Kemono no Souja(獣の奏者, lit. "The Beast Player") is a Japanese novel series written by Nahoko Uehashi and published by Kodansha between 2006 and 2009. It focuses on a girl who can control the greatest of beasts as she gets involved in a war between two kingdoms. The series has been adapted as a manga serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius since October 25, 2008, and as an anime television series, called Kemono no Souja Erin (lit. "The Beast Player Erin") produced by Production I.G and Trans Arts that premiered in Japan on NHK on January 10, 2009.