#kumatetsu and kyuta from the boy and the beast

[alliebirb]

my trope of ALL time

[theamateurreviewer]

Review: The Boy and the Beast (2015, English Dub)

Total: 8/10

Overview: The film was the first Studio Chizu films that my fiancé every showed to me, and I wasn't totally sure what to expect, to be honest. At this point in my life, I had only seen a few bits and pieces of Anime, and only one feature-length picture, which was Grave of the Fireflies. However, I was quickly enamored with the characters, the story, and the quality of the animation, something that has been lost in the Western blockbusters of late. The compelling narrative, as well as the sincerity of the characters, helped smooth out any of the pacing issues that exist. In the best way possible, it feels like the film is unwilling to pull it's punches and uses those punches to the maximum emotional impact. I wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone wanting an anime film fix outside of the typical Studio Ghibli domain.

Spoilers Below, Read On at Your Own Risk

Strengths: First and foremost, the main characters are some of the most memorable of any Eastern animation film I've seen. I tend to judge a film, and by extension its characters, on whether or not I can remember their names a week after viewing the picture. And I can say that, nearly a year after viewing The Boy and The Beast, I can remember Kumatetsu, Kyuta, and Iozan, the three main characters, without issue, as well as their defining characteristics. They also interact with each other in such a way that feels like a rich world outside of the film exists. Kyuta and Kumatetsu talk to each other in a way that feels unique but also realistic for a found family father-and-son dynamic. Kumatetsu learns how to become a proper father figure, while Kyuta learns that he can trust and be vulnerable to another. This development happens between Kyuta and the real world human girl as well, but to a much less memorable extent.

Another great strength is the animation style, which is a fantastic blend of primarily two dimensional elements with a few three dimensional shots. Absolutely flawless. The fight scenes feel like they are grounded in a real place, and animated as if an actual camera were filming it. However, it goes beyond simply emulating the real world. I am reminded of how Fred Astaire, the famous tap dancer and musical performer of the 30s, 40s, and 50s, insisted that his dance scenes were shot. He requested that his whole body be in the frame, so that the audience would be able to see the full performer, much like if they were watching a theatre production. This is how many of the fight scenes feel in The Boy and the Beast.

Weaknesses: A major issue I have with the film is the pacing, actually. I feel as though the beginning and end are incredibly solid in their execution, but the middle was still a little undercooked. The narrative, specifically between Kyuta growing up and the duel between Kumatetsu and Iozan feels like it had no plan, and was just ambling along listlessly. It felt that the only thing driving the characters along in the narrative was the fact that time was passing, dragging them along. This is resolved after the duel, but it still felt like it could have had developed the B-plot a lot more.

The only other issue I had with the film was the sidelining of the importance of the Kaede, the human girl from before. She was hinted at being an important tie between Kyuta and the real, human world, but she was relegated to minor character status for most of the film until the end, but by then she didn't feel that important to the narrative.

In summation, the film is a fantastic and gorgeous film, in line with the Ghibli films of the 80s and 90s, such as Princess Mononoke and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, whose characters and story surpass the few rather important issues with the pacing of the film.

[batangtamad]

BAKEMONO NO KO (The Boy and the Beast)

Genres: Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Studios: Studio Chizu

Favorite Character: Ren also known as Kyuta.

Favorite Quote: "Sometimes the hurt is too much for me too. I think, 'I'm through with this.' It feels like my heart will burst. It's not just you, Ren, and it's not just me. I'm sure it happens to everyone. So, it's all right."

Plot Synopsis:

Two souls, living very different lives, wander alone and isolated in their respective worlds. For nine-year-old Ren, the last person who treated him with any form of kindness has been killed and he is shunned by what is left of his family. With no parents, no real family, and no place to go, Ren escapes into the confusing streets and alleyways of Shibuya. Through the twists and turns of the alleys, Ren stumbles into the intimidating Kumatetsu, who leads him to the beast realm of Shibuten.

For Kumatetsu, the boy represents a chance for him to become a candidate to replace the Lord of the realm once he retires. While nearly unmatched in combat, Kumatetsu's chilly persona leaves him with no disciples to teach and no way to prove he is worthy of becoming the Lord's successor.

