Early Book Review: The King’s Beast, Vol. 1 by Rei Toma

The King’s Beast, Vol. 1, by Rei Toma is currently scheduled for release on February 2 2021. Ajin boys who show signs of special abilities are conscripted to serve in the imperial palace as beast-servants—status symbols and shields for their royal masters, to be kept or discarded on a whim. When they were children, Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu was ripped from her arms and sent to the palace to attend Prince Tenyou as a beast-servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody dynastic intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope at avenging her brother is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace! Prince Tenyou is not what Rangetsu expected, and the political currents in the palace run deep and strange. Does Rangetsu have any chance of finding justice for her brother, or will she become just another Ajin casualty in the game of kings?

The King’s Beast is a story with a good deal of character and world building to set up the rest of the series, but it is not bogged down by that, which often happens I thought it was well planned and executed, with plenty of character complexity and enough questions to keep me intrigued for the next installment without leaving me feeling cheated or unsatisfied with this part of the story.I thought the art was a perfect match to the text and mood of the story, conveying movement and emotion as it played out. The lines are clean and smooth, not making me squint to make out small details, which me and eye aging eyesight always appreciate. Rangetsu's start might not be all that original- I have read many stories that start with a girl having to pretend to be a boy- but thus far it has not become in to play too much and I look forward to seeing how their story plays out.

The King’s Beast is a well written and drawn graphic novel. I look forward to the second volume and continuing the story.