High school student Yuiko Kubozuka is someone who is friendly towards humans and animals alike – it just so happens that animals hate her affection and run away at the sight of her! When she meets the newest addition to her class, a scary young man by the name of Leo Aoi, Yuiko becomes deeply interested in him. Leo has a deep connection with all animals and is somewhat feral in nature, but is truly a sweet guy on the inside. But when he is threatened or frightened, Leo reacts just like the wild animals he used to live with, becoming violent with no self-control. Yuiko is determined to tame the wild side of this bad boy – but will Leo grow frightened of Yuiko's great affection or will Leo's blood-thirsty ways keep Yuiko away?

Highlights:

In the last volume of Beast Master, Yuiko is spending a lot more time with Leo, although they are not officially dating. When Yuiko is out shopping, she bumps into Leo's caretaker Toki and they talk about the fact that Leo's eighteenth birthday is the next day. Toki breaks away from Yuiko's company to meet with a man who looks like a shifty homeless man, leaving Yuiko to wonder what is going on. While walking outside, Yuiko sees Leo and Leo runs across the street to see her – and is struck by a car, landing the boy in the hospital. The so-called "accident" forces Toki's hand and he tells Yuiko in his own melodramatic stylings about Leo's past, which includes a large inheritance and a family drama that seems ready to boil over and take poor Leo with it. During a vulnerable moment alone, Yuiko is kidnapped and Leo is forced to meet with his terrible relatives to save her – even if it means handing over his inheritance. When Yuiko is hurt, Leo goes berserk and only Yuiko can help calm him down and protect him from the others. It is revealed that some of the people are working for the homeless man and make a diversion so that Yuiko and her friends can escape – and the homeless man's startling identity is revealed.

Later, Leo's father makes his appearance to his son in a tearful and odd reunion. Leo's father wants to take him abroad with him so that he can be safer and kept out of harm's way from his relatives. Yuiko is devastated at the idea of losing Leo, but puts up a brave front, feeling that it would be better if Leo was far away and safe than close and in danger. Night falls, and Yuiko is alone again, reaching out to the same black kitty she met the day she saw Leo. Just then, a miracle occurs, and Yuiko is no longer alone again. A short story follows about Yuiko and Leo, in which Yuiko wants to know why Leo hasn't said "I love you" yet, but is too afraid to ask directly.

The volume ends with a stand-alone short story of eighty pages, "Cactus Summer Surprise" in which two young people are brought together by the powers of a body-swapping cactus and the spirit of a mad scientist.

Overall:

For only two volumes, the Beast Master series does not seem too short or without conclusion.  It knows what it wants to do and does it, without feeling rushed or cut off. That's one of the perks of a series like this: you only have to commit to two volumes in order to read the whole story – and what a story it is. The love story of a girl who loves animals and a boy who acts like an animal – it is not original in its main idea but in its execution. Unlike a lot of shojo manga in which the beastly love interest is controlling and dominating, it is Yuiko who is truly in control: she is the one who calms Leo down when he's angry; she is the only one who can shut down Leo's bloodlust with her words and kind embrace. Leo is on the surface very much like a feral beast, but on the inside he is kind and playful, eager to learn about the modern world which had been closed to him during his youth. When Yuiko and Leo are together, you have a couple that is truly complete: their personalities and abilities complement each other and seem true. The art is fluid during Leo's scenes of violent rage, and touching during the intimate scenes between Yuiko and Leo. Motomi's art style is not terribly unique, but it cannot be denied that it is pretty and works within the scope of the story.

At the end of the fifth chapter, Yuiko tells Leo that "we keep a ferocious beast inside ourselves in order to protect the things we hold dear"; in any other series, this would seem hokey and corny, but in the context of the scene, it is heartfelt and true. Not terribly deep, but it rings true between the two characters. And that is why Beast Master is such a diamond in the rough: it does not have original art and its premise is not wholly one-of-a-kind, but it has enough heart to carry the series through to a satisfying end, and any shojo fan would not be remiss in picking up this two-volume series for a wonderful afternoon of reading.

ComicsOnline gives Beast Master volume two 4 out of 5 beasts in love.