all seven little goats go and hide int he house, the littlest one deciding to hide in a the great grandfather clock for he had no where else to go. the wolf starts searching for the little goats and manages to find them eating them after each find, in the end though he only counts 6. but he could not find the last little goat so he leaves. when the mother returns she searches the ruins of her house for her children but cant find them, she begins to weep and at that the youngest little goat jumps out of the clock and tells her all his siblings were eaten by the wolf. the mother goat and the youngest go out to find him and they do, they find him sleeping next to a creak with his belly full. the mother goat tells her son to go fetch her a needle and thread wich he does, while she finds large rocks around the creak. when the little goat returns he helps his mother as they cut open the wolfs belly and take out all the little goats from his belly, when they are safe and sound the mother begins filling his stomach with rocks and sews his belly up with the needle and thread. when the family of goats leaves, the wolf wakes up, when he does he feels his mouth so dry and with so much thirst because of the rocks. when he leans into the creak to drink some water, the weight of the rocks in his stomach throw him over the edge and he drowns. leaving the mother goat and her family finally in peace. I'm assuming in the beginning was supposed to be a darker version of the end of this story.
Here’s a video idea: Strange Hill High is puppet show on CBBC which is kind of a comedy thriller series for kids all about supernatural stuff which happens at a school. I’d recommend giving it a look as it’s a lot of fun. Also, it has Richard Ayoade
HOLY SHIT WAIT- I used to love that show! Me and my brother would watch it all the time when it originally aired on CBBC. We still reference it from time to time, despite being WAY older now.
I think I saw this show once like (I think but I'm probably wrong) 7 years ago so I don't remember much but looking back at what I do remember, it's pretty good so I do agree with this idea
@@azimmeme9994 yeah that's a good show but also while watching the show since the main character's Apple and Onion have British accents and the rest of the characters have American accents makes me feel that the two characters are supposed to represent 2 British guys living in America
When I first read the story, I was seven. I recited the story to my teacher. When I mentioned the title, 'The Wolf and the Seven Kids', my teacher got a bit uncomfortable, thinking the 'kids' were human children, not goats.
@@harryfleutv666 indeed just like what the mother goat does in the book as the wolf later on is able to trick the kids into letting him in by dipping his black paws in flour swallowing a whole bag of powdered sugar to soften his voice
I always thought filling the wolf's stomach with rocks came from Little Red Riding Hood. I guess that's one of those universal themes when it comes to german fairytales. A way to not only beat the monster, but also steal power from it so it can't hurt anyone again in the future. *edited to fix a misspelling
A lot of fairy tales have wolves as villains since back then, wolves were notably more of a threat towards villages. And so, wolves in fairy tales would often have brutal deaths ( with the exception of a few ex: the boy who cried wolf).
For whatever reason, it was a common superstition that regular wolves had a weakness against stone, like how werewolves were weak to silver. As a result, there are multiple fairytales where wolves met stone-based ends.
@@5timesdying In my language (Finnish,) the older name for wolf "hukka" literally means "loss" and when referring to something going to waste it's said something goes into a wolf, so yeah that says something about how people here viewed them.
The version of the story I was told as a kid is the one where the wolf locks the grandmother in the cupboard and when the Illusion of the disguise is broken he just chases Little Red Riding her around the house until the woodcutter comes to her rescue
this short is INCREDIBLE. so happy you covered it, hopefully it gets more attention this way! your analysis was spot-on too, a lot of insight and some things i didn't even consider before. great video as always, steve!
I saw the coat scene like this: Natsuki knows what it feels like to go through "hell" aka past trauma. He keeps the feeling inside of him so he knows what it feels like. When he offers his coat he's giving her a way he's found out of the trauma. Its still there but she's able to continue forth. I suspect natsuki puts himself in other's shoes and then tries to break through their mindset with a solution. Here the problem is she's scared and ugly. The solution to get rid of that mindset is show her her scars show bravery and she's prettier with them. However I suspect natsuki can't get over his own trauma. This is probably because it's happening over and over and he sees no way out. (I mostly say this because it's something I do a lot)
I think the reason the human turns into a wolf is because he turns into a predator. I also think the children being scarred lambs is a representation of how innocent children can be permanently scarred by the actions of predators.
Adult stop-motion that is not just shock value but actually have a good message and a positive ending? Now that is something you don't see every day.
I believe there is a right and wrong way to tell a dark story and I think this is a good way on how to tell one.
Unlike some other shitty stop motion aimation series. *cough* Santa Inc *cough*
@@yoshimina4551 I agree.
Amen! 🙏
I get so so so tired of people thinking they are so clever by subverting the audience's expectations of a medium by making it as far from it as possible and repeatedly rubbing that point in your face.
"It's a cartoon buuuut there's nudity, foul language, sex, gore and violence! You didn't expect that did you? Did you? did you? Here's more of it to remind you this isn't for kids like you probably thought because you associate this medium with kids entertainment."
Sometimes you just wanna slap them and ask "if this was a live action rated R film would you find it necessary to go out of your way to prove that it is what it is? We knew the premise before we even started watching (trailers, previews, marketing synopsis and ratings tell us this!) stop acting like we don't know, looking at you Sausage Party, Happyland Murders, Santa Inc, many other adult cartoons."
not only stop motion, but needle-felt puppets too. there was a lot of love put into that short.
So impressive
@SomeChristianDude Not only Japan has such animations.
@The Mexican Dude Not the French, they put a LOT of effort into their Animation, but good luck of getting a hold of any of it.
I think the creator spent 10 years on it
My intake on it is the boys dad is a real werewolf & he's always abusing him & always trying to eat him, mother goat lost her older son who's dead inside the wolf's stomach, I think the mother goat rescued the human child from his father who is a real werewolf that claw mark on his sons arm means his father did this to his own son that's why he runs away, it was disturbing & sad to see her own kids burnt from the wolf's stomach acid they're lucky to be alive I'm glad the mother goat tasered the wolf at the end & he turned back into human form, so she puts rocks into his stomach & dumps his the river, now the kids are more a a where of how dangerous the wolf really is & they barricaded the door, to protect themselves from the wolf until they're mother returns.
Fun fact: Tomoki Misato later moved on to create Pui Pui Molcar, an actual stop-motion children's show (and highly entertaining too)
No way...Now you’ve got me interested.
@@laelhochberg9497 I watched it, and it's extremely cute and entertaining
What’s more strange, someone who 1st created something extremely dark to then make something kids friendly and cute after, or someone who 1st created something kid friendly and cute to the made something extremely dark after?
Molcar was a nice surprise in it's season
the goat's shocked expression DID remind me of those made by the molcars
Is it weird for me to say out of everything that happened in this short: The mother's design looks lovely
The first thing I thought when I saw her was Toriel from Undertale, her being of course another goat-like motherly character
No, I found her design to be lovely as well
@@elliotbizarre6885 bro same especially the whole loving protective mother goat
It’s fitting that the mom looks lovely because she’s loving and protective of her children. I think it’s scary how the dad looks handsome and loving but is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
I don't like where this is going
I just realized Natsuki was fighting the Mama goat because he thought she was going to be just like his father but then stops struggling once he sees she’s not doing anything…
Only iffy thing is that she probably took Natsuki as a replacement for her lost baby.
@@harmonetheanimationaddict4419 perhaps toruku was the oldest one and natsuki was the closest she had to any semblance of her first born
The short: Japanese
The Sub: Spanish
Arté: French
The original fairytail: German
Steve: English
MR. WORLWIDE
Okay, this is kinda funny to me because I was born in Japan and was raised there for a few years and this fairytale was REALLY popular over there. My Japanese Cultural Arts teacher told us this story in the first grade and took us to an actual theatrical production of the story! Because of this, I lived most of my life believing that the tale was Japanese in origin, I didn't realize it was German until I found this short film just last year and looked in the comment section.
