BEASTARS

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA DramaBEASTARS
ANIME DramaBEASTARS 2

REVIEWS

• 

  Protogeist

  70/100
  A review of the 2019 Netflix series Beastars and my conflicting thoughts on it

  On the 31st of March next year, Bojack Horseman will release its last season. It’ll be its sixth season with 76 episodes all together (excluding the season two special). And that show matters a lot to me. It is probably, no definitely, my favorite tv-series of all time. That and Your Name are the only pieces of media that make me happy while not distracting me from my life. They’re the only things that seem to be able to tell me that everything’s going to be all right, which might sound weird is true. And the thing is that it isn’t just “This horse is depressed. Give us some awards already!” type of show, cause there is so much more to it than that. It explores ideas around sexuality and wanting to find who you are, and feeling consumed by whom you think you are. My favorite character, Princess Carolyn, isn’t really all that relatable, to me at least. I’ve never had a job like her and I don’t really suffer from workaholism as it kind of seems she’s dealing with. But I find her arc so interesting and her writing to be so sharp that it doesn’t matter. She is a brilliant character nonetheless.
  It is more than just a show about a sad horse, but a city full of people who don’t know who they are, and who’ll probably search for themselves forever. And so seeing it end like this, basically canceled, is sad (although, with season five’s message it feels natural to end it here).

  And I have probably tried to find another show, another anime, another anything similar to it ever since rewatching it a few years back and realizing how good it was. I wanted a show that could convey the same feeling of realism that Bojack did, but I never really found one. Even other shows about mental health never had that sense that it was about more than relatability. Maybe I knew deep inside that I wouldn’t find anything like it, but for some reason, I kept asking. And one of the many times when I did, someone recommended Beastars to me. It hadn’t aired yet, I mean an anime hadn’t even been announced. But it was in the back of my head ever since then. It seemed promising. Sad wolf show sounded like something I would enjoy.

  BTW, I’m not going to talk about anything furry related. That’s just bullshit. Your sensitive ass sexuality won’t be hurt by a show about anthropomorphic animals, that’s all. I will spoil some big stuff though, so ye…

  Beastars is about the tension between herbivores and carnivores in a society of animals, and what happens when a wolf tries to befriend a rabbit. And this was the most compelling aspect of the show, the tension between the wolf and the rabbit. In episode one of the series, our main character Legosi senses the smell of a rabbit and gets an uncontrollable urge to attack her. He lunges at her and puts her in a position where she can do nothing but accept her mortality. But in the end, he lets her go after talking to his own consciousness. His own obsession over thinking that he’ll hurt someone. The day after having almost eaten the rabbit, he meets her alone in the gardening club. This leads to Legosi trying to befriend the rabbit, Haru, almost in a way to show himself that he won’t harm her. And the way that this is executed is so interesting. It is almost treated like OCD. How he becomes obsessed over the idea that he’s subconsciously trying to eat her, doesn’t want to look at her in fear of that sending the wrong message, or just the first scene in episode two. “A hidden murderer might be inside of you, you know?”. It’s something I hadn’t really seen in anime, an accurate depiction of OCD (Not that he’s confirmed to be suffering from that, I don’t want to sound like an armchair psychologist. I’m just speculating). There always seems like there is a problem in him, and in a way, he has accepted this. He will always be feared for the sole reason that he’s a wolf, and maybe they’re right. Maybe he is to be feared, maybe he will one kill someone when his urge to do it can’t be beaten. He is in a way haunted by death itself. He is simultaneously the bearer and victim of it.

  And the way that this is reflected through the setting and its people is even more thought-provoking and compelling. How the herbivores live in constant fear of being killed, while the carnivores are haunted by the risk that they might be the bearer of it. Everyone is in a constant struggle with death, either being at risk of it or to do it. No one is safe, death is all. And it shows that an animal society like this one would inevitably collapse, with nothing but wild animals left. It’s something Wes Andersson’s Fantastic Mr. Fox explores as well, although in a more comedic way. And it’s refreshing seeing a show that makes a statement that goes beyond “don’t be sad” or some shit like that.

  The vibe that the show gave off was really interesting because of this. The issues that Legosi struggle with and how they’re conveyed through the setting is an idea unique enough to make the show stand out really well! It sets a sense of thematic consistency that few anime achieve, that few works of fiction have achieved. But this was unfortunately not to be maintained.

  Cause after maybe 5 episodes, this vibe is lost. The tone and everything seems to change overnight, in a way I can’t even really describe. It is as if the director changed his mind on what he wanted the show to symbolize in the middle of production, only showcasing how inexperienced Shinichi is at directing a story. Suddenly Beastars isn’t about not knowing your own intentions or a critique on the idea of an anthropomorphic society anymore, but yet another Romeo and Juliet story. And the problem here isn’t that changing tone or theme is bad, there are a lot of good films and tv-shows whose tone and message change in the story and gain from this. The problem is that this has been explored so many times! The struggle of love that can’t be is such an overused theme that Gnomeo and Juliet isn’t even the worst example of it used. It isn’t even explored interestingly. Legosi falls in love with Haru for some reason and she feels the same way, and that’s it. The end of episode 11 kind of made me hope that the ending wouldn’t just be “and now they’re a couple despite all odds”, but that’s what happens anyway. Haru becoming a damsel in distress was probably the most surprisingly bad decision the show makes. Haru is taken by some lion gang or whatever, and Legosi has to risk his life to save her. What is this? Mario!?

