Hi guys. Wolvenciel here for another not-much-of-a-review anime review. I kinda stumbled upon this anime while searching for things to watch from last season (explains the whole Tanaka phase I had). I'm running a bit dry on brain juice here so if this sounds a bit boring to you guys, I apologize.
P/S: The translation says "The Boy and The Beast" but I think it says "Child of the Beast". Correct me if I'm wrong, yeah?
The Achievements
As you've read on the title, I'm gonna talk about Bakemono no Ko, an anime movie aired early March this year. Now I don't actually look into an anime's ranking or what award it gets or stuff like that but with this movie I did. Just out of curiosity though and the fact that it was a movie too.
So rotten tomato gave it an 89% and IMDB gave it a 7.9. Those are actually pretty high considering these sites are somewhat picky in giving their marks. The anime also got the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year. Now I dunno how hard it is to get that prize but hey an award is an award.
If you notice, this is actually 1080p. And I rarely watch on that. |
I Checked. Its Studio Chizu. Not Ghibli.
This has nothing to do with the anime. It has something to do with the prick who created this however. At first, when I watched this, I had a nagging feeling that I've actually seen this style somewhere. And then it hit me. Summer Wars. So yeah. Go google the studio up. You'll understand why I thought it was very Ghibli-like.
Really if this doesn't shout "ghibli" I dunno what does |
Starting Off
Okay. I tried writing this without providing a summary. It was horrible. Oh well. Here goes. The story starts with a boy (Ren) who lost his mother due to cancer and also his father due to full custody rights. He refuses to live with his relatives and bolts away. On the streets, he accidentally met Kumatetsu and Tatara who were sightseeing (these guys are youkais I think) in the human world. Tatara jokingly suggested that Kumatetsu get a Human disciple but Kumatetsu being Kumatetsu, took it seriously and offered the role to young Ren.
The boy was horrified when he realized the two people in front of him weren't even people but his curiosity got the better of him and he then ended up in Juutengai, the home of the beasts (this was also very Ghibli) and there begins the story of the beast and the boy.
Again. VERY GHIBLI |
Theme
Simply put, the anime is about family bonds. Its very visible throughout the whole anime and it keeps resurfacing over and over again. It tells you that family is all around you and all those mushy stuff so get ready for some family-related feels.
There's also the "sword in your heart" thing. Now, I'm not gonna tell you much about this but hey first time I heard of this, I kinda knew what the guy was talking about. I mean really. The sword in your heart? It's gotta be that thing (unless you're a hardcore naruto fan and says that its the kusanagi sword or something)
Them Graphics
Okay. So the one thing that really stand out, and I mean REALLY stand out is the graphics. You can expect the fighting scenes to be very smooth and detailed and yes, this ain't ufotable either. Sure it lacks that mature touch to the whole fight scenes but it certainly is enough to make my eyes pop. I am really not fit to describe all the graphical stuff that I see in the anime but yeah they're damn beautiful I tell you.
And I don't have to tell you about the soundtrack now, do I? Spot on.
But...
The anime as a whole is perfectly fine in my opinion. Though there is one thing that I kind of don't get. The girl. She just doesn't fit into the whole story. Sure she has her role in the anime but it just doesn't seem vital to me. Like its fine if she doesn't exist anyway. But hey that's just me talking.
If you really wanna find out, watch it yourself. Highly recommended. Drop everything and enjoy a two hour ride into the unknown world (like you always do when you watch them ghibli shows).
P/S: Sorry about the whole Ghibli this Ghibli that. Its just... so damn familiar.
There's also the "sword in your heart" thing. Now, I'm not gonna tell you much about this but hey first time I heard of this, I kinda knew what the guy was talking about. I mean really. The sword in your heart? It's gotta be that thing (unless you're a hardcore naruto fan and says that its the kusanagi sword or something)
My favorite scene in the movie because it was so funny |
Them Graphics
Okay. So the one thing that really stand out, and I mean REALLY stand out is the graphics. You can expect the fighting scenes to be very smooth and detailed and yes, this ain't ufotable either. Sure it lacks that mature touch to the whole fight scenes but it certainly is enough to make my eyes pop. I am really not fit to describe all the graphical stuff that I see in the anime but yeah they're damn beautiful I tell you.
And I don't have to tell you about the soundtrack now, do I? Spot on.
But...
The anime as a whole is perfectly fine in my opinion. Though there is one thing that I kind of don't get. The girl. She just doesn't fit into the whole story. Sure she has her role in the anime but it just doesn't seem vital to me. Like its fine if she doesn't exist anyway. But hey that's just me talking.
If you really wanna find out, watch it yourself. Highly recommended. Drop everything and enjoy a two hour ride into the unknown world (like you always do when you watch them ghibli shows).
P/S: Sorry about the whole Ghibli this Ghibli that. Its just... so damn familiar.