Hotel: Trivago
@@kilianbelahcene1712 dammit, you beqt me to it🤣
Mr. World Wide, Mr. 305! Dale!
@@jen5404 It's popular in japan? Ah so that's why there's so many takes and fanimations from there, thanks for the context!
This may get buried under the comments, but after Natsuki leaves the window to play with his new family, you briefly see the reflection of a tombstone in the window, indicating that Mama Goat has accepted her biological eldest son's death. It's easy to miss on the first viewing but yeah, still kinda poignant. Poor Toruku...
I agree. What do you think his reaction would have been to his mother taking Natsuki in?
@@rainbowhawk911
I'm sure that he'd have been glad that she'd take in someone who was living a tough life.
@@NobleCloverVA Me too.
Stop Motion is insanely Underrated and Underused, seriously they nearly always look incredible
I agree but it can look creepy at times
Agreed
Sadly because CGI is more popular
@@Zura-Mercy I think That’s kinda the point in some movies
Damn right fine sir, damn right
What you forgot to mention: The smartphone of the father turned on. Showing the picture of Natsuki and his mother, which could mean that the boy was allready kidnapped by him. At the end of the movie we do hear helicopters, which shows, that the mother also was looking for Natsuki the whole time, but not able to find him. Yes, I do believe that in that matter that the boy got kidnapped twice. First by the abusive father and then later the mother with some mental episode because of the cruel loss of her child. So while the first only saw in Natsuki a thing to use for his pleasure and enjoyment, the goatmother saw in him what she lost and held dear. He looks out of the window. Maybe thinking of his real mother. Or thinking "I am finally save now." Or both.
That man was really Natsuki's father.
That phone belongs to that man who opened the door with holding falshlights from the phone. So I think whether Natsuki's mom was dead or not, Natsuki had been taken care of by that man(his father). So the man did not kidnapp, but what mother goat did was.
@@bigbearsteven3089 If a couple is divorced and one of the parents attempt to "take" the child away from their other parent, it is also considered a kidnapping.
@@itsleafy5140 Yeah, that's true. I've heard it happen with my best friend and her parents.
I think the goatmother could be a representation for child protective services, in which case she wouldn't be a kidnapper
This was the one thing that kind of bugged me, what did his real mother do wrong? :(
The different ways Natsuki reacts to the mama goat holding him and his father holding him is just heart breaking.
With the mama goat, Natsuki actually relaxes and settles into her arms.
With his father, he's visibly uncomfortable.
I didn’t notice that until now
To add some things about Japan for context in regards to child abuse - when it comes to matters like this, it used to be considered a "private issue". As in, it's between the family, and it shouldn't be in the public eye or discussed by outsiders due to the whole idea of filial piety (devotion to family which is not just a Japan issue but an Asia issue: I'm SEA, so yes, that sadly applies to us, too). That being said, it's a horrible way to deal with it, especially in a country that has a more socialist view since the abuser can simply pretend to show remorse or show a different face to the audience while behind closed doors it gets worse. Child abuse is also not only rampant between family but even at school - particularly with starring athletes and their coaches with punishments ranging from being beaten in front of the team, to getting your head shaved in front of the team. The age range of athletes getting abused is from 13-53 so yes, children can get badly punished. While child abuse is considered illegal in Japan with corporal punishment being banned, it still happens and has alarmingly increased especially during Covid. And this banning rule only started taking fruition because Human Rights Associations in Japan fought hard for years.
I do think this all fits together and is shown in the film. Noticeably, even if the children were scarred horribly, there's no law enforcement involved at all. The mother takes care of her children by herself and the children have become more independent too where they stand up to Natsuki's abusive father, and also take initiative with helping to enforce the door at the end. Someone also mentioned in the comments about how to never judge first impressions, and it definitely does seem that way since the mother can be seen as "bad" by society (even more scrutinised as she's a single mother with a lot of children) while Natsuki's dad is the "good" party (father looking everywhere for his child, including a "dangerous" forest). However, we see behind closed doors with the children, the mother, while having emotional scars is still very loving and nurturing to her children and protecting them from a stranger, while the father is utterly horrific and depraved to his son. I honestly don't think the drowning scene is meant to be literal like a lot of the film, and can simply symbolise dropping contact in general, or even just submerging an experience to simply a "pool" of memories and being able to move on. The traps the mother was carrying can also mean that she's now "guarded" or will remain vigilant to outsiders, especially any men who come into her life now. This also again adds to the first impressions idea where we only see the mother with the children in private - we never see her interacting when she goes outside: she could be much colder, harsher, and unfriendly to people, and in the end, it's very understandable why she'd be like that. However, again, people don't really know the full story and will simply judge.
Anyway, that's just my two cents. Enjoying your reviews as always, Steve!
👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Love the cultured take
Very cool and I totally agree but as someone in America who is a csa/sa survivor I can assure you things here are very similar here- at least in the south where I am- (not to invalidate the issue obvi)
I have a close friend who's Korean, who went through something similar. His family essentially brushed it under the rug and it left him with trauma he's only just starting to find closure for.
Considering the strict Asian father stereotype, child abuse being a big issue in Asia isn't all that surprising.
My theory was that the wolf or A wolf had sexually assaulted the goats as well, and that’s why the mother goat is so insistent on keeping them hidden after rescuing them. The older the goats are, the more scars they have, showing that they had been abused before their younger siblings and suffer the most trauma. All in all, every scar in the film would represent how much trauma the children had received. And of course the eldest goat who had died, had been abused so terribly that he had passed away. Just a theory but I hope I explained it decently lol
Hi.
I see it as more or less the short using literal predators preying on goats and the scars that can leave as an analogy for "sexual predators" preying on kids and the trauma that is left by that.
Looked at it a few times (saw the original and the part with the wolf on him and stripping him of his clothes is much more disturbing). Also feels like it was a mirror image of a mother having to come home and finding her husband abusing her youngest child and the result was attacking him in protecting them. Noticed the phone he dropped had the image of his wife and the boy on it. Really gives me the goose bumps. Gives the impression that this 'wolf' had previously assaulted these little goats/children long ago and the mother was unfortunately was away and couldn't prevent it. Ugh can't look at that scene again.
this is the first example of overthinking i've seen that actually makes sense for once. especially if i can find the original story to see if the kids were eaten in order of oldest to youngest
That theory has me wonder if the wolf that the mother goat opens up at the start of the film was the kids’ father and his devouring the kids is a metaphor for the father sexually assaulting the kids.
If I had a nickel for every time a character named Natsuki was abused by their father, I'd have 2 nickles.
Which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
Outta pocket 💀
I have found a fellow DDLC fan in the wild
The name "Natsuki" seems to attract parent issues in general 😂 there's also Subaru Natsuki from Re:Zero who was _neglected_ by his dad.
THIS IS A CERTIFIED
NEAT MOMENT
@@errortryagainlater4240 So thats 3 nickels we now have…
I think the father turning into a wolf isn't just how natsuki sees him but how the seemingly normal man turns out to be the beast the goats were indeed hiding from, as he starts to act like a wolf before physically being one, the seemingly normal man revealing himself to be a predator
The love Mother Goat has for her children (and Natsuki) is immeasurable, and really is the heart and soul of the short film. I really hope the family makes cameos in Tomoki Misato's future works or other fairy tales, showing them all in a much happier place. I'd be happy to see a Little Red Riding Hood short, showing the Mother Goat/hunter of wolves, saying a friendly hello with her children playing, then alarmed Little Red is walking through the forest all alone to see her grandmother.
that's what I was thinking!
Natsuki's father transforming into a wolf and assaulting him is a metaphor for how Natsuki views his father as an abusive monster and predator.
