7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
The latest feature film from award-winning Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda (Summer Wars, Wolf Children): When Kyūta, 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. Despite their constant bickering, Kyūta and Kumatetsu begin training together and slowly form a bond as surrogate father and son. But when a deep darkness threatens to throw the human and beast worlds into chaos, the strong bond between this unlikely family will be put to ultimate test: a final showdown that will only be won if the two can finally work together using all of their combined strength and courage.
Starring: Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shôta Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Kazuhiro YamajiForeign | 100% |
Anime | 90% |
Fantasy | 32% |
Adventure | 18% |
Action | 6% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz, 16-bit)
Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (96kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
UV digital copy
DVD copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
If there’s a leading candidate (hey, it’s election season) to replace the inimitable Hayao Miyazaki, the mastermind behind Studio Ghibli and such masterpieces as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, it may well be Mamoru Hosoda. Fans of Studio Ghibli, Miyazaki and indeed Hosoda himself will probably know that Hosoda was the original director assigned to Howl’s Moving Castle, but was removed from the project for what is euphemistically described as “creative differences”. Hosoda rebounded relatively well, however, offering a number of really interesting films like The Girl Who Leapt Through Time , Summer Wars and Wolf Children. While there are manifest differences between Miyazaki and Hosoda and their respective filmographies, Hosoda’s latest entry The Boy and the Beast is in some ways arguably the most Ghibli- esque film the writer-director has presented yet. Taking place in a kind of magical realist environment where quasi-mythological Beasts live in a world separated from humans, but with a traumatized human becoming an interloper into that world, The Boy and the Beast traffics in some of the same kind of emotional territory that has informed some of the most redolent Miyazaki pieces.
The Boy and the Beast is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a really beautifully animated piece, one filled with a kind of amber palette in several key sequences, but one which offers a gorgeously variegated palette that emphasizes both bold primaries and some rather subtle intermediary tones. The character designs are rather whimsical, and there are some patently cool moments where Iozen and Kumatetsu morph into their (even more) beastly forms. Ren is a bit more standard looking, as befits his human form. Line detail is sharp and well detailed throughout the presentation, and the palette pops exceedingly well. There are no issues with image instability and banding is virtually negligible as well.
FUNimation continues its somewhat baffling way of authoring its discs in a kind of ping ponging fashion with regard to audio options and subtitles. In this particular case, The Boy and the Beast has Dolby TrueHD 5.1 mixes in both Japanese and English, though the subtitles are forced on the Japanese track, and it's only possible to change audio options by going through the setup menu. One way or the other, both tracks offer stellar support for all sonic elements and also feature consistent surround activity, especially in the fun fight sequences. Takagi Masakatsu's evocative score is also well rendered and spills through the surrounds quite winningly. Fidelity is top notch and dynamic range very wide on these problem free tracks.
There's a certain predictability to some of the plot proceedings in The Boy and the Beast, and the film's emotional content is a little contrived at times, but it ultimately doesn't matter all that much since the main characters (and even several of the supporting ones) are so lovable (even when they're a little on the irascible side). What really elevates this film is Hosoda's beautiful visual sense, and the film is filled to the brim with several really magical sequences. Technical merits are first rate, and even without much in the way of supplements The Boy and the Beast comes Highly recommended.
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