The Fall 2024 Manga Guide

The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child

What's It About? 

Olivia was a lone monster subjugator who refused to take on an apprentice until she rescued a young Beastkin named Noah. Now, they look out for one another in an often brutal world. Despite the dangers they face, the two at times find beauty in their shared journey. As Olivia teaches Noah the art of battle, he teaches her how to enjoy life's quieter moments. But can a boy with such a tender heart live up to his apprenticeship when faced with terrifying foes?

The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child has a story and art by Taboengine, with English translation by Esther Sun. This volume was lettered by Mina Worth. Published by Seven Seas (October 29, 2024.)

Is It Worth Reading?

On the surface, The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child is a heartwarming slice-of-life story about a woman and her young apprentice living a cozy life in between their battles against grotesque monsters. There are a lot of cute bits where Olivia the knight nurtures and cares for the young Noah, worrying about his future as a possible knight. There are a lot of bits where Noah tries to act older and stronger than he is, as only a child can. There are plenty of tender moments between Noah and Olivia, where we see them as mother and child. And, of course, there are some awesome moments where Olivia does battle with monsters that surprise in their creativity and gruesomeness.

… But the vibes here are all wrong, starting from a scene in the first chapter where Olivia kisses Noah on the mouth.

There are a lot of scenes that are supposed to be sweet and tender, like when Olivia and Noah are snuggling in bed, but the snuggling doesn't come off as maternal. Stuff like the way they nibble on each other's ears, the way Olivia keeps Noah's face in her chest, the way Olivia gazes longingly at him, or Olivia going so far as to wear leather armor “so it's easier to feel Noah's warmth” take what would've been a pleasant manga and really make the whole thing feel suspect. And the sad part is that I probably would've respected The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child if it gave up the pretense and went whole-hog into the onee-shota dynamic. Provided, I wouldn't have recommended it to a wider audience—which is why I largely don't. I give The Lady Knight and the Beast-Eared Child two out of five because the art is very pretty, but a lot here smells wrong. Not recommended.

There's one burning question that reading this volume begs: is this shota-con? The answer is an uncomfortable “maybe,” and that's absolutely the biggest barrier to entry in what is otherwise a pretty cute tale about a lady knight and the beastkin child she takes on as an apprentice. I'm not entirely sure that this angle is intentional; most of the time, Olivia acts like Noah is her child. But the art occasionally has other ideas, with snuggling scenes that are just a bit too suggestive and Olivia's “spell” to warm Noah up being a kiss on the lips that's drawn in a way as to be a bit more than parental. It's awkward, if nothing else.

The rest of the story is a fairly sweet slice-of-life fantasy. Olivia, the eponymous lady knight, is what in any boilerplate fantasy would be termed an adventurer. She's a buff swordswoman who takes on missions for her living, mostly fighting monsters. A year before the story's opening, she rescued Noah (who seems to be around seven years old) and initially rebuffed his request to become her apprentice. When he tracked her home and asked again, Olivia realized he was looking for an adult to take care of him, and her heart melted. Now the two of them go on jobs together and live a cozy family life, with Olivia training Noah when they aren't working.

The world isn't all that different from any other similar fantasy, with the existence of “undied grasshoppers,” grasshoppers who wear different colored underwear, being the only truly unique feature. There are really only two characters for most of the book, with Noah later adopting an injured wild owl and Olivia's old apprenticemate Lala showing up in the final two chapters to provide a bit of a threat as she offers Noah the chance to be her apprentice instead. Art is very pleasant, and if you enjoy looking at large, muscular, buxom women, it's worth at least a flip through to gaze upon Olivia's form. But with the potential shota-con aspect aside, there isn't much going on here: it's just a little fantasy story about a couple of people living and working together.