(Nitsuj): Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. Have you ever made a mistake in the past and wish you could go back and correct it? Of course you do, you’re a human being and you don’t like lying to yourself. For me, one of the mistakes I wish could go back in time and correct is not putting Beastars on my top 11 best animes of 2019. In a year of high quality animes, Beastars was an anime that stood out and became one of the most talked about animes out there. Beastars got started as a manga written by Paru Itagaki the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, the creator of Baki. How do you grow up around that and go on to create a furry masterpiece?
(Yume): I view it as a desire to see something new and softer.
(Nitsuj): Yume, what are doing here?
(Yume): It’s Yume and Nitsuj time! How can you review Beastars and not include an animal girl?
(Nitsuj): Good point. So what can you tell us about Beastars.
(Yume): Well picking up where you left off, Paru Itagaki began writing the manga in 2016 and still goes on to this day. Since it’s publication the series as well as the author would go on to receive a number of rewards for it’s writing and storytelling. With the growing success of the series an anime was announced and unlike most animes that would adopt the 2D style animation, this anime was going to be all CGI.
(Nitsuj): This was a pretty big risk as previous CGI animes were either terrible or mediocre at best. Luckily, the studio behind the anime was Orange a studio that specializes in CGI and also did Houseki no Kuni. While not the best it still looked good compared to Berserk which came out that same year. Beastars would go on to premiere on Netflix and considered the best anime of 2019 next to Demon Slayer. Many have asked why I left this off on the list and the answer is, I didn’t watch the anime. Yeah, I didn’t watch it. I was busy with work, focusing on other animes, and didn’t have time to watch it. But with the world in the state’s it’s in I managed to have some free time and went back to watch animes I wanted to check out. So let’s embrace our wild side and take a look at why Beastars was such a star.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Yume): The opening is “Wild Side” by ALI, easily my favorite opening from 2019. The song is a good mixture of jazz music and the vocals are great as well. They match up perfectly with anime and with our main character as he battles himself internally throughout the anime. The real selling point for me about this opening is the stop motion. This is the first time I’ve ever seen an anime have stop motion opening and it’s very good. It’s a perfect visual representation of the series, our two main characters, and how their world and the people in it are constantly trying to keep them apart from one another. In a somewhat controversial event, Netflix’s system would sometime skip over the opening for a few episodes. This pissed off a lot of people who would have to rewind the episode just to watch the opening because they loved it so much.
(Nitsuj): Surprisingly, the anime had a number of different endings. The songs were “Le Zoo”, “Nemuru Honnou”, “Marble”, and “Tsuki ni Ukabu Monogatari” all sung by Yurika. Each song except for the last one would rotate for each episode and matched up rather nicely with the episode. It was as if each episode was conveying the emotions and thoughts of the episode we just watched. This is one of the few animes I’ve seen have multiple endings in one season. The only other animes that come to mind who did this are Highschool of the Dead and Dorohedoro.
Episodes 1-4
(Nitsuj): The anime opens on the night of a full red moon (Yume: Just your average night. Last night the moon was purple) where an alpaca named Tem is running through the school after being attacked by a carnivore. This shocks Tem as the carnivore was apparently his classmate and from the sounds of it a good friend. Tem does his best to hide, but the carnivore eventually finds him and kills him (https://youtu.be/clgfRkyGqrc. Scene here: https://youtu.be/kEeHJoYycMM). Word of the attack spreads quickly across school campus as this causes a rift between herbivore and carnivore students. We see that in this PG-13 version of Animal Crossing that herbivores and carnivores try to live together in harmony (with prejudice as clear as a SJW on social media) and at school the poster club for this harmony is the drama club the same club that Tem was a part of. It doesn’t take long for a line to be drawn in the club as the herbivore actors accuse the carnivore actors of killing Tem (Yume: Don’t worry he went out on a good performance). After club practice, one of the herbivore actors gets approached by our main character Legosi a grey wolf voiced by Chikahiro Kobayashi (Sugimoto from Golden Kamuy) who works as a stagehand for the club. Now when we first meet him, he comes across as a very intimidating creature who looks like he could snap a person’s neck any time he felt like it. However, he’s actually a gentle giant (who’s a little awkward and quiet). He was friends with Tem and delivers a love letter to the herbivore that Tem intended to ask out. The next day, we meet our main heroine Haru a white dwarf rabbit voiced by Sayaka Senbongi (Shuna from That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) who is usually bullied by other girls because of how popular she is with the boys (Yume: Well any girl would be considered popular with the boys if they were easy like her. You know what they say about rabbits. Scene here: https://youtu.be/M4zcHXpgj-U). Back with Legosi, he gets asked by the leading star of the club Louis a red deer (so majestic. (Yume): Yes. *Takes out her bow and arrow* Tell me when I have a clear shot at his neck) to help him with settling the tensions in the club and to help whip Tem’s replacement into shape. He gets put on lookout at night while Louis whips Tem’s replacement into shape (no doubt physically). While waiting, he smells Haru and this awakens his beastly instincts as he attacks her to end the episode.
