Fantastic!

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The acting in this movie is really good.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

A beautifully animated adventure that's (almost) perfectly told. Yes, "The Boy and the Beast" has an epic story that, in my opinion, is not as epic as it thinks (especially in acts 2 & 1). The character arcs were on point and the movie, most of the time, is very fun to watch. I did have a couple of major problems with the movie:1.) Kaede is JUST a love interest. She was introduced late in the movie making her the obvious love interest for Kyuuta/Ren. That was her only purpose.2.) Why does Ichirohiko look like a beautiful girl!? Had his brother not said that Ichirohiko is his brother, I would not realize that Ichirohiko is a guy.(((VAGUE SPOILERS FOR NUMBER 3))) 3.) Near the film's 90-minute mark, something unexpected happened. Unexpected because it was unlike the first hour and a half of the movie. It made me form a different (darker in tone) expectation for the film's last half hour. However, the ending is consistent (tone-wise) to what I formed prior to the "thing that happened unexpectedly." This. however, damaged the film for me. Despite the fact that it's consistent (tone-wise) with what I originally formed, I would've liked the darker (tone-wise) ending I formed after the "thing that happened unexpectedly."DESPITE THESE MAJOR PROBLEMS, I STILL LIKED"THE BOY AND THE BEAST."

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.

Love anime, especially the best of Studio Ghibli (particularly the likes of 'Spirited Away' and 'Princess Mononoke'), and love animation in general.Having loved Mamoru Hoshoda's previous three films, it was inevitable that his latest film 'The Boy and the Beast' was highly anticipated. Was not let down, it may be Hoshoda's weakest film but that is just testament to how wonderful 'The Girl Who Leapt in Time' (my favourite), 'Summer Wars' and 'Wolf Children' are, though picking a favourite between them was difficult. Because 'The Boy and the Beast' is still a very good film, two thirds of it even being great. Is it the most original anime there is? No, there are some familiar tropes here though in no way is this a bad thing. Have these tropes been executed a little more imaginatively elsewhere? Sure. Does 'The Boy and the Beast' still do a good job with these tropes and the storytelling? Absolutely.It is somewhat a shame that the final third is not as good as the first two acts. The pacing does lose its excitement while the storytelling itself becomes rushed (especially the main villain's reveal that comes rather suddenly and doesn't feel explored enough) and jumpy, meaning that the film loses some of its cohesiveness.On the other hand, the animation is amazing. The way it's designed is almost realistically photographic, while there are some inventive shots, very natural character designs and gorgeously detailed and real-looking background art with a great contrast between the vibrant pastel colours of Jutengai and the drabness of Shibuya. The music score is a mix of rousing and melancholic, always easy on the ears and at times dream-like.'The Boy and the Beast' was clearly written with a lot of thought and insight, and balances the funny and poignant moments beautifully. The story has familiar but universal tropes and very relevant and relatable themes (love, friendship and peace being the big ones), executing them very intelligently and inventively gripping. It's nearly always entertaining and it's touching too, with something for everyone of any age and gender.Characters are very well-written and interesting, never being too black and white, too perfect or stereotypical. These are characters with flaws but also with enough to make one want to identify with them. The conflicts, in individual characterisation and with how the characters interact, are very believable and delivered with tension. More could have been done with the main villain perhaps but this didn't bother me.Voice acting is very dynamic and fit the characters very well.Overall, very good film that may be Hosoda's weakest out of a very strong filmography but is more a beauty than it is a beast. 8/10 Bethany Cox

The movies starts out with a very emotional story, and creates a magical animal world where they are equal to humans. The story could have ended perfectly with everyone working together to kill the evil. But instead, we got a very strange ending that reveals the author still believe that animals will always sacrifice themselves for humans. To help illustrate the point, we have to flip around the role of the people and the animals: 2 people fought a Kungfu match. The loser's dog is consumed by evil, and tries to kill the winner and his dog. The winner decides to die and turn into a sword to occupy his dog's heart. His dog wins the fight, then decides to go to school.