Anime Review: Beastars
Legoshi is tall for his age, even for a gray wolf. He’s got a wiry strength that he attempts to hide behind a timid personality, and although he belongs to the drama club, he’s happy behind the scenes on the art crew. (Legoshi’s specialty is lighting.) But the other students at Cherryton High School haven’t forgotten that Legoshi’s a predator, and there is some suspicion when llama student Tem turns up dead, partially devoured.
But while the murder mystery plotline simmers in the background, Legoshi soon has a more pressing matter on his mind. His well-hidden bloodlust surfaces, and Legoshi pounces on fellow student Haru, a dwarf rabbit. He’s thankfully distracted before it can get really messy, and Haru seems not to remember being attacked when they next meet.
Haru’s the only active member of the gardening club, and the two talk about flowers for a bit when Haru suddenly starts taking off her clothes! Legoshi is utterly baffled and kind of scared by this and retreats. It seems that Legoshi spends so much time in his own head and so little listening to gossip, that he’s unaware of Haru’s reputation for promiscuity. Legoshi starts having confusing feelings about Haru, and slowly Haru starts having confusing feelings about Legoshi.
They don’t realize for quite a while that they’re connected by a third person, head of the drama club and star actor Louis. This red deer is a prince of a fellow, bold and self-assured, taking command of situations as they arise…but he has his own dark secrets.
Comparisons to Zootopia are perhaps inevitable. Both are stories about animal people of different species living together in a large city, with one of the primary social issues being conflict between carnivores and herbivores. As a continuing series aimed at teenagers, however, Beastars can be a little more edgy and dark. For example, considerable advances have been made in meat substitutes so that the carnivorous students can subsist…but we soon learn that meat-eating isn’t a forgotten part of the past.
Legoshi reminds me a lot of Silver Age Clark Kent; he’s got another side to him, one of great power, but being open about it would cause social problems, so he hides behind his mild-mannered persona and excuses for quickly leaving situations. Except that instead of a superhero, he fears that he’s a monster. Part of his character arc is learning that his capability for violence isn’t necessarily evil.
Haru is tiny, even for her species; the one thing that’s let her feel in control of her own destiny is being in charge of her sexuality. Unfortunately this has gotten her a bad reputation at school, and she’s bullied and slut-shamed by the other girls. (It’s one of the reasons there are no other active members of the garden club.) Legoshi simultaneously frightens and fascinates her because he doesn’t act like other boys.
Louis is a harder character to get a read on. He’s at least partially bluff, because he feels the need to be in control and showing no weakness at all times. But he also has immense inner strength when he can be brought to use it. He and Legoshi don’t always get on together as Louis knows Legoshi has hidden depths that he refuses to release.
There’s also a large cast of other students of many species, and some outside characters that become important. (Compare and contrast the lion mayor of this series with the lion mayor in Zootopia!) One short part of an episode focuses on the hen that sits next to Legoshi in class, and her own little secret, which may freak out some viewers.
Only the first season is out, which ends with a major change in the status quo–and the murder mystery still unsolved!
Due to the mature themes, (there’s some on screen sex, no genitalia showing, not to mention the devouring) I recommend this series for senior high viewers and up.
The opening has some nice 3-D effects, but I think I’m going to go with an AMV as the video…
