Squee! This has all the good stuff in it- a young beastkin woman pretending to be a boy to avenge her brother's death, some enemies-to-lovers-ish sparks, a handsome young prince in the Imperial court, with said court full of political intrigue, a harsh world where the Ajin, a beastkin race that are treated like second-class citizens, forced to become slaves to the royals, to give us some ugliness to want to see taken down, and gorgeous, be-still-my-beating-heart artwork! The story flows along nicely, teasing out hints of undercurrents of treachery and deceit. Volume 2, here I come!

#TheKingsBeastVol1 #NetGalley

Ajin is the people who possessed the power and characteristics of beasts. In this kingdom, male Ajin is forced to serve humans in the military while the female Ajin serves in the brothels. If an Ajin boy shows signs of special abilities, they are allocated to serve in the imperial palace as beast servants to protect their royal masters, to be kept or discarded depending on their masters. Rangetsu’s twin brother has shown signs of extraordinary ability and forced to separate from his sister, where he was soon fell into a brutal death in a royal household. Understanding the state of the world, Rangetsu is filled with despair and chose to disguise herself as a man to find her way into the palace to seek vengeance for her brother’s death.

However, Rangetsu’s royal master, Prince Tenyou, isn’t what she had expected him to be, and she soon learns the dark side of politics. Does she have the chance of finding out her brother’s killer, or will she join her brother in the afterlife before reaching her objective?

I had the pleasure of reading an excerpt of ”The King's Beast, Vol. 1”, by Rei Toma. It is a gripping fast paced graphic novel that is sure to engage manga readers. While it is not a book I would stock directly in the store due to space constraints, it is one that I would be prepared to recommend and hand sell to customers specifically looking for a good graphic novel of this variety.

Ajin are basically beastlike humans who are slaves in this world. If they are gifted with powers they go on to better things or at least better then the other option but they work for royalty as guards. Rangetsu's twin brother had powers and was taken to prince Tenyou and died shortly after. Now she's working her way up the ranks as a man to be by Tenyou's side and assassinate him but finds there is more to it.

This was definitely and interesting start of a series. I loved the characters and getting an idea of what is going on. I love the mystery aspect of now we gotta figure out who might be behind the death of Rangetsu's brother and the mystery person who keeps coming at her. There was a couple attempted at the ajins life but its unclear why her instead of the prince shes protecting. I'm curious to see what's next.

Happy to go back to Dawn of the Arcana world,Rei Toma art and story is always amazing, even if it tends to be dark. Once again we are introduced to the world were humans are dominant and Ajin, people with animal attributes and sometimes powers, are looked down upon and mistreated. We meet prince Prince Tenyou, and Rangetsu (Ajin) who mistrust each other at the beginning but due to royal court politics are forced to work together. Amazing story and excited to continue reading.
#TheKingsBeastVol1 #NetGalley

Action and romance set in an intriguing fantasy world of humans and human-like beasts. Rangetsu, lost her twin brother Sogetsu when he showed the special abilities valued by the royal family. But Sogetsu only served Prince Tenyou for a short time before being killed in court intrigue. Determined to find out the truth about his death, and avoid the terrible fate of female beasts like her, Rangetsu disguises herself a boy and becomes a top Ajin. Hired to the palace, she finds herself developing relationships with her potential enemies. Enjoyable read for manga fans.

This was a great first volume! There's revenge, action, budding romance, and beautiful characters. I wasn't sure about the male lead's character at first, but everyone's actions and reasonings are well thought out and the main characters are likable. Although I'm sometimes hesitant about the girl disguised as a boy trope, the explanation for it is sound in this one. There's something about this author's work that makes it easily digestible and fun to read despite me not being an avid reader of fantasy settings. So, I'm pleased to say this new series continues to have those aspects of it that I enjoy.
Overall, it left me excited to read more and I didn't expect the extra chapter in here to be about her other series’ The Water Dragon's Bride. So, if you want to read a sweet epilogue to that series, checking out this volume is double worth it!

