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.

The Beast Player is one of my favourite stories and seeing it in manga format has been absolutely amazing! This manga adaptation stays very true to the source material, with all the absolutely beautifully nuances in worldbuilding and people that Uehashi is known for. The art is gorgeous and the world itself is so inviting to see in a visual format - I want all the manga and I really hope this releases in physical format for the entire series - because I am going to want all of them for my collection.

The Beast Player novel is stunning and beautiful and this first installment of the manga holds up and I hope will reintroduce so many new readers to this breathtaking and thought provoking world.


*I received an eARC from Kodansha Comics & NetGalley. All opinions are my own*

Elin is forced to find her way after her mother's untimely demise. He has inherited her mom's bond with animals and has a kind gentleman teaching her about beekeeping.

This is cute. It isn't really my thing, but I can see how a middle grades kid would enjoy this very much. The trouble with reviewing manga volumes is that you don't know how the story progresses or evolves past a very small window. This could turn into something that older people would like, but it's hard to tell. I probably won't continue the series, but if it every gets turned into an anime, I would check it out.

I think this is one where it might be better to wait until a handful of volumes are out and then binge. Because, while interesting, this book is so heavy on the world building and lore that there isn't a lot of room for character development.

I am definitely curious to see what happens, but I am not particularly attached to the characters yet (which can be a big stumbling blog for me when it comes to retaining my interest.)

Cautiously recommended with caveats.

I actually hadn't realised this was the adaptation of a novel, but now the drawing style, with its almost movie-like frames, makes a lot more sense.
This was a good first volume, it's nothing special, but it is clearly meant as an introduction for future instalments. Overall, it was a very quick and easy read, and one younger readers might appreciate a lot more than me.

3.5☆

I didn't actually realize this was originally a book but now I'm excited to read it!

You dive right into the story from the start, it has a beautiful mother daughter relationship and interesting people and creatures! I really like the exploration of a mothers sacrifice and Elin is a great main character, she is very young but it feels like a story for all ages. Joeun is adorable and I hope we see more of him helping Elin heal.

The world building is concise and there's no info dumping, you find out bits and pieces as you go along when the main character does which I liked. The plot is very engaging and the characters are likeable.

Beautiful art, especially the chapter art, really conveyed the emotions of the characters, the beauty of the setting and the intensity of the action.

I'm really looking forward to the next one!

Thank you NetGalley and Kodansha for the digital arc.

In a fantasy world, Elin lives with her mother in a village where the mother takes care of the toda—creatures that look similar to crocodiles and are considered previous by the people. When the toda under the care of Elin's mother all die, she's accused of killing them and sentenced to death. However, Elin doesn't accept that, and when she tries to save her mother, she puts herself in danger. Her mother to protect Elin, breaks an oath that could bring change to the world.

In the first volume, we see the start of Elin's story. We don't know much about her, the world she lives in or even about her mother's past. Her mother is a foreigner, but it seems she holds a secret power that can control the toda. But no one can find out about it. I guess it's the start of Elin's journey to find out more about her skills and the people her mother's come from.

This is a great first instalment in a illustrated version of the Beast player. If you enjoyed the book, then you'll enjoy this too. If you haven't read the book, then I highly recommend it.

A breathtaking manga about a Elin, a young girl being raised in a village that views her mother as an outcast. When her mother is blamed for the illness that befalls the todas, powerful and beloved beats, Elin must find strength within herself to survive. This is a gorgeous book, the artwork is perfect and the story is majestic. Elin is a wonderful character and I can't wait to learn more about her in volume 2.

Wow, I got through this so quickly. I haven’t read the original books yet, but I definitely will be now. This is a great start to a story - the character foundations are strong, filled with emotion and purpose, and the plot is engaging and mysterious. I’ve already fallen in love with Elin and the lore. The illustrations are beautiful, painting a well-rounded picture of this world. Even after I read the novels, I’ll probably continue reading the manga volumes just to see the plot unfold in images.

I think the only thing that I didn’t like about this format was the lack of some context. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed in some instances; it was hard to orient myself in the story. The dialogue and illustrations didn’t always make that super clear. I had to use the last few pages to figure out if we were still in the same scene. It may be that timing doesn’t necessarily matter here (only the difference between ‘now’ and the prologue), and in that case, I’ll allow the story to naturally provide context whenever it fits.

The Beast Player vol. 1 is a young adult fantasy manga which tells the story about Elin, a 10 year old girl, who loves her mother.
The woman is a doctor of the Toda, sea creatures that resemble dragons.
When the creatures suddenly die, the blame falls on the her.
Elin, in an attempt to save her mother, will find herself in a distant land with the kindness of strangers to guide her.

The thing that struck me most about this volume is the protagonist. A girl who, despite her young age, has to face with grief and pain.
I'm also very intrigued by the Toda!

In essence it was an excellent start to a heartbreaking story that I think will have many surprises in store.

Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha Comics for a digital copy of The Beast Player in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute and sad story about a girl and her mother. Her mother has a secret and a connection to the animals in this world that no one else understands. Some sad events happen in this story, but it's still a very good story and I can't wait to see what happens next in this series. The art is also very well drawn and brings a very unique world to life.

My Thoughts:

This book about Elin has been a Japanese manga series, an anime, a translated English book, an audiobook, and now an English manga. The story is about a young girl, Elin, whose mother takes care of the Toda, water dragon like animals who make up the Duke's army. When there seems to be a mass casualty of Toda, Elin's mother is held accountable and sentenced to a violent water death by wild toda. Elin tries to help her mother by swimming into the water with a knife, but instead, her mother breaks all the secrets of her own people in order to save Elin. Elin rides one of the toda to safety where she meets people that are willing to help and protext her.

This volume one is only the first section from the death of the toda, the execution of her mother and an introduction to what will become her teacher and trainer.

The visuals are loyal to what I also envisioned. I know what is going to happen, however, I still want to read more so that I can see the book through the mind of the illustrator/artist. Pre order it now.

This manga publishes on my second son's birthday, which bodes well for the success of this series because that son happens to be a Hawaiian and Asian influenced tattoo artist.

From the Publisher:
Ten-year-old Elin loves her brave and beautiful mother, a gifted beast doctor charged with the care of the Toda-the fearsome giant serpents that the kingdom's warriors ride into battle. Their modest but happy life together is shattered when a mysterious illness fells the entire stable of the prized serpents overnight, and Elin's mother is saddled with the blame. Before she knows it, Elin finds herself cast out from all she has ever known, alone in a faraway land, with only her mother's words and the kindness of strangers to guide her. A sumptuous manga adaptation of the hit fantasy novel series, The Beast Player, by Nahoko Uehashi.

Publication Information:
Author: Naoko Uehashi
Artist: Itoe Takemoto
Publisher: Kodansha Comics (May 14, 2024)