While the two share different goals, they agree to help each other in order to reach them. Kumatetsu searches for recognition; Ren, now known as Kyuuta, searches for the home he never had. As the years pass by, it starts to become apparent that the two are helping each other in more ways than they had originally thought. Perhaps there has always been less of a difference between them, a boy and a beast, than either of the two ever realized. (MAL)

The Boy and the Beast has an element of comedy (a little bit of) which add to the story. The animation is amazing especially the fight scene between Kyuta and Ichirohiko. Personally, I ship Kyuta and Ichirohiko instead of Kaede.

The ending is good, but I hope that Kumatetsu could change back from sword to his beast form again. Anyway, overall the story is good.

[lezzybugo3o]

20tober and OC-tober Day 8

Day 8: Frail and the OC created to be the love interest of a fandom character I don’t normally create characters for the sole purpose of being a love interest (mostly because I don’t want them to stay as that), but if there’s one character I remember making for that role, it’s Kitsu (more of a placeholder name but I like it). Taking place in The Boy and the Beast universe, Kitsu is a female red fox beast with a short temper and a low tolerance of laziness. I ship her with Kumatetsu mostly because it’d be funny to see them act like an old married couple. XD I kinda cheated on the time limit a bit because I wanted to finish off the last bit ^^;

20tober prompt OC-tober prompt

The rain continued to pour outside as Kitsu drummed her fingers on the table with a huff. Where the hell was that idiot Kumatetsu? He was supposed to be here an hour ago. The vixen ran a hand through her fluffy hair, the top part neatly hidden underneath a red bandanna. She kept watching the door with a bored expression, waiting for the brash bear creature to return home. At some point, her gaze wandered over to Kyuta who was just pacing around. Normally he would be training outside despite the weather, but Kitsu, not wanting to deal with a sick child, ordered him to stay inside. That dummy’s biting off more than he can chew if he’s training a human. Never even had a disciple under his wing before, she thought to herself.

Finally Kitsu groaned loudly and slammed her paws on to the table. “Will you quit pacing around, brat?! You’re making me nervous!”

Kyuta jumped in place at the angry fox’s words and nodded quickly. “S-sorry.”

Kitsu panted for a bit then sighed. “No, I’m sorry, kid. Just…” She settled back into her seat and rested her head into her furry hands. “I’m not used to kids. I mean I know how to treat their wounds and all, but actually talking to one?” She let out a quick breath. “Not my specialty.”

“Kitsu, can I ask you something?”

The female fox raised an eyebrow but shrugged. “Yeah sure. I guess you can.”

The boy took a seat in front of her and looked upon her as if studying her face. “How come you live here instead of your own place? Doesn’t seem like you like Kumatetsu all that much.”

Kitsu visibly blushed while making a face. “Okay, ask any question but that.”

“Hey, come on!” He got up and pouted. “You said I could ask you something!”

She groaned and rubbed her temples. “Fine, fine. I only stay here because-” A pounding noise on the door cut off her answer. She stood up quickly and moved the young boy behind her without thinking. “Stay back, kid. Could be something dangerous.”

Suddenly the door burst open and there was Kumatetsu, soaking wet and holding his gut with one hand while the other had the groceries he set out for in the first place. “Heh… made it.” “Where the hell have you been?! You had us worried sick and-” Her eyes widened as she spotted something red splayed across Kumatetsu’s abdomen. “Oh gods, you’re bleeding.”

“Yeah, some thief tried to mug me and when the bastard didn’t get his way, he stuck me with his dagger. Hurt like hell, but I gave him a good sock in his stupid face.”

Kitsu shook her head and pulled on his arm. “Don’t just stand there! Move to the couch and take off your shirt!”

The large bear man’s eyes widened and Kyuta could have sworn he saw his master blush. “Jeez, Kitsu. There’s no time for that. We got a kid here. At least send him off to bed first.”

The female fox’s face reddened with anger. “I don’t mean it like that, you dumbass! I need to clean your wound!”

“Tch, could have said that first.” Kumatetsu stripped himself of his shirt and sat on the couch. “You don’t need to waste your time on this, girlie. I’ve had worse gashes.”