  This along with some structural and expository problems made almost half of the show kind of frustrating to watch. Going from that interesting exploration of an obsession over death, to that was honestly very jarring and disappointing. And it’s not as if I expected the show to be as good as Bojack Horseman. I didn’t want to see Bojack Horseman again, I wanted it to be its own thing. And it was, until it became just like a hundred other anime.

  In the last episode of the show, Legosi confesses his love for Haru and they become a couple. And that just left me in a state of dissatisfaction like few anime have this year. Was this really a story that needed to be told? Was that ending really important for the story? Zootopia but now they’re in love… There are still aspects of this show that I feel like are more consistent than the story. The use of CG animation is at times distracting but is honestly one of the best uses of it that I’ve seen. From the cinematography to the use of other mediums is very inspiring. I don’t think the latter half of the story ruins this show by any means. It’s still pretty good. But I can’t help feeling like this show could’ve been so much better. It could’ve said so much more. It could’ve been great.

  Medium 7/10 or something

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• 

  VipertheEdgy

  100/100
  Breathtaking, Amazing, PERFECT

  Set in a world where anthropomorphic animals live together this show deals with an extremely complicated interspecies love triangle which is frowned upon more than most things and while each of these characters are battling their own dilemmas that none of them truly understand them yet. Legosi teenage boy dealing with his own social anxiety now tormented by the battle between his impossible love for a Dwarf rabbit and his carnivorous instincts. Legosi is a very simple character in every sense of the word and in fact he is so simple that its enticing a character so Bland yet so interesting i honestly do not think that there is a more well-written character than Legosi. Haru the female protagonist who is truly the one most tormented of the 3 dealing with her insecurity about how small she is and eventually ending up a "slut" shunned by everyone despite the fact that the bed is the one place where she can truly feel equal and not looked down upon all while struggling with the reality that A Grey wolf one of the strongest animals and a carnivore has feelings for her / wants to eat her / sleeping with Louis / bearing the burden of them fighting over her all while still being shunned by society and lets not forget the whole kidnapping incident where One bravely fought for her freedom and the other potentially risked his dream and killed a man. Louis dealing with his traumatizing past as fodder His dream of becoming the Beastar and his not clear love for Haru.
  The way all these factors intertwine makes for a splendid watch and everything is on point the pacing couldn't be better in my opinion and every single character every single word every single frame has a purpose nothing is wasted the Animation is fantastic and we get some really good Bunny nudes which is really enough to give this a 10/10 but lets not get distracted. The carnivores have to suffer because they can't eat the food that is the most nourishing and delicious to them, they can substitute meat with other things but it is never satisfying enough and they have to always struggle with a unique type of hunger, an endless painful hunger that drives many of them mad.
  Herbivores have to live in a constant painful fear since most of them are much weaker than carnivores and because the carnivores can randomly go crazy from their thirst for their natural source of nutrition, there is this constant danger that you'll be devoured by a beast gone insane.
  Both the carnivores and the herbivores are suffering, but in different ways.
  The whole society is restless because of these core factors and there doesn't seem to be an easy way to fix these problems and that's what makes this story so shockingly captivating, emotional and breathtaking. All this with wrapped in a blanket of Love and Lust we can only hope for it to continue to be greatness.

  Thanks for reading i know it was super repetitive and not as descriptive as hoped but i tried my best i guess.

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• 

  DragonFyre

  72/100
  I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to like this show and initially wrote it off as some wacky furry show

  I'll be honest, I didn't think I was going to like this show and wrote it off as some weird furry show. But then, I started watching it and damn! it was really good. But, like all good anime, it went downhill fast. This show went from a mislabelled furry show that I felt bad for writing off to becoming the show I wrote it off as.

  I know this show is one of the more popular ones this season, so I get it if you're mad that I'm saying bad stuff about your favorite show, but hear me out.
  I'll start the way the show started: with the good. The show starts off phenomenally: an alpaca is being chased by a predator whose name we don't know and the horror and fear is handled really well, accentuated by the show being in 3D, which doesn't work out too well for a lot of shows, but it works here pretty well, especially with the lighting and movement. Not only does it use its graphics in an original way, the show also brings up really interesting ideas.

  Now, I first thought, huh? Oh hmm interesting, but Zootopia already did that. And I wasn't wrong: the divide between predators and herbivores was done in Zootopia, and done really well. But this show did it even better. The hysteria and distrust that ensues after the alpaca died is portrayed through gossip on the streets and between friends. Not only that, but the main character is introduced slowly and the watcher has the same distrust for Legosi as his herbivore friends. The show lets these ideas fester for a while, showing the abuse Legosi has to deal with as a carnivore in a society composed of animals living together contrasted with his kind and caring personality.

