- Mangaka : Makoto Sanada (Original Story) Miyakokasiwa (Adaptation) Aco Arisaka (Art)
- Publisher : Yen Press
- Genre : Supernatural, Shounen
- Published : May 2020
Bestia Introduction (No Spoilers)
Asuka Tsukasa decided to study abroad in England, the same country that his mother disappeared many years before. He didn’t go to England on a mission to unravel the secrets of his mother's disappearance but rather to get an education and in a way feel closer to his missing parent. He and a childhood friend named Alice stop by the manor where his mother once lived and quickly find themselves fighting for their lives in a fairy garden filled with strange and magical animals known as Cryptids. Asuka’s strange adventure doesn’t stop there as a larger more dangerous secret world of cryptids and keepers is revealed.
Contains Spoilers
Discussion Time
The mystery surrounding Asuka’s mother's disappearance isn’t only on his mind but on the mind of many potential friends, enemies, and supernatural beings. The young college student had come to terms with his missing mother and only had vague recollections of her now as a young adult. The gentle memories of a garden filled laughter and a young girl devoted to his mother Honoka filled his dreams. The pieces begin to fall into place as he and Alice literally fall into a fairy garden beneath his mother's old home. The wide-open spaces of the garden were filled with light and a sky where there should have been only the foundation of the house. A fairy garden could be said to be a hidden paradise, but this one was far from it, without a keeper the supernatural residents of the garden began to grow wild and hostile to all who stumbled into the sanctuary.
The largest and most powerful resident is Edgar, a giant black dog that summons lightning and is angry after being left alone for so long. Alice and Asuka barely survive their first encounter only escaping death after a disembodied voice whispered to him to use the bracelet his mother left him to control the beast and revealing that Edgar in a human form looked very much like the young girl that he played with at his mother's side. The events move faster after that as a secret society reveals itself claiming to be an ally and demanding that Asuka and Edgar join them in subduing other cryptids - many having a connection to his mother. A cautious and not too trusting Asuka tentatively agrees to help, if only to unravel the secrets of his mother's life.
1. You Like Life-or-Death Action
The story starts off pretty innocuous with two friends walking the streets of London reminiscing about old times and visiting the home where a relative lived. The two stumble upon a magical world of flying glassfish and verdant green fields, then...the running and the screaming begins. You don’t get 11 pages into the story before the protagonist and his cute little friend are doing everything they can not to die. You are caught off guard by the sudden turn of events too… that is if you don’t remember this article when you start reading. We get a quick evaluation of the protagonist too he’s not “special” he, as far as he knows, doesn’t have powers yet he quickly throws himself between danger and Alice. A standup move we consider a great way to judge a man's character.
2. Mystery and the Supernatural
We get a big dose of European supernatural in this manga so much so the author makes sure to have a few pages defining the names, powers, and origins of some of these mythological creatures. Edgar, is a black dog, a very big lightning throwing black dog, but a black dog none-the-less. A black dog is a spirit that is sometimes considered a demonic entity and a shapeshifter. A black dog is often associated with death and spotted in graveyards. The myths don’t give a sense of the power or size of the dog, so we’ll trust in Arisaka-san’s illustrations for that.
You are given the hint of a mystery when Asuka says his mother disappeared when he was little and that she lived in a manor in England and not in Japan. You figure there is something more going on when they crash through the floor and into the fairy garden. You may not have realized that the mystery might evolve into a massive cabal until the gentleman by the name of Oldman reveals the fairy garden housed under parliament. You simply know at this point everything is to be questioned, from whether his mother is dead or just hiding, to whether the cryptids are dangerous or the government just wants them under their control. We just do not know and we guess that’s why it's called a mystery.
1. We Feel a Harem Coming On...
The first volume starts out with the protagonist not only having one girl in his orbit, but two, as Edgar’s human form is of a young woman. Did we mention that because of a spell Asuka is Edgar’s master and he controls her with a collar and invisible leash? We meet another cryptid that seems out of control and is drawn to Asuka leaving destruction in its wake, leaving us to think when all is said and done this one will come under his control and take the form of a human girl. You can see this pattern playing out in each of the additional stories like a cross between pokemon and Date a Live, calm’em, catch 'em, and control’em then unleash them to fight for you.
Final Thoughts
Bestia is fun. The story meets a crossroads of conventional and clever by giving us the elements of a shounen adventure and hardcore mystery. We, if we are lucky, might even get a good dose of ecchi harem by the time the series really gets going. The characters are cute and Edgar may have an abrasive attitude now but we know that’s the kind of thing that will eventually change as the story goes on. The story also has the potential to give us some feels as each cryptid seems to suffer from some sort of emotional trauma that Asuka needs to help them work through. We look forward to getting a look at volume two soon.
Author: Zeke Changuris