Taking place in the same world as Dawn of the Arcana, The King’s Beast Vol. 1 is a shoujo manga that tells the story of a beast girl who becomes a beast-servant of one of the princes in a fantasy land inspired by Ancient China. Its first volume is a simple but focused one, introducing the harsh reality of her life, important characters, and the lay of the land.

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Ko Rangetsu is a young beast girl who decided to give up on her femininity and become a warrior so she could have revenge for something that happened in the past. In a cruel world in which her kind is treated as a subhuman species, she learned early that life is a hellish experience of being abused by those with power.

The beast folks, also known as ajin, are usually kept in lower social positions. Still, some of them even develop mysterious powers, making them interesting subjects for personal bodyguards and servants. Faking to be a man, Rangetsu becomes one of the most substantial figures in the army, eventually recognized by the nickname “the high commander,” and is assigned as the princes’ beast-servant.

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This is all but one step of her revenge, as she learns more of the events of the past and tries to figure out who is her real enemy. Volume 1 doesn’t really go in-depth about it yet but takes its time to flesh out the worldbuilding, explain social norms and hint at potential court intrigue. That makes it feel short and unsubstantial, but it’s also a good grounding for the next volumes to build upon.

The main character’s thirst for revenge is already well established, and her personality is really broken due to her tragic worldview. But there’s room for it to change shape. Though it may eventually consume her whole, she could also find another meaning for her life as her relationship with other characters grow deeper.

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Visually speaking, the Chinese inspiration is apparent in the motifs, clothing, buildings, and flowers. More often than not, the framings are focused on character expressions, reinforcing the sadness and tragedy. There are a few battles with good sequencing, but they are also too short and don’t really give any sense of stakes yet.

After the three chapters, there’s also a short one based on another of Rei Toma’s works, The Water Dragon’s Bride. It has no real relation to the rest of the manga and feels a little out of place, but its lightheartedness is also an excellent counterbalance to the rest of the content.

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Overall, I’m really intrigued to see how Rangetsu’s tale develops in the next books. The first volume is a good introduction to how tragic being an ajin is in this fantasy society, even if other elements of the tale are still underdeveloped.

The King's Beast has everything you could love: a revenge plot, an enemies to lovers trope, a vivid world that is as complex as it is interesting, and a compelling main character. Though it's based in a world that has already been largely established in Toma's other works, I don't think this will impact the ability to enjoy The King's Beast.

I genuinely loved the story line and rooted for Rangetsu in her pursuit for revenge against the humans who killed her twin brother. Her pain and anger is felt in the illustrations and in her interactions with those around her. She's not just a character who is playing at revenge--she's trained herself for years to achieve it. I really liked how dark the story was and how, even in this darkness, Rangetsu still managed to find threads of light. There were plenty of twists and turns and a myriad of confrontations.

If I had anything less-than-stellar to comment on, it would be the somewhat rushed plot. There were times it felt like the story jumped a bit, as if there were holes in the dialogue or perhaps I read it out of order (totally possible), but overall, this didn't kill my love for this story.

I look forward to volume 2!

I requested this manga, not knowing it was for adults. I did enjoy the story and world it was set it. The dark humor laced throughout, but it isn't a book I would purchase for my middle school library because it doesn't fit the age group of my students.

This was a beautiful manga about revenge and suffering.

The main character gives up everything to avenge their brother, but where does that leave them when they find out the person accused of his murder is innocent?

I highly recommend this series!

I love Rei Toma, and this new story of hers is no exception. The King's Beast was fantastic! I can't wait to read more about it.

A bit too melodramatic and over the top in emotion for what I want right now. Ostensibly a court mystery with a gender-hidden love story and cross-species liberation, it seemed like so much was packed into the initial chapters that the plot and characters didn't have time to breathe. Everything was at the highest emotional intensity, like a Yu gi oh episode right before or after the commercial break, and the intrigue seemed more about intense looks than rational plotting.

Legend says that a sacred beast appears in the time of a great king…

Ajin are people who bear the attributes of beasts, and in this kingdom they are forced to serve men in the military and women in the brothels. The 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 Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu showed signs of such abilities, he was ripped from her arms and given to Prince Tenyou as a beast servant, where he quickly fell victim to bloody royal intrigues. Now in a world that promises only bitterness, Rangetsu’s one hope is to disguise herself as a man and find a way into the palace to avenge her brother!

