Although wolves are supposed to have died out more than 200 years earlier, a quintet of lycanthropes prowl a half-ruined city in the post-apocalyptic fantasy Wolf"s Rain. The shape-shifters include Tsume, a cynical criminal; eager, naive Toboe; perpetually hungry Hige; and charismatic Kiba, who"s seeking "Rakuen," the prophesied paradise. Tied to his search are the Moon Flowers, and Cheza, a girl somehow created from those flowers. Scientist Cher Degré studies Cheza in her laboratory--until the flower-girl is kidnapped by a mysterious figure who looks like the Phantom of the Opera in drag. Complicating matters still further is Quent, a hunter bent on exterminating all wolf-humans. Wolf"s Rain suffers from a surfeit of characters, effects, and subplots, but the dark palate, angular designs, alienated characters, and dramatic camera angles will appeal to fans of Hellsing and Blood: the Last Vampire. (Rated 13 and older: violence, alcohol use, brief nudity) --Charles Solomon