At the start of episode 2 we see Legosi try to fight against his urges to eat Haru (Baron: I’ve heard she tastes like honeycombs). Luckily, Tem’s replacement distracts Legosi long enough for Haru to escape injuring his leg and him injuring her arm. Tem’s replacement alerts Legosi that Louis injured himself by falling off the stage to break his fall. Louis says he’s alright and they decide to reconvene at a later time. The next day, we see Legosi struggle to keep his beastly instincts under control. They get put to the test in the cafeteria where he tries to break up a fight between two animals only to provoke one of them. While Legosi could easily defeat the animal (he could snap your neck with one bite) he doesn’t want to stand out or hurt anyone, so he tries to figure out a way to lose on purpose. Louis shows up to break up the fight and telling Legosi to stop holding back and embrace those beastly instincts (Yume: You’re an alpha not a beta). It’s here that we also learn what the Beastar is. It’s a title given to the most popular student who serves as a leader for the students and one who rises above discrimination to serve as a beacon of hope for the students. The Beastar is elected by student votes and Louis seems to be the favorite to win. Later on, the drama club sends Legosi to get roses from the gardening club to use as decorations. Legosi arrives at the gardening club only to see that the only member they have is Haru (then the club should be dissolved or moved underground). Legosi helps with some gardening tasks as payment for the roses and even finds himself being quite comfortable around her (Yume: Control your tail now Legosi). At the end of the episode, Haru offers her body as a thank you for Legosi’s help (Yume: I told you she was easy. The little tramp. (Nitsuj): I’m starting to sense a little prejudice between you and rabbits).
Episode 3 starts off with us finding out that Haru is in fact a tramp. Apparently, she’s slept around with a number of male students. She tries to put the moves of Legosi believing that’s why he came to see her, but Legosi stops her, puts a blanket on her, and leaves (Yume: At least he’s polite. Scene here: https://youtu.be/plhDGr9izG8). After that scene Legosi hears the rumors about Haru, but can’t bring himself to see her in such a negative light because of his interaction with her (dude, keep in mind, she tried to have sex with you in a sun house. Appearances are deceiving). The rest of the episode then starts to focus on Louis and his injured leg. With the school performance around the corner, Louis’s leg is getting worst and he can’t ignore the pain anymore. During this time, we see that for the first time he’s afraid. He puts on a strong face to give herbivores courage, but in truth he hates being one because he knows he’s just prey for a carnivore and doesn’t want to accept that. It’s because of this that he grows irritated when Legosi suppresses his carnivore side. To him, Legosi is suppressing his true nature and looking down on him and everyone else believing that makes him better. When Legosi goes to speak about the lighting for the play, things get pretty intense (Yume: Sexually) where Louis orders Legosi to bite him to show his strength. Legosi complies, but also tells Louis that there’s no pride in his strength compared to Louis’s strength which he believes is righteous (scene here: https://youtu.be/RrITIDFnH6Y). The day of the play arrives where despite injury Louis puts on an awe-inspiring performance that sends chills down everyone’s spines (Yume: It made my tail fluff out in fear). After the curtains fall on the performance, Louis finally collapses on stage (I guess he won’t be taking a bow?).
