The Boy and the Beast

by Mamoru Hosoda

Tokyo's a big city-big enough that it's easy for a grieving boy like Ren to slip through the cracks. But Ren slips a little farther than he meant to, tumbling into the beast world of Jutengai! He ends up with a new name--Kyuta--and a new life learning the way of the sword as the apprentice of the bear Kumatetsu. Kumatetsu's got problems of his own, though, and the boy and the beast may have more to learn from each other than they realize. But the boy's arrival in the realm of the beasts has put both their worlds in danger, and they're going to need more than life lessons to face it!

Genres: Light Novel, Manga, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Comics, Novels

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2015

About the author

Mamoru Hosoda (細田 守 Hosoda Mamoru, born September 19, 1967) is a Japanese film director and animator.

Reviews

[Angela Auten · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Boy and the Beast Review

Book Rating: 5 stars out of 5.

Story Line: 5 stars out of 5. I saw the movie to this book before I read it. I could visualize everything happening in the book. Ren ran from the head family because he wanted to be with his dad really. He didn't want to be with them. He was angry and that is why darkness entered his heart. When he met Kumatetsu he was alone. Then he found himself in Jutengai...the world of the beasts. The beasts didn't really accept him because of the darkness, but Kumatetsu did. I laughed a lot when it came to this book. There were so many funny scenes. The fight scenes and training scenes were my favorite to read. I'm so happy I read the book also. I will be watching the movie on Tuesday before work. I want to see it again after reading the fabulous book.

Characters: 5 stars out of 5. Ren/Kyuta was an amazing character with amazing development. He was able to get over the darkness in his heart. If it wasn't for his master. He was able to conquer so much. He was alone, but in the end he realized he wasn't.

Kumatetsu was funny and lovable. He wasn't really great with Ren in the beginning. Eventually he was able to become a father figure to Ren. I love them both so much.

Favorite Quote: "You grip the sword that's in your heart."

Writing Style: 5 stars out of 5. I loved the writing style. I did notice a few mistakes, but that was because he was translated from Japanese. Mamoru Hosada really captured me again with this brilliant novel.

[Aly (Fantasy4eva) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the show last night and it left such an impact on me that I just had to share my thoughts in any way possible. When I found out it was the same writer from one of my favourite anime ever (Wolf Children) I just knew I had to give it a go. And boy was it a ride.

It starts off by our protagonist all alone. Relatives that have others agendas in taking him in are not welcomed by him at all. So in a fit of rage he runs off. But when a bear offers to take him on as his apprentice he hesitates. Either he gets found and is taken back to those terrible people, or takes a chance. He decides on the chance.

This is not just the story of a boy being transported to a different world. There is so much more to it than that. One of the really BIG themes in this show is family and acceptance, or the lack of it.. And not particularly blood family, but family that comes from the heart. Initially he doesn't take his new master seriously. But through time he sees his strength and all that he does to survive. Suddenly he wants that strength, he wants to walk free and not be afraid of being hurt. But it's not just his master who teaches him, But Ren who somehow along the way teaches his master more than he could have ever expected.

Where Ren teaches him to have patience and observe his surroundings, his master teaches him to be strong. They grow to cherish one another, even if they struggle to admit it.

But Ren has another life too. The world he's from, and at some point he will have to choose.

I found myself punching the air every time there was a fight scene in which Ren or the Master were having a duel with others. I would grow emotional at every heavy scene and the bond these characters had was so so touching. I haven't watched good anime like this in a while to be honest. It really felt like I had come across a gem. I felt like I was given a heavy reminder of just how precious people are to us and how easily we can take them for granted sometimes. I really didn't think it would end up being as deep as it did. A must watch<3

[Zahra Ashrafzade · Rating 4 out of 5]

( First time reading a light novel & I haven't watched the anime yet.)
3.5 stars?