One of the goat children emotionally breaking down after seeing her disfigurement represents a child's emotional and physical scars from abuse along with the mother sheltering her children from the outside to spare them the trauma of being ridiculed by others.
The goat children now wearing cloaks of their own and the elder sister comforting Natsuki after the mother dealt with his father symbolizes abuse victims overcoming trauma together and beginning a new resolve in life
Nice
@@JazzStation95 _Oh God_ , that makes it _worse_ !
@@JazzStation95 I assumed it was, but I'm still trying to figure out how one of the kids being digested to death translates into an abuse allegory. If it was exactly what it is, the child dying from excessive abuse, then the father/wolf would have been dealt with by law (represented by some outside force in an allegory), without involvement of the mother goat. It could be an implication of suicide but I doubt it, suicide is a choice while digestion to death isn't.
wow its not like he literately said that in the video
@@Diwasho it’s very optimistic of you to assume that all predators and abusers are caught and punished by law
Here's a theory: What if the Mother Goat was actually married to the Wolf, but when she found out he was abusing the children she took them away to the woods to protect them?
So the baby goats are part wolf?! 🐺 + 🐏 = ?
@@argontheguardian0621 no.. the kids see her as a goat and they see there dad as an wolf
@@argontheguardian0621 I'd say it's more metaphorical.
That would work into the symbolism from the beginning too; the mother finds out her husband has been abusing the kids, takes them away but they all have mental/physical scarring from the abuse. Maybe the one brother didn't make it because he was the oldest and had to suffer the longest and ended up dying/committing suicide because of it. Not sure how the kid would factor in, though. Maybe the wolf from the beginning and the dad in the movie are are two different abusive fathers, and she adopted/kidnapped a kid she saw was suffering like her children did.
@@seagullz6317 Ohh, silly me.
Interesting yet dark film, though what happened to Natsuki after his ordeal with the wolf/his father was dealt with? Did he stay with the goat family or was he able to go to his home and be with someone who will take care of him and not abuse him as the ending shows him not with the Goat kids?
He did!
@@seagullz6317 which option?
Yes
@@angelsaavedra633 the sheep mom he was in the sheep outfit!
He stayed with the goat family he was looking through the window. Idk if it's fine for him to stay but this is animals wearing clothes so it probably will work out
Just wanted to add that in Grimm's stories (and all children's literature at the time), books were filled with dark imagery meant to teach and scare rather than soothe. The symbol of the Wolf (like in Red Riding Hood--funny how they're all wearing "hoods" in this film) represented, among other things, a Pervert. Something for children, particularly little girls, to be weary of. This film spins this on its head to say that the Wolf (or perv) can be anyone, even someone in the family. See the other comment on Japanese culture for more on that. 👌
As for the Red hoods being changed to white, this could have multiple reasons, from simply using the Grimm illustrations from the original text as reference, to the colour white symbolizing death in Asian cultures--but purity and innocence in Western cultures--and Red more symbolizing luck. And also because white fur is cute and fluffy juxtaposed against the gore and disfigurement.
I have studied waayyyy too much children's literature 😆
It's also worth noting that fairy tales weren't originally meant for kids. They were told by adults to other adults, like when women were sewing/cooking together. It wasn't until the Grimm brothers, Perault, Hans Christen Andersen, and the other main fairy tale collectors adapted the stories to be more palatable/suitable for kids.
the mom is honestly such a good protector i love how she looks so sweet yet is willing to do awful things for the greater good really love her character
This short aired on German television a few years ago. I remember my father telling me: "There is a Japanese short film airing in a minute, you should watch it." I can definitely say we were both horrified by it.
Do you remember which channel in Germany aired it? Was it dubbed in German or subtitles only?
@@nyanpirethecat2257 It just had subtitles. It aired on arte. I think it may actually be the version he uses in the video.
The little white goats are oddly adorable
I wanna adopt them all!
Oddly? Ever seen an ugly goat?
Yea, and the mother’s design kinda reminds me of toriel from undertale
I personally think they’re kinda creepy. Especially in the thumbnail
@@terrafletcher1930 yes. They’re called Damascus goats
It's fairly common for there to be themes of child abuse or child predation in brothers Grimm stories. With several people who study them relating some stories to childhood SA, especially the ones which depict animals eating children or eating other animals personified to represent children. Which relating sexual predation to actual predators isn't unique to myths about kids. Even some Greek myths depict sexually predatory behavior, the deceit surrounding it, and the effects on the victim as being eaten. The succubus and incubus would be an obvious example. Because of that it's actually a common interpretation of this story. With the wolf in this story and others like little red riding hood, often times being seen as an analogy for pedophiles. Because of that, you could argue that the wolf the father turned into and the wolf from the very begining were actually the same animal. That the six surviving kids could be his past victims, with the seventh dying, and the eighth victim being his own child. All of them scared from his actions, and another parent stepping up to end the abuse. Ultimately killing him to make sure that it ended.
Yep, I'm pretty sure the intention of the "Little Red Riding Hood" story was to warn women not to trust strange men while they travelled alone. There's also the _very_ messed up original Sleeping Beauty story.
@@errortryagainlater4240 I don't know how true this is, but I heard that a very old version of Little Red Riding Hood literally had the wolf tell her to take her clothes off and get into bed with him. Thankfully in that version, she was able to run away from him.
@@anib8863 I heard that version as well. Very disturbing to say the least 💀
The parents that stepped up to make sure it stopped for good are heroes.
@@DraidtheSpacePirate my mother is one, I thank her everyday. As soon as she figured out what my father was doing she got me out of there asap (I was barely out of toddling years before he started, st least as far back as I can remember it might have been earlier). Despite medical examinations the police decided to do nothing (as is typical of them in many of these cases). I still suffer with ptsd and a lot of trauma, but you can get through it. It sickens me to think that there are people out there who even have a remorseful bone in their body, maps etc on Twitter, when it comes to these monsters.
I love symbolism in fairy tale stories, and I've especially grown fascinated with symbolism of wolves. Wolves can represent our internal desires or perversions, such as predators, sexual attraction, hunger, or maturation, such as puberty and menstruation.
Here, trauma being represented by the goats' and Natsuki's scars, and the predator who inflicted said scars being a wolf, it's a well-crafted metaphor for childhood abuse. I don't think the mother goat saw Natsuki as Toruku, nor was it necessarily her way of coping with the loss by believing/pretending it was Toruku. I think she saw Natsuki as being just as vulnerable as her own kids--him in the sheep poncho as a visual metaphor of him being prey for a predatory wolf--and wanted to keep him safe as well. Almost as a way of making up for what happened with Toruku where she couldn't keep him safe. Saving the one child who had no one in his life to protect him
I like how they took a cautionary tale and turns into a metaphorically story to help people heal.
It's a nice change of pace. We need more stories like that in this day of age.
I think it’s also worth noting the mother of the goats left her children as a means of taking care of them, to provide for them, while the boys father had seemingly been looking for him. On one hand some might at first glance think why would a mother leave them knowing there is dangers and view her as not good while the father would on the outside might seem good for eagerly searching for his son. I think it’s not just the appearances of the children’s trauma but also even though it might sound cliche things aren’t always as they seem. The mother was not bad nor was she at fault for her children experience an awful thing, but without knowing the full story sometimes parents are looked at a certain way for things that happen to their children they couldn’t prevent. And the father was bad for assaulting his son as well as the others but probably to those unaware didn’t seem bad. Probably seemed like “oh he’s looking so hard for his son what a good father” when in reality was a wolf in sheep clothing as it were. A lot of times we see what we want to see in people or what we assume until like the mirror being turned to reveal the damage, we finally know the truth or the whole story of the person. We know a very small fraction of what a person is like until we actually get to know the real them.