Kitsu ignored his comments and brought out a kit with gauze, medicine, and other supplies to clean a nasty cut like this. “I’m not babysitting you because you got infected.”

“Never said you had to, missy. I ain’t some frail old man,” he sneered. He then let out a pained scream when Kitsu ran a wet rag on his stomach. “Watch it, ya idiot! That hurt!”

“It won’t hurt as much if you stop acting like a baby! And as far as the old man thing, at least the frail old man would be grateful of what I’m doing,” Kitsu grumbled.

Kumatetsu pointed an accusing finger at her, thankful he didn’t touch her chest which was concealed by her tank top. “Then what the hell are you still hanging around here for, huh?”

“I’m only here so you don’t drown in your own filth, ya pig-headed oaf!” the fox yelled while her tail swished around angrily.

As they went back and forth on each other, Kyuta shook his head and finally remarked, “You guys fight like an old married couple.”

At the same time, the two beasts looked to him and screamed, “WE AIN’T A COUPLE!”

The boy cleaned his ears from their shouting and just smirked, “Could have fooled me.”

[sevi007]

 Okay, „The boy and the beast“ was pretty good, despite my overall sleepiness / not feeling well. Quick listing on what I liked especially:

  -        I really, really loved the art style. It’s… I don’t know why, but it felt so very unique, and it was simply beautiful. Made me itch to draw myself. XD

  -        The characters defy the “usual” roles you would expect in an anime role, and each of them is special, deep, and together they complement each other very well (especially Kyuta and Kumatetsu, but more of that later)

    -        The story was short (it’s only two hours after all) but it’s rich, it’s deep, and it made me laugh and cry all the same, short or not

    -        Kyuta and Kumatetsu are just worth their weight in gold, and their relationship even more so. The loud, rough beast Kumatetsu who simply takes Kyuta in because he needs a student (or, more honestly, because he saw the boy’s eyes and they were the same lonely eyes he had) and Kyuta, the defiant, witty and smart boy who has to go with the beast because he has no home (but, really, comes to love his makeshift-new-beast-family)? They are awesome. They spend more or less the whole movie yelling and arguing and snapping “Look at you, are you going to lose?!” – “Shut up you brat!”, but it’s so clear that they care deeply for each other, it’s awesome.

    -        No, honestly, what I really love about the two of them is that they need each other to grow. Kumatetsu is not a good mentor. Kyuta is not a good student. They are two pieces of one puzzle, and they only reach their goals by helping each other grow. (Eh, Izuku and All Might anyone? No? Just me?)

    -        I love that the difficulty that comes from growing up in a magical world but actually belonging (partly) to the human world doesn’t get ignored, but is the main focus of the whole movie. It speaks of growing up, of not really knowing where you belong, of having to overcome the fear and make a place for yourself, with the help of your friends and family. That’s really, really deep, guys.

  -        The heroine-to-be-girlfriend has anxiety and struggles with life sometimes, but she’s brave and smart and optimistic because she chooses not to be subdued by her fears and I love her so much for it

  -        The side characters are precious and I love all of them, especially the ones who help “raise” Kyuta.

  … I said quick list, but I ended up listing up the whole movie because it’s so good. I think I need the DVD permanently. I need to rewatch it whenever I feel like my growth stopped. It will be a good reminder to never give up.

[thegirthquaker]

May 5th, 2021.

Once again, I faced my birthday.

Long story short, I watched two movies with Grimmelkin.

One was Goblin Slayer, which was great. It was a bonafide continuation.

The other one was a very meaningful one, more than I’d have expected.

It was The Boy and the Beast. It was great. I wonder if I could pull off a series of comics one day, to give that world the proper ending it deserves. No one really got closure, it was rushed in it’s second half, and I’m not sure how to feel about Kumatetsu technically dying. I’m tired of dad deaths.

Kumatetsu and Kyuta were a reflection in numerous ways.

To prevent some unnecessary uninteresting long-winded read-up, I’m going to keep it abridged, there’s only one other spot I have a full write-up on.

