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My first review on MAL and it being on a movie from Mamoru Hosoda, One of the Greats in the making was a treat. I'll be breaking down the movie from what I liked the most to least then an Overall Impression.

The Characters & Soundtrack were the highs of this film. Kyuuta(Ren), Kumatetsu and Co. were all very Likable and you can't help but cheer them on, Tatara and Hyakushuubou's scene in the 2nd half was especially great for two supporting characters no less. The highlighting of father-figures was a great contrast to Hosoda's last film which focused more on motherhood and I think it ... should be delve into more often. Takagi Masakatsu's music score was overall impressive having a lively and joyful feel and really gives the movie its definition; When you hear the songs you instantly think of the movie and vice versa. This will be the 2nd time Masakatsu has worked with Hosoda(Wolf Children) and I hope they continue to grow this fantastic relationship.

the Animation was, of course, beautiful, being a huge fan of Hosoda's style since Our War Game! I do feel the human character designs were a bit plain compared to the beast/non-human ones, the way the characters are colored/shaded in the animation adds to that making the humans look blander and the beasts look more amazing.

the Story was, however, the weakest part for me. The first half the of the film was great focusing on Kyuuta & Kumatetsu's relationship and their growth as characters then the 2nd half dived into Kyuuta trying to reconnect with his human side but doing so made the overall story feel rushed and cluttered. I feel that simplifying the story by focusing it on the Beast world rather than trying to divide it with the Human one would've made it notably better. I also disliked the main antagonists motives, it was really weak and felt like it came out of know where.

Overall it was not as great as Hosoda's last two movies(Wolf Children & Summer Wars) but was still an enjoying coming of age story and I recommend it highly, it's a movie anyone can watch! anime fan or not, like most of his films.

8/10