I'm not exactly the biggest fan of dungeon fantasy, and there are only a handful of manga series in this genre that truly manage to hook me. Even so, I had high hopes for The Beast King, as it seemed to promise a more subdued take on fantasy.
The Beast King: Master of Medicines is a fantasy manga written by Tatsukazu Konda and illustrated by Asahi Sakano. In Japan, the series is published under the title Juuou to Yakusou, which roughly translates to "The Beast King and the Medicinal Herbs." Serialization began in August 2023 on the MangaONE platform. The English-language license is held by Seven Seas.
How was it?
After the war between humans and monsters, peace has finally returned to the surface. The age of adventurers has begun, with countless explorers descending into abandoned dungeons in search of fame, fortune, and rare treasures. Tina is one of them. She primarily guides novice adventurers through a well-known dungeon and seems to be on the verge of earning a promotion within the guild. However, when she encounters a monster far beyond her abilities, she is gravely injured and abandoned by her companions. Just as death seems inevitable, Galon appears before her—none other than the legendary Beast King, a former general of the Demon King who was believed to have died twenty years ago.
Instead of killing Tina, he saves her life—though not without asking for something in return. Galon is no longer a warrior but a healer. For years, he has been treating monsters wounded by human adventurers, and he wants Tina to assist him with her magic. Thus begins an unusual partnership between a young human adventurer and a demon she has spent her entire life believing to be a monster.
At first glance, The Beast King: Master of Medicines looks like yet another fantasy manga built around classic RPG tropes. It has dungeons, guilds, monsters, magic, a former servant of the Demon King, and a world shaped by a long conflict between humans and demons. None of these elements are particularly new, especially given how many manga in recent years have relied on similar foundations. That makes it all the more satisfying when a series manages to carve out its own identity within such familiar territory.
And that's exactly what this first volume does quite well. Rather than simply retelling the familiar tale of heroic adventurers and evil monsters, the manga flips the perspective. The humans, who would normally occupy the role of unquestioned heroes, are instead portrayed as invaders, looters, and troublemakers. They enter dungeons, slaughter monsters, seize treasures, and rarely stop to consider the consequences of their actions. The monsters, meanwhile, are not just enemies to be defeated but living creatures with instincts, emotions, families, and an important place within their ecosystem.
That idea alone makes the manga compelling. The dungeons aren't merely settings for battles but living habitats. Galon doesn't see the creatures that inhabit them as threats but as neighbors, patients, and beings worthy of protection. At times, the series brings Delicious in Dungeon to mind, albeit with one crucial difference: here, monsters aren't cooked—they're healed. Both stories are deeply interested in dungeon ecosystems, but The Beast King places far greater emphasis on compassion, care, and coexistence.
Tina is the perfect character through whom to explore this different perspective. She isn't cruel, but she has grown up surrounded by her world's prejudices. To her, demons and monsters are enemies to be feared. Her first reaction to Galon is therefore one of absolute panic. The fact that this supposedly terrifying demon is the one who saves her life begins to shake everything she thought she knew. Little by little, she starts to realize that the stories humans tell about monsters may represent only one side of the truth.
Galon, in turn, is an excellent protagonist. His humanoid lion design immediately leaves an impression, yet his personality stands in refreshing contrast to his appearance. He isn't a bloodthirsty demon, a sinister tyrant, or a broken former general obsessed with revenge. Instead, he has laid down his claws and chosen a different path. Having escaped death himself, he now devotes his life to saving others. That gives him a quiet sense of dignity. At the same time, it's clear that his past and his former role as one of the Demon King's generals have yet to be fully explored.
The slowly developing relationship between Tina and Galon is particularly engaging. The manga doesn't rush things. At first, their interactions are defined by mutual distrust. Tina fears him, while Galon has little reason to place his faith in a human adventurer. Their alliance is born out of necessity and initially resembles a pact more than a friendship. That makes the gradual moments of understanding between them all the more satisfying. Through Galon, Tina discovers the other side of dungeon life. She witnesses injured creatures, grieving monsters, and the consequences of human greed. Galon, meanwhile, begins to see Tina as someone willing to question the assumptions she has carried with her all her life.
The first volume maintains a deliberately measured pace. Rather than focusing on large-scale battles or dramatic twists, it centers on their early healing efforts, introduces the world, and carefully builds trust between its two leads. This gives the manga an almost cozy atmosphere. At the same time, it never feels harmless. The injuries suffered by the monsters are depicted quite clearly, as is the violence inflicted upon them by human adventurers.
Thematically, the volume shines through its central question: who are the real monsters? Are they the creatures living in the dungeons, simply defending their homes? The demons, whom humans have indiscriminately condemned? Or the humans themselves, who, after winning the war, now believe they have the right to claim everything for themselves without regard for the consequences? The manga doesn't offer simplistic answers, but it quickly establishes that the world is far more complex than Tina once believed. The dungeons feel like fragile ecosystems that can easily be thrown out of balance by human interference.
Artistically, Asahi Sakano delivers solid, atmospheric artwork. While the style isn't particularly groundbreaking and many of the monster designs remain firmly rooted in familiar fantasy conventions, the execution is consistently effective. Slimes, animal-like creatures, and traditional dungeon monsters aren't anything readers haven't seen before, but they're all rendered with care. The artwork is clean, the characters are expressive, and Galon commands attention whenever he appears. Perhaps most importantly, the world never feels empty. The backgrounds, dungeons, and natural environments provide enough atmosphere to fully immerse the reader in this fantasy setting.
Seven Seas publishes the manga in an oversized edition, and the volume opens with several full-color pages.
Is The Beast King: Master of Medicines worth reading?
After reading the first volume, The Beast King: Master of Medicines turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The series doesn't rely on revolutionary worldbuilding but instead succeeds because of its perspective. It approaches its so-called monsters with empathy, questions humanity's sense of superiority, and lays the foundation for a promising relationship between two characters who, by all rights, should be enemies. Tina and Galon make for an unlikely yet thoroughly likable duo, and following their journey is genuinely enjoyable.
If you're a fan of fantasy manga filled with dungeons, monsters, and RPG-inspired elements but are looking for something beyond another conventional party of heroes slaying monsters, this is absolutely a series worth checking out.
