The Boy and the Beast is an anime film about a young boy who has lost his parents and is taken up as an apprentice by a beast. The premise is a bit unusual and it takes around half an hour before it clicks and eventually works really well. Ren is nine years old when he is wandering around the streets of Tokyo having run away from home due to his mother passing away. He mistakenly enters the Beast Kingdom and is taken up as an apprentice by Kumatetsu. Kumatetsu is arrogant, rash and blunt but he has to take on an apprentice in order to become a candidate for the lord of the city (but mainly he just wants to fight Iozen, the other candidate and determine who is stronger). Thus the film tells the father-son bond between the two as they struggle to display their feelings in any way other than insulting and shouting at each other. The film has great animation and blends the drama, emotion and humor really well. It culminates into several exciting fight sequences and while the climax and each major plot point is predictable, it doesn't diminish the impact. The Boy and the Beast has a solid story and emotional depth that explores the struggles Ren feels as he is coping with his role in the world.
