Published by Kodansha and available May 14, 2024, The Beast Player is a shounen fantasy based on the novel of the same name taking place in a fantasy world similar to Central Asia. The protagonist, Elin, comes from a culture that raises a species of crocodilian dragon called the toda. The world and their creatures is interesting and beautifully drawn, reminding me of Studio Ghibli's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The opening plot regarding Elin's mother is a bit predictable, straying into Dead Manga Mother territory, though as always this is a setup to the hero's journey for Elin. Overall, I'm intrigued to see more of this world and how the story progresses, and see how the title ties into the story.

I read this with no prior knowledge of the novel it was adapted from, but I loved it so much!

I’m slightly a sucker for small children driven fantasies that definitely AREN’T for small child audiences.. because kids do deal with horrible experiences in real life which are considered not child appropriate.

In this manga, 10 year old Elin’s mum is blamed for the death of the village’s “toda” (aquatic dragons of sorts), and Elin tries to save her only to end up on a honey farm in a neighbouring country without anyone she knows.

And I am so excited to read on as more volumes are released- I have so many questions about the world and characters and I need to know that Elin is okay! 😭

Having read the novel version, I was extremely excited to get this ARC from NetGalley! I think the art style fits the story very well. It's very Ghibli-esque, and I've always thought that this series is kind of Ghibli/Miyazaki-adjacent in its themes about animals, nature, and morality.

I think that this was a great first volume content-wise. You get the set up with Elin's mom and learn a bit about the overall conflict between two peoples, and then you get to the beginning of Elin's time with Joeun!! I absolutely loved this part of the novel, so I'm very excited to continue reading it in volume 2. Joeun and Elin are so perfectly done!

So many thanks to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the chance to ready this manga!

The Beast Player is a treat to read in any form. I fell in love with the novels this is originally based off and all of that love transfer right over to these manga. The setting, while a wholly unique fantasy world, focuses more on the creatures that inhabit it instead of the many wars and conflicts humans tend to get up to. The Beast Player is more of a quiet study on fictional beasts and the people that devote their lives to them. It is a kind and softhearted read that is for those that love a more studious manga.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha for the e-arc!

The Beast Player is the story of Elin whose life changes when her mother is accused of poisoning the Toda. She is set on a journey alone to survive and ends up in a new land with a kind stranger. This first volume was a solid setup for the story. However, I felt as I kept reading there were a lot more questions and fewer answers. There wasn't enough to keep me interested in the story. I would probably revisit this at some point but for now, I won't be continuing with the series. I would still recommend checking it out if the premise intrigues you.

I first tried reading Beast Player in library school, but the amount of world building from the get go was overwhelming and fast paced. So much so, I ended up giving up before finishing. However, I loved the manga. I found it a lot more digestible, and with the primer of the first volume, I think I may be able to go back and give the novel a shot again.

Thank you for the ARC!

I loved this manga! I've been meaning to read the Beast Player "regular book" for awhile now, but never had the time. This graphic novel is perfect if you don't have the time or energy to read pages with only text, and I belive this is perfect for those who already read the book as well. I really enjoyed the reading I hope there will be more soon!

The Beast P{ayer is a world rich with fantastic beasts and magical worldbuilding. Elin is the daughter of the clan's beast doctor, who takes care of the fearsome Toda, the wild serpents that the people of the clan ride into battles. After a massive incident happens with the Toda, Elin's mother is used as a scapegoat and Elin is thrown from the life she knew. This first volume does a good job of getting you hooked and explaining some of the premise of the story. I found myself very interested in some of the elements of what I assume will become political intrigue later on. I don't want to spoil it, so I won't go into details. But it ends so abruptly, that it feels like it wasn't even meant to end there. It's not even a cliffhanger, it's almost as if the final chapter got its last half removed. The story shows you how Elin is flung from her life and how she comes to survive the aftermath, but the pace slows to a snail's crawl after the first few chapters. I am still extremely interested, so I will be seeking out more volumes!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I wasn’t sure going into it, but now I’m reading the novel, reading the other available manga volumes, and about to start watching the anime…so yeah. Seems I enjoyed it a lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I feel dumb for I can't believe that I did not read this novel and its sequel which I already have on my shelves! Now, this manga is stunning and I've got completely hooked to the story of Elin and her mother. The world reminded me a lot of the Tibetan tribes with their clothing's style and way of life which made love this manga even more. I will totally be reading both the book and the manga for sure.

