Is there a director you love unconditionally?
In my case there are quite a few, but Mamoru Hosoda is definitely one of them.
For me it started with the film One Piece: Baron Omatsuri and the Secret Island, whose overwhelming visual beauty and unpredictable story knocked me flat. When I learned that Digimon Adventure: Our War Game! was also Hosoda's work—a relentless string of crisis after crisis after crisis crammed into just 30 minutes (and watching it now, the dated internet-of-yesteryear stuff is part of the fun)—I was completely hooked. Apparently he showed off his talent in an episode of Ojamajo Doremi too (Motto! Ojamajo Doremi episode 40, "Doremi and the Witch Who Quit Being a Witch"), but I haven't been able to see it. I'd love to if it's streaming somewhere...
Steadily building on his talent, Hosoda burst into the spotlight with the anime film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (which I never fail to watch when I need a pick-me-up—I've seen it so many times I've lost count). He then raised his profile to the point where nobody didn't know his name with Summer Wars, and as a regular fixture of summer Friday-night movie broadcasts, he put out Wolf Children (2012). What came next was The Boy and the Beast (2015).
Wolf Children was a film that raised social questions, and while this one similarly deals with a child's growth, here the mother isn't some supermom—it's a beast raising a child, grappling with very ordinary, life-sized worries as he takes on parenthood. Compared to the previous Wolf Children, this one is a story about fatherhood, so it's a bit rougher around the edges in that dad-like way, but you can laugh at those parts and just enjoy it as entertainment.
The composer this time is Masakatsu Takagi. He also scored Wolf Children, as well as Hosoda's follow-up to The Boy and the Beast, Mirai. Among his other work is the score for Okaeri Mone.
Maybe because Hosoda was once involved with Studio Ghibli, some of the tracks have a faint Ghibli feel to them, but they all sit perfectly within The Boy and the Beast.
Let's get into the music.
The first track I'll introduce is "A Child's Universe." It gives off a slightly Ghibli-esque impression—it wouldn't feel out of place playing somewhere in Kiki's Delivery Service.
Next is "What Supports You From Within." This one has a grand yet powerful melody that somehow fills you with courage.
And finally, let's part ways while watching the film's teaser.
Image from the official site: https://x.com/bakemono_movie
