The art of this manga is lovely, and panels are well set to understanding what is going on within the story. Rangetsu (Ajin-aka the prince's beast-essentially a possession) has made it her goal in life to get revenge for the murder of her twin brother Sogetsu. She has divested of her gender, and trained to become the best warrior to get close to the prince she thinks murdered her brother, however, the prince would also much like to find out who murdered Sogetsu.

This blossoming romance between Rangetsu and the prince (who doesn't know she is a woman-yet) while navigating political intrigue to find who is responsible for the murder of Sogetsu. Rangetsu must be careful about her identity as a woman because of the sordid past of female Ajin in the palace, her life could come to a very swift end if she were discovered. Rangetsu is actually talented as a fighter and it is shown in the story. It is hinted at that she has killed many who discovered her true identity as a woman in order to achieve her goal of revenge.

The execution of the story is done well, I think. We have a nice hook for the set up of the story. I enjoyed reading both volumes as sort of a duology to the beginning of the series. The emotion of the characters is well done and believable.

Still interesting and it is interesting to see the palace politics. I wonder how they will progress.

In this volume, Rengetsu tests Tenyou a bit, leading him on a chase around the area. When Tenyou doesn't give up the chase, despite being injured, Rengetsu becomes a bit more comfortable around him, more sure of his intent. Later, Taihaku goes to speak to Rengetsu about "his" behavior, and spies her getting dressed, binding her breasts. He decides to keep her secret for now, but who knows if he'll change his mind in the future?
We also meet the first prince, Oushin, and his ajin Teiga, when Tenyou takes Rengetsu to meet them. Oushin must give a ruling on an ajin woman accused of murder; the evidence shows it couldn't have been her, but Oushin rules her guilty to avoid making waves. This makes Rengetsu furious, and she asks for time to investigate before he delivers his ruling. Will she be able to free the ajin?
The stories in this volume gives us more character development, as well as adding new recurring characters, as Oushin and Teiga have taken a liking to Rengetsu. We get some intrigue, and another look at how the ajin are treated in this world, and Rengetsu and Tenyou's relationship becomes more trusting; no hints of romance yet, though they definitely have a connection. I'm enjoying this series so far- the slow burn works for me, letting me get settled into the world and get a good feel for it. I look forward to seeing what happens next!

#TheKingsBeastVol2 #NetGalley

This volume sees Rengetsu and Prince Tenyou make the decision to trust one another in order to find the killer of Rengetsu's twin brother. The two start forming alliances among the other princes and their Ajin in order to further their quest.

3.5/5

This second instalment of the King’s Beast by Rei Toma was beautifully drawn and had an interesting small plot line.

I think it was a little on the boring side as it focused on more world-building, character development and some political intrigue. It didn’t have much in the actual department. But it was really cute and heartwarming.

As the 2 main characters trust each other more, I’m still interested to read more especially to find out what happens during the big “reveal” (if it ever happens).

Overall a decent vol. 2. that seems to be gearing up to a bigger, overarching arc. I hope to be able to read this series to completion, as I am very curious.

The second volume dives further into relationships and world-building as we see Rangetsu taking on a more hopeful approach.
It was a great volume and left me further engaged in the story. I'm excited to see more depth into the characters as this volume proved Rei Toma is giving proper attention to those previously introduced. As she continues to build relationships, I look forward to seeing the story grow as things are still just beginning.

Historical fantasy and romance go hand-in-hand, add the shojo trope of genderbending, and this is what makes The King’s Beast a series worth picking up. Created, written, and illustrated by mangaka Rei Toma, this series is set within the world of Dawn of the Arcana, their New York Times Bestselling series. In it, Rangetsu is an Ajin who becomes the beast-servant to Prince Tenyou, one of the princes of the royal family. A role reserved for Ajin boys with special abilities, Rangetsu is pretending to be a boy to get vengeance for the murder of her twin brother. Now, in The King’s Beast Volume 2, Rengetsu realizes that her feelings towards Tenyou aren’t just hatred while also seeing more of the world’s injustice.

The King’s Beast Volume 2 is written and illustrated by Toma, and localized in English by VIZ Media, published through its Shojo Beat imprint, is translated and adapted by JN Productions, and features touch-up art and lettering by Monaliza De Asis. In this volume, Rangetsu knows she must keep a low profile in the palace if she’s to have any hope of tracking down her brother’s killer, but that proves to be a struggle when Ajin is wrongly accused of murder. Instead of standing by and watching injustice unfold, she uses her position within the castle to push towards justice and, in the process, discovers that Tenyou isn’t like his family. Unlike them, he cares.

Last volume, there was a lot of intrigue, some action, and little in the way of romance; it’s something I critiqued given that the selling point of the series is a plan of revenge foiled by love. The King’s Beast Volume 2, on the other hand, introduces the romantic tension between Tenyou and Rengetsu, though her gender hasn’t been revealed. For now, the care from Tenyou seems based on guilt. More specifically, his guilt for not being able to protect her twin brother. But from Rengetsu, there is a strong yearning that begins to build up in every interaction that she has with her Prince. She begins to see the light he brings to every situation, but her want to reach out to him is curtailed by his status and the reminder that as an Ajin, she will never be able to be more than a beast-servant.

