The Boy and the Beast
- wulfeyes08
- Mar 1, 2020
- 3 min read
After the death of nine year old Ren's mother, the boy finds himself on the streets, but once he catches the attention of the beast Kumatetsu and accidentally follows him into an unknown world, he is given a choice; become the beast's apprentice or go back to a life loneliness. Together, these two stubborn and fierce souls will work to achieve their goals and hopefully not let their insecurities consume them.
The Boy and the Beast is a journey of self discovery, self worth, and identity. Young Ren, or Kyuta as Kumatetsu calls him, is torn between two worlds who must decide where he stands in both and which he wishes to belong to, while Kumatetsu is a man who wishes to ascend to god hood, but he is constantly fighting his hot headed nature in order to achieve what he wants the most. Both of them realize that in order to become the men they want to they must change and if they let hate and anger consume them, they will both be nothing but beasts. Seeing them change together is incredibly endearing and the story will have you tearing up on multiple occasions. It's a relatable story, as many find themselves torn between different loyalties and people and wind up living a sort of half life instead of taking a stand and deciding who they want to be.
Kumatetsu (left) and Ren/Kyuta (right)
And of course, they don't go on this life changing journey alone. They are accompanied by a very kind monk by the name of Hyakushubo and the ever snarky and easily annoyed Tatara. Both of them stand with Kumatetsu and Ren, giving them both advice in order to help them gain a better understanding of one another. They're an important part of both of our protagonists growth and without them, the story wouldn't be as amazing as it is.
Tatara (left) and Hyakushubo (right)
The voice acting for The Boy and the Beast is also really well done. The cast really took the characters and made them their own. Kumatetsu is a giant bear beast and John Swasey really brings that gruffness that you would expect from a creature like him. Eric Vale brings equal parts childishness and maturity to Ren/Kyuta's character which is something he has always been good at as shown by his performances in My Hero Academia and One Piece. Austin Tindle really showcases Ichirohiko's fears and insecurities, allowing you to feel sympathy for the young man. Then there are Alex Organ (Hyakushubo) and Ian Sinclair (Tatara), who play what I would call Ren's weird uncles.
There is also the animation, which is full color and life and was strangely reminiscent of Studio Ghibli's. I feel like a lot of inspiration was drawn from that art style and it really fits the fantastical, parallel world that Ren finds himself in. The characters are also incredibly unique, even when they live in a world where there are many like them. You can very easily pick them out in a crowd. Their temperaments are also very much reflected in their animation. Kumatetsu acts like a bear, he's growling and grumbling, often loses his temper when forced to confront something he doesn't like, and can eat like nobody's business. There is a lot of love that went into this movies making and you can see it in the animation and hear it in the voice acting and story telling. It's absolutely beautiful.
If you are looking for a moving story about love, growth, and identity, then I recommend you give The Boy and the Beast a try. You won't regret the hour you spend getting to know the characters and the worlds they live in.
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