There's also the fact that the mother has 7 children, even when she had lost her son, she had 6, keeping track of 6 let alone 7 little kids isn't easy, before factoring in wolves and other predators. So it's safer for them to be left at home where they have some protection, then leaving with them where one could get lost, lured away, or otherwise hurt
don't forget the part where the mother kidnaps someone else's child to cope for her own loss, it puts her own actions and mental state into question. and it only worked out for her because the child she kidnapped just so happened to have come from a much worse situation
Very well said.
It really is sad how society demonizes single mothers when often than not it's the father that decided to leave (or in even less common circumstances (thankfully) she's trying to escape and keep her children safe and ofc the opposite absolutely happens) and abandon his children, and she decided to remain despite that. I'm not making sweeping generalizations, I know the opposite can absolutely happen or the child can be abandoned by both parents. What I'm trying to say is that society often makes sweeping generalizations (like how for centuries it's a woman's duty to raise the kids and for the man to provide, none having to do with the other even though it's essential for both parents to be involved in their children's upbringing) based on historical social systems that cause more trouble than they're worth, we as a society don't look at individuals as objectionably as we can, but make predetermined judgements that we've been conditioned to believe for all our lives. Which ends up hurting the children and possible parent even more.
A parent could be a busive but because they present themselves a certain way, that's automatically assumed to be their constant behaviour.
Predators come in all shapes and sizes after all. And they're adept at covering their tracks so they can continue their behaviour.
@@fawnieee ive never heard of any woman being demonized for bring a single mother. Ive heard of plenty of men being demonized for being potential pedophiles and rapists. But a single mother is usually never suspect of anything unless it becomes too obvious. Like with munchausen by proxy.
As someone who has experienced (mostly psychological) child abuse this story really feels relatable with the metaphor of the father being a wolf
I just generally feared my dad and saw him as... something, like a black void with no soul, just pure narcissism
i went through child abuse too
I went through that too... And, in the last few months, I've been able to tell other people about it and they are all trying to make me forget it. They say it's a child silly point of view and that im exaggerating a normal every-mother-behaviour. Sometimes, I feel miserable with the thought that I hate my abuser. But your comment made my laught a lot aaaaa " saw him as... something, like a black void with no soul, just pure narcissism" YESSSSSSS YESSSSSS totally! I Will never feel guilty about it again
@@jojo_maciel No victim should feel guilty by their abuser, YOU have nothing to be ashamed of, unlike your abuser.
@@jojo_maciel Oh my god, same??? What the heck? Are we the same person?? LMAO
No but seriously you should never feel guilty about that happening. You were just a child and no child ever deserves abuse. People who say that shit just scream ignorance and I'd say to cut them out of your life or tell them to mind their own damn business and keep their mouths shut since they very obviously don't know how it feels. Hope you have an awesome rest of the year!! 💕
Same. I’m sorry about that, man..
The Wolf and Seven Kids was my favorite fairy tale as a child, so seeing an adult interpretation of it is really interesting.
I like seeing a dark and gory adaptation of it that isn't furry porn.
@YaBoiNissy The Weirdo Disgusting perverts love the original folk tale because it involves a wolf. Some of these perverts have the time, skill, and desire to make art and animation and post it online to scar the minds of others with.
@@RoninCatholic Man you are one big clown.
@@RoninCatholic sadly what you said is really true. i can't look up certain folktales involving wolves in them without seeing another tag, clicking it for more and scrolling down, and accidentally find,, some perverted art or fanfic
The white fleece they have kinda represents innocence, and for the sheeps a lot of innocence is taken away. Seeing Natsuki hold on to that cloak of wool hiding his scars i guess could mean he’s tried to hide under the little innocence he has left.
As an abuse and childhood SA victim, this was so hard to watch, but it’s so nice to see a happy end to such a story. I wish my mom had tried to protect me.
Same here. But seeing that Natsuki was protected and saved gives the short a happy ending
I''m sorry to hear that you didn't have someone there to defend you.
@@bromodragone8405 it's ok. My rest of family supported me when everything came out. But this short...... I still cry at the end when the mother goat hugs natsuki
@@MelonTartVA I was also a victim. I still carry the mental scars. I was only five.
@@bromodragone8405 I do too. I'm sorry you went through that. But we all have support fr each other and those that we love and care about
"And all is good and happy." - A line that precedes unfortunate or downright horrifying events
Who knew six seemingly innocent words could be so cursed? You might be risking your life simply by typing them.
@@TeamFriendship8600that is a risk I'm willing to take
*"BUT WAIT, IT'S NOT."*
"And all is good and happy."
Not on this channel
I think your interpretation is spot on. I think Natsuki’s character really emphasis dealing with trauma. In the beginning you point out that the mother goat (whether willingly or not) calls Natsuki her son. This interaction tells us that she hadn’t come to terms with losing her son or with dealing with the trauma. Your observations of the mirror and the coats the young goat children have in the end really help with the trauma argument.
I thought it was about human trafficking and abuse.
The mother goat being a social worker and foster mom, tries her best to hide these kids away from their abusers. But, since most of these children run off back to their abusers/abusive families, or don't realize fully why they should hide, they get dragged back in. The eldest didn't make it. Either literally, due to physical abuse, or metaphorically, as a point of no return.
The human child then comes into the picture. He wants to be reunited with his mother. But his foster mother, the mother goat, is trying to protect him from the wolf, his father.
The mother goat may relate the child with the eldest brother due to similar history or she's trying make up for failing the other boy. That's also why the boy has scarring.
The boy ties to escape, not realizing the wolf, his father, is right outside the door. It could mean that the boy's mother may not be abusive, but she was allowing the abuse to happen.
Whether or not she really kills the father in the end or it's symbolic of removing a threat to the child, these wolves are people.
The end where she's setting traps may mean she's taking a more active roll in hunting these criminals down. While the better defense is due to her foster kids now realizing the full danger and being able to accept that they need to defend themselves and others in their situations.
I think that this makes a ton of sense
That's actually a really good interpretation of the symbolism.
thats what i thought too! I thought mamma goat was fostering these kids who werent related to her as part of her job to protect any who suffered sexual abuse
@@alyssabullock6421 yah, especially at the end when they were all different animals
@@doindaworst5824 If you notice, the human boy's coat is a lamb. But at the end it looks like it has horns. It may be symbolism that he became a goat much like how the other goats became other animals and the father was a wolf. None of them are actually these animals it's just a representation.
If I had a nickel for every time an indie production had a cute, badass goat mom with an adopted human kid and child-endangerment-related trauma, I’d have two nickels.
Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened twice.
What was the other one?
@@Gaïa235 toriel lol
@@Gaïa235 undertale😉
@@Gaïa235Toriel from Undertale
@@Gaïa235undertale
the mirror flip hits especially close to home, wow.
a close friend of mine just confronted a history of CSA and remembering all the way back to age 11 when it first happened has been harrowing. My friend's parents even stopped speaking about it thinking their child seemed "normal" and didn't want to bring it up. For anyone in a similar situation, do not sweep something like this under the rug, it's a lot more painful to still have something like this be unresolved over ten years later than to just get professional help immediately.
Huh. I actually watched this and didn’t really feel disturbed. I think it’s because I immediately knew what the story was supposed to be. I heard the fairy tale once. I think the little goats still look cute in spite of the scars. I kinda like this style of stop motion using sewn figures, it’d be nice if it was used more. I think it was also used in beastar’s opening. I like Japanese stop motion
May I ask where you watched it? I can't find it..
It's because TH-camrs and people like to blow this stuff out of proportions. Just watch some of Mista GG's "I watched disturbing films you send me" and most of the time his reactions are the same as mine: "Wait that's it??"
I have not heard this tale before. Been reading some of the old Brother's Grim Andersen and whatnot fair tales just because they're said to be really dark (WHICH THEY ARE) and are such a cultural staple in ways people don't even understand or realise.