Writing:

The opening chapter firstly sounded quite new for me, gripping from the beginning. I liked the narration and PoVs. Even without telling, it was no hard job to see who's PoV you're reading. The story was being narrated by the CHs, or CHs pretending to be other CHs, after it was over. They mentioned every now and then that they're changing PoVs or that they're skipping years to get to the point. Again, such way of literally " story telling"  wasn't an everyday kind that I see.( though it might be so for many. ) Good thing is, it wasn't irritating, but fun. Honestly though, I didn't expect a nine year jump in time.

One other unexpected thing was using punctuation marks as dialogs. I don't know how frequent that might be in light novels, but any ways it wasn't that much significant.

Characters:

Easily imagined with all their adjectives and behavior well carved into mind when reading. A bit comical, absolutely fun yet not dull. They were different enough from each other and there's a chance of them standing out as some thing more than a beast and a boy( etc. ) yet there was merely anything worth admiring.

Plot and Pacing:

Both plot and pacing were okay-ish. No plot hole I can point out, but some what messy. I think the kind of changing scenes, flashbacks and places it had, could be more of a use in anime. ( isn't it supposed to be about plot & pacing and not the writing? Meh. Maybe this point about the writing caused a bit of mess in the plot. )

The pacing kept a steady rhythm. Some fights appear at the start and the end, though even with them around, the fight-less parts didn't sound slow.
Plot events woke no surprise in me. (Maybe once or twice.) It may seem like nothing much is happening, but every part was enjoyable and nice anyway.


World building:

I don't know how much the world of this books leans on Japanese myths or beliefs, but I liked reading a story happening there. The author creates no complicated fantasy world. Instead, we're thrown into it with just enough of information firstly put into conversations. Like how it was in The Graveyard Book, in a way.


Overall, even without seeing the anime I can say it felt like reading it accurately written down. I checked out a summarized text on the anime and it seems like it really is the exact same. Many things about it seem to be better on screen.
Next time, I would watch the anime right away, for the sake of fascinating anime art and time.
(+ I liked the ending.)



( دو از هشت کتابی که پاییز( زمستون؟ ) 99 خریده بودم که این روزای تابستون بخونم. 0.0 )

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the movie so much that I just had to get the book. And while it wasn't a bad read, at the same time, I'm really glad I only paid $3 for it. It was fun, but the writing wasn't really...good...I guess? It was just so-so. Scenes felt awkwardly described, as though someone was sitting in front of the TV, watching this film, and typing up exactly what they saw. You don't have to describe word-for-word how someone acted or moved. It just comes across as tedious. Still, I enjoyed the book strictly for it's connection to the movie. It was fun reliving my favorite scenes. I'll have to watch the movie again.

[Peter Marendeak · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mamoru Hosoda munkássága eddig sem volt ismeretlen előttem, és a kiváló animéi (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Summer Wars) után kíváncsi voltam, mit alkot íróként. És sajnos azt kellett tapasztalnom, hogy nem annyira vált be számomra. Ez az első munkája, amit írott formában előbb fogyasztok. Az animét ettől függetlenül meg fogom nézni, mert azt gyanítom, hogy csak ebben a formában nem működött a számomra. A karakterek már ismerősek voltak, a sztori sem túl eredeti, a POV váltások nincsenek kellően érzékeltetve. Valószínűleg az animáció sokat adhat hozzá. Remélem, így lesz.

[Shamim · Rating 4 out of 5]

هم انیمه و هم لایت ناولش رو تو زمان درستی دیدم و خوندم و عاشق هردوش شدم.
هردو کاملا مشابهن و تفاوت چندانی ندارن.
من اولش انیمه رو که دیدم، نمیتونستم با گرافیکش ارتباط برقرار کنم ولی خدا رو شکر که ادامه دادم چون واقعا به لحاظ داستانی و محتوایی، عالی بود و با عشق لایت ناولش رو هم خوندم.
در هر صورت پیشنهاد می کنم شما هم امتحان کنین⭐

[brisingr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mamoru Hosoda is my favourite director and if you haven't watched any of his movies yet, you HAVE TO because they're literal masterpieces of storytelling.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ren, a runaway hiding on the streets of Shibuya, follows the loudmouth swordsman beast Kumatetsu to the world of Jutengai and soon becomes his apprentice, renamed Kyuta - but humans bear darkness within, and he must decide which realm is truly his as battle for a new Grandmaster looms...Hosoda offers a decent summary of his acclaimed film, riddled with needless coarse language but an adequate read for fans seeking a refresher or pick-me-up. How long shall the shadow he ran from linger before Kyuta finds his place?

