The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast

Starring Koji Yakusho, Shota Sometani, Aoi Miyazaki, Suzu Hirose

Directed by Mamoru Hosoda

The Story:
As a young boy, Ren (Aoi Miyazaki) loses his mother and is forced to live with her family, since she divorced her husband and Ren doesn't know where he is.  He runs away and develops a deep-seeded anger toward everyone, until he stumbles across Kumatetsu (Koji Yakusho), a bear who is looking for an apprentice.  Ren follows Kumatetsu into a new world called Jutengai ("Beast Kingdom"), which is inhabited by anthropomorphized animals, who fear having humans around due to the "darkness" within them.

Kumatetsu is looking for an apprentice to train because he desires to become the next lord, but no one wants to be his apprentice due to his standoffish nature and laziness.  After seeing Kumatetsu lose a fight against his biggest competitor, Ren agrees to be his apprentice.  Renamed Kyuta, the two form an unlikely and unconventional bond as the master who's never trained anyone and the kid who doesn't trust anyone learn to work together and form a family of sorts, and as the years go by and Kyuta (Shota Sometani) grows older, the two begin to learn from one another, and the title of apprentice/mentor becomes blurred.

Being able to travel to the human world at will, Kyuta meets Kaede (Suzu Hirose), a shy bookworm who teaches Kyuta how to read, as well as help him find his estranged father.  She wants Kyuta to stay in the human world and go to the university with her, and he's torn between getting to know the father he never knew and be with the bear who raised and trained him to be a strong warrior.  As the day of the battle for lordship begins, surprising truths come to light, an evil is unleashed and the bonds of family are tested harder than ever before.

The Synopsis:
Mamoru Hosoda's "The Boy and the Beast" is an intimate tale of two fiercely independent people who form the most unlikely of bonds and learn from one another, becoming a surrogate family.  Having gone through the tragic loss of his mother and not knowing where his father is, young Ren hates the world and everyone in it, manifesting into a dark doppelganger of himself.   He runs away and lives in the streets alone, until he finds the most adorable little white furry...thing...that is without a doubt the cutest thing ever. 

Kumatetsu isn't a popular bear in his world, but he's in contention to being the next lord after the previous lord gets reincarnated, due entirely to his power and ability, and not his social skills.  Unlike the other animal up for contention, Kumatetsu is standoffish, lonely, lazy and hard-headed, and no one wants to be his apprentice. 

So when the two meet, it should've been a polarizing event where each wouldn't care about the other, but instead they connect on the most unconventional manners possible, and that's by constantly hurling insults at each other.  There's tough love, but this goes beyond that, and because it does, it forms an even stronger bond of love.  The young Ren/Kyuta is stubborn, egotistical and untrusting, and Kumatetsu is boorish, lazy and hot-headed, and it seems that neither is a fit for the other, but that's what makes their relationship so unique and special.  Kyuta begins learning more by observing and mimicking his master, and Kumatetsu sees Kyuta's desire and grows a deep sense of respect for it.  As the years progressed, the two learned more from each other and Kumatetsu becomes more than just a master to Kyuta, but the father he never knew.

This is the most beautiful of the story, seeing the relationship between these two contrasting beings develop into a family.  Hosoda shows that family isn't just blood, but the people you're the closest to and those you love the most.  Even when he returns to the human world and falls for Kaede, Kyuta still thinks about Kumatetsu and after getting into a tiff with his real father, Kaede tells him that she wishes her parents would fight with her, because it shows a deep love.  Kyuta realizes that his father in the human world was his biological father, but Kumatetsu is his "real" father. 

As the final act begins, the action really amps up and so does the tension and fear, as the animals' fear of the darkness in the human soul comes full circle, and Kyuta finds himself in a struggle for not only his own life, but his newfound family's lives as well, culminating in a spectacular climax that's just as stunning as it is moving.

The action in the film is amazing, with stunning animation full of vibrant colors and articulately drawn characters.  It's a beautiful story told with lavish animation and awe-inspiring action that fully encompasses you in the tale and pulls you into the story yourself, so much so that you'll be moved by the events of the film and it'll be something you never forget.

The Summary:
Centering around the most unlikely of relationships, "The Boy and the Beast" is a movie that shows family isn't just blood, and there are some bonds that are stronger than anyone could imagine.

The Score: A+