Yeah I read this story because I went to an eah(ever after high) oc
They aren't sewed. They are needlefelted
I think the part where they form together to fight the werewolf could be a metaphor for how sticking together with others can help take down any trauma. It does help greatly to know other people know your pain and want to stand by you.
This short film was absolutely terrifying. And what I loved about it was how seriously it took a child's trauma. And didn't make the lambs or the boy's trauma seem bigger than the others. And how we got to see exactly what their trauma was. The lambs being eaten alive, and the boy's sexual abuse from his father
Beautiful and scary at the same time
I love how the oldest sister saw Natsuki's scars and it's clear that she understands now that he's more like them than she thought.
I interpreted the father turning into a wolf as the sheep kids realizing that he was the human child’s enemy. their enemy or the cause of fear was always a wolf, for the human child the father was the cause of fear.
Just like how they begged for their mothers help when the wolf was eating them, natsuki begged for his mothers help when his “wolf” was “eating” him.
Such a good film
My interpretation's pretty heavy here.
I think the wolves are just abusive family members who scar their loved ones. I think the reason the mother removes the kids from the one wolf, and that they're all scarred, is because it was once their abusive father, or another family member, who left deep scars in the children from heavy abuse. The mother's distraught to see Toruku dead, not realizing he's dead, which I interpret as potentially having commit suicide due to all the abuse from the family member, essentially it being their fault. Or, the child was abused so bad they died from it. The mother's deeply grieving, shutting the world out from her scarred children so they're never hurt again, all of them portrayed in the story of the goat family and the wolf.
I believe the mom taking in the child could be, as you said, literally her mistaking the child as her own, or that she's so deeply grieving she convinces herself it's him. The other kids are fooled a bit as well, but the most scarred sees it's not him. She's the one who received most of the abuse, so she's the most hardened in the heart, until Natsuki reveals to her how bad she'd REALLY been hurt. Unintentionally, he reopens her wound in her heart, and she cracks, before he gives her his strength, or in this case, his cloak. The others are amazed that he's scarred, too. They now think more than ever he's their brother, as he'd seemed unscarred until he took off the cloak, showing he's just as bad as them, but in a different sense. He covered her scars, like covering the trauma with his own cover, revealing his own.
Another wolf prowls in, another abuser, but of the lost child who the goats took in as family. His father, as is revealed, is sexually abusive, so he isn't revealed as a wolf yet due to the facade of having some humanity in him. He comes to his son, joyed to find him, only to reveal his joy is more sinister as he starts biting his son's clothes off, and... Uh, rips it all off, lowering his pants in the film. A truly dark scene. The goat kids who also suffered abuse try to fight off the father, but he's too strong for the kids, even flinging them into harm's way just to violate his own son. The mom finally saves Natsuki before the father can really begin to harm. Tasering the father, he collapses to the side with his pants down, seeming human but still a dirty wolf. It shows those wolves are actually people, but horrible, abusive people that the kids view as monsters.
The family hug together, Natsuki still naked, but safe now as the wolf is down, his father having been fought off, which it's likely he'd done this in the past too and Natsuki wasn't saved from it, hence the bruising. The girl pulls down the hood with a smile, bearing her scars in the open as a sign of solidarity, to show she's willing to show her scars too, as she'd been abused but is over it now.
After all this, the outside seems just a bit brighter than before, as the air was red before, but now it's lively. The kids finally seem to be healing as they work together to keep themselves safe, new cloaks on them to show they all gained strength of their own now. Their new brother in the window, looking out at a brighter seeming world as he is now safe, surrounded by others who were willing to be there for him. The mother filling the father with rocks and drowning him is more symbolic of adopting his son and taking him away, as so he may never hurt the boy again. Natsuki, now Toruku, lives with his family in safety and happiness, as the father's supposedly drowned. The father drowning could also be symbolic of being shunned by society for realizing what he'd done to his own child, now legally unable to be around kids, and condemned to a life of misery, like how he was making his child miserable.
I know it was long, but the message is strong, to help those who are abused and extend a hand to those in need. We all have our own scars, but it is so, so important to stick together. It saves lives when people work together. Especially kids, to keep a child safe is so important.
If there is any signs of abuse in friends, family, or children, please do not be afraid to step in and save them. We have to stick together as a species. Scars don't make the people, wisdom and heart does. Do not judge by appearance, and never turn your back on those who need help.
Wow I can't believe it that's butiful
(Applauds)
while i definitely agree its more symbolic my takeaway from my first viewing of this was 'mom's gonna go kill her some pedophiles, good for her'. but 100% i think it represents weaponizing knowledge and advocacy to 'trap' and prevent abusers from being able to get to victims.
Ah yes. Another wonderful Saturday afternoon learning more about dark cartoons with my favorite reviewer! Thanks for the upload Steve!
That went way better than I though it would. I was expecting a really tragic ending.
It was already tragic when we saw the remains of the elder sheep in the wolf's stomach.
My favorite part in all of this is when the goats start to hide from the wolf/human father, one of them jumps into a jar, and just turns into cotton.
I think it was supposed to be milk
I was honestly scared this wasn’t going to end well, like I straight up thought this would be a morbid version of Hello Kitty or My Little Pony based on the title. However it’s surprisingly quite wholesome
I think the girl with the mirror just represents what it's like to see yourself mangled. I was in a car wreck back in highschool and mlmy scalp ripped open . They stapled me back up and drugged me good . A month later I woke up alone at night and stumbled my way to the bathroom to see my new face covered in blood and staples . I didn't even know what happened to me but luckily a nurse heard me crying and explained everything. .bi hope no one who reads this ever has to experience that shock and horror.
When the father turns into the wolf reminded me a lot of that scene in berserk where guts gets overwhelmed by his beast of darkness and violates Caska
The offbrand content of that scene was 👀👀👀
God i haven’t gotten to that scene in the manga, but it hurts me everytime i hear about it, like honestly all the struggles with the beast of darkness guts goes through is intense but he’s one of the best characters ever written with character development despite everything he still became truly enlightened.
This actually…This spoke to me. Especially when I had gone through trauma and tried to repress it for years.
You’re dad turned into a wolf too?
@@theamazingoppo4918 it’s your
And yes their dad probably turned into a wolf
What did it tell you
Get over it.
@@DarwinskiYT mine did, asking if his did the same.
Another very subtle element I noticed in the last scene, is how the big sister goat's eye is conveniently covered up in every shot, as if to leave it open to interpretation how much she has healed or not, or even just to visually represent that the scary parts are over now, and that things are better. It could also be interpreted as the family not seeing the scars on her, just the sweet, little goat underneath them because she is not her trauma to them, she is part of the family, and a person they love dearly.
I know just enough spoken Japanese that I could understand most of the short film. I have a very similar interpretation to what you said in the video. But I want to add, that I think after tasing the father/wolf, I think the mother realized the human child wasn't her missing child, and still chose to take him in anyway, understanding the trauma he's been through. The child now has a safe place to stay and heal along with his new siblings.
A great follow-up I would recommend in the future would be "Peter and the Wolf." Stop motion and another wolf themed story. With dark story telling
My teacher showed that to my class. I criticised it because the wolf wasn't hunting with a pack and it was unrealistic. Hehehe......
YESS that scared crap outta me
Yeah, that's a really good stop motion too.
However, I don't think that it can be considered dark. It's hella scary for sure, gives me chills every time, but I don't see any hidden message behind it.
One thing I never understood is why Peter frees the wolf at the end. I mean, what was the point of capturing it and showing it to everyone if you were going to let it go anyways?
@@caterax4510 I think it's even scarier the second time. Because you know what is going to happen...I get chills every time I hear the wolf's theme.