But 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?- Goodreads

For the first volume of this manga, the storyline moved faster than I thought. I liked it or better yet I should say I am intrigued and want to read the next volume. I expected some of the shocking plot lines to come at least in the second book, to help build up the tensions and the characters but I was surprised to see it within this volume. Due to that, the spark of the book died down a bit but as I mentioned I am intrigued specifically by Price Tenyou's back story and relationship with Ajin as a whole.

The artwork is beautiful, detailed and it tells a story that is comparable to the main story. I think its a great start to a series.

Overall,

3 Pickles

I'm a first=time reader of Rei Toma's work. But as a first-time reader of Rei Toma's work and being introduced to her via this new manga I've she's made me an instant fan. Other than a well-structured story that's initially deep-seated in revenge. Rei delivers this revenge story with deep emotions and empathy. Although the mystery of who murdered The KIng's Beast still needs to be solved. It's the emotional undertones that take this story above and beyond.

Complimenting the story is Toma's artwork. The graceful contours of her linework capture you instantly and make it such a pleasure to read from start to finish. From the scenery to the action sequences Toma's artwork truly shines.

The icing on the cake is that you don't need to read Toma's previous work in order to jump into this new series despite taking place in the same world as Dawn of Arcana.

CW: Slavery, Abuse, Threat of Rape

I'm not so sure what to put here. As many of you know, I've been struggling to read my standard genres, so I've been branching out. When I saw this manga up on NetGalley, the artwork intrigued me. I decided to give this manga a shot.

The concept of the manga was fascinating, and the world was captivating and brutal. I found that the world was a bit excessive in brutality without giving us any real reason (besides us vs. them). I would have liked to know more about the world itself.

The characters were well done though I would have liked to get to know the motivations of Tenyou more. I felt that his character was a bit too cliche and would have liked to know his backstory.

All in all, the artwork is beautiful, and the story was engaging.

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.

The King’s Beast Volume One is a manga set in the same world as Dawn of the Arcana.

The King’s Beast Volume One
Written by: Rei Toma
Publisher: Shogakukan
English Publisher: VIZ Media
Release Date: February 2, 2021

When I saw that this story was set in the same world as the Dawn of the Arcana manga, I wondered if this would be a hindrance in understanding this story, since I had only read one volume of the series nearly seven years ago. However, I can say after reading this volume is that The King’s Beast is able to stand on its own and can be enjoyed by readers who have little to no knowledge of Dawn of the Arcana.

In this world, Ajin boys who show special abilities are conscripted to serve as a beast-servant for the imperial palace. Beast-servants are status symbols and shields for their masters and are generally kept or discarded based on the whims of their master. The boys who don’t show special abilities must enlist in the military. Female Ajin are expected to work in lowly positions, with the younger ones serving as prostitutes.

The King’s Beast focuses on a set of Ajin twins: a boy named Sogetsu and a girl named Rangetsu. Sogetsu is discovered to have special abilities and is taken away from Rangetsu. He serves the fourth prince and is killed while in serving as a beast-servant. The rumors say that the fourth prince killed Sogetsu, and Rangetsu overhears the rumors. She decides to take on the identity of a boy and works her way up to become a beast-servant even though she doesn’t have any special abilities. But Rangetsu manages to become the fourth prince’s beast-servant and prepares to take revenge for the death of her younger twin brother.

But we can see that the fourth prince isn’t like the other members of the royal family. Unlike the other members of the nobility, he actually cares about his beast-servants. He defends Rangetsu against his prince’s guard, who tries to put Rangetsu to work doing menial tasks. And when it comes out that the fourth prince didn’t kill Sogetsu, and Rangetsu sees him shedding tears for her brother, she strikes up an alliance (albeit it a tenuous one) to find her brother’s true killer.