[Quiet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story which has enough darkness to make it meaningful, but also enough fantasy, trope and whimsy to fuel a more light-hearted investment, although sometimes to a fault.

For those not familiar with contemporary Japanese teen/children novels, there's an extreme focus on action, with lots of battles which stretch up to a dozen pages where people flick swords, throw kicks, and scream long guttural noises before every punch. If you're into these action-passages, then you won't be let down. But if you're like me and find these segments vapid and doing nothing for the plot or characters, then expect quite a bit of sloth.

But the story is enjoyable. A boy with a dark family life finds himself simultaneously orphaned and thrown into a fantasy world where everyone is an anthromorphized beast-creature, like rabbits, boars, and bears, and they happen to love martial-arts seriously too much. This orphan boy with family problems becomes apprenticed to a bear with identity problems, and from there they build a relationship centered on the either forcing the other to address their problems, often by punching and yelling at each other in that most loving of Master/Apprentice ways.

I did like this book, but at the same time it is also very scripted if you're alert of Japanese legends and tropes. The ending of this book also gets way too bogged down in action-writing and involves increasingly obscure imagery that is hard to understand/picture and not really worth figuring out anyway. It's typical for the 'final fight' to be utterly bonkers in Japanese action-books, but when the writing fails to match it then they become nothing more than pages flipped with a yawn.

I'd recommend this for any enthusiast of Japanese fantasy or Japanese light novels, and maybe to that parent who wants to read their kid a thrilling battle-focused book each night. Otherwise though, not worth the time, and really the movie actually is much better than the book here.

[Srdjan Solkotovic · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely adventure, filled with joy, sadness, passion and so much of everything. Indeed a great mix of everything is what defines this book, yet the message(at least for me) is clear as day and I said it many times when someone asked me what's this book or the movie about:
"No matter what you look like, no matter what you feel, you are only as strong as you are kind."

In the end kindness is a greater strength then everything else, and the strongest people are also the kindest ones. Don't believe me?
Just enter this world and see for yourself, follow the journey of the young boy who ended up in the world of the Beasts and enjoy the nerve wrecking emotion train to feel good city.

You'll see, you might not enjoy some things, but in the end this book will motivate you and make you feel good, that's my guarantee.
*I do not give money back* (just had to put that there I mean a lot of you are crazy and

[_.eameli · Rating 4 out of 5]

قدرت واقعی یعنی داشتن یه ذهن قدرتمند که در کنارش شجاعت،رهبری و عزت نفس هم باشد.
میدونید کجایه داستان دوست داشتم؟
اونجاهایی که سوم شخص داشت درمورد کیوتا و کوماتتسو حرف می‌زد و ما میتونستیم داستان رو از یه بعد دیگه و از زبون یکی دیگه بخونیم و بشنویم اما داستان متنش یه خورده ضعیف بود با همین ضعف دوسش دارم لذت بخش بود برام این سبک ناول یا کتاب راحت خوان خیلی سریع کتاب تموم میشه به خاطر متن راحتش حتی یه بچه ۱۰ ساله میتونه به راحتی این سبک کتاب بخونه.
داستان درمورد پسرکی که مادر فوت کرده و پدری هم که چند وقت از پیش شون رفته اون دیگه هیچکسی نداره بجز عمه و عمویی که اون به چشم یه بچه آزار دهنده می‌بینند کیوتا از دست اون ها فرار میکنه و زیر یه گذرگاه قایم میشه از اینجا داستان خوفناک ما شروع میشه
پسری که یتیم جایی برای رفتن نداره.
دیوی که جنگجو ولی دلیل برای جنگیدن نداره.

