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brisingr's review
4.0
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.
tashas_books's review
3.0
This felt like a movie in book form, and I mean that in a bad way. Some parts of it felt like the writer was show a movie and told, "Describe what you see in this movie" and he literally transcribed what was happening. So scenes that I'm sure will be montages in the movie turned out really awkward and stilted in the book. It still gets 3 stars, though, because I liked the story and think it will make a good movie.
tl;dr - I would recommended waiting for the movie, instead of reading this.
Also, the hardback is ugly: it is muted orange on the outside and had grass green end pages on the inside.
tl;dr - I would recommended waiting for the movie, instead of reading this.
Also, the hardback is ugly: it is muted orange on the outside and had grass green end pages on the inside.
cyanide_latte's review
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
I'd only vaguely heard of the movie this light novel is based on before my friend gifted it to me for my birthday, and I'm delighted to report I've finished reading it. I've got some mixed feelings, as I'm given to the impression this probably functions far better as a film than as a light novel adaptation. I still need to see it to be sure though, even if I don't know when that will be. A lot of the flow and dialogue here feels very much like it was lifted from a movie script, so it can be a little trying when making the attempt to follow along with it. But all in all, I'm glad I gave it a shot. I have a feeling the movie is probably very emotional, just based on what I've read here.
ids100's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
aotora's review
3.0
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.
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.
tomurin's review against another edition
4.0
I read the book not the Manga.
It was such a nice book. I mean a watched the movie before so I new it was a good book, but even though I knew the story it was nice to read the book again and get all those pictures in your head again.
It was such a nice book. I mean a watched the movie before so I new it was a good book, but even though I knew the story it was nice to read the book again and get all those pictures in your head again.
alaspooriorek's review
3.0
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.
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.