Even though the prince thinks that Rangetsu is male, there are some panels in here where he seems like he’s getting a little too close to Rangetsu. We see several panels where the prince and Rangetsu are positioned in ways that is normally seen in shojo romance stories. These panels definitely give off a kind of romance undertone, and it makes me wonder if Toma is leading up to having the fourth prince discovering the truth about Rangetsu and falling in love with her. If that ends up being a twist, it’s one that I’m already seeing from a mile away.

But the story that’s presented here is riveting enough that I found myself not wanting to stop. I also thought that the art complements the story, and it works with the kind of world that Toma has set up for both Dawn of the Arcana and The King’s Beast.

This volume also includes a bonus chapter for Toma’s The Water Dragon’s Bride. I haven’t read any of that manga, but fortunately, the first few panels give readers enough of a recap to help out those who have never read The Water Dragon’s Bride to understand the concept of the series and what led up to the point the bonus chapter is depicting.

I would recommend The King’s Beast to readers who are fans of Dawn of the Arcana or any other of Toma’s work. I would also recommend it to readers who enjoy stories featuring supernatural characters that are set in a world that’s set up like one of the earlier eras of Japanese history.

This is my first time reading anything by Rei Toma, but I really enjoyed it. The artwork was vivid and the world-building, while I'm guessing it might be a bit over done for people familiar with this world, was great for newbies.

For Libraries: A minor word of caution for the content. As tends to happen in dystopian worlds, women are not treated very kindly (particularly those in a minority), so you do have some implied (and one minor glimpse) of theme of sex slavery/rape (trigger warning).

The King’s Beast is a title I have been waiting for since it was announced for English publication from VIZ Media. Coming from mangaka Rei Toma, this new series is one of romance and revenge set in the world of Dawn of the Arcana. Published by VIZ Media’s Shojo Beat imprint, The King’s Beast Volume 1 is translated/adapted into English by JN Productions and features touch-up art and lettering from Monaliza De Asis. Marketed as a story of romance and revenge, this first volume is all revenge and world-building.

The King’s Beast is centered on an Ajin named Rangetsu and his owner Prince Tenyou. In the series, Ajin are superior to humans in every way. Part fox, some have special abilities and use them to serve at the behest of ruling humans. With their population controlled to keep the humans in power, Ajin are nothing more than servants to be used by humans. If they’re male, they become weapons. If they’re female, they become prostitutes, but they all exist until they die to do the bidding of humans. 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.

Rangetsu’s twin brother Sogetsu was ripped from her arms and sent to the palace to attend Prince Tenyou as a beast-servant but was murdered soon-there after. Lacking powers herself, Rangetsu spent the rest of her life training to be good enough to become a beast-servant and abandoning her womanhood to become a weapon in the process. Once Rangetsu enters the castle, she realizes that Prince Tenyou is not what she expected. But with her vengeance put on hold, she becomes allies with Tenyou, and they both seek to find Sogetsu’s killer.

As a character, Rangetsu is filled with hatred and hurt. The bulk of the volume is focused on entering the world of The King’s Beast. While the marketing promises romance, none can be found outside the small moments of classic shojo tension. That said, what is in this volume is a deep dive into understanding who Rangetsu is as a character. We learn about her pain, her grief, and ultimately her strength. While the singular focus of vengeance propels her, Toma takes the time to make her both sympathetic and someone not to be pitied. With most “woman turned warrior hiding her gender,” you have a period of the protagonist learning how to become capable, but with The King’s Beast, Rangetsu has already done the training and, by her own admission has killed many humans and Ajin to get to her standing. This is refreshing and allows the readers to see Rangetsu as someone who has made up their mind and not fighting with herself.



Toma’s art is also wonderful, delicately showcasing Rangetsu’s visual aesthetic and depicting her in fight sequences that showcase her power. Additionally, Rangetsu’s fox max is a gorgeous aesthetic to the character that makes her both more beautiful and more intimidating.

Overall, The King’s Beast Volume 1 is heavy on the world-building, but it all works to immerse the reader into the story. That said, knowing that this volume and the second one were released in Japan simultaneously, as noted multiple times in the volume, makes it feel like something is missing. Perhaps it was how the volume was presented as having both romance and revenge that it feels like something is missing. That said, this is a strong debut to a series that I’m sure will only get stronger.