The Boy And The Beast Review

Often cited as “the next Miyazaki” by many that view his films (even though I’ve heard he doesn’t necessarily liked being called so), Mamoru Hosoda’s latest film The Boy And The Beast is the closest yet to something you would see come out of Studio Ghibli. It has great characters, colourful environments, worlds that run parallel to the human world and talking animal creatures. Pulled together with a touching story and beautiful animation, The Boy And The Beast is an action packed, heartwarming experience the whole family can enjoy. This is the first film to be completely produced by Mamoru Hosoda’s animation studio Chizu and they’ve done some great work here.

The Boy And The Beast follows the life of a young 9 year old boy, Ren. Having recently lost his mother, and since his parents divorce not having a father to turn to, he is told the only option is for him to live with new legal guardians. Which he refuses to do and runs away to live on the streets of Shibuya.

Maybe It Pays To Talk To Strangers?

Ren is approached on the streets by a large hooded figure and asked if he would like to become his apprentice. Ren eventually pays the figure enough attention to realise that he is being spoken to by a large beastly bear, before refusing the offer of apprenticeship. Although intrigued enough by the beast and his monkey companion to follow them through a back alley, through some twists and turns and finds himself in Jūtengai, the beast kingdom. A place where everyone is some sort of walking, talking beast or creature and aren’t too fond of those from the human world.

The Beast, who we learn to be called Kumatetsu is trying to earn the right to be lord of Jūtengai. The current lord has decided he is ready to become reincarnated and is in search of a successor. Kumatetsu is very powerful, but lacks the temperament needed and refined skills to earn the title. As such the current lord suggested he take an apprentice in order to grow himself, show that he can work with others and become liked by the townspeople. Thus why he went searching and asked Ren.

Initially refusing to become an apprentice after viewing Kumatetsu as just an angry, lazy, set in his ways old beast, Ren eventually comes around after witnessing Kumatetsu fight Iôzen, the other beast pushing for the title of lord. Ren is given a new name, Kyuta and realises fairly quickly that Kumatetsu is a terrible teacher but discovers that he is able to learn by watching and imitating rather than deal with Kumatetsu’s poor instruction.

An Emotional Tale Of Growth

The pair train for the next 8 years, with Kumatetsu taking the role of surrogate father to Kyuta. During this time Kyuta has become a capable fighter and his progress has many of the younger townspeople wanting to also become Kumatetsu’s apprentice.

Without delving into the entire plot of the film and spoiling it for those yet to see it, just know that the overall story is great. It can get emotional at times, similarly to Wolf Children they pack a lot of story and world lore into a 2 hour runtime but it is told in a way that will keep you engaged with where the story is going due to stellar writing and each of the characters’ unique quirks. Hosoda really does know how to write great stories and do it in a way that maintains brilliant pacing throughout keeping you entertained for the whole journey. Injecting a massive amount of content, that looking back afterwards made me think that there’s no way he fit the film’s story into a couple of hours.

The Boy And The Beast when compared to Hosoda’s previous films could be described as a blend of Summer Wars and Wolf Children as it pulls themes and aspects from both. It has the beautifully animated, silky smooth combat sequences we got in Summer Wars, combined with the theme of parenthood and growing up from Wolf Children.

Great, Developed Characters

The film does a good job of fleshing out a number of characters, not just the leads, showcasing their own motives and flaws before letting them grow and overcome them by the end of the film. This is presented heavily with Kumatetsu, as when we first meet him he is initially seen as a character with many inner flaws, only seeking an apprentice to meet the wishes of the lord. You could even say he had selfish motives for engaging Ren in the first place. But by the end of the film they have grown to need each other in ways neither of them thought they ever would. Kumatetsu comes to see Kyuta as his son and begins to need him more than Kyuta needs a master. And although Kyuta physically grows stronger throughout his years of training it’s Kumatetsu that does the most growing throughout their time together, not in strength but into a better person…Or beast really.

If you’ve read my previous reviews for Mamoru Hosoda’s work you will know that along the way I’ve praised the animation in all of his work. Well it’s no different here. The movements in characters are realistic and the larger cast have a sense of weight to them. The fighting and training scenes are beautifully choreographed and smooth. And as with all previous films, the background environments, especially those inside Jūtengai are incredibly detailed. The Boy And The Beast is also the most diverse in Hosoda’s catalogue when it comes to character designs. The townspeople of Jūtengai are all vibrant, unique in appearance and based of a different kind of animal. It was great to see such varied and interesting designs.

Final thoughts

The Boy And The Beast is the perfect amalgamation of themes and lessons learned from previous films for Mamoru Hosoda. Combining fast paced action with emotional, heartwarming moments to tell an amazing tale of inner growth for it’s lead characters. With smooth animation, a story that is fit for all ages and a vast array of interesting character designs, it’s a sign that we can expect great things to come from Hosoda’s Studio Chizu.

Head here to read our other reviews from the Mamoru Hosoda Collected Works.

The Boy And The Beast was reviewed as part of the Mamoru Hosoda Collected Works. A review copy of the Collected Works was provided by Madman Entertainment for the purpose of this review.

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