yeah, lukka being a kid (or at least being drawn as a kid) bothers me slightly too, but i'm not bothered enough to write this off as pedophilic crap. there's no sign here that edgar goes after little boys for sex; he picks lukka for the colour of his eyes, which reminds him of his dead mother, and he picks him to be a companion, not a sex buddy. nor is there any hint that they carry on a sexual relationship; there is just that one scene in chapter 1, and it happens for a good reason; not to put the make on lukka. yeah, i would have liked a "10 years later" special too, but my ire isn't raised even without that.

i also don't mind that it's barely BL -- if it were more explicit, the youth of lukka would bother me more. for me not everything BL needs to have outright sex in it, or the sort of romance that comes with sparkles and flowers. the relationship between edgar and lukka doesn't feel brotherly to me, but neither does it feel dramatically passionate; it seems more quiet to me. which makes sense, since both their initial motivation is loneliness, anything further grows from that initially, and, well, lukka is still a kid. i understand why some people think it's brotherly, but seriously; that scene in chapter 1? not so brotherly.

alas the story doesn't keep up with the art; it's got pacing problems and after a strong first chapter it just kinda meanders around for a while. i also wanted a bit more depth; somehow i didn't really connect with the characters; i wanted to see more growth in their relationship. the art for edgar's transformations was much stronger in showing certain emotions; the prose didn't match it. the art is gorgeously detailed; i could go back and look over so many panels to see more in them, but the story makes me not care to do so; i'll have to let it sit a few years so i forget all about it.

... Last updated on April 18th, 2011, 5:36pm

i usually don't read shounen ai because i feel its a huge tease! i usually just go straight to yaoi. but this was nice! one of the few shounen ai's that didn't p me off when the lovers didn't go all the way. it was sweet and interesting, but i wished it was a lil longer! still it was good.

If Lukka wasn't depicted as a KID then it would have been better, the love they feel could be explored more. The other option could be make an extra at the end in which 10 years have passed and they now look the same age... that would make me clap my hands.
A part from this, there are two very important scenes who are too short and undeveloped: the moment in which they meet and the scene in which Ed finds his sanctuary could be longer...

But the rest is good, the transformation scenes are excellent and the plot isn't bad either, simple maybe, but cute.

i disagree with people saying they have brotherly love for each other. although, it was one scene there was definitely heat between the two of them. plus, you wouldn't tell your brother you want to spend the rest of your life with him. i definitely felt like these two deeply loved eachother. i thought they were both great strong characters.

... Last updated on February 18th, 2009, 6:17am

When I read angelkurisutin's comment about their bond seeming brotherly, I thought: Yes! That's exactly it! It does seem more like a strong desire for connection, belonging and love that is more familial. (At least the more the story goes along the more it seems that way.)

The story is magnificient at times and terribly pointless (and not in a AHSUM PWP sort of pointless way, more in a this-is-a-waste-of-time way) at other times.

Chapter 1 was fabulous in it's dramatic intensity. It could be a stand alone oneshot. Chapter 2 and 3 were mostly WTF. Chapter 4 had a sequence with a little thief that held a poignant moment when Edgar said, 'young children are easy to forgive those that are different.'

Chapter 5 could be interpreted as a bit of unresolved sexual tension, but you have to perv' it reeeal hard. But it did take us back to the angst and drama and intensity of Chapter 1. I felt the story lines in Chapter 1 and 5 were played well and pulled me in.

The art of Edgar's transformations is amazing: That alone is worth giving this story a read. There is one piece of art where he has half transformed (chapter5) that intensely shows torn emotions. *Reeling.*

There is a lot of inconsistencies in the historical time period, but what the hey. It was illustrated with wagonloads of talent!

What's with the eyepatch? Just to give Lukka character? I know he was injured at the beginning, but it doesn't play into the story at all. Maybe it was to give the reader more appreciation for his happy nature?

Sometimes I felt like the bond between the two was more brotherly than anything. It's hard to describe, I feel as if there should have been more to the story. Or, if it's supposed to be shonen-ai, the two characters should have gotten more romantically involved. It's mostly just a lot of devotion. The art, to me, was also a bit dull. Nice, but I didn't feel too attracted to it. It was also strange how the father looked younger and hotter than his son... ^_^;;

... Last updated on June 7th, 2008, 11:28am

i love this kinda stuff but, it was too short and not enough plot. idk, it just kinda............................ended, lol. ^*^ ^_^ ~Ana-nee~

The story is so under-developed, it’s sad. The art is nice, but nothing exceptional. As far as shounen ai factor goes, one wonder why the author even bothered to include it, the whole attempt feels so clumsy. The plot could have had more psychological aspect to it, but as mention before the story never really takes off.

... Last updated on March 6th, 2007, 12:41pm

"Beast" isn't for everyone... many BL fans will be dissapointed to hear that the "action" in this manga never crosses the heavy-petting threshold established in volume 1. In fact, that's the ONLY love scene of any nature in the entire volume. Instead, "Beast" concentrates on another sort of love: the devotion of Lukka to Edgar and visa versa. It's a quiet, awkward, unsaid love that binds them and they skirt the issue for so long that it becomes a non-issue. Everyone knows they love one another... the question is: to what lengths will both go for that love?

The story is simple, and to be quite honest, a bit under-developed... but the artwork is stunning and the atmosphere is unmatched. Some authors don't even bother drawing backgrounds at all... but here, every leaf, every candle and every brick is painstakingly sketched. Kusumoto definately has a unique artistic voice: this doesn't LOOK like anything else in the genre. Many scenes are set up like cinematography, designed to show off the depth and detail of the nameless world Lukka and Edgar inhabit. Her potential is staggering...

Recommended for those with more love of period atmosphere than sex scenes: I'm afraid there's none of the latter here :(