O Rapaz e o Monstro

Although I wouldn't place it up there with Wolf Children or even Summer Wars, The Boy and The Beast is another great film by Mamoru Hosada. The plot revolves around a beast who is on his way to becoming the grandmaster. He needs to beat one opponent to be crowned, but in order to do that he must also take in a protégé. This leads him to finding an orphan who has recently run away from home and is looking for a place to stay.

The relationship between these two becomes pretty standard, as it's reminiscent of 'Leon: The Professional'. Nevertheless, their rambunctious relationship is lovable. The film doesn't focus too much on 'the unconventional master' growing a heart and changing his ways, and I give it points for that.

The boy spends years living with the beast in the world of the beasts, so he doesn't have any human interaction while being trained until he ventures back out into the world where he befriends a human girl. This new found friend puts a strain on his relationship with the beast. But they are still there to support each other when it matters.

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this movie. There wasn't anything that I found special in it, but if you like to see a pair of people missing something from themselves and finding it within, by learning from each other, then I would recommend this anime.

This is a story about the bonds of a lonely human boy and a lonely monster. In this story, there is another world excepting a human world. The lonely boy loses his father by a divorce of his parent, and then loses his mother in a traffic accident. While he wanders aimlessly through the town of Shibuya, he meets a party of two monsters. After that encounter, he becomes stronger.

I'm moved by the relationship between the lonely boy and the lonely monster. They oppose each other whenever occasion arises. However, they trust each other intensely in the innermost recesses of their heart. So they want to help the companion with all his strength if he gets in a fix. Though they are not parent and child, they are bound by rigid ties as if they were real parent and child.

I think that the bond of parent and child is formed by not a blood relationship but the time which they have spent together for a long time.

Funny how I wanted to watch this movie for months, but I couldn't find any theater in my country where it's released. Then, I found one viewing happening tonight three days ago by complete luck. I didn't hesitate once and bought my ticket with my mother which has been ill these past months (fortunately, she's doing better).

I never went to see a Japanese animated movie before at the exception of Pokemon and Digimon back in the days, though I've watched all of Mamoru Hosada, Hayao Miyazaki, Yoshifumi Kondo and Satoshi Kon. I don't know why, but this movie and its title attracted my soul from the beginning. It has the premise of classic tales, but the execution is unique and flawless in what the director tries to do.

I'm glad I gave this movie its chance and even though it has some moments of exposition, it's one of those movies where it can cheer you up no matter what's happening to you in real life. The Beast has wits. The kid, even more and as a tale of love, friendship, parenthood and peace will it stay in your memory for long enough for you to remember it decades later.

On a side note, the music is beautifully crafted, the art is great and I believe it will become a classic in a few years, if people are willing to accept it. :)

Love anime, especially the best of Studio Ghibli (particularly the likes of 'Spirited Away' and 'Princess Mononoke'), and love animation in general.

Having loved Mamoru Hoshoda's previous three films, it was inevitable that his latest film 'The Boy and the Beast' was highly anticipated. Was not let down, it may be Hoshoda's weakest film but that is just testament to how wonderful 'The Girl Who Leapt in Time' (my favourite), 'Summer Wars' and 'Wolf Children' are, though picking a favourite between them was difficult. Because 'The Boy and the Beast' is still a very good film, two thirds of it even being great. Is it the most original anime there is? No, there are some familiar tropes here though in no way is this a bad thing. Have these tropes been executed a little more imaginatively elsewhere? Sure. Does 'The Boy and the Beast' still do a good job with these tropes and the storytelling? Absolutely.

It is somewhat a shame that the final third is not as good as the first two acts. The pacing does lose its excitement while the storytelling itself becomes rushed (especially the main villain's reveal that comes rather suddenly and doesn't feel explored enough) and jumpy, meaning that the film loses some of its cohesiveness.

On the other hand, the animation is amazing. The way it's designed is almost realistically photographic, while there are some inventive shots, very natural character designs and gorgeously detailed and real-looking background art with a great contrast between the vibrant pastel colours of Jutengai and the drabness of Shibuya. The music score is a mix of rousing and melancholic, always easy on the ears and at times dream-like.

'The Boy and the Beast' was clearly written with a lot of thought and insight, and balances the funny and poignant moments beautifully. The story has familiar but universal tropes and very relevant and relatable themes (love, friendship and peace being the big ones), executing them very intelligently and inventively gripping. It's nearly always entertaining and it's touching too, with something for everyone of any age and gender.

Characters are very well-written and interesting, never being too black and white, too perfect or stereotypical. These are characters with flaws but also with enough to make one want to identify with them. The conflicts, in individual characterisation and with how the characters interact, are very believable and delivered with tension. More could have been done with the main villain perhaps but this didn't bother me.

Voice acting is very dynamic and fit the characters very well.

Overall, very good film that may be Hosoda's weakest out of a very strong filmography but is more a beauty than it is a beast. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Like a male version of "The Cat Returns" - full of beautiful animation, appealing characters and themes, speckled with a few moments of honesty, a lot of familiar anime tropes, and some spotty pacing/storytelling.

Fortunately, the film is sufficiently well made and intentioned that if you're able to accept the director's priorities and not get hung up by less-than-subtle exposition, it's a totally charming, indulgent time.

Movies like this fill a sweet spot: the kind of comforting sentimentality that makes you feel good on sick days.

If you're reading this, chances are you're familiar with the director's work ("Wolf Children," "Summer Wars," "Digimon," etc.). As the title of this review indicates, this movie delivers that content...more than any other film in existence. Enjoy.