In episode 4 Louis wakes up in the infirmary where it gets revealed he has a fractured leg and will be unable to perform for the second day. Because of this, Louis’s role goes to Bill a Bengal tiger who was playing one of the villains and Legosi gets chosen to play Bill’s villain role because they have the same build (I think tigers are more muscular, but okay). With only 10 minutes before the play, Legosi smells the scent of rabbit on Bill who reveals that he’s been doping on rabbit blood and this pisses Legosi off (Yume: Why? (Nitsuj): He’s a sexually frustrated teenage wolf, no questions. Scene here: https://youtu.be/CNTUSG4LftA). Once the play begins, we see Bill does an okay job, but it’s clear as day that Louis’s performance was far better and Bill senses this as the crowd loses interests and wonders what happened to Louis. When it’s time for Legosi to hit the stage he goes off script and just straight up fights Bill in front of everyone (Yume: That’s one way to make the performance stand out) taking all of his frustrations out on Bill (the crowd seems roused. Scene here: https://youtu.be/ZA_Hav67hwk). Just when Bill seems to be getting a handle on the situation (good job salvaging this mess), Louis shows up to save the play improvising his part and ending the play side by side with Legosi (Yume: This will be quite the story for the front page).
Episodes 5-8
Sure enough in episode 5, the whole school is talking about the play and the crazy performance that went down on the second day (Yume: I told you it would be quite the story). We see a few students actually warp the story a bit such as saying Legosi pulled out a flamethrower and torched Bill (good God animals, there’s warping the story and then there’s jumping the shark. You guys are jumping the shark here). Legosi and Bill get chewed out by Louis for their dumb actions and at first he suspends them from the club, but when the school paper and fans of the play show up (yeah, he was chewing them out in broad daylight instead of behind a closed door. (Yume): Idiot), he reverses his decision and tells them to act like everything they did was intentional and part of the play (https://youtu.be/onZRb2aTlj4. (Yume): And for a split second we got to see Louis look like a normal 18-year-old deer hiding complex issues). A month soon passes, and summer is just around the corner. The drama club gets asked by the city to help out with the Meteorite festival a festival to honor the lives of the dinosaurs (Yume: I’m curious what this world’s version of Jurassic Park would have been like). While in the hallway, Legosi smells Haru once again and goes to see her where he walks in on Haru taking her bullies down a peg and them running away when Legosi enters the picture (scene here: https://youtu.be/SaD4xEnDDuk). The two go to grab a bite to eat where Legosi doesn’t know what to say to her (yeah you know you’re a virgin when you can’t even talk to a rabbit. (Yume): Especially one who’s as loose as her). Haru also seems to be fighting her own battle as her instincts and every fiber of her being are telling her to run away (wolves and rabbits being friends! Mass hysteria). After their awkward dinner, they walk back to the dorms together where Haru’s shoe buckle comes undone and Legosi fixes it for her where for the first time the two are finally at eye level with each other and he finally learns her name.
Episode 6 starts off with another carnivore attack in the city that left a gazelle dead. A few students pick on a female wolf accusing her of being a member of the gang who attacked, but Legosi steps in to save her by pretending to be her brother. The wolf’s name is Juno, she’s a first year student as well as the newest member of the drama club (scene here: https://youtu.be/R-gZf57opFU). The next day Legosi and the other carnivores of the drama club go to the city to collect information for the festival where we see herbivores and carnivores living together peacefully with each other. When it’s time to head back, the guys get lost and wind up in the black market, a secluded section of the city where carnivores can go and get their fill of meat (Yume: Even going as far as actually eating the fingers off of another living animal. This place is hardcore). Some of the guys actually consider enjoying some meat, but Legosi won’t allow himself to succumb to his instincts and runs away. He manages to run through the market not giving into his instincts before collapsing and getting picked up by a panda doctor named Gouhin who serves as a psychotherapist in the black market (scene here: https://youtu.be/TFU2ZcdTtGY). The two talk where Legosi talks about his feelings for Haru and the doctor says that’s just his instincts disguised as romantic feelings (in other words, what Legosi feels for Haru isn’t love but hunger and a desire to eat her. Sort of like a shark when it smells blood). Legosi rejects this line of thinking and even admits that he’s had no prior experience with love which shocks the endangered doctor. The doctor lets him go and gives him a dirty rabbit-themed magazine to test if it’s really his instincts (Yume: Or he has a weird fetish. (Nitsuj): No fetish is too weird! *Yume gives him a snarky look* Okay, maybe one or two). On his way back to school he runs into one of his friends who went to the city with him who was also disgusted by the black market and ran away as well (so he’s not weird. He’s just mentally stronger than other carnivores).
