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The Boy and the Beast

Bakemono no Ko (aka The Boy and the Beast)

2015

Mamoru Hosoda

Animation

7.0

6,517

Animation. Fantasy Kyuta is a solitary boy who lives in Tokyo, and Kumatetsu is a supernatural creature isolated in an imaginary world. One day the boy crosses the border into the imaginary world and makes friends with Kumatetsu, who becomes his friend and spiritual guide. The encounter opens the way to all sorts of adventures.

	Author	Review
United States	Tom Keogh Seattle Times	"Anime enthusiasts will enjoy 'The Boy and the Beast', but so will anyone who appreciates a good fantasy yarn. (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of four)"	POS
United States	Peter Debruge Variety	"An action-packed buddy movie that strategically combines several of Japanese fans’ favorite ingredients: conflicted teens, supernatural creatures and epic battles"	POS
United States	Neil Young The Hollywood Reporter	"A racously entertaining if slightly overlong romp which borrows liberally from existing sources (...) but has more than enough character and brio to stand foursquare on its own two hairy feet"	POS
United States	Tirdad Derakhshani Philadelphia Inquirer	"A brilliant, funny morality tale that examines the transformative effects of martial-arts training."	POS
United States	Andy Webster The New York Times	"The characterizations and conflicts here are strictly generic."	NEU
Canada	The Globe and Mail	"[It] is gorgeous to look at. The soundscape is rich, and the beast-battles well executed. But the characters never develop beyond their two-word descriptors (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Simon Abrams rogerebert.com	"What sets this film apart from its generic predecessors is writer/director Hosoda's knack for playful set pieces, and unsentimental love of surrogate familial communities (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	The Washington Post	"It is the world of man, not beast, that makes this coming-of-age movie most touching (...) Unfortunately, the character design of the animals is (...) flat and underdeveloped (…) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	NEU
United States	Charles Solomon Los Angeles Times	"[It] confirms Mamoru Hosoda's reputation as one of the most interesting writer-directors working in Japanese animation (...) Hosoda brings emotional depth to what could easily have become a formulaic martial arts saga."	POS

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