Ah, Beast Master is good stuff.

Despite it's intimidating title and bondage-esque cover, Beast Master is a fairly normal shoujo manga. It is somewhat cliched, but very enjoyable. While it's not over the top amazing, it's above average in all categories.

==Story==
The story is pure, unadulterated fun. Occasionally it gets a bit serious, but mostly, it's just pure entertainment. The comic timing is impeccable. This really is a comedy, you know. It's freakin' hilarious.
It's somewhat predictable and stereotypically shoujo, but it's still enjoyable.

==Character==
Leo, the hero, is one of the most lovable characters shoujo manga has ever seen. He's just amazingly cute. He's not one of those irritating perfect high school princes, Leo's just dang adorable.

Another reason I love this series is because Yuiko is a super-strong and brave heroine. I was surprised when she was introduced actually talking to a group of people in her class, as opposed to the stereotypically socially incapable but easily sympathetic Mary Sue style heroine we're used to. Yuiko... is great!

==Art==
The art is quite good. While there is the occasional awkward looking face, otherwise it's solid.
While Yuiko's character design is stereotypically-shoujo forgettable, Leo's is not. The audience will long remember his adorable happy fanged face. Toki-san's funny European face stands out, and Leo's dad has an interesting desgin as well.

The action is AMAZING for a shoujo comic. I was pretty much blown away. It somewhat reminded me of Shaman King's hip hop style. It's just that cool.

By the way, the author, Kyousuke Motomi... is a man. That explains the action and the tough heroine, but why would a man write shoujo...?

But ah well. If he writes more shoujo, he's gonna put the women to shame at their own game.

==Bonuses==

There are two bonuses in the Beast Master series, one is a short story called Fly Away, which is cute and nice, but otherwise not noteworthy except for a cool scene where the heroine jumps from a bridge and you can see her abs.

Cactus Summer Surprise, however, is an amazing 80 page long bonus. It's an amazingly inventive, and surprisingly touching short story. While the character designs don't stand out, their personalities are unique and quirks, and stand out. The comedy is amazing. I had to stop and slam my head on the desk from laughing so hard. Unlike the plot of Beast Master, the plot of Cactus Summer Surprise was inventive, unique, and loads of fun. As good as Beast Master was, Cactus Summer Surprise pretty much beat it up.

Beast Master is definitely worth the read! Go read it right now!

(By the way, kudos to whoever recommended it for fans of "You're My Girlfriend." Great recommendation!)