I found motivation to break through my shell, to face myself. The movie had so many familiar moments that brought back good memories, but...it also brought back horrible memories. Memories of my failures with Grimmelkin.

I remember the missteps I’ve had with him over the years. Our age gap is small, we share no blood, yet we’ve had the same types of drama.

Kumatetsu was inspiring by his changes, at least what could be noted and seen. Like after Kyuta yelled at him and left. He probably would’ve actually broke down crying if he was a bit more like his old self.

The familiarity in pushing through even when you’re down, but losing because of yourself. That showdown he nearly lost.

And then the constant cheering. The constant echo of “don’t lose” that I hear.

Grimmelkin placed me on a high pedestal. There’s just so much I can say, but at this point, I shouldn’t.

Gaining strength is hard, and getting over your failures is even harder. Having grown up with the same descriptions and seeing the same things... I’m actually a bit envious of Kumatetsu. He still had 2 people around him when dealing with Kyuta.

However, we both failed the same. Each misstep, drama, each bad memory, bullying, remembering what we wanted from our childhoods. He found the means to raise himself and gain his own strength. Without any real life reference, I’ve only got game characters, old men to inspire me. I had to learn pretty much everything on my own. Even my values on humanity and my morals against society stem from it.

Honestly, I’m not sure what to write because aside having written things and doing a completely new write-up on the same topic being really difficult...

I’m usually not this inspired. I’m usually inspired “enough” when I find a waifu like Kumatetsu. But this, I see my goals and remember the things I’ve forgotten.

I can only say, I screwed up so much. I need to change, get stronger, and get over it.

If he’s the strongest, then I should look to be the same. Being strong is never easy. Gaining that strength is my path forward. No more being shy or nervous.

No more being a coward. No more wallowing in despair.

I guess I’ll just think of it as the Kumatetsu way and try using that to remember.

To not waver, to keep going when the going gets tough. I guess in writing, it would be every thought relating to the big guy trope and personifying it.

Jibberish that means little to others, but that’s not important.

What’s important are actions. I’ll take it slowly and use this week to hopefully get back in the swing of things.

[awkwardanime]

Awkward Anime Episode 7: Bakemono no Ko (The Boy and the Beast): Fathers of Choice

“People have two sides, and a person first becomes appealing when you discover both of those sides - and worlds work the same way. I believe it’s having both Shibuya and Jutengai that makes the film’s setting an interesting one.” Hosoda on two worlds

Directors are regularly set on their principles and ideas, which is hard to leave to discover others. This animated feature, for me, showed and answered the question: Who is the man Mamoru Hosoda and what are his principles? One of his principles that he more than not portrays in his works is that of Family. Here, he gives the audience an open mind as to whether or not Kumatetsu was indeed the true father figure the young boy needed. This small child is shown at one point copying the movements of this large beast, witnessing the desire and indeed stinginess he too sees in himself.

I see many many relationships within this movie that are all “Father-Son” relationships, yet are portrayed in different ways, leading us to believe that Kumatetsu was the ONLY true parent to Kyuta. But he wasn’t. He was one of many people that helped bring the frail child into adolescence and adulthood.

“How possible it might be for unmarried men and adults not blessed with biological children to become fathers of choice.“

Hyakushubo and Tatara with Kyuta. Ren with his biological father. Kaede with her father. Iuozen with Ichirohiko and so on. The idea of these relationships were for Hosoda to show that the old days are gone, with Japan’s birth rate constantly dropping, he wanted to ensure people understood that in these modern times anyone and everyone can be a “Pseudo-Father”.

I saw the growth that these relationships developed as the movie rolled along, or in some cases lack of. Kumatetsu, as a character, did not change much in his personality. Brave, stingy, old fashioned, confident and never modest. Though what was clear to see was indeed the strength within both Kyuta and this beast forming that bond. Is Kumatetsu the ideal father for Kyuta? No. That is exactly why Hosoda introduced his biological father to us, along with other carers. I will always praise Hosoda for depicting family and relationships in a simple yet meaningful manner. He sought out to produce a Pseudo-Family relationship(s) seeking that confusion in the audience about if indeed the characters grew.

