Story
The Boy and the Beast is an animated Japanese movie. It’s about a lonely nine-year-old orphan boy named Ren (voiced by Aoi Miyazaki) who prefers to wander the dangerous streets of Tokyo than live with distant relatives. While walking the streets alone one night, Ren discovers the entrance to another universe called Jutengai, which contains many beast-like creatures. Among these beasts is a warrior bear named Kumatetsu (Koji Yakusho).
Ren admires Kumatetsu’s fighting skills and asks to learn from him. Kumatetsu takes Ren under his wing as an apprentice, although they clash a lot and spend a lot of time arguing over small issues. Eventually, they learn to get along and live together for many years.
At the age of 17, Ren ‘Kyuta’ (now voiced by Shota Sometani) begins to feel drawn to the human universe once more. He begins to visit sporadically, but eventually meets a kind-hearted girl named Kaede with whom he enjoys spending time. Torn between his potential relationship with Kaede and his friendship with Kumatetsu and life as a warrior, Ren must decide between living as a human or as a beast.
Themes
Violence
The Boy and the Beast has some violence. For example:
Sexual references
None of concern
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
None of concern
Nudity and sexual activity
The Boy and the Beast shows some partial nudity and mild sexual activity. For example:
- Ren and Kaede hold hands and embrace at one point. They are romantically interested in each other, but the movie doesn’t show any overtly sexual content.
- Ren’s buttocks are shown in some scenes, when he is wearing traditional Japanese clothing called fundoshi.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in The Boy and the Beast: Starbucks.
Coarse language
The Boy and the Beast has some coarse language.
Ideas to discuss with your children
The Boy and the Beast is a touching story about a young boy’s journey into adulthood, and the way he learns about relationships, responsibility and morality. Ren transforms from a lonely and angry child into a young man who cares deeply for others, and he’s willing to make sacrifices to help them.
The movie’s story and themes make it more suitable for older children. It also has some violent scenes and scary characters that are likely to disturb younger viewers. The movie is screening in both dubbed and subtitled versions – the subtitles might be hard for younger viewers to follow. At 119 minutes, the movie is also rather long for younger children.
Messages from this movie that you could discuss with your children include:
- the importance of not judging people before you get to know them
- the idea that family doesn’t have to be based on blood relationships
- the importance of learning respect, asking for help when you need it, and listening to people who are wiser and know more than you do
- the way that strength of will and determination can enable you to do things that you thought were impossible.