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Title: Beast Master Vol 1

Author:  Kyousuke Motomi

Publisher: Viz

ISBN: 9781421532011

May Contain Spoilers

Unfortunately, Yuiko, the heroine in Beast Master, and I have a few similar traits.  We are both crazy about animals, and behave like Elmira from Tiny Toon Adventures at the sight of a cute goggie or kitteh.  Luckily for me, the critters don’t run in fear like they do from Yuiko.  All she wants to do is love them, but the neighborhood cats and dogs all have her number.  Whenever Yuiko is in the area, the animals make themselves scarce.  Even her own cat flees from her, because her displays of affection are just too much to handle.

When Leo Aoi transfers to her school, Yuiko is captivated by his dangerous looks and animal-like behavior.  Everyone else is terrified of his glowering stare.  He is one scary looking guy, and everyone avoids him because they are frightened of him.  Yuiko is the only person who isn’t afraid of Leo, and so they quickly form a bond.  Will the beast lurking within him threaten their friendship?

This was a cute read.  Yuiko is a nice, bubbly girl with only one thought on her mind – she loves animals and can’t get enough of them.  Her friends think that she’s a little weird because she would rather spend her time trying to coax a cat out of tree than finding herself a boyfriend, but she doesn’t let that bother her.  When Leo Aoi startles her by leaping out of a tree with her cat cradled in his arms, she is at first a little leery of him.  He has the eyes of a wild animal, and at first glance, he seems dangerous.  After she learns that he’s the new transfer student in her class, however, she can’t help but be drawn to him.  He is like an untamed beast, and she can’t stay away.

Leo  is an interesting character.  He is like a fish out of water, and he is very uncomfortable when he’s around other people.  He doesn’t know how to act around them, and his fierce expression freaks people out.  He was raised in the most unlikeliest of places – an uninhabited island and then he lived in the African savannah, as well as some other remote locations.  I bought this bit of silliness in the context of the story, and it worked very well to explain why Leo is so uncomfortable with people.  He has one more personality quirk that gives him a spot of trouble.  When he is frightened and sees blood, he loses control of himself and lashes out like a wild beast.  Yeah, that’s a great trait for your boyfriend to have.  Not!

These violent tantrums give Yuiko a scare.  When Leo goes berserk, he doesn’t know who anybody is and he just wants to protect himself.  When he snaps out of his rage, he even scares himself because he is afraid that the next time he will hurt someone.  It turns out that Yuiko is the only one who can calm him down and put an end to his rampages.  Though these outbursts frighten her, too, Yuiko refuses to abandon her friendship with Leo.

The overall tone of the story is lighthearted, though Leo’s rages are like a dash of cold water in the face.  He would rather run than fight, but most of the time he isn’t given a choice.  I am very curious to see where this dangerous trait is going to lead both Yuiko and Leo.  Most of the time, he is a very sweet and gentle person, but under the right conditions, he turns into a ruthless animal.

I can’t decide whether or not I like the character designs. Yuiko looks like your typical high school student, but Leo takes a bit to get used to.  To try to give him an animal-like appearance, he is drawn with dark lines around his eyes.  It looks like he’s wearing mascara.  Way too much of it.  At times it fit the story, but there are panels where he has an uncanny resemblance to L from Death Note.  It was a little distracting at times.

Also contains the bonus story, “Fly,” about a girl who wants to become a pilot.

Grade: B

Review copy provided by Viz