Coming from the same studio and director that made Wolf Children comes The Boy and The Beast. The Boy and The Beast actually shares many similarities with its canine counterpart in both animation and character relationships. However, unlike the maternal love that Wolf Children expresses, The Boy and The Beast tackles fatherhood instead, and here are my thoughts on it.

(Spoilers in last paragraph)

Having already watched Wolf Children and this film coming from the same studio I was ready for the art style and animation to be just as wonderful as it had been in Wolf Children. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. The animation was wonderful with vibrant colors and great long shots that were able to really capture the environment of Shibutenmachi. There were wonderful unique panning shots into transitions that emphasized the beautiful world of the beasts. These shots gave such fitting ambience to the scenes that were happening on screen which helped make me feel connected.

With the similarities in animation with Wolf Children, The Boy and The Beast also had similarities in its character development. They were similarly superb in both films. The Boy and The Beast are very quick to establish your main characters and give background on them which I think is fantastic. Unlike other films which delay the character development or lack any at all this film isn’t hesitant to show you the nature of all the characters presented. It brings you along for the journey with Kumatetsu and Ren as their relationship blooms and as they soon start learning from one another for the better.

Though unfortunately there is one key factor that I think made me enjoy the film a lot less, which was the nonsensical choices and plot armor the characters made and had. Like in the beginning when Ren was confronted by Kumatetsu, it looked like he was so scared he probably pissed himself but still for whatever reason decided to follow Kumatetsu. Also in the battle for lordship near the end of the film, when Kumatetsu fell and the referee had counted to 9 before all of a sudden he just stopped. I understand this was to allow Ren to come out of the crowd to motivate and encourage Kumatetsu to stand up and keep fighting but they could have made it so that he did so right when Kumatetsu fell. Instead they did it after the referee had already counted to 7 of which he then counted to 9 and then just fell asleep. I just don't like how they created this scene, the timing could have been just slightly adjusted and the result would have been the same but without the obvious plot armor.

TL;DR:The Boy and The Beast is a strong film about fatherhood and the bonds that form from it. It has great animation and characters but lacks in other departments which took away from my viewing experience. Overall the film isn’t bad but there's definitely more to be improved on. I give it a solid 7/10.