The relationship between the mother and daughter is so touching in this book. Seeing how they learn, protect, and love one another melts my heart, and that was my favorite part of the book. However the rest I couldn't get into. I think it was just a difference in taste, and this wasn't for me. However, the mother and daughter relationship was enough to make me continue reading this volume, and I did like that aspect a lot.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this manga

I was instantly interested in this book about a female child who admires and looks up to her mother who is a beast doctor, but at the same time finds out that her mother is so much more as well, whi is someone fro. A different tribe of people but through love she left them and followed her heart. The strong bond between them both shines off the page but the child's innocence conflicts with what she has learnt over time and also found of that she has powers but learning to use them takes a bit of a toll.

I look forward to keep reading

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy for an honest review

I really enjoyed it and would highly recommend and I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself 🙂

Rating 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love the unique world to be found in this manga. It has its own unique peoples and ways and it feels like your scratching the surface of something so much larger and you’ll only ever get to explore that smaller part of it.

Of course a huge part of what I love about this manga is the artwork. I find the pieces that have watercolor to be stunning. It really fits this world with dangerous yet useful creatures that make up a central part in the ways of the world in this story.

There is a prophecy of calamity relating to our little heroine Elin and a feeling that her innocence won’t remain to be as it is as she gets older due to what happens in the beginning of this manga. This is a story I wish that I was able to read so many more volumes of because I know there’s so much potential for depth. I feel that the story may become darker as it goes, but it also could potentially show that fate may not be totally as set in stone as it seems to be.

I really enjoyed this read and I look forward to so much more!

I’ve heard of the beast player through the novel but have not read it. I figured this would be a great little intro to the story and although it wasn’t bad I found it kind of confusing to me. I felt like things were not explained well in the manga that it made me like question what was happening or where things were going. Overall I liked the concept I just felt lost with the story but maybe future volumes will help it make sense to me.

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited when I saw this pop up on net galley because The Beast Player is a great book. I always thought it would translate well to manga or a graphic novel, and I definitely was not disappointed. The only bone I have to pick with it is that <spoiler> Elin's mother has the "dead anime mom" hair style that gives away her fate to any seasoned anime/manga reader that is going in to this blindly without previously reading the book. </spoiler>. I am very excited to see how the manga translates scenes further in the book/series.

What a devastatingly beautiful story and excited for more. This was my first fantasy manga. The art is what drew me in originally. The story moves through a 10 year olds perspective on her family being casted out and the unknown of the world around her.

This manga was able to magnify the character development of Elin from the First to the last pages so beautifully in such a short time. As the reader you see how much love for the Toda her and her mother have. I hadn’t heard of the original novel, however with this adaption I don’t feel the reader is missing any information more volumes wouldn’t uncover. As there are definitely mysteries still unsolved I think this gave an amazing glimpse of what’s to come.

I received an e-copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a nice little manga! The story is quite emotional. Elin is a fun character and I enjoyed the setting of the story. The art is stunning, and I especially loved the full colour pages at the beginning and end of the book.

I believe this manga is based on a novel. I enjoyed it, so I'll have to find the novel now and read that too :)

The beast player: 3.25

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this manga in exchange for an honest opinion.

Elin is a girl who lives in a village cared for and controlled by the kibas. He has great admiration for his mother who is in charge of taking care of the Kibas. One day, out of nowhere, the Kiba appear dead and that is where Elin begins to develop skills she does not know about.

I really liked the way it was drawn and the mom but I didn't find a sequence in the plot that gives a good suspense but not at the right time.

It's a good manga to start reading fantasy and young adult and it's super short. The story takes us with a 10-year-old protagonist but the plot is more for young people.

I experienced the Beast Player as a novel, and I have to say that I prefer it this way! The story itself is enthralling, and the artwork adds an extra layer of depth. Seeing this story brought to life in manga form is incredibly exciting, and it feels like this is how it was meant to be consumed.