The Boy and the Beast

An excellent anime and genuinely surprised. A story of two different worlds that come together in a surprising manner, you really do get invested in Kumatetsu and Kyuta, and beautiful visuals. This is a rare anime but a proper one.

This made my evening better, this was so good and heartwarming.

A very pleasant philosophical movie about growth and emotion. You aren't alone 💚

This was excellent, I'd prefer to watch this over any Studio Ghibli movie, with the exception of Princess Mononoke. While Studio Ghibli movies are known for combining both style and substance, this one does it a million times better, without that pretentious air, imo.

Outstanding voice performances, and visuals. I can't recommend this one enough.

Mr Pelón is the best

Saw this anime feature at Imagine Film Festival in Amsterdam. Really liked it, went together with some non-anime lovers, and they all enjoyed it for the most part. So I can really recommend it, wether you're into anime or not.

// EDIT (2.5 years later): Their biggest complaint was that the ending was like... unrealistic by the way. OK, the whole movie is far from realistic (talking animals anyone?), but you know, like one moment shit _really_ hits the fan, and the next second everything is great again and the protagonist wins the battle. Like that.

Simple plot but great animation & imaginary world to enjoy it through

Another good movie from Hosoda but it needed to be longer. Certain aspects are left aside making it feel incomplete and slightly disjointed at times.

Beneath (or maybe parallel to) our world lies a secret land, populated by mythical creatures and governed by a strict, traditional code. Orphaned by his mother and abandoned by his father, one angry young boy finds his way between the two planes and begins an apprenticeship with a tenacious, if temperamental, fighting bear. Together, they learn and grow, developing physically as well as spiritually, but never completely reaching a full, placid understanding. Their mutually headstrong ways stand in the way of such a harmonious accord.

This is where the real interest of the film lies, a father-son relationship that's complete with bumps, warts and stubborn deadlocks. Its fantasy landscape is magical and fascinating, colorfully realized and teeming with life. I just wanted to dwell there for the duration. Later forays back into the human world are an unwelcome distraction, even if they lead to greater depth for the main character, and the climactic battle falls into the same category. It's completely out of left field, under-explained and off-key; a poor match for the softer, more resonant touch that was evident in earlier acts.

While it's in the sweet spot, The Boy and the Beast is animated magic. The hand-to-hand fight scenes and training montages are especially wonderful, smoothly and precisely animated with just enough exaggeration to remind us it's an anime. Very good when it's in the zone, but that focus doesn't last forever.

Pretty underwhelming experience. Generic characters and plot, the best part are some likable character traits and the resulting charming moments.
I expected far more and better.