Kemono no Souja Erin


The Beast Player Erin

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Kemono no Soujya Erin, Kemono no Sou-ja Erin
Japanese: 獣の奏者エリン
English: The Beast Player Erin
German: Erin
Spanish: Erin
French: Erin
More titles

Information

Type: TV
Episodes: 50
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jan 10, 2009 to Dec 26, 2009
Premiered: Winter 2009
Broadcast: Saturdays at 18:25 (JST)
Producers: NHK
Licensors: None found, add some
Source: Novel
Genres: DramaDrama, FantasyFantasy
Duration: 24 min. per ep.
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older

Statistics

Score: 8.291 (scored by 2232022,320 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #2932
2 based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #2395
Members: 91,565
Favorites: 1,512

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Preliminary Spoiler
Jan 5, 2010
Kemono no Souja Erin (The Beast Player Erin), is a surprising anime. Not in the way it looks or sounds, or in any aspect of it's production. Not even because of it's story or characters (which are wonderfuly by the way). No, it's surprising for being the most recent example of a genre that is slowly disappearing in anime.

Many people will be confused by that statement, especially as the show is very clearly labelled and marketed as a children's series, and as everyone knows, kids shows are rife in anime. The problem, however, doesn't lie in the fact that this series was initially aimed at ...
Apr 22, 2009
Preliminary (14/50 eps)
[Edit: This review was written when I was still at episode 14. The anime turned out to be a real gem, a true masterpiece. Hopefully my review was a help to get you watch this amazing anime. "Kemono no Souja Erin" was my best random pick. Finally being able to finish it, I am glad that my short review during the premature stage (then still a very new show and just started) got many fans interested, and by the time it finished airing, entered Top 100 Anime of all time. But to all honesty, this anime is worth a place in Top 20 in the ...
Apr 25, 2011
Now how good is Kemono no Souja Erin? So good in fact that I decided to create my first account on a anime-related site and write my first anime review (ever)...

[side note]
After I received a small hole in my heart after watching The Twelve Kingdoms, I was searching around for a nice fantasy anime with a certain scope and detail in a fantasy setting. I did not know that my small open wound would be ripped further and leaving me *gasp* in further pain; anime is my heroin.

[review begins]
We begin the story that would have had the typical children's story feel, yet ...
May 23, 2016
Prologue:

Lands bound by Magic, Lore, and Myth brimming with fabled creatures and tall-tales are the life force of fantasy-based works. Works of Fantasy tend to be products of pure imagination; the bridge between “what is” and “what can never be” often makes these works innately tantalizing. They have the ability to transport the audience into the fantastic, the absurd, the unreal, but, magic and trickery of the imagination displayed in effective works can invert these “fairy-tales” into something that feels far more real.

The aforesaid effectiveness depends primarily on one element when it comes to Fantasy, and that is world-building. There is nothing that single-handedly matters ...
Mar 12, 2010
While it may strike as inconsistent to rate a series a 3 when I "finished" 50 episodes of it, there is one essential reason, that is pacing of this series. Not only is the pacing typically slice-of-life slow from the very start, but it has the most self-indulgent use of flashback I have ever seen. By the midpoint of the anime, flashback starts taking up easily perhaps 1/10th of the total time. We already saw these events, and they are already in our heads. Bringing the same events up as much as five or ten times is a horrible abuse of our viewership. Maybe it ...
Jul 2, 2009
Preliminary (17/50 eps)
I'm going to draw a middle line on the debate surrounding the 'childrens anime' tag and just suggest that this is 'all ages.' Much of the scenic artwork found in Kemono no Souja Erin is deeply reminiscent of Folk Tale art, and I would go so far as to say that the show follows such a line in terms of story as well. This isn't to say that its in any way juvenile, it isn't.

The depth to this anime is truly exceptional, to the point where I'm not sure I've ever seen its like. The plot builds slowly, and meticulously. Each new episode lays down ...
Nov 1, 2023
InformativeInformative
I watched this show with absolutely no intent of writing a review on it. Those of you who know the meta of MAL reviews know that writing a review of a relatively unknown show from over 10 years ago is a great way to make sure nobody reads it. But as Kemono no Souja Erin unfolded over its 50-episode journey, my thoughts on it were too scattered and my feelings too complex to boil down into a simple number or even a short note under the entry on my list page. This is an anime that deserves attention and discussion; even if no one reads ...
Jul 27, 2015
Nahoko Uehashi’s Kemono no Souja Erin is a “hidden gem” anime. While more people have seen/heard of Uehashi’s Seirei no Moribito, not nearly enough people have seen this beautiful series. I could babble about how much I love this series for hours, but, instead, I’ll try to tell you why (and why it’s 9/10 instead of 10/10!).

This review is spoiler free! :D

Characters: 9/10

While it’s story made for children, Kemono no Souja Erin addresses adult topics at a mature level. The target audiences’ age is somewhat irrelevant, because the characters bloom, especially Erin. She’s a child character the viewer can admire and adore. Following her journey ...
Apr 18, 2009
Preliminary (8/50 eps)
Kemono no souja erin is about a girl thrust between two warring nations; she seems to be able to control beasts.

I'm giong to keep this extremely short until i watch mroe, then i'll edit.

Kemono no souja erin is NOT a childrens book anime from what the other reviewer said. If one thinks of prejudice, death, politics, wars and folklore as a anime for children, you have downs.