  

  I may be remembering this wrong, but after 15-20 minutes of seeing him badmouthed and thinking that he might be the one who killed the alpaca, we see a really touching scene where Legosi delivers a love note from the dead alpaca to the girl the alpaca had a crush on. This causes the girl to feel bad about shit-talking him, but Legosi says it's ok, he gets it all the time. 1 episode into the show, and it's already hit a nerve and given the main character depth and empathy from the viewer. Once again, absolutely phenomenally introduction to the show. This is why I felt bad about initially writing off the show.

  

  This characterization of Legosi is further accentuated by Louis, the deer who is his foil. Though initially portrayed as an asshole who abuses Legosi, we soon see the reason he acts this way: unlike Legosi who was born strong and now needs to hide himself in the shadows so herbivores can feel safer, Louis needs to do the opposite for the same reason. He needs to shine in the light to show the strength of herbivores. it's really neat that the characters are fleshed out like this and you can really understand them and why they do what they do, instead of having stereotyped bullshit characters you see in most other shows. Unfortunately, all good things must end, and I blame it on the show's shift from a show about Legosi's self-discovery as a carnivore/predator who must suppress his desires to one about Legosi's love for a rabbit. That's right, a wolf loving a rabbit. Now, normally this wouldn't be too bad, but the way it's done in this show and the way Haru is characterized makes this really not work. Now there's no good way to say this, but it needs to be said: Haru only has two defining characteristics: she's stubborn and she's a slut. I'm not kidding, that's seriously all the characterization she gets, beyond the mature way she accepts her death when Legosi attacks her at night. The problem is, this mature, thoughtful characterization doesn't count. Haru's maturity begins to show cracks in it as she outlines the reasons that she became a slut: she didn't want people to look down on her because she was a little cute bunny rabbit, and she saw sex as the way to do that. Normally, I would be hesitant to or simply wouldn't make this conclusion, but this show literally says it by itself.

  

  The problem here is that Haru could've had her own development arc, like Legosi, where she learns that the way she's dealing with her species is not natural or healthy. Speaking of characters that aren't utilitzed by the plot, we have this asshole:

  

  Now here, I was hesitant to say anything about this guy, because the only characterization he ever gets is that he's a carnivore and owns it, unlike Legosi. Now normally, this would be a great way to develop both Legosi and this guy into characters who both accept their predator instincts but learn that they need to use their strength for the good of those that need protecting. And this, this is where the show goes off the deep end: once Legosi goes bat-shit during the play, the show stops making sense altogether. First of all, Legosi's rationale for this is shaky at best and really dumb at face value. Second, there's no way that the play could be seen as anything other than a fight by its dialogue (the first part you could maaaaaaybe think was part of the play as a viewer, but definitely not the second). I can overlook this (and I did when I watched this show) but I was hoping for this guy and Legosi to finally find some common ground. Sadly, when the show goes off the deep end, so does this dude, as he becomes defined by his carnivore instincts and does some pretty questionable stuff later on in the show. Legosi tries to restrain him, but Legosi's conviction and methods of convincing are poorly thought out and don't produce any results for the character. But, watching this show and realizing that one, change isn't something that happens immediately and two, this is probably a multi-season show, I was still hopeful.

  

  Then I got the interrogation scene with the panda and I thanked the lords of anime: the show would finally turn around! Legosi would stop his love bs and get back to discovering himself, realizing that his "love" was just hunting instincts. Mind you, I didn't want this because I didn't like Haru, I wanted it because it would make for a much more interesting plot and get it back on track (to what it had been before). Also the rabbit porn mag scene was priceless XD.

  Ok this review is getting pretty long and I've probably lost most of you, so I'm going to start wrapping this up. It's not too hard, because after the panda scene, the show goes to shit, and then that shit hits the fan. FAAAST. We have a female wolf introduced quickly and instead of Legosi becoming a role model for her and helping her discover her place as a carnivore while she helps him redefine his, she becomes a love interest. Ugh. So many more interesting ways to use her in the plot, even more disappointing is that it seems the writer almost has her help Legosi redefine his role in society as predator, but he pushes it away to be in the shadows and chase Haru (last episode). Now if this wasn't bad enough, the show continues to get worse with a random rescue arc right before the show ends. I'm not even going to include any details, because this scene was absolutely insane. It didn't fit at all, it was just further evidence of the show shoehorning a romance plot into a self-discovery anime. There was nothing good about this scene. Nothing. NOTHING. And if you can put aside your love for the Legosi x Haru shit ship aside, you'll see what I'm saying. After that, everything else just doesn't make any sense anymore and the show has strayed so far from its original plot that it's ridiculous, don't give me that bs about them fighting their instincts to become a couple, that's not what the show was about, it was about animals finding their place in a society that segregates carnivores and herbivores, and by the end of the show, there is not a single character that is any closer to doing that than they were at the beginning.

  Honestly, I enjoyed most of this show, and did my best to ignore the stuff that really made no sense, but the ending really ruins it for me. I don't like this show, not because it's bad. Even worse, because it had the potential to shine in the spotlight but slunk into the shadows after Haru instead.

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