Fantasy anime has been dominated by isekai stories for the longest while, to the point where those that weren't actually isekai felt barely removed from it. That's somewhat the case for the upcoming series Beast Tamer, which will feature many of the elements that fans of modern fantasy anime love. Having both a ridiculously explanatory Japanese title and an underdog protagonist who finds strength in a group of women, the show definitely has notable similarities to other hits.
The original novel series from Suzu Miyama (which has the full name of "The Beast Tamer Who Was Exiled from His Party Meets a Cat Girl From the Strongest Race") began only a few years ago, so those who've recently gotten into it or the manga adaptation will be happy to see it quickly brought to the small screen. Here's what fans and newcomers alike can expect from the upcoming Beast Tamer anime, which will begin airing soon.
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The Plot of Beast Tamer
The main character of Beast Tamer is a former warrior named Rein, who once acted as a beast tamer within a party of adventuring heroes. Unfortunately for him, his ability to form companionships with animals was regarded as too weak to be useful. Ironically, it's upon leaving this guild that Rein's fortunes begin to change. Meeting a catgirl named Kanade, Rein acquires some of her abilities after successfully bonding with her.
From there, Rein and Kanade go on a quest to find other half-animal girls to train and gain powers from, including Tania the dragon girl and Sora the fairy. Together they each discover their own inner strength, with Rein secretly being far stronger than he initially believed.
The plot is arguably similar to several isekai, with the "group of female companions accompanying a seeming loser" trope being comparable to The Rising of the Shield Hero. That show is an outright isekai anime, though another similar series, Banished from the Hero's Party, I Decided to Live a Quiet Life in the Countryside, is pure fantasy like Beast Tamer.
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Trailer for Beast Tamer
The most recent trailer for Beast Tamer shows the early adventuring days of Rein with his original group. Of course, these "good ol' days" don't exactly stick around, with his supposed weakness leading to his departure. Rein's new allies of various animal women are introduced from there, with Kanade and Tania shown fighting for their place alongside their new "master." The general tone and vibe from the trailer is rather chill, and although glimpses of battles are shown, it ultimately looks like being a rather relaxing fantasy series.
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Production News for Beast Tamer
As mentioned, Beast Tamer is based on a novel series from Suzu Miyama and Subachi, which started its run back in June 2018. It was adapted into a manga the following January and a light novel series in May, with all of these different versions of the story still running.
EMT Squared, the animation studio producing Beast Tamer, has quite a history with fantasy anime -- namely isekai. The studio's other works include Drugstore in Another World, I'm Quitting Heroing and the various Rainy Cocoa anime. Atsushi Nigorikawa is the director for Beast Tamer, with Takashi Aoshima serving as the main writer.
Rein, Kanade and Tania are voiced by Shoya Chiba, Azumi Waki and Rumi Okubo, respectively. Sora, Luna, Nina and Stella, other characters in the series, are voiced by Minami Tanaka, Maria Sashide, Marika Kouno and Rie Takahashi. Many of these seiyuu also have experience with fantasy and isekai anime, including such hits as That Time I Got Reincarnated As a Slime.
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Release Date for Beast Tamer
Those who can't wait to see Rein interact with his group of animal girls don't have to wait long. Beast Tamer will begin airing on Japanese television on October 2, 2022, with streaming service Crunchyroll licensing the show in the West. Muse Communication will be doing so in South and Southeast Asia, having also licensed numerous hit shows in those regions such as isekai juggernaut Sword Art Online and superhero parody One-Punch Man. MADKID provides the theme song for the series, "Change the World," while the ending theme "LOVE&MOON" is performed by Nina's voice actress Marika Kouno.