sirwillisiv People continuously praise Studio Ghibli, but meanwhile there's other anime films that deserve spotlight, and The Boy and the Beast is one of them. Although the two lead characters share a familiar and repetitive chemistry, the film has affective storytelling and superb animation to back it up. A dazzling blend of coming-of-age and fantasy. If you enjoy Hayao Miyazaki's films, do consider viewing Mamoru Hosoda's work: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars, Wolf Children, and The Boy and the Beast.

xscd This movie from Mamoru Hosoda continues the great tradition of extremely impressive Japanese animation evident in the exemplary work of Hayao Miyazaki and others. The story is full, complex, entertaining and engaging. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The English-language dubbing cast did a very nice and credible job with the dialog and the emotional content of the movie.Mamoru Hosada has an artistic style full of contrast and energy, very different from that of Hayao Miyazaki but impressive in its own way.The themes in the movie are universal: the darkness that can be present within us and how we can transcend it, the love and support offered by and between both people we can feel comfortable with, and those we learn to understand and appreciate despite differences (and sometimes, despite similarities). The movie, at almost 2 hours, does not feel abbreviated but instead adequately explores and presents all of its major themes and plot elements.Highly recommended.

Charles Herold (cherold) Based on his wonderful films Wolf Children, The Girl Who Stepped Through Time, and Summer Wars, I've been thinking of Mamoru Hosoda as the heir apparent to Hayao Miyazaki, not because they're that stylistically similar but because both make beautiful, very human movies that give me joy. But The Boy and the Beast isn't anywhere near the level of his previous films.In premise alone, this film is far less interesting, falling into the clichéd reluctant-master-rebellious-student rut. Teacher teaches student, student teaches teacher, helpful sidekicks comment on the action, and it's all leading to the big fight.None of which is particularly bad, and the movie is perfectly enjoyable, but towards the end things go off the rails as a new storyline is awkwardly tossed in and a lot of new information is offered far too late in the game. It feels like two or three bits of movies were poorly welded together.Whether the reviews on IMDb are positive or negative, reviewers declare this beautifully animated, but while the animation is fine, there was little in it that was exceptional.Since Hosada's One Piece debut, every movie he has made was more wonderful than the one that preceded it. I can only hope that this is a stumble, not a fall, and that his next movie will be a return to his earlier brilliance.

michaeltong-29180 Like all of Mamoru Hosoda's films, The Boy and the Beast is beautifully animated. The backgrounds are richly detailed and the characters move naturally as well as fluidly. However, the story lacks the tight structure and cohesion of Summer Wars and The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.The first act is quite exciting as we get introduced to a world of quirky Kung-Fu fighting anthropomorphs. Kyuta, the main character, has to adapt to this strange place as well as his new father/teacher who himself needs to grow up. It's kind of like The Karate Kid meets Spirited Away.Unfortunately the film really meanders and drags in the second act when Kyuta goes back to the human world and decides to get a college education for some reason. The film takes a huge shift in tone and it never manages to bring it all together in the end.It's worth watching if only to admire the craft put in to it, but I wouldn't consider The Boy and the Beast to be a classic.