“I too realise that there have been many people, both famous and unknown,who have had a greater influence on me growing up than my own father"

Ren. Kyuta. The two names for a person living in two worlds. I believe that purposely adding “Kyuta” was a message from Hosoda. To express the identity uncertainty inside the character which creates that tension within the viewers minds of wondering “Who is he really?”

“I wrote the story with the hope that those children who were lost in their own lives would find some kind of answer in this movie and be able to share in it as well.”

Ren and Kyuta. They are the two different halves of one person. With life in the Jutengai, arose new problems within himself which he had to take care of. He wasn’t alone. The carers around him, kept distance so trust could build slowly. The point is that anyone can end up in a position of Hyakushubo yelling at Kyuta, or Tatara holding him in tears. Kumatetsu, Tatara, Hyakushubo, Kaede and his biological father helped him carve his own path. That’s all what anyone can do to help another, as parents or just as friends.

“Maybe everyone eventually will get a role to play doing these things that parents do with children. By doing so, they might experience the fulfillment of being a parent.“

Thank You, Mamoru Hosoda for expressing your family values and helping me to realise wrongdoings.

Check out previous Eps:

Ep6.2 - Fading innocence of Ame

Ep6.1 - Wolf Children Poster

Ep5 - My Neighbor Totoro

Ep4 - Summer Wars

Ep 3 - Spirited Away

Ep2 - Koe no Katachi

[kiitareu]

20 QUESTIONS TAG

thank you @ksooup for tagging me *3*

Rules: Answer the 20 questions in a new post and tag 20 blogs you would like to get to know better.

Nickname: clairity, clear, puffer

Gender: f 

Star Sign: cancer sun, sagittarius rising, taurus moon

Height: 5′3

Time right now: 6:05 pm

Last thing I googled: “erykah badu” LOOOL SORRY DAISY

Favorite Bands: nct ALL SUBUNITS !! exo!! red velvet!! 

Favorite Solo Artists: zico, lee hi, mino, oohyo, yezi, beenzino

Song stuck in your head: body - mino

Last Movie I watched: when marnie was there.. its REALLY good i recommend to everyone FSDKFJkdjf

Last TV Show I watched: descendants of the sun LOL last summer

When did you create your blog: 2014? but it became a kpop blog towards the end of 2016 :)

What kind of stuff do you post: nct and exo and red velvet and some other kpop stuff/memes heh

When did your blog reach its peak: not really yet i think? the past week was pretty eventful though LOL but two people just UNFOLLOWE D mE WHY

Do you have any other blogs: yes i have like TEN i have a trash sideblog @spiritfromthemoon and a food sideblog @osakafood and i recently made a sideblog JUST FOR RAMEN @ramen-are-the-real-men but IDK IF I WILL KEEP IT UP

Do you get asks regularly: no HAH

Why you chose your URL: BECAUSE DOYOUNG SAID NCT FANS SHOULD B CALLED PEPPERONIS SO PEPPERONIS WE ARE

Following: 491

Post: 6443

Hogwarts House: slytherin

Pokémon Team: instinct

Favorite colors: pastel pink, black, white

Average Hours of sleep: 6 on weekdays, 10 on weekends LMAO

Lucky Numbers: 4. contrary to my culture’s belief 

Favorite manga Characters: i don’t read manga so anime movies OK i love seiji amasawa from whisper of the heart, umi from from up on poppy hill, kyuta and kumatetsu from the boy and the beast, taki from kimi no na wa

How many blankets do you sleep with: one rn but sometimes it’s like...three 

Dream job: i’m not really sure it keeps on changing.. currently wanting to do something related to biomedical engineering!

Dream Trip: new york city !!1! i’ve never been and i really love big cities because i’ve always lived in the suburbs and i visited vegas just this last winter break and itwas AMAZING i fell in LOVE with the strip

@ilovnct @haechico @nct-markeureee @messehun @vminswife @kittyhunnie @annoyingexotrash @why-jaehyun LOL NOT 20 BUT GOOD ENOUGH

[lewistown-elementary-school]

Tumblr, I like Teen Titans, but that’s not at all why I’m tracking “The Boy and the Beast”. Beast Boy, BBRae, and so on have nothing to do with Kyuta, Kumatetsu, Iozen, Jinomaru, Ichirohiko, Tatara, Hyakoshubo, Kaede, or anything else from that movie. Stop insisting it does. Give me what I actually want.

