The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast
Company type	Animated film
Industry	Animation, Film
Founded	July 11, 2015; 11 years ago
Key people	Mamoru Hosoda (writer and director)
Products	Animated fantasy adventure film

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article The Boy and the Beast, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 10 August 2025

is a 2015 Japanese animated fantasy adventure film both written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The voice cast includes Kōji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shōta Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mamoru Miyano, among others. Debuting on July 11, 2015, the movie earned the Animation of the Year award at the 37th Japan Academy Prizes and achieved substantial box office success in Japan.

Plot

Ren, a nine-year-old boy recently orphaned and unwilling to live under guardianship, escapes onto the streets of Shibuya. He resorts to stealing food and takes refuge in an alleyway, haunted by memories of his mother’s funeral.

Within the Beast Kingdom, the grandmaster announces his intention to retire and reincarnate as a god. He designates two heirs: the charismatic Iōzen, father to Ichirōhiko and Jirōmaru, and the reclusive Kumatetsu. The grandmaster encourages Kumatetsu to find a disciple who can motivate him.

While roaming through Tokyo accompanied by his aide Tatara, Kumatetsu encounters Ren and invites him to become his pupil. Though hesitant at first, Ren follows him to the Beast Kingdom but soon discovers he cannot return to the human realm. Observing a confrontation between Iōzen and Kumatetsu, Ren admires Kumatetsu’s unwavering determination despite defeat. The grandmaster remarks that the true succession battle remains ahead.

Ren refuses to disclose his name, prompting Kumatetsu to nickname him Kyūta. Their initial training is challenging; however, Kyūta learns by mimicking Kumatetsu’s movements during daily tasks and eventually anticipates and evades attacks. Over eight years of joint training, Kyūta develops into a proficient kendo fighter. Meanwhile, Kumatetsu gains followers, including Jirōmaru.

Kyūta returns to the human world where he befriends Kaede, a fellow student. He also reunites with his father who has been searching for him. Struggling with his dual identity as Ren and Kyūta, he distances himself from both his father and mentor, confronting an internal emptiness until Kaede soothes him with a bracelet.

On the day of succession, Kumatetsu nearly faces defeat without Kyūta’s aid. Kyūta reveals himself and assists in overcoming Iōzen. It is disclosed that Ichirōhiko is actually a human adopted by Iōzen who possesses dangerous telekinetic abilities. During the fight, Ichirōhiko wounds Kumatetsu using Iōzen’s sword. Kyūta almost succumbs to his inner void but regains composure with Kaede’s bracelet as Ichirōhiko vanishes into darkness.

Determined to face Ichirōhiko in the human world, Kyūta is joined by Kaede who refuses to leave his side. They are attacked by Ichirōhiko in whale form. Overwhelmed, Kyūta contemplates harnessing his inner void destructively. At that moment, Kumatetsu reincarnates as a deity embodied in a sword that merges with Kyūta, filling his emptiness. Together they purge Ichirōhiko’s darkness. Ichirōhiko awakens unaware of what transpired.

Back in Shibuya, Ren converses with Kumatetsu now residing within him. They share an emotional exchange; Kumatetsu pledges ongoing support and cautions Ren against faltering.

Following this, Ren celebrates alongside Kaede in the Beast Kingdom. Reconciled with both his father and himself, he opts to live in the human world while carrying Kumatetsu forever in his heart.

Voice cast

Character	Cast
Character	Japanese	English
Kyūta (九太)/Ren (蓮)	Shōta Sometani, Aoi Miyazaki (child)	Eric Vale, Luci Christian (child)
Kumatetsu (熊徹)	Kōji Yakusho	John Swasey
Kaede (楓)	Suzu Hirose	Bryn Apprill
Ichirōhiko (一郎彦)	Mamoru Miyano, Haru Kuroki (child)	Austin Tindle, Morgan Berry (child)
Tatara (多々良)	Yo Oizumi	Ian Sinclair
Hyakushūbō (百秋坊)	Lily Franky	Alex Organ
Sōshi (宗師)	Masahiko Tsugawa	Steve Powell
Iōzen (猪王山)	Kazuhiro Yamaji	Sean Hennigan
Jirōmaru (二郎丸)	Kappei Yamaguchi, Momoka Ono (child)	Jessie James Grelle, Brittney Karbowski (child)
Chiko (チコ)	Sumire Morohoshi	Monica Rial
Ren's Father	Keishi Nagatsuka	Chuck Huber
Ren's Mother	Kumiko Asō	Jessica Cavanagh

Release

The movie made its initial debut in Japan on July 11, 2015, and later premiered internationally at the Toronto International Film Festival. Its UK premiere took place at the BFI London Film Festival on October 16, 2015.

In December 2014, Gaumont obtained the rights for international sales beyond Asia as well as theatrical distribution in France, where the film was released on January 13, 2016. For the United States market, Funimation secured licensing and launched the film in selected theaters beginning March 4, 2016. StudioCanal acquired distribution rights for the United Kingdom and Ireland, Madman Entertainment managed the Australian release, and Canadian distribution was handled by Mongrel Media.

Reception

Box office

At its Japanese opening, the film claimed the top spot at the box office, outperforming Avengers: Age of Ultron with roughly 492,000 tickets sold across 457 screens. By its second weekend, it slipped to second place with earnings of $3.89 million, surpassed by Hero 2. It ultimately ranked as the second highest-grossing film in Japan for 2015, accumulating a total box office revenue of .

In the United States, during its opening weekend on March 4, 2016, it reached #28 on the box office chart and had grossed $474,308 by March 16, 2016.

Critical response

The Boy and the Beast enjoys an 88% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 69 critiques, averaging a score of 7.3 out of 10. Metacritic assigned it a score of 65 out of 100 from 15 critics, reflecting "generally favorable reviews."

Mark Schilling from The Japan Times emphasized the film’s portrayal of Kyūta’s journey toward self-completion, likening it more to the Harry Potter series than to typical Miyazaki-style fantasies. Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku commended it as an engaging coming-of-age story suitable for audiences of all ages. Charles Solomon from the Los Angeles Times characterized it as a powerful narrative about two imperfect characters discovering love and discipline. Peter Debruge at Variety pointed out its deliberate integration of popular Japanese elements: conflicted adolescents, supernatural beings, and grand battles.

Some Western reviewers shared more mixed opinions: Andy Webster of The New York Times recognized Hosoda’s craftsmanship in fight choreography and settings but considered the character development somewhat conventional. Sherilyn Connelly from The Village Voice viewed the film as relying on familiar anime conventions without offering fresh perspectives. Marc Savlov from The Austin Chronicle described it as an exciting yet somewhat lengthy epic combining aspects reminiscent of Karate Kid with Japanese folklore. Jacob Chapman of Anime News Network found it visually captivating but felt it lacked complexity for mature viewers.

External links