A Shounen Family Tale: The Boy and the Beast

Synopsis

This is the tale of a young boy named Ren and how he had lost his mother and his father is nowhere to be found. Not wanting to live with his relatives, Ren runs away and attempts to survive on the streets on his own. In his attempt to do this he encounters the fierce monster Kumatetsu and decides to follow him, resulting him in ending in the realm of Shibuten, where all kinds of supernatural beings reside. Upon entering into the realm by accident Ren ends up caught only to be rescued by Kumatetsu who declares him to be his disciple, thus begins the two’s lives together.

The Good

The art is a treat to the eyes, especially when it comes to the exploration of the different creatures of the monster realm and the different fantastical fights. The plot as well is an interest piece that would somewhat be considered as a twisted type of “Alice in Wonderland” tale but with more fighting. What really pulls the film together though is the development between the two main leads of the story, Ren and Kumatetsu.

In cmparison to many other shounen films where the growth of the main hero is fast forwarded after a short piece of when he was a child, this film takes the time to depict Ren’s growth under Kumatetsu’s wing and how the two grow to see one another as family. This is one of the strong points of the film and ties it together. Still the story was good and the rest of the characters also showed different and interesting perspectives that are thought provoking throughout the film.

The Bad

While a good family film, it does take on a more masculine perspective seeing as it takes on a father-son relationship. And when it comes to the anime community many of this type of relationship is portrayed with plenty of yelling and fighting mixed with caring for one another. So, while it does have a good portrayal of the main leads relationship, it may not reach out to certain audiences and is not the most conventional of family stories for all viewers.

The build up towards the second half of the film could have also been done better in terms of the internal conflict with the main lead and the conflict caused by one of the side characters. There are also some questions that have cropped up but the film leaves with less than satisfying answers.

Conclusion

Being a work of the same man who worked on the tear-jerking work that is “Wolf Children", the concept of family is something that is heavily found in the film but with a little twist yet is as heart-warming as ever. The art is truly a sight of beauty especially with how it involves the supernatural world and the fight scenes are quite exciting. As stated while the build-up was not so great for the second half the overall plot was good. If you’re looking for a film that takes on a new look to what a father-son relationship may be set in a supernatural world, this is the film.

Rating: 7.5/10