ビーストマスター

BEAST MASTER

MANGA

STATUS
COMPLETE
VOLUMES
2
RELEASE
February 12, 2007
CHAPTERS
9

DESCRIPTION

Leo Aoi looks like a crazy animal with wild eyes--and no one at his new high school will go near him! He does seem to have a special connection with animals though, which intrigues overzealous animal lover Yuiko Kubozuka. In reality, Leo isn't as frightening as he appears, but Yuiko finds out that he goes berserk whenever he sees blood! Will Yuiko be able to get through to Leo during these violent fits? Or will Leo's ferocious side eventually devour her?

(Source: Viz Media)

Included one-shots:

Volume 1: Fly

Volume 2: Saboten Summer Surprise

CAST

Leo Aoi
Yuiko Kubozuka
Kaito Amemiya
Taiga Aoi
Kyle Tokizaburou Rosenburg

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

RoseFaerie
65/100
The oneshots really saved this manga, because the main story really wasn't Kyousuke Motomi's best work.
I love Kyousuke Motomi. Otokomae Beads Club and QQ Sweeper were fantastic, and I'm so excited to read Queen's Quality and Dengeki Daisy. I saw that Beast Master was well-liked and it was one of the short manga that was recommended to me when I requested people give me something short to read that was on my list.

I just wish Beast Master lived up to my expectations. It was kind of boring and forgettable actually.

Beast Master is the story of Yuiko Kubozuka, a high school girl who loves animals. However, she gets a bit carried away when she sees them, which means that they don't exactly love her back. One day, Leo Aoi transfers into her class. He was raised abroad, looks feral, and he has a deep connection with animals. He flies into an almost murderous rage every time he sees blood, but beneath his scary exterior, he's just an innocent child. This is the story of their relationship.

The story wasn't really anything special. I can put up with a lot of things in high school romance mangas. Bizarre premises and character dynamics are definitely a thing in shoujo manga. I recently read Absolute Boyfriend, so this didn't really phase me.

The thing that disappointed me was the characters. I love Kyousuke Motomi for her characters. Her female leads are usually very strong willed and a bit chaotic, while her male leads are a bit odd or teasy. These are character types I like, and I think she does them very well. However, Yuiko and Leo definitely felt a bit bland.

Yuiko doesn't really have anything defining about her. She has a hard time with animals and is close to Leo, but that's about it. She's far from Fumi or Ibuki, Motomi's more interesting protagonists. Leo was also sort of meh to me. He's the innocent feral child, and I genuinely don't understand the attraction between the two, other than Yuiko's desperation for animals to like her.

I didn't really like the rich relative assassination part, but I did find Taki's rendition of the backstory funny. It felt like more of Motomi's usual comedy.

It was the oneshots that really one me over. One of them was even one of my favorite oneshots of all time.

Fly is a cute oneshot about a girl who dreams of being a pilot, but her parents want her to be a doctor. Her childhood friend stands by her side and encourages her to follow her dreams. I thought it was super cute. Even if it was a bit basic, I thought it was adorable and relevant to the teenage girl readers.

Cactus Summer Surprise is the story of a girl who has a strained relationship with her childhood friend. But one day, her friend's spirit got switched with a spirit inside a cactus. I really liked this one. It had dynamic characters who had good banter, a good story, and nice development. It blew me out of the water. I'd easily recommend it to people.

Honestly, this would have been in the 5's if not for the two oneshots, which were good enough for me to raise the score significantly. I'd say that the main story isn't really worth it, but the oneshots definitely are.
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