[Carlota · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genial ^^, ahora a ver la película

[Lara Vehar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this story but I also had some issues with it.

The writing was okay, it did sound like someone was watching the movie and writing down what they saw happening on screen but it was still okay, could be worse. What annoyed me was the constant jumping between narrators, and that I didn't know who was speaking until the middle of their narration. It got really annoying really fast- I wish that the only narrator was either Kyuta either one of the other two, or if it was both of them but more balanced.

I also liked and hated the villain in this - there is this huge time skip of 8 years in the middle of the story and we basically just get: "oh he started off as a nice warm person but then he started questioning who he was and he became evil" His story would've been much, much better if they actually expanded on it instead of him just being super nice as a child and going insanely evil as an adult - I did like the climax though and I loved loved loved the relationship between Kyuta and Komatetsu, they bicker through the entire book but in the reality they form a really close father/son bond.

That being said, I really hated how quickly the whole conflict resolves- Kyuta wants to go back to the human world and live with his dad, he is hesitant because he also wants to stay with Komatetsu, he is fighting with himself, unsure about what he wants to do - then, Komatetsu gets reincarnated so he is out of the picture and voila, Kyuta can go live with his dad- I wish that they instead talked, and he actually had to decide without it being basically decided for him.

Overall, the story is good but maybe slightly rushed. The relationship between the main characters is amazing, funny and warm, it's just that the writing style and the rushed story kind of ruins the entire novel.

[Clara · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just to make this clear, I'm talking about the book, not the movie. I haven't seen the movie yet, but if it is coming from Mamoru Hosoda (who also did Summer Wars and Wolf Children), then I'm sure it is worth watching. When I saw there was a novel for the movie, I bought it immediately without even glancing past the first page.

Oops.

Hosoda may have a talent for directing and story telling when it comes to the movies, that talent does not extend to the written word. Frankly, it is a really clunky novel, in every respect. Characters feel lazy, story is uninteresting, etcetera, etcetera. But strangely, I'm sure the movie is fine.

This may be a prime example as to why some stories are best left to a visual medium. There were frequently sentences and dialogue made up of nothing but punctuation and ellipsis. Kid you not. On page 170, for example, the exchange between two characters went: "?!" "..." "...?". There's so many of these, I can't hazard a number. They're not expressions or dialogue, they're just poorly communicated snippets of grammar. And this is just the grammar. I don't know, if you have a high tolerance for that sort of writing, or just want a sparknotes version of the movie...that lasts well over 200 pages...then I suppose this book is for you.

[Kimberlee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Boy and the Beast light novel by Mamoru Hosoda was highly entertaining! Ren's mother has just passed away. Facing a future living with relatives he hates, Ren runs away and lives on the streets. While there he runs into a strange man who wants him as his apprentice. Only, man is subjective. Kamatetsu is from the land of the beasts and he's an unruly, angry, wild bear man who can't teach to save his life. Renamed Kyuta, Ren must navigate this new world and his growing relationship with his master. There's only one catch. There's a reason why humans aren't seen in the land of the beasts. They are susceptible to the great darkness in their hearts. Kyuta thought he'd left his behind, but it's not as gone as he thinks.

I had fun with this light novel. It was quick and entertaining. It was also one of the better translations that I've seen in a light novel. There were few problems, notably there were some really clunky and strange POV changes throughout the book that were confusing. The story itself is pretty succint, but the ending felt a bit contrived. I still found myself pleasantly surprised and I look forward to watching the movie that goes with the story.

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

A runaway follows two hooded figures through the back alleys of Shibuya (Japan) and finds himself in an alternate world of beasts. There, a gruff and unpopular fellow with bear-like features claims him as his apprentice. Cue the training montage, a journey of discovery, a bitter rival, a (jarring) time skip, the sudden need to reconnect with human kin, and a finale that will probably baffle a Western audience. Fact: In the same way that the book is always better than the movie, the manga is always better than the light novel.

