​FILMS

the boy and the beast

Oh boy, Japanese anime at its best!

2016 review number 1:

The Boy and the Beast: (Animation/Action/Adventure): 85 out of 100: If you've never seen Japanese anime before, this would be the ideal movie to introduce yourself to the genre. There's action, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, drama and comedy to appeal to the fussiest of viewers. It was one of the most popular movies in Japan last year and if it was a Hollywood release, it would have been a global blockbuster. I had no idea what this movie was about before I entered the cinema so it was definitely a surprise to have enjoyed it this much.

 

Ren (Aoi Miyazaki) is a 9 year old boy from Tokyo whose parents have divorced and as a result of their inability to care for him, will be looked after by guardians. He runs away from them and is pursued by the authorities before he enters an alternate world, Jutengai, where beasts are the dominant species. The lord of the beasts is about to step down to be reincarnated and has two beasts in mind to be his successor. One is Iōzen (Kazuhiro Yamaji) who has two sons and the other is Kumatetsu (Kôji Yakusho). Kumatetsu is in need of a protégé as one of the stiplulations of becoming lord is to train an apprentice so he takes Ren under his wing. He names him Kyūta because that is 9 in Japanese, the age when Ren meets his new master. Eventually Kyuta is thrust into an adventure which spans both worlds.

 

The beautiful animation is a visual treat. The colour and special effects will dazzle your senses with the attention to detail highlighting the mastery of Mamoru Hosoda, the writer and director of this film. He showcases his imagination in a story that is highly engaging and in characters that have great depth and emotion.

 

The music score by Masakatsu Takagi adds much to the mood of the film. There's a sense of adventure in the score itself to complement the adventures of the story. The training scenes are occasionally funny, culminating in thrilling action scenes between the combatants. Again, the music helps generate the tension in these battle scenes.

 

If there's one minor gripe, it would be the romantic angle that is not fully developed when Kyūta goes back to the human world and meets Kaede (Suzu Hirose). When the story returns to its action roots, that's when the movie is more successful. Still, the portrayal of the union between Kyūta and Kaede is still more interesting than many romantic movies.

 

What a fantastic start to the year with a movie that might already be a candidate for my top 10 of 2016! A subtitled animated film might not be inviting at first, but you'll simply be doing yourself a disservice for not seeing this spectacular Japanese anime that is rich and rewarding, and most of all, entertaining.

 

Featuring the voices of Shôta Sometani, Kôji Yakusho and Suzu Hirose

(119 mins)

Parental advice: Coarse language and Violence

Additional scene during or after credits: No

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uifJLWoWv8c (Movie trailer)

 

(Reviewed on Monday 4th January, 2016)

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