[movielovtrailers-blog]

The Boy and the Beast Official International Trailer (2017) starring Bryn Apprill, Kumiko Asô, Morgan Berry International trailer for The Boy and the Beast starring Bryn Apprill, Kumiko Asô, Morgan Berry. The latest feature film from award-winning Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children): When Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya, stumbles into a fantastic world of beasts, he"s taken in by Kumatetsu, a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who"s been searching for the perfect apprentice.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 3/27/17

It’s the Affordable Briefs Act!

The Boy and the Beast, Vol. 3 | By Mamoru Hosada and Renji Asai | Yen Press – This novel, and in turn this manga, is at heart about an adopted dad and son who have issues that cause them to lash out, but get along well anyway. Kyuta has the excuse of being a teenager who has met a nice girl and also runs into his birth father again but can’t pick up where he left off. Kumatetsu is simply a bear man with massive anger and abandonment issues. But they both manage to man up and evolve to another level in this book, which is immensely satisfying until the cliffhanger, where everything goes horribly wrong. This should wrap up next time, and it’s an excellent adaptation, with nicely expressive art and some cool fight scenes at the end. – Sean Gaffney

A Centaur’s Life, Vol. 11 | By Kei Murayama | Seven Seas – I’m still reading this series, mostly because I want to see how many times it makes me stare at the page in disbelief. Half of its is still slice-of-life monster girls, with chapters like “little girls’ first day at school” and “are the main cast good enough to try being idols?.” And then you get chapters with frog terrorists breaking into a brothel and slaughtering nearly everyone in order to rescue one of their own, or the human soldier who’s involved in a war with the same frogs and runs into phenomenal prejudice from the other soldiers, which is clearly meant to be a commentary on World War II. Either of these genres might be interesting by itself. Together they’re a hopeless mishmash, and I mostly just end up frustrated. – Sean Gaffney

Complex Age, Vol. 4 | By Yui Sakuma | Kodansha Comics – If there was an award for introducing a character to a series and immediately making you hate her so much that every time you see her on the cover you’re filled with the urge to kick her face in, then Yui Sakuma would surely win it. Rui is the girl whose shabby cosplay Nagisa shamed back in volume one, and now she’s back, having become a perfectionist herself. Clearly unhinged, she’s outraged by newbie Aya receiving Nagisa’s attention and sics internet trolls on her. I might hate her, but I love that Nagisa must compare herself to Rui and articulate how she’s different. Because of this interaction, and the way Nagisa breaks things off with her boyfriend after he’s critical of a chubby friend enjoying cosplay, I’ve got a stronger sense of her character than ever before. I can’t believe there are only two more volumes of this series! – Michelle Smith

Everyone’s Getting Married, Vol. 4 | By Izumi Miyazono | VIZ Media – Guess what? Asuka still wants to get married and Ryu still doesn’t. Shocker, I know. A sizable portion of this volume focuses on the insecurities each has regarding someone else in the other’s life—for Ryu it’s Kamiya, a banking-industry comrade of Asuka who sees her as his perfect woman and has proposed to her, while for Asuka it’s married actress Yuko Sakura, Ryu’s former lover and co-host of a new music program. The resolutions to these situations are sweet, and there’s one comment by Ryu that suggests a bit of thawing on the marriage question, but I admit it’s all beginning to feel a bit repetitive to me. That said, I did like the oneshot at the end, and will definitely continue reading the series. – Michelle Smith

He’s My Only Vampire, Vol. 10 | By Aya Shouoto | Yen Press – We’ve reached the end of this series, and I will definitely give it credit for not ending the way that I was expecting to. The school life is not making a comeback, as the final battle between Aki and Eriya proves to be life-changing and not something that you can walk back. As for the battle itself, it’s filled with last-minute plot twists and turns that unfortunately did not have as much impact on me as they should have. This series has an unfortunate habit of being interesting while I read it but immediately forgettable otherwise. But it looks quite pretty, and certainly those who love vampire romance got their money’s worth. Probably my favorite Shouoto series, though it still had a lot of issues. – Sean Gaffney

