For the past couple of years, I haven't been able to keep up with news on what anime films are worth watching. I've been up to date with anime TV offerings (watching them in a timely manner is, unfortunately, a different story altogether), but not so much with theatrical releases.
So, when I kept encountering the title Bakemono no Ko or The Boy and the Beast from various sources, I figured it had to be special that I would even get wind of it. Sometime last week, the little one was ignoring me so she can play with blocks and her father's socks, I figured it was a sign to watch one of 2015's best anime releases.
Nine year old Ren decides to run away after his mother died, refusing to live with relatives assigned to be his guardian in light of his absentee father. He tries to survive the streets of Shibuya with the mouse Chiko. A fateful encounter with the beast Kumametsu leads to Ren becoming his disciple, a condition that could place Kumametsu in the running to become the next Grandmaster of the Beast Kingdom. But, as Kumametsu's rival Iozen points out, there is a reason why humans are not allowed to live in their realm, with their capability to allow hatred to take hold in their hearts. And with their realm lending powers to that hatred, allowing Ren to live with Kumametsu could very well lead to catastrophic events. Never mind that Kumametsu and Ren seem to be ill-matched as master and disciple in the first place.
I have copies of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars and Wolf Children, but they've sadly been relegated to the back burner. Which means Bakemono no Ko is my first experience watching a film by director Hosoda Mamoru. And here I call myself an anime fan (insert crying emoji here... which I don't know how to do in Blogger). But as an introduction to Mamoru's works, Bakemono no Ko is a great way to get me excited about finally watching the rest of his anime filmography.
First off, this is one heck of a gorgeous film. The animation is crisp and detailed. There is a realistic feel to the streets of Shibuya that Ren calls home in our world, while the beast realm is a mix of familiar and fantastical. While you might feel that the characters are a bit more conventional in their designs, this is belied by an emotional expressiveness in both human and beast characters alike that lend weight to the film's narrative. For Ren, it might be raised eyebrows or a change in his stance, and raised fur and widening eyes for Kumametsu. It's subtle, but definitely adds to your viewing experience. If we were measuring an anime film on visual appeal alone, Bakemono no Ko has our approval in spades.
But it isn't just a feast for the eyes. Bakemono no Ko utilizes its excellent visuals to lend weight to a story that could have been weighed down by familiar themes, especially for those who watch a lot of anime or follow fantasy as a favored genre. The character expressiveness is a boon to the film, making every emotional nuance believable and makes for more opportunities to empathize with the characters. And it's hard not to like Ren and Kumametsu, both with stubborn natures and sad childhoods that led to alienation. Kumametsu is as much a child as Ren when it comes to relating with others, which leads to conflicts during Ren's training as his disciple. While they spend much of their time arguing, they end up raising each other and open up new possibilities for themselves. Ren and Kumametsu could have easily been annoying characters, with the former living with his angst and the latter with his frustrations, but they are successfully depicted as fully human characters worthy of rooting.
There are a host of supporting characters of note in the story. Kumametsu's friends Tatara and Hyakushuubou might be different in their way of thinking, but both offer help in raising Ren (or Kyuta, as Kumametsu would call him during his stay in the beast realm). Iozen is the veritable opposite of Kumametsu, making their rivalry even more compelling for the citizens of the beast realm. Iozen is known for his calm demeanor and ability to invoke loyalty among his disciples, primarily his sons Ichirouhiko and Jiroumaru. The Grandmaster is a mysterious figure, offering sage advice at the most opportune time even if the advice can seem lost on Kumametsu. And then, there's Kaede, a human girl that Ren meets and becomes his bridge to what he has missed during his stay in the beast realm.
I've mentioned that Bakemono no Ko is filled with familiar themes, but director Hosoda Mamoru utilizes all the tools at his disposal to make them fresh. The beast realm features an interesting take on Japanese mythology and their many gods, and the threat posed by humans and their potential to be consumed by hatred gives the story a twist on how the beasts humans feared have something to fear about them in return. The fight scenes are exciting and there are rousing dramatic moments that you can't help but be swept by as you watch them.
The idea of an antagonist is not immediately fleshed out in the film, rearing its head only during the last third part. But when the antagonist does make an appearance, there is a defined sense of the horror it brings. It ultimately brings the story to a clash between hate and acceptance, but the road getting there is filled with suspense. The final battle featured extraordinary scenes that bring you both dread (at the immensity of the antagonist's presence and powers) and amazement (because, holy hell, was that gorgeous to behold), and its conclusion was beautiful, even if it is tinged with a level of sadness.
It's been more than a few days since I watched Bakemono no Ko, and I think of it often even when I have moved on to other reading or viewing material. It definitely solidified my resolve to find time to watch the other works of director Hosoda Mamoru, and I look forward to the viewing experience they would bring. But I wouldn't be surprised if a revisit to the worlds of Bakemono no Ko will also occur sometime in the near future.
Happy viewing!!Labels: Action, Adventure, Animation, Anime, Bakemono no Ko, Drama, Fantasy, Film, Must-Watch