@@fm_0523 he probably planned to kill it, but after realising the wolf was only hunting for survival, he let it go. The message is that no one is a monster, and the only real monsters are poeple who kill for no reason, at least, I think that's the messgae.
Jesus Christ, the summary of the plot alone took me a for a ride. I don't know if I could watch the actual short.
It’s more graphic in ways that are not gore and blood, but serious child abuse. Incredibly done, very very graphic
It's enough to make you cry
I just love how they animated the sister's surprise.
I watched this on tv when the creator of the stop-motion was featured on a show. It gave me a lot of feelings and a lot to think about. I love these kind of animations that tackle difficult topics and wish there could be more of them in mainstream media.
It feels absolutely strange now to say that the original fairytale this was inspired by was my absolute favorite as a child. I grew up with these stories and would have my mother read them to me at bedtime and as cruel as they could be, they seemed completely fine to me and my parents. I only feel a little weird about it now because these stories are well known in german speaking countries but most other places have barely heard of them and with the cultural difference it would be unthinkable to read a story to a child that has cruel death in it.
I'd also like to mention that at the end of "the wolf and the seven young goats", after the wolf falls into the water, the children and mother goat dance and sing in celebration of the evil wolfs death.
I was actually expecting this to be full on horror when I first watched this.
I thought so too, but it ended on such a weirdly wholesome and cute note.
I wish that could happen
The Grim's Fairytale was one of my absolute favourite as a child. It's really cool to see some kind of "Sequel"
@@cfruge444 Yeah after watching the full short film I have toa agree on that.
I seen it myself I have to confess, the scene just seeing the little goats scars and comfort the little goat really made me cry 😢 .
Tysm for going over this, it’s been popping up on my recommended, but I’ve been too scared to actually check it out, it’s really nice when people explain creepy things on TH-cam and still show some of the visuals so when I actually check it out I know what I’m getting into
5:14
Are we not gonna question how this sheep hid inside a jar
As far as my interpretation, yeah it's child abuse, and coping. One thing that I would mention is how depressing it was that the kid gave the goat his hood. It implies he was coping with his own trauma. He was strong enough to give up his coping mechanism to help another, however. Given how the source of trauma was still alive, it can be said he wasn't fully ready to let it go, unless he knew he was going to get away from his father. Now that I think about it, it's possible he was not expecting to be found by his father and that's why he gave up his hood.
I remember watching this. I saw this a couple of years ago in the summer when I was an enumerator for the Census. I saw it when I was also getting my flu shot along with my parents. The film creeped me out, but I felt a feeling of relief from the ending. I’m glad Natsuki is with a much more loving and protective family, a family of goats.
Can we just talk about for a moment how Stop Motion can make som e masterpieces of Horror? Take Coraline for example the overall structure it has as the film gets darker is complimented nicely with the animation!
And Kubo (made by the same people who made Coraline)
I feel like almost every movie with stop motion is a Christmas movie or a surreal horror movie.
@@silashurd3597 I saw that movie when I was young, and it was pretty good. The story actually feels like a legend from Japanese culture and the characters were pretty great.
Also "Peter and the Wolf" and "the Nightmare before Christmas".
I remember hearing that fairy tale involving a bunch of goat kids, a big bad wolf, and the littlest kid being the one to save the day. This is... a rather twisted interpretation of such a tale. Like, the fact that the short opens up where the fairy tale ended, and is deconstructed by having the eaten kids actually be somewhat digested, is a HELL of a way to start!
I randomly found this short one day and I was very impressed with just everything
i kind of also had your own visualising of the film the same way you did, but on the part of the father becoming the wolf i already knew it was metaphorical and some other parts i didn't consider, like the mother forcing herself to believe the kid is actually her lost child as another thory of why she thought he was, the thing about the mirror and the scars and so on, but anyway, that's a really and surprisingly wholesome short made with stop motion and made in *japan* , i'm very happy you saw it
My great grandmother used to tell me the original all the time. I love this short it’s beautifully made,the metaphor is greatly portrayed
Don't mess with Goat Mum! Especially when she has a taser. Where did she get a taser from anyhow? Overall I think that was a cool animated short. The scene showing Goat Mum shouldering those traps was badass. Guess she's the *hunter* now.
I believe after the events of the original story, she decided to put a taser into her bag as preparation for another event like that.
But she makes a mean cinnamon-butterscotch pie!
@@pon2oon I see that reference.
Okay if this one had fire, and could kick my ass across a room, I’m referring to the G.O.A.T of goat mums Toriel Dreemurr, herself.
I accidentally ran across the animation today,I was surprised when I spotted this video hours later because I didn't know you covered it haha. I'm glad to see another view on this dark yet oddly wholesome-at-the-end tale.
9:52 i love the fact Howe if you look from the left middle of the screen you can see on of the goats on a phone. It’s suttle but hilarious
I wish there where more Adult shorts/series/movies without relaying on sex, drugs or swears, but on complex stories and good messages
Honestly, I've really come to respect this short as it tackles an extremely serious subject, child predation and the serious harm it can cause, with the upmost respect and never once feels like what it's doing is just for the sake of being shocking. Compare that Cuties, which thinks the best way to to show why sexualizing children is bad is by sexualizing children.
I love this short film. This is one of the most beautiful short films ever.
The animation.
The writing.
The music.
The design.
Everything about this is amazing.
Don't forget the voice acting, especially Mother Goat.
@@nyanpirethecat2257 yes it amazing.
bruh what, I accidently clicked on the little goat animation and i exited it before the intro even started and now i see this video in my recommended O.o
I like this short a lot. Thank you for showing it to us. I love a solid happy ending.
I remember seeing this movie/short on TH-cam, I’m glad you gave it some attention!!
This is from the Spanish fandubbed version (it has no hardcoded subtitles):
Once upon a time, there lived a young Mother Goat who looked after her seven children: Toruku, Lecon, Mell, Jog, Cocoa, Ceasar and Nono. Every day, she would go into town, and every time she left she would tell the children to not open the door, for the Big Bad Wolf would try to get in and eat them. One day, the Wolf managed to break in and gobble them up whole, except for Nono, who hid in the grandfather clock. The Wolf went for a nap in the woods, and Nono told Mother Goat what had happened when she returned. Mother Goat, with tears in her eyes, found the sleeping Wolf, and then, using her scissors, cut open his belly. She pulled out each of the children, who were scarred and hurt by the Wolf's belly; as Lecon was eaten second, her injuries were the worst of them all. But Mother panicked as she realized that her oldest son, Toruku, was missing. She looked back in the Wolf's stomach but couldn't find him, as he was already digested and gone. In anger, she filled the Wolf's guts with stones, and when he woke up, he was overcome with a terrible thirst. Shambling over to the river, he fell in and drowned as Mother Goat brought her kids back home and tried to heal them, with denial creeping into her heart on Toruku's fate. She never let them leave, and never let them touch anything, always telling them to board the door whenever she left, with no exception. The children knew what had happened in the back of their minds, but they never truly realized or accepted, wanting to believe it to be like a bad dream.
In a place far away, there lived a young boy named Natsuki. He lived with his Mother and Father, who both loved him very much. But from infancy into childhood, Natsuki began to worry about his Father, as something was happening to him. Mother loved Natsuki so much, and Natsuki felt whole with her around, but Father began to act strangely around him, and he was always fighting and angry with Mother. Then, one day, his Mother disappeared; he didn't know how she was gone, as Father never told him, but he would grow angry with his son when he asked. Father then began to watch Natsuki intently, keeping him from his friends, harshly dragging him around in public, and so on. It was then over time that Father was overcome with a terrible, horrible evil deep inside him and ---- well, you'll understand that for another time. What you need to know now is that Father would hurt him in horrible ways, and Natsuki would wear the soft, pristine white wool coat with sheep ears that Mother made for him so long ago. He wore it to hide the marks Father left on him, and to brokenheartedly try to remember his Mother's love and care.
