Arashi no Yoru ni

Did You Know?

• Since 1997, Engekishūdan En has annually performed the story on the "En Kodomo Stage."
• In 2004, Aoni Production sponsored a dramatization of Arashi no Yoru ni and Aru Hareta Hi ni at Voice Fair 2004, starring Katsue Miwa as Mei and Minori Matsushima as Gabu.
• A compilation book titled Shiroi Yami no Hate de was released in 2004.

Plot

A goat named Mei takes shelter in a barn during a storm and meets another animal there. Unable to see or smell each other, they talk and become friends, agreeing to meet later using the password "one stormy night." The next day, Mei discovers his companion is a wolf named Gabu. Despite being natural enemies, they continue meeting regularly. Their respective flock and pack learn of the friendship and forbid it, attempting to force each to spy on the other. Mei and Gabu decide to cross a river during a storm to find an "emerald forest" free from persecution. Giro, the wolf pack leader, holds a vendetta against goats and hunts them. Exhausted after a snowstorm, Mei offers himself as food for the hungry Gabu. Gabu initially agrees but cannot eat his friend. Gabu leaves to face the approaching pack alone, but an avalanche sweeps them away. The next morning, Mei digs out of the cave and sees the emerald forest in the distance. He finds Gabu in another cave, but Gabu has lost his memory of their friendship due to the trauma of the avalanche.

Characters

Gabu is a wolf from the Bakubaku Valley. Mei is a goat from the Sawasawa Mountains; the original books do not specify gender, but the film depicts Mei as male and the television series as female. Giro is the boss of the Bakubaku Valley wolves and a best friend of Gabu's father; in the show, Gabu's father vanished, and Giro raised Gabu. Barry is a red-haired wolf and Giro's right-hand man; in the show, he is blue-furred and has a sister named Lala who fancies Gabu. Beach and Zack are twin wolves who enjoy fighting and eating. Tap is an overweight goat who acts as an older brother to Mei; in the show, he is fitter and has a crush on Mei. Mii is a pink-colored goat and a friend of Mei; she does not appear in the books. Mei's Mother bit off Giro's ear before being eaten; in the show, she bites off only a piece. Mei's Grandmother raised Mei after his mother's death. Gabu's Mother appears in flashbacks. Garuru is Gabu's father and Giro's best friend; in the show, he was the original pack leader before disappearing.

Media

The animated film Arashi no Yoru Ni, directed by Gisaburō Sugii and animated by Group TAC, was released in Japan on December 10, 2005. It remained in the top 10 at the Japanese box office for over a month, with more than 1,200,000 viewers in the first month. The film grossed over ¥1.8 billion and was nominated for the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year in 2007. A complete English dub was made for YouTube by a small group who obtained permission from TBS; the first part was uploaded on December 31, 2008, and the project was completed on November 5, 2009. The dub replaced the original theme song "Star" by Aiko with "Watch the Moon Rise" by Tustin Gilmer Macafee. A CG-animated television series, Arashi no Yoru Ni: Himitsu no Tomodachi, produced by Sparky Animation in co-operation with Duckbill Entertainment, Baku Enterprise and Bandai Visual, aired on TV Tokyo from April 4, 2012 to September 26, 2012. The series was a co-production between Japan and Singapore, conceived in Japan then adapted to English with pre-recorded voices before being dubbed into Japanese. The television series casts Mei as female, unlike the film.