For those unfamiliar, light novels like this are an abridgement of an entire manga series (graphic novels). I've never had much luck with them. Too much is lost in translation and transition, and the writing is usually static and stilted. Point of view slips, and punctuation baffles. Scenes are glossed over, as if it's more important to condense and cover ground than to draw the reader in. Which diminishes any impact the characters' struggles may have had.

I suspect the manga is much better. Reach for that instead.

[Jewels · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I can give this a 4.3/5 stars. (Also, my tiny copy of this book had 188 pgs, instead of 190+)
I did not get the chance to see the movie, but I think this book helped sum it up in a great way. The settings were wonderful, and the characters were great. In the short amount of time we spent with each character, all of them played their part and felt in-depth enough to love something individually about them. I wish that, out of everything, that the background behind the beasts and the humans' separate worlds was explained more, and maybe even a little bit on Kumatetsu's past, but who knows?
The pacing, the setting, the characters, and the plot were great enough to keep me entertained thoroughly.
I would definitely recommend for those who like Summer Wars and the like from the same mastermind behind this story, and those who like stories about father-son bonding (even if it's a stepfather, more like).

[Liban · Rating 5 out of 5]

at the begging of this book it starts like normal normal book for young adult but as i read the.Kyuta(main character) who is a young boy that is orphan that is living on the streets of shibuya, stumbles into the fantastic beast world after this happen to kyuta one of the beast man takes him as student ,who is bear man that have bet hash personality but a really good heart as the story line continue , Kumatetsu becomes more father to kyruta and their bond as master and disciple becomes stronger and stronger however a darkness try and take over the beast and the human world more like a test from fate to this two character to see if they are gonna fight together or if eitherone try to leave and stand for his world alone

[Michael Sigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, admittedly, I didn't even know what a "light novel" was before randomly buying this book during LootCrate's holiday sale last month. I didn't even know what "The Boy & the Beast" was either... an anime series, an OVA, a manga? I didn't know, but the cover was interesting, so why not give it a try?
Well, I'm glad I did. Half way through the book today, I watched the movie for a second time in as many days, and even downloaded the fantastic soundtrack to read to. Mamoru Hosoda has painted an amazing story, both visually and in prose, and I highly recommend this novel.

[Abdirisaq Abdisalam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book, because is kind anime and it's interesting. I took me to read this book like one month and half. I used to read anytime, like a day to read more than four pages. The main character of this book is Kyuta. There are two famous beast are, Lozan and kumatetsu. There is also the grand master which rules the beast world is called Masahiko Tsugawa. Grand master order to get the two beast to get pretense from human world, and that's where they get two human's from human world, and they are Kyuta and Ichirohiko.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

The over all story line and plot of the book is enjoyable however I found I confusing to read because of how the author wrote the narrators parts. But I didn’t stop me from enjoying the book so I would recommend to those who enjoy love/hate relationships between the two characters, action, and heartwarming books.

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A forward-leaning 3.5 stars for the light novel that inspired such a sweet movie that I actually went out and looked for it. I do confess to enjoying the movie a bit more, but the story is so dynamic that it begs for the movement of animation.
It's a solid story about a boy growing up among beasts and finding himself. Very Japanese in sensibility, but universal in its message.

[Mar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si te gustó la película, la novela es mejor en todos los sentidos explicando los sentimientos, los pensamientos, te mete mucho mejor en entender a cada personaje, además de una escritura realmente preciosa. Muy recomendable.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have seen the movie to this book more times than I care to talk about. The light novel is faithful to the movie and the whole thing just breaks my heart and is incredibly moving. Loved it!

[Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pues me ha gustado más de lo que esperaba. Ha sido interesante :)

[m · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was the best book about a boy who trains with a bear that I’ve ever read.

[Authorshen Authorshen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me cry

[Desirae Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book sat on my shelf for a while before I got around to reading it. I now deeply regret not picking this book up sooner!

We first meet Ren in a busy intersection in Tokyo, he has been by himself for a couple of day so he is pretty beaten down mentally and in need of food and a bath. To avoid being dragged away by two policemen he then makes a run for it and ends up in a deserted backstreet, where he then comes face to face with the most precious ball of fluff ever, Chiko.