One day, Natsuki ran from his Father while they were at the market, and he ran into Mother Goat on the way. Desperately wanting to believe that Toruku was alive, she mistook Natsuki for him since the hood made him look like a lamb. She then believed that Toruku was alive, thinking that Natsuki was Toruku. She took him home, and filled with panic that she would hurt him, Natsuki struggled as he tried to leave. Mother Goat tried to calm him, and gave him a loving hug. Natsuki then stopped fighting, her hug reminding him of his Mother's loving embrace. She smiled as she called out to her kids before she left; Natsuki was confused, realizing that Mother Goat believed he was her son. Natsuki was scared when she left him in the house, but he was terrified when he found out he was not alone.
Natsuki then saw the children, who were scarred by their time in the Wolf's guts. While Natsuki saw them as creepy and scary, they were really friendly and kind, as they believed that he was their brother. The oldest sister, Lecon, was suspicious by the way Natsuki acted and tried to leave, and seeing no scars but pristine wool, she began to realize this boy wasn't Toruku, and the other children began to see it as well. Natsuki, filled with panic and fear that they would hurt him like his Father, tried to leave through an open window Mother Goat left open for air. Climbing on top of a mirror, he reached out for the window when he lost his balance and fell over, turning the mirror as well, and in it Lecon saw the truth.
Lecon let out a cry as she saw a monster in the mirror. But then tears stung her eyes when she realized it was her reflection; there was no monster, it was her. Forced to remember her trauma, scared and saddened by her ugliness, Lecon burst into tears as she hid under the writing desk, filled with shame at her disfigured body. The other goats ran to and comforted Lecon, and Nono looked at Natsuki upset before he turned to comfort his sister. Natsuki was surprised by the kind bleats of sadness and comfort the goatlings gave to Lecon. But still afraid, he snuck to the door, and began to remove the broom holding it shut when he looked back and stopped. Natsuki thought that they were monsters, but as he looked on their kind eyes filled with concern and care for their sister, he realized that they weren't monsters - they were scared and scarred little kids like him. Feeling sorry for Lecon, Natsuki walked up to her as she sat crying under the desk. Taking off his coat, he wrapped it around Lecon as the kids stared in surprise at what they were seeing. Natsuki put his cloak on Lecon, covering her scars and the soft touch of it reminding her of the days she was happy. She looked in admiration of the boy who gave comfort to her, but she then saw the bruises on his arms.
It was then that one of the children looked out the window and saw someone coming. Fearing it was the Wolf, the children hid, leaving Natsuki alone and in the open as the figure forced it's way inside. Natsuki stood unmoving in fear as his Father stepped in looking for him. He ran to and hugged Natsuki, but the boy knew what would happen next. The Father began to press onto him, and Natsuki tried to tell him to stop. But the angry Father let the evil slip into his heart as he thrashed him around, and began to undress him as he prepared to --- well, maybe I shouldn't say.
Calling out for his Mother, who's life the Father had secretly taken, Natsuki cried as his Father moved in. Seeing this angered the goatlings, who angrily bleated as they came out of hiding to tackle onto Father. Father shook them off, and they joined together into a giant to fight off the monster and protect their friend. Father knocked them over, thrashing as Lecon fell onto his back and held on for dear life. Lecon reached out to Natsuki to help him up to get away, and the tearstained boy reached back, only for Father to grab her and hold her in the air as they hatefully glared at one another. Mother Goat then arrived to see her children lying about dazed, with Father throwing Lecon aside as Natsuki called for his Mother again. Mother Goat grabbed a taser in her bag, and used it to zap the Father unconscious.
Overcome with sadness and guilt, Mother Goat hugged Natsuki as he finally let out his pain by crying into her hug. The children picked themselves up and ran to hug Natsuki and Mother Goat, relieved that she was home and Natsuki was safe. Lecon wiped away the boy's tears as she took off his hood to show her scars. Smiling, she told him it would be okay.
Mother Goat came to accept the loss of Toruku, giving a small gravestone in the yard; she adopted Natsuki to give him a safe and proper home, surrounded by the closest brothers and sisters he ever had. Cutting open the Father, she filled him with stones and rolled him into the river where he drowned, never to hurt Natsuki again. Every day while she looked for food, she would set traps to protect the woods from any terrible fiend, whether they be man or Wolf. She made coats for all the kids, and helped them realize that they shouldn't be ashamed of what happened to them. With a newfound happiness, they began to move on with their lives, leaving their pain behind them. Natsuki had great difficulty putting his past behind him, never able to forget the pain, but with his family he could finally be happy again.
The End.
Are baby goats called goatlings? I always thought they were called kids.
@@serenitythesiren5031 that’s just how the other poster wrote it.
Maybe he/she got their goatlings mixed with their younglings. 😉😎
This is so sad yet beautiful, was this a Japanese, to Spanish directly?
is this legitimate or just elaborate fanfiction?
@@matveyxivan7159 read the very first line.
Steve: "and all is good is happy"
Me, internally, every single time without fail: "...but wait, it's not"
This reminds me of a Romanian fable, "the goat and her three kids", from 1875, story by Ion Creangă, is a story about a mother Goat that decided to leave her 3 sons at home and tell them to not open the door to anybody, until she comes home.
Then, the wolf who noticed it had a plan, he went to the bear so he could change his voice, so he sounds like the 3 sons' mother, just so they would open the door for him, and he could eat them.
When he arrived to the house, the three sons saw that it wasn't their mother, so they decided to hide around in the house, beacuse the wolf wanted to eat them.
The eldest hid on the other side of the front door, the middle goat child under the bed, and the youngest, in the chimney.
The wolf burst in.
He ate the eldest son right away.
Then took a rest on the bed, and sneezed, so the middle child said "god bless you", therefore he got eaten as well.
Only the youngest survived the slaughter, beacuse after eating his 2 brothers, the wolf left. Petrified, the littlest goat remained in the chimney, until his mother got home and saw the great amount of gore in her house, 2 of her 3 sons dead....
They cooked up a plan afterwards, they invited the wolf over to eat dinner, in their garden, but they would rig his chair up, right above a pit with fire, covered by a sheet of grass, a mechanism triggered by a rope.
The wolf accepted the invite to eat at the Goat's house, right outside, and once he started feasting on the well prepared goods, it hit him.
The mother goat pulled the rope, and the wolf fell with the chair in the pit of fire.
He screamed, he begged, and he tried to escape, but to no prevail.
After they killed the wolf, the youngest goat, and his mother celebreated by eating the rest of the dinner she prepared.
Moral of the story?
Don't let strangers in your house or you will end up like sons.
Don't be evil like the wolf, or your actions will always be accounted for.
And lastly, don't say "god bless you" when a murderer sneezes.
I am SO happy that a french TV station put it on their website cause this is a beautiful gem. I watched it multiple times to understand it fully the day I discover it, crying all tears from my body
By the thumbnail, I thought it was a horror kids film that involves blood covered sheep trying to kill someone or a blood killing cult of sheep but the actual story is way more terrifying.
I thought it was a short about surgery ahdcjsgsv
I remember this! I was scared of this to a degree. But it is a beautiful piece. It warmed my heart to see this short to have a happy end.
Hi, Steve. I would like you to review these animated films:
-Fire and Ice
-Once Upon a Forest
-Wizards
-American Pop
-Heavy Traffic
-Starchaser: The Legend of Orin
-Fantastic Planet
-Gandahar
-Coonskin
-An American Tail
-The 3 Rugrats movies
-Hey, Good Lookin'
-Bambi
-Oliver and Company
-The Great Mouse Detective
-Belladona of Sadness
-Flight of the Dragons
-Delgo
-Heavy Metal
-Titan A.E.