When someone comes upon her out of uniform, the reality of the danger she’s in begins to take hold for the reader. The King’s Beast Volume 2 is a volume that pushes development. Through yearning, the beginning of a romance, even if it’s one-sided romantically, Toma does an excellent job showing that Tenyou’s deep care and growing emotions. Additionally, Toma’s art is gorgeous in every way. The only issue I have is that even in moments of sparring where Rengetsu should look intimidating, she doesn’t. Her softness is never truly hidden, and there is a ferocity that’s missing from how she’s written to how she’s drawn.



Overall, The King’s Beast Volume 2 is much improved from the first in leading us down the ultimate story that was promised. In fact, it makes sense that volumes 1 and 2 were released simultaneously in Japan, and to be honest, I wish they had been released that way in the US too. While I was frustrated a bit with the first volume, this one makes me excited for the rest of the series.

If being an ajin is bad, then being a female ajin is worse. But why should that be? This volume of <i>The King's Beast</i> starts to answer that question when Prince Tennyou's servant discovers that Rangetsu is a woman, and he muses what, if anything, to do about it. The answer lies in a hotbed of misogyny, failed understanding of sexuality, and good old-fashioned fear: once upon a time an emperor had a female beast servant and she turned out to be, like, a <i>total</i> slut who would sleep with <i>anyone</i> no matter what their rank and then she used her evil whore-powers to basically take over the imperial court.

I use those hateful words on purpose here, because that's the light this unknown woman is presented in: a dangerous woman whose unbridled sexuality nearly destroyed the court. Essentially, men found her attractive and blamed her for it; there's no indication that there was consent involved on her part at all, and while it could have been, given the way that ajin are treated, that's by no means a certainty. When we consider that now female ajin are forced to serve a mandatory term in a brothel, that sounds awfully like misogynist racial stereotyping with roots in a belief that women are responsible for how men react to them.

That's the system Rangetsu grew up in, and the one she's actively rebelling against. As she builds allies among the princes and their beast servants, she may be able to start to change the way the world functions. It won't be fast and it won't be easy - and it won't even be all that fair at times, as we see this volume.

But at least it's a start.

I honestly enjoyed this one a lot more than book two. You can see the start of a series and friendships building with Rengetsu and other members of the palace. There are a lot of dark moments in flashbacks and just the world as a whole, but the story was fairly lighthearted and solid. I liked the continued development of the characters as well as the world itself, and a further dive into the politics of the palace.

Cannot wait for book 3.

Ajin are destined to be servants to humans working as military or brothels. Rangetsu's twin brother was a special one but died working with the royals so she has worked hard to take her brothers place dressing as a man to get her revenge.

Its interesting seeing how this world works. I loved getting to know more about the characters as this book went on. Some people weren't as cold as they seemed and if they were you get to see briefly what led them down that path. I loved that Rangetsu was not the type of person to back down with any task and in the face of injustice. She voiced her opinion where no one would would apparently care and tried her best to make people care. I can't wait to see more for the next book.

4.5 Stars
Lovers of Ouran High school host club meets Yona at dawn vibes will love this manga series!

I had the grace to read volume one of this story, and I really saw potential. I am so happy to confirm that this is going so well. I am very invested in this story, and I ship Rangetsu & Taihaku! I know it’s gonna hurt me, but I do! Also, my baby Teiga! I will die for him !!!

3.5 Stars

The art is seriously swoony and I think one of the big reasons why I am enjoying this series. In the second book Rangetsu slowly begins to trust the prince, they also begin to investigate. As the story continues you get to know more of the characters and politics. I am a little worried that with so many princes and best masters I will lose track but so far it’s well paced so I think, provided this continues, it should be ok.

The final chapter is my favourite as I think it sets up a lot about Rangetsu character arc.

The King’s Beast Volume Two delves more into the character of Rangetsu and the world that she lives in.

The King’s Beast Volume Two
Written by: Rei Toma
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: May 4, 2021

At the beginning of the volume, Prince Tenyou is trying to convince Rangetsu that he trusts her, but she runs away. Tenyou chases after Rangetsu to try to get his point across. This creates quite a ruckus, and Taihaku, Tenyou’s attendant, plans to give Rangetsu a piece of his mind. But Taihaku catches Rangetsu taking off her bindings and revealing that she’s really a girl. However, it’s not really made clear if Rangetsu knows that Taihaku saw her.

Taikahu is now put in a tight spot. If he tells the prince the truth and it becomes public knowledge, it could be used as a weapon by Tenyou’s enemies. Through Taikahu, we learn that female Ajin have never been officially prohibited from serving in the palace, but past emperors had chosen to be served be female Ajin and this brought about some serious issues. Female Ajin are only able to become a Beast-Servant if they have an exceptional ability. Since Rangetsu doesn’t possess an exceptional ability, the fact that she is in an imperial palace could be seen as a serious crime. In the end, he decides not to say anything to the prince and determines that he can use Rangetsu as a sacrificial pawn. While Taikahu is a loyal attendant to Tenyou, we see through this scene that he’s not necessarily a nice guy.