Kiniro Mosaic, Vol. 2 | By Yui Hara | Yen Press – Slice-of-life fluff is always difficult to review, even in brief format. “The cute girls do cute things” doesn’t really tell you anything. We do see more of their teacher, who appears to be well-meaning but a bit ditzy, and Youo seems to settle into her role as the closest this series has to a normal girl. For the most part, if you liked volume one you’ll like the second—there’s still yuri tease that doesn’t really go beyond “I really like you in a blushy way,” there’s still “these girls are all airheads in various ways” humor, and Karen continues to be the only one who suffers from not being a strong enough stereotype. If you enjoy this sort of series, it’s good fun, but it’s quite inessential, even for yuri fans. – Sean Gaffney

Love at Fourteen, Vol. 6 | By Fuka Mizutani | Yen Press – It’s been a year since we last saw this series, but not much has changed. Kanata and Kazuki still awkwardly pursue a secret relationship, even as Kanata realizes that “I love you” has never actually been said. A lot of Japanese romances involve the idea that deeds are always more important than words, and this proves to be the case here as well. We also discover that there is more than one lesbian character in the series, which is surprising, and nice to see. As for Nagai and Hinohara, that’s there as well, and we see she’s not above abusing his obvious crush on her to get him to do something for the school, though it backfires on her somewhat. Ignoring the power issues with that ship, this remains a great manga for romance fans. – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 6 | By nanao and HaccaWorks* | Yen Press – Oh dear, and now we’re running in place again. There’s a lot that goes on here, but there’s less forward progression than I like. We do get some nice backstory between the fox-tailed miko of the shrine and the ayakashi killer, and we also learn, and I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was, that there is more to Tsubaki’s sister than it appears. (If nothing else, I guess that means I can rely on her to not get killed for the sake of drama in the next book.) But I have similar issues with this series and He’s My Only Vampire, in that I find it very hard to keep track of everything that’s happening, even with the release being relatively fast in North America. For fantasy fans. – Sean Gaffney

Of the Red, the Light, and the Ayakashi, Vol. 6 | By HaccaWorks* and nanao | Yen Press – Akitoshi and Akashi have partnered together to infiltrate the shrine of Utsuwa, but once Akitoshi realizes Akashi doesn’t care if other people get hurt, he joins up with Yue instead to look for their missing friend, Tsubaki. Once everyone gathers inside, Akashi and Mikoto have a standoff, and some of their past is revealed. Honestly, although I found this volume to be fast-paced and interesting, it’s also still fairly confusing at times. Some of what puzzles me are mysteries yet to be explained, but I’m also not sure why Yue, a vessel of someone important like Shin, was also destined to be someone else’s meal. I strongly suspect this series will benefit from a straight-through reading rather than in installments. Still recommended, though! – Michelle Smith

That Wolf-boy Is Mine, Vol. 4 | By Yoko Nogiri | Kodansha Comics – And so, a heartwarming tale comes to a close. Komugi’s memories of Yu and friends have been buried by Yata-sensei, but thankfully it doesn’t take too long for her to recover them. I very much liked seeing the other ayakashi boys arguing in favor of their relationship, and we finally learn what happened twelve years ago. It’s a pleasant and non-surprising ending, and it is satisfying, though I confess I still kind of hoped Komugi would end up with Rin. What pleasantly surprised me, though, was the absolutely lovely bonus story about Senri, the two-tailed cat who has been most distant from the main narrative, and the time he loved and was loved by a human. I enjoyed this series very much and hope we see more of Nogiri’s work here in the future. – Michelle Smith

By: Michelle Smith

[itunesanimemovies]

The Boy and the Beast (Dubbed) - 細田守

The latest feature film from award-winning Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children): When Kyuta, a young orphan living on the streets of Shibuya, stumbles into a fantastic world of beasts, he’s taken in by Kumatetsu, a gruff, rough-around-the-edges warrior beast who’s been searching for the perfect apprentice. http://dlvr.it/NWtv0D