The Boy and The Beast (バケモノの子) is a fantasy action
film by Hosoda Mamoru that originally aired in theaters in Japan in 2015.
Ren is a nine year old boy living on the streets of Shibuya following the death of his mother. He refused to live with his relatives following her death, wanting to live with his estranged father instead. While escaping police officers, Ren encounters two cloaked beast men. The larger of the two, Kumatetsu, jokingly offers to make the scared boy his apprentice. Intrigued by the creatures, Ren follows them through the busy streets.
After navigating a series of alleys he finds himself in the land of beasts, Jutengai. As he is about to be lead back to the human world, where he belongs, Kumatetsu arrives, surprised at the young boys presence. The giant bear is desperate for an apprentice. Kumatetsu at some point in the future will be dueling another beast man, Iozen, for the title of the next lord of Jutengai. Iozen is respected, patient, well established and has many promising students. Kumatetsu on the other hand is a gruff and shoddy loner who everone dismisses as an unkempt fool.
With little options left to him Ren is dragged off to Kumatetsu's squalid house where he is to begin his training. Both are similar in personality leading to difficulty in their relationship. Kumatetsu is quick to anger and has a hard time explaining himself to Ren who is defiant and slow to give his teacher respect. Ren refuses to tell Kumatetsu his name so he is given the name Kyuta. The presence of the human boy brings concern within the beast world. Humans are usually not allowed there due to darkness that can lurk in their hearts, making them terrible beings of destruction and hatred. The current master of the land allows Kyuta/Ren to remain as Kumatetsu's pupil for reasons only he understands.
As the dual to determine who will be the next lord looms both Kumatetsu and Kyuta/Ren must figure out how to coexist with each other. Struggling to understand each others personalities and views of the orld around them. When the land of humans begins to call to him, the boy who lives among the beasts must determine where he really belongs.
The fourth original theatrical release by Hosoda Mamoru is just as beautiful as his previous films. The backgrounds are the most detailed part and the worlds that are built between the crowded streets of Shibuya and the Arabian bazaar world of Jutengai are beautifully detailed. There are a few segments where the camera rushes and pans through the scenery via CG that are a jarring and this technique/issue has been present in Hosoda's past films. Most notably, the opening time travel segment from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The characters are simplistic and of the same design that has been the hallmark of his other films.
What might cause issue with many die hard Hosoda fans, and anime fans in general, is the straightforward arc of the story. It is very much in the style of western adventure animation features like one would expect from Disney and DreamWorks. Kyuta/Ren's character follows a very familiar path of the hero's journey. Lost and alone he is thrust into the tutelage of a mentor who shares his own vices and through their discordant relationship they make each other better than they were as individuals. In the background a danger lurks that no one is aware of, threatening the idyllic existence. As he matures and grows, Kyuta/Ren is given the ability to reclaim what was once lost to him. He struggles to choose which path he wants to take and when the lurking threat surfaces he must use everything that he has endured to face the challenge head on.
The plot is very easy to follow and for the most part there aren't any surprises in how the story unfolds and the advances. The movie is really split into two halves. The first is with Kyuta/Ren as a little boy, learning to adjust to his new reality. The second half is Kyuta/Ren on the cusp of adulthood and his sudden re-connection with the human world. That connection throws his desires into turmoil as he feels he needs to choose which world he will continue to live in and what it will mean for the years he spent away from humans. The segueway between both time lines is a little abrupt and seemed a little forced. There was the customary montage segment that lead up to it though and the movie would have been longer if more time was spent in the segueway. So you get what you get.
In the end this is a well done and enjoyable film that isn't as deep or complex as Hosoda's other works, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's formulaic and predictable with caricature personalities but on a deeper level this film is an excellent merging of classic Asiatic animism archetypes and western story telling. If this movie was made, scene for scene, line for line, by an American animation company it would be a box office hit and possibly the winner of an academy award. Yet, due to its origins being the vulgar and mysterious land of Japan...it will get little attention from the main stream populace in America.
Perplexedly, another level limiting it from a larger audience is its PG-13 rating. There is no more objectionable content in the film than Kung Fu panda has...and would indeed find cross movie popularity. Many hardened otaku will shun the film for being simplistic and too western in nature but this could have been the product that truly opened the doors for more acceptance in the West. If only it could reach a larger audience it could do well in America..
Either way, excellent movie, not the best work by Hosoda, but still magnificent and enjoyable. The North American disc release is pending upon this review but should be available following the end of its sparse theatrical run.