Definitely he should
Defo Heavy Traffic and Coonskin. I'd love to see Steve review another mature Ralph Bakshi film.
You should pay him lol
The helicopter sound just before the credits implies people are looking for Natsuki and/or his father, which makes me think the goats are some kind of yokai and the boy has been spirited away.
The scene where the scarred goat looks in the mirror and screams hit me so hard. By the end I was sobbing my eyes out from this short. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before or ever will. I am going to go cry now. Goodbye.
It seems like this story is about a foster child who is being stalked by his abusive father, and his foster family successfully manages to protect him
As a person who seen the short, apparently Natsuki used to have a mother (as seen on the father's phone) that must had died at an unknown period.
This is very interesting as the actual meaning behind Little Red Riding Hood (which this story reminds me of partially) is that the wolf represents mens' uncontrolled sexual desire and how it literally turns them into monstrous beasts lusting for innocent children.
Also, that explanation about that scarred sheep who sees herself in the mirror for the first time, really hit me personally. It perfectly described how I feel and what I've been through from past trauma.
I watched this one a few months ago and still pops into my head from time to time. Beautifully animated and filled with so many horrific images and implications. The father got what he deserved in the end, that’s for sure. Everything he did made me feel so much disgust and horror.
Where can I watch this with English subs
@@maniacgreen8609 The one I watched on TH-cam came with Spanish subs but you can turn on English Closed Captions
This film actually made me cry, I use to go through a lot of different dads when younger because my mother had some problems herself. I’ve witnessed her go through all sorts of things while getting second hand verbal abuse. (Somehow). I can relate to the films meaning. It also reminded me the aftermath my sister went through.
the message hits harder than the weirdness and disturbiing things in the short, it honestly just adds onto to the message in my opinion
i remember reading a story when i was really young of a happier version of the little goats.
there were seven little goats living in a cottage with they're mother goat, one day the mother decides to leave the cottage to pik berries, she warns her children to be careful of the wolf, they will know its the bad wolf, if they see two big gray feet under the door, and if they hear a disgusting hoarse voice. when the mother leaves the children are left to play, soon enough the wolf does come by and starts to knock on the door, claiming to be the mother of the goals, of course the goats hear his hoarse voice and tell him to go away, where he leaves to a bakery to eat some honey in order to make his voice sweeter. when he returns to the cottage the little goats almost believe him until they see his giant gray feet. when they send him out again he goes to a farm where he covers his legs in white flour. once again he goes back to the cottage and this time the little goats let him in thinking its they're mother. they are in horror seeing it is the wolf coming to eat them. quickly all seven little goats go and hide int he house, the littlest one deciding to hide in a the great grandfather clock for he had no where else to go. the wolf starts searching for the little goats and manages to find them eating them after each find, in the end though he only counts 6. but he could not find the last little goat so he leaves. when the mother returns she searches the ruins of her house for her children but cant find them, she begins to weep and at that the youngest little goat jumps out of the clock and tells her all his siblings were eaten by the wolf. the mother goat and the youngest go out to find him and they do, they find him sleeping next to a creak with his belly full. the mother goat tells her son to go fetch her a needle and thread wich he does, while she finds large rocks around the creak. when the little goat returns he helps his mother as they cut open the wolfs belly and take out all the little goats from his belly, when they are safe and sound the mother begins filling his stomach with rocks and sews his belly up with the needle and thread. when the family of goats leaves, the wolf wakes up, when he does he feels his mouth so dry and with so much thirst because of the rocks. when he leans into the creak to drink some water, the weight of the rocks in his stomach throw him over the edge and he drowns. leaving the mother goat and her family finally in peace. I'm assuming in the beginning was supposed to be a darker version of the end of this story.
Yeah he... describes that entire thing in the video itself.
Here’s a video idea:
Strange Hill High is puppet show on CBBC which is kind of a comedy thriller series for kids all about supernatural stuff which happens at a school. I’d recommend giving it a look as it’s a lot of fun. Also, it has Richard Ayoade
And the last thing that Steve reviewed that had Richard Ayode was Full English and I will say Richard Ayode is hilarious as Templeton
HOLY SHIT WAIT- I used to love that show! Me and my brother would watch it all the time when it originally aired on CBBC. We still reference it from time to time, despite being WAY older now.
I think I saw this show once like (I think but I'm probably wrong) 7 years ago so I don't remember much but looking back at what I do remember, it's pretty good so I do agree with this idea
Richard Ayoade? If you want him as one of the 2 main characters watch Apple and Onion! He voices Onion!
@@azimmeme9994 yeah that's a good show but also while watching the show since the main character's Apple and Onion have British accents and the rest of the characters have American accents makes me feel that the two characters are supposed to represent 2 British guys living in America
When I first read the story, I was seven. I recited the story to my teacher. When I mentioned the title, 'The Wolf and the Seven Kids', my teacher got a bit uncomfortable, thinking the 'kids' were human children, not goats.
Oh my god, thank you for looking at this animation Steve! I knew it was right up your alley the moment I saw it
Fun fact: this was actually also a book I read when I was very young
That's right the book was called the Wolf and the Kids and it was a cautionary tale to teach kids to not open the door to strangers
@@williampulfer-melville8536 it should be a cautionary tale to teach parents not to leave their kids unsupervised either
@@harryfleutv666 indeed just like what the mother goat does in the book as the wolf later on is able to trick the kids into letting him in by dipping his black paws in flour swallowing a whole bag of powdered sugar to soften his voice
I have seen this and it was honestly one of the most emotional shorts I have ever witnessed.
I always thought filling the wolf's stomach with rocks came from Little Red Riding Hood. I guess that's one of those universal themes when it comes to german fairytales. A way to not only beat the monster, but also steal power from it so it can't hurt anyone again in the future.
*edited to fix a misspelling
A lot of fairy tales have wolves as villains since back then, wolves were notably more of a threat towards villages. And so, wolves in fairy tales would often have brutal deaths ( with the exception of a few ex: the boy who cried wolf).
For whatever reason, it was a common superstition that regular wolves had a weakness against stone, like how werewolves were weak to silver. As a result, there are multiple fairytales where wolves met stone-based ends.
@@5timesdying In my language (Finnish,) the older name for wolf "hukka" literally means "loss" and when referring to something going to waste it's said something goes into a wolf, so yeah that says something about how people here viewed them.
The version of the story I was told as a kid is the one where the wolf locks the grandmother in the cupboard and when the Illusion of the disguise is broken he just chases Little Red Riding her around the house until the woodcutter comes to her rescue
@@williampulfer-melville8536 That’s really censored, you’re probably from the US?
this short is INCREDIBLE. so happy you covered it, hopefully it gets more attention this way! your analysis was spot-on too, a lot of insight and some things i didn't even consider before. great video as always, steve!
I saw the coat scene like this:
Natsuki knows what it feels like to go through "hell" aka past trauma. He keeps the feeling inside of him so he knows what it feels like. When he offers his coat he's giving her a way he's found out of the trauma. Its still there but she's able to continue forth. I suspect natsuki puts himself in other's shoes and then tries to break through their mindset with a solution. Here the problem is she's scared and ugly. The solution to get rid of that mindset is show her her scars show bravery and she's prettier with them. However I suspect natsuki can't get over his own trauma. This is probably because it's happening over and over and he sees no way out.
(I mostly say this because it's something I do a lot)
Me: *sees Thumbnail* This could possibly traumatize me for life
Also me: *my morbid curiosity gets the better of me*
Why do we let it win,
**EVERYTIME!!!!!!**
@@excitedcat9517 because regret is a constant in this world
I think the reason the human turns into a wolf is because he turns into a predator.
I also think the children being scarred lambs is a representation of how innocent children can be permanently scarred by the actions of predators.