Flash forward to what I am guessing was a couple of days earlier.
Ren is sitting on the floor as people are around him packing up his and his mothers, who has just passed away in an accident, things. His uncle, a control freak right away, tells Ren that they are to be his new guardians. However, Ren is too busy thinking about his father and how he hasn't shown up yet so he is hurt and lashes out to his uncle and his aunt, announcing that he will live on his own.

Now, back to current events. Ren is walking down the street, watching all of the children clinging to their parents so he begins to feel this tingling sensation in his chest, hate. He begins the chant, "I hate you, I hate you, I hate you," over and over until the he screamed them out, releasing a curse on all those who abandoned him, those dreadful relatives of his, and the people who had the audacity to be happy and carefree around him.
Finally coming to his senses and realizing everyone was now staring at him, he runs, leaving behind all of the hatred and rage he had just released.
While Ren is amid a row of bikes, deciding he will sleep there, he is discovered by Kumatetsu. While walking among the land of the humans, Tatara tells Kumatetsu,"You think you can afford to be choosy? You might as well pick a human or scrubbing brush or something off of the street and make that your apprentice." Kumatetsu, being prideful, goes along with Tatara's comment and comes across Ren, then asking him if he wanted to come with him. Thus, sending Ren on a journey to the world of beasts, Jutengai.

Hosoda will take you away to a world full of adventure, hand to hand combat, characters that you are immediately drawn to, and a need to pick up the book and live through all of it again. There was a perfect balance of humor and moments that kept me on the edge of my seat, however, once I finished reading this I immediately googled the movie and watched it. Seeing the characters come to live and watch them go through these obstacles together was so exciting. I highly suggest this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and manga style books!

[Eduardo Pena · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is like the anime but in book form.

[LJF · Rating 5 out of 5]

REN is just an ordinary boy- until his mother dies, his relatives he can't stand try to take him home with them, and he runs away. He ends up following a beast into Jutengai- a city in the realm of beasts. Ren has a new life, and a new name- Kyuta. But now, after eight long years, Kyuta has a choice to make- but, luckily, he isn't alone:
KUMATETSU is the bear-beast who took in the lost human boy and named him Kyuta- but not for totally unselfish motives. Kumatetsu wants to be the next leader of the city- but he's wild and rude, and nobody fully trusts him. The current leader wants him to get an apprentice- but is a human child really what he had in mind?
TARARA is a monkey-beast, and a good friend of Kumatetsu's, but even he thinks this is crossing the line- is he really wrong?
HYAKUSHBO is a pig-beast, and another good friend of Kumatetsu's. His kind heart usually leads his head- will it blind him to the dangers that lie ahead?
IOZEN is Kumatetsu's competitor- he also wants to be the next leader. He loudly protests to Kyuta's arrival- is it just because he doesn't want to be beaten, or could this upstanding boar-beast citizen be hiding a secret?
ICHIROHIKO is Iozen's elder son, and at first he seems kind. But that sweet disposition quickly sours. What is he hiding under that scarf?
THE GRANDMASTER is the leader of the city, a wise and wily rabbit-beast whose advice is often two-pronged- why does he really want Kumatetsu to have an apprentice?
KAEDE is an average human girl- she goes to school, has normal friends, and is good at schoolwork. She is so foreign to everything Kyuta is used to, he can't stop sneaking off to talk to her- but how long until she discovers the truth about him, and what is the secret she holds close to her heart?
CHIKO was Kyuta's first real friend. This little mouse-like creature found him when he was just a grievng boy, and cheered him up. Chiko doesn't do much but follow Kyuta around- just what is Chiko, and what is it's interest in Kyuta?

But when one of these people reveals their dark secret, danger strikes Jutengai, and Kyuta- boy no one believed would make it- may be the only one who can save them. But even if he can, he will eventually have to chose- Japan or Jutengai? Ren or Kyuta? Boy- or beast?