Ren is a nine year old boy living on the streets of Shibuya following the death of his mother. He refused to live with his relatives following her death, wanting to live with his estranged father instead. While escaping police officers, Ren encounters two cloaked beast men. The larger of the two, Kumatetsu, jokingly offers to make the scared boy his apprentice. Intrigued by the creatures, Ren follows them through the busy streets.
After navigating a series of alleys he finds himself in the land of beasts, Jutengai. As he is about to be lead back to the human world, where he belongs, Kumatetsu arrives, surprised at the young boys presence. The giant bear is desperate for an apprentice. Kumatetsu at some point in the future will be dueling another beast man, Iozen, for the title of the next lord of Jutengai. Iozen is respected, patient, well established and has many promising students. Kumatetsu on the other hand is a gruff and shoddy loner who everone dismisses as an unkempt fool.
With little options left to him Ren is dragged off to Kumatetsu's squalid house where he is to begin his training. Both are similar in personality leading to difficulty in their relationship. Kumatetsu is quick to anger and has a hard time explaining himself to Ren who is defiant and slow to give his teacher respect. Ren refuses to tell Kumatetsu his name so he is given the name Kyuta. The presence of the human boy brings concern within the beast world. Humans are usually not allowed there due to darkness that can lurk in their hearts, making them terrible beings of destruction and hatred. The current master of the land allows Kyuta/Ren to remain as Kumatetsu's pupil for reasons only he understands.
As the dual to determine who will be the next lord looms both Kumatetsu and Kyuta/Ren must figure out how to coexist with each other. Struggling to understand each others personalities and views of the orld around them. When the land of humans begins to call to him, the boy who lives among the beasts must determine where he really belongs.
The fourth original theatrical release by Hosoda Mamoru is just as beautiful as his previous films. The backgrounds are the most detailed part and the worlds that are built between the crowded streets of Shibuya and the Arabian bazaar world of Jutengai are beautifully detailed. There are a few segments where the camera rushes and pans through the scenery via CG that are a jarring and this technique/issue has been present in Hosoda's past films. Most notably, the opening time travel segment from The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. The characters are simplistic and of the same design that has been the hallmark of his other films.
What might cause issue with many die hard Hosoda fans, and anime fans in general, is the straightforward arc of the story. It is very much in the style of western adventure animation features like one would expect from Disney and DreamWorks. Kyuta/Ren's character follows a very familiar path of the hero's journey. Lost and alone he is thrust into the tutelage of a mentor who shares his own vices and through their discordant relationship they make each other better than they were as individuals. In the background a danger lurks that no one is aware of, threatening the idyllic existence. As he matures and grows, Kyuta/Ren is given the ability to reclaim what was once lost to him. He struggles to choose which path he wants to take and when the lurking threat surfaces he must use everything that he has endured to face the challenge head on.
The plot is very easy to follow and for the most part there aren't any surprises in how the story unfolds and the advances. The movie is really split into two halves. The first is with Kyuta/Ren as a little boy, learning to adjust to his new reality. The second half is Kyuta/Ren on the cusp of adulthood and his sudden re-connection with the human world. That connection throws his desires into turmoil as he feels he needs to choose which world he will continue to live in and what it will mean for the years he spent away from humans. The segueway between both time lines is a little abrupt and seemed a little forced. There was the customary montage segment that lead up to it though and the movie would have been longer if more time was spent in the segueway. So you get what you get.
In the end this is a well done and enjoyable film that isn't as deep or complex as Hosoda's other works, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's formulaic and predictable with caricature personalities but on a deeper level this film is an excellent merging of classic Asiatic animism archetypes and western story telling. If this movie was made, scene for scene, line for line, by an American animation company it would be a box office hit and possibly the winner of an academy award. Yet, due to its origins being the vulgar and mysterious land of Japan...it will get little attention from the main stream populace in America.
Perplexedly, another level limiting it from a larger audience is its PG-13 rating. There is no more objectionable content in the film than Kung Fu panda has...and would indeed find cross movie popularity. Many hardened otaku will shun the film for being simplistic and too western in nature but this could have been the product that truly opened the doors for more acceptance in the West. If only it could reach a larger audience it could do well in America..
Either way, excellent movie, not the best work by Hosoda, but still magnificent and enjoyable. The North American disc release is pending upon this review but should be available following the end of its sparse theatrical run.
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