Meanwhile, after Rangetsu has interactions with Tenyou that seem to prove that he trusts her, she starts seeing him in a different light. In her thoughts, we hear that she seems him as a ray of light. However, as the volume progresses, the expressions that Rangetsu has on her face when she thinks these thoughts make the reader think that perhaps she is developing romantic feelings for Tenyou, but that she doesn’t realize it yet. I know that this is a shojo title, so I figured that romance would figure into this somehow. Right now, it looks like Rangetsu is developing feelings for Tenyou. Tenyou doesn’t know that Rangetsu is a female yet, so we don’t know yet whether he could develop feelings for her or not.

Volume Two also introduces the reader to Prince Oushin, the first prince, and his Beast-Servant, Teiga. Oushin is sickly, so he doesn’t go out much or do much. Because of this, Teiga hasn’t bothered to train himself to get better. Rangetsu discovers this while sparring with him. When Rangetsu overhears Teiga and Oushin talking about a female Ajin who has been accused of murder, but the case against her is going nowhere due to lack of evidence. The noble household that has the Ajin servant asks Oushin to adjudicate. When Oushin simply says he finds the Ajin guilty, Rangetsu butts in argues about the situation. In the end, Rangetsu takes it upon herself to do an investigation. Even though she brings back information Oushin and Teiga already knew, she makes it clear how she feels about them just trying to brush off the innocent Ajin. Oushin has Teiga do something surprising right at the end of the volume, and I think that Rangetsu’s arguments and actions had an effect on the first prince.

I can’t forget to mention that there is also a flashback that gives some backstory and character development for Teiga. I was glad to see this, because it gave me a better understanding of who he is as a character.

Even though there are hints of romance being sprinkled in more noticeably than in the previous volume, there was still a lot going on here that made me think a little bit. I also thought that the various flashbacks, exposition, and action that takes place in this volume helped to expand on Rangetsu’s character, as well as on the world that she and the other characters of The King’s Beast inhabit. This volume gave me a better appreciation for Rangetsu’s determination and her sense of justice.

If you’ve read the first volume of The King’s Beast and enjoyed it, I think you’ll find that volume two does a great job of following up on the story and helps it to progress in a realistic and satisfying manner.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
The King’s Beast volume 2 picks up where we left off in volume 1. Prince Tenyou knows who Rangetsu is and why she’s there and agrees to work with her to find out who killed her brother and why. In return Rangetsu will protect Prince Tenyou from any threats.Taihaku is still incredibly suspicious of Rangetsu and I think he might know more than he’s let on about Sogetsu’s death.
Tenyou and Rangetsu go to the first prince, Oushin, and his beast servant, Teiga, on their search for answers and Rangetsu finds herself stepping into his business and proving the way to making change maybe isn’t always a big act, but can build from small things.
This volume also takes a closer look at the injustice the Ajin suffer against their human oppressors.

More amazing artwork in this volume! I haven’t read Rei Toma’s previous works but after these ones I’ll look for them! I’m excited to read volume 2.

I wasn't sure this volume would live up to the first, and I am happy to be proven wrong! This volume was fantastic and amazing! The politics of the palace are so intriguing, and I am excited to see where things progress throughout the series!

If you would like my more in depth feelings about this title, please check out this review vlog! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6vAlr5I5CE

In the second volume of the series, Rangetsu continues to investigate her brother's death while other members of the court begin to suspect that Rangetsu is not what she appears to be.

I am really enjoying the story so far. Rangetsu is an interesting character - unbending in her belief that the Ajin deserve better but still sensitive about every kindness that comes her way. Rei Toma's art is beautiful as always and I love the expressions on the characters faces in pivotal moments in the story - so on point and sometimes haunting.

Rei Tomas work never disappoints! Everytime she releases a new volume of manga I get so excited because I know I'll get an amazing story, stunning artwork, and an unforgettable cast of characters. I love her new series The King's Beast so much I truly believe it has potential to be my favorite manga series of all time!

I loved this so much. I really loved the first volume so when I saw this one was up on NetGalley I just had to get it to see where things were going. Just like last time the art in here is absolutely amazing. I don't often think about the art too indepthley when reading but in here there are just times when it is absolutely stunning. I also find the story here to be really cool. There is so much potential here and I just don't know where exactly it is going. I loved the characters we got introduced to this volume they seem like great additions to the story and were not what I was expecting. There were also other elements that occurred earlier in the story that also subverted my expectations. I'm really liking where this series is going and am looking forward to reading more.

Rangestsu continues to investigate her brother's death. The fourth prince vows to help her, but he still thinks that she is a boy. The fourth prince's servant discovers that Rangestsu is a girl, but keeps it to himself. Rangestsu investigates a murder in order to prove a fellow Ajin's innocence.