The soundtrack is very fitting and the animation is utterly phenomenal. The backdrops and the character designs have such a great level of detail and seamlessly fit together. My favourite aspects of the animation include the glittering, golden streets of the land of the beasts and the spectacular magical whale.
After the death of his mother, Kyuta, a young boy decides to run away, rather than live with his other relatives. When he encounters Kumatetsu, a beast building up his strength to prepare for the ultimate showdown between his worthy beast rival, Iozen, they decide to form a bond. Kumatetsu agrees to train Kyuta as his pupil, whilst Kyuta gets the home that he desperately needs. Though they bicker relentlessly, this is how their connection grows and they begin to admire and respect each other, forming the relationship of that as a father and son.
The scenes between Kyuta and Kumatetsu are engaging with the chase scenes between the two and the adorable way in which Kyuta begins to copy everything that Kumatetsu does, leading to Kumatetsu getting totally freaked out is hilarious. Kumatetsu as a character is cleverly crafted in his stern but loveable demeanour, being a big softie/joker at heart. One of my favourite scenes of this movie was when he was fighting Iozen and he begins to do these weird movements resembling some strange mating dance leaving everyone shell-shocked. Kyuta has this cute little ball of fur, Chiko that hides in his hair and comforts him and basically saves the day at one point! Props to the ball of fur.
The storytelling of this movie allows a lot of deeper messages to be packed in there. As Kyuta grows up, he begins to question whether he belongs to the human world. or the world of beasts. The identity crisis that is quite familiar for adolescents as they transition to adulthood, leaving them either rejecting or accepting their parents beliefs as their own is portrayed marvellously. This movie shows the difficulties of parenthood including the heartbreaking moment when kids grow up to pursue their own lives and also the sacrifices that parents make to put the needs of children above their own. In this way, I think it’s truly an important movie for everyone to watch to adopt the perspectives of their own parents for a little while.
The notion that you can gain so much by teaching others is also strong in this movie. This is true for Kumatetsu and Kyuta’s relationship, each learning new fighting skills from each other and Kyuta and Kaede’s relationship, their mingled motivations to learn new things turning into a romantic relationship. Their ‘brawn and brains’ relationship was quite well built and didn’t overpower the more important themes of the movie.
With Ichirohiko’s character, another layer of depth is added to the film. By comparing him to Kyuta, it can be seen just how two different kids in similar circumstances can turn out a different way. This is not the fault of the supportive parents, but is due to the individual’s warped perspectives, adding another insight into parenthood. The precarious nature of the human psyche is a big aspect towards the end of the movie, how we always walk the tightrope between darkness and light. The take home message that this movie leaves you with is that though we always face the allure of darkness in our lives, the ability of humans to keep resisting against it carries weight in itself, as an example of the triumphant nature of morality and light.
Kumatetsu ultimately learns, that when he’s on the journey of chasing something, he discovers something else along the way that’s infinitely more valuable. The rewarding nature of being a guardian.
This is a feel good, inspirational, brainwash-your-kids-with-this-positivity type of movie, chocked full with important messages.