I'll just note that the animation style may not suit everyone as it isn't what anime norms are today; with having said that, the characters look great, and the buildings although different have a certain charm, a charm ...
Jun 5, 2010
Mixed Feelings
"Kemono no Souja Erin" is an anime with great plot potential, well build characters and pleasant design, but unfortunately - horrid storytelling and structure. It takes 50 episodes to tell the story (which is supposed to be understandable, since it's long one), but dragged scenes with badly animated conversations, and lots of flashbacks make you feel as if it should be done in 26 episodes instead - and maybe it should have.

As I mentioned, the story has great potential - we have our main heroine that we meet when she is still a little kid, we watch her grow, mature, and struggle, through all ...
Nov 22, 2014
I'm sure that most of you have heard of anime such as Naruto, Bleach, and Sword Art Online, but haven't heard of Beast Player Erin. Truly a shame which anime are becoming popular and which are becoming overlooked and forgotten these days. Beast Player Erin is a series that isn't nearly as popular as other modern shows, but it's one that once you know about it, you're going to want to watch it, then you're going to love it, then wish you had known about it before and then be overwhelmed by the urge to re-watch it; this was certainly the case for me. I've ...
May 23, 2017
Fantasy anime have long been characterized by an abundance of wicked sorcerers and cute cat girls, but Kemono no Souja Erin features none of these tropes, instead drawing on elements from classic fairy tales. Its innocuous artstyle, which mimics the illustrations of Aesop’s picture books, exhibits an aura foreign to most contemporary anime fans. Coupled with its unremarkable first episode, the show is easy to dismiss as a childish folktale not worth the trouble.

This is a gross misconception. What begins as an everyday tale about a naive young girl and her mother gradually evolves into a profound saga of morality, politics, and self-discovery.

For ...
Jun 9, 2020
Yep...the time has come. I've been gradually watching this series for about 3 months and now it's finally time to give my thoughts on it. This isn't going to be easy. On the one hand, I really love this series. I added it to my extended favorites without hesitation. The first 20 episodes are absolutely amazing! It's still the best anime adaptation of a YA novel that I've seen. I think it's quite a bit better than Moribito or Shinsekai Yori.

However, Erin also has some issues. From roughly episodes 20-40, the anime just pulls the drag chute and becomes unbearably slow. The 2 god awful ...
Sep 20, 2016
Mixed Feelings
Kemono no Souja Erin is a good choice for you if you want to watch a series aimed for children that tries to build a fantasy world that has its own depth and use that to ingrain something into your moral fiber. However this immediately becomes a terrible choice if you can't handle its slow pace and its very poor choices in the sound department, which I'll get on later. And it's also an obviously terrible choice if you don't expect it to treat you like a dumb kid who needs flashbacks every few episodes to be remembered what happens and don't like being to ...
Apr 16, 2011
The first word that comes to mind after watching Kemono no Souja Erin is LIFE. It is a story of a young girl growing up and finding her own pathway, as her mother asked her to do, to live and find happiness. It has a series of ups, downs and everywhere in between.

I was introduced to this anime after watching How to Train Your Dragon. The concept intrigued me, but I was hesitant because it looked more like a children's anime. I was completely wrong. While a child would enjoy this show, it has deeper meanings and ideas.

Story: The story ...
Mar 5, 2023
Preliminary (17/50 eps)
Kemono no Souja Erin, also known as Erin: The Beast Player, is a 50-episode anime series that aired from 2009 to 2010. It is based on the light novel series of the same name written by Nahoko Uehashi. This anime is an excellent example of character progression, immersive world-building, and excellent usage of audio-visual material.

Firstly, the character progression in Kemono no Souja Erin is one of its strongest points. The protagonist, Erin, starts off as a young girl with a deep love for beasts. She is curious, kind-hearted, and fiercely independent. As the story progresses, she faces various challenges and obstacles, which help her grow ...
Feb 17, 2013
Before I write anything about this anime, I would like to say that there are some animes which must be watched if you are a true anime fan, and I would like to add this anime to that list. This anime is somewhat has everything a anime might need to be a masterpiece and I consider it to be a masterpiece.


Though it is labeled as a "Kid's anime" I wonder will kids understand it fully and I believe this anime will attract older audience more after they watch some episodes. A anime which contains betrayal, politics, assassinations, tragedy and death is no way can ...
Jul 10, 2009
Preliminary (26/50 eps)
I'd recommend this anime to anyone. It isn't a children anime at all. It has War, Drama, Romance and more. There are parts that will make you cry, make you angry and more. Finished watching the Ep 26 Raw and was very moved. I won't go into what happens but I'm sure everyone will be very touched by it :).

This is an anime you can't miss watching!
Jan 6, 2010
I made this account only to review this anime. I thank you all the previous people who reviewed this prior to mind or I wouldn't have picked this series up.To start, id like to recommend watching at least the 1st 7 episodes. If you still feel like dropping it then never mind. mind you, the series gets better as we follow along, don't expect that they wouldn't pull of storer twists that that. Some people might not want to read long reviews but all i can say its one hell of a ride.

Gender: Fantasy, slice of life, romance, despair, war, politics, betrayal and many more.

As ...
Mar 14, 2015
This anime is a hidden gem.

Unlike most anime based off manga written by professional mangaka or popular writers and their light novels,
Kemono no Sōja is a novel tetralogy written by Nahoko Uehashi, an Ethnologist, writer and a professor of ethnology.
And that really shows throughout this work.
She was also the latest recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen Award (aka the Nobel Prize for Children's literature).
And as such the story and the character development was downright phenomenal.

The studio also does a really great job giving the anime an unique, artistic fairytale-storybook-like feel to the show.

It does feel a bit slow at times ...