(Yume): Episode 7 starts off with this side story about a hen student who lays eggs and sells them to the school. The hen is very prideful in her work and providing the highest quality eggs she can. After this, the episode goes by rather quickly. We see Haru have sex with Louis (this whore. (Nitsuj): Well at least we know how jackalopes are made) and we learn how the two came to be sex buddies. It all started when they were both first years. During this time Louis shed his antlers in the garden and Haru discovered him. Not wanting his image to be ruined, he tries to pay off Haru to stay quiet about this until his fake antlers are done, but says she doesn’t need his money and allows him to hide out in the garden free of charge. During their time together, Haru was able to see the stress Louis was under. Everyone around him expects him to be perfect and because of this he was never allowed a moment to just be himself. But with Haru he was finally able to be himself (scene here: https://youtu.be/OmjgzARe0l0). One thing led to another and the two wound up sleeping together where it seems that Haru has developed feelings for Louis despite the fact that he already has a fiancée (deer with a side dish of rabbit. Not a bad meal. (Nitsuj): I prefer a double serving of fox and wolf). After the two get done with another session of sex, Legosi appears but Louis plays it cool saying that Haru isn’t here and the two leave together with Legosi smelling Haru’s scent on him and Louis putting 2 and 2 together to figure out that Legosi has feelings for Haru. He of course finds this ridiculous (Nitsuj: Meh, I’ve seen weirder things in the Rule 34 Kingdom) and tells Legosi to grow feelings for his own species (said the deer sleeping around with the whorbit. Don’t be surprise if you catch anything. Practice what you preach Louis). This of course leads to a moment between Legosi and Juno where Legosi helps her practice her dancing for the festival with Juno developing feelings for him (scene here: https://youtu.be/Mk4Yk-_6kRk. (Nitsuj): I have to admit Juno seems like a better match for Legosi then Haru. With Haru it seems like he’s lost about how to act around her, but with Juno he comes across as natural and full of confidence). After this, one of Legosi’s friends finds his rabbit porn (Nitsuj: He’s just figuring things out. (Yume): That’s the same thing you said when we found your MLP stash. (Nitsuj): I WAS FIGURING THINGS OUT!) and confronts him about it where Legosi convinces himself he’s has no feelings for Haru (scene here: https://youtu.be/CgQBqVg6Qxg. Tch! Boy, you lying). Legosi decides to start distancing himself from Haru, but when he sees her with Louis and how happy she is around him, his jealousy begins to show and it becomes too clear to him that he’s in love with Haru (scene here: https://youtu.be/JK2FsZ_bc0w).
In episode 8 the preparations for the festival are finishing up and the students are told to go home. Haru finds herself alone at dusk, but Legosi is there and offers to walk back with her. Haru accepts where Legosi struggles with his instincts and feelings for Haru. They get into an argument in the train station which alerts the police and they make a run for it with Haru giving Legosi the confidence he’s needed his whole life (scene here: https://youtu.be/VFXDaxI4TCw). They manage to hide from the police and make it back to the school safely. Later on, Louis helps Juno with her dancing where things get quite heated as Juno pushes Louis down and declares war on him saying that she will become the Beastar, bring peace between the herbivores and carnivores, and win the love of Legosi (scene here: https://youtu.be/Hnccn_jvsS4). Louis accepts her challenge but warns her winning Legosi over won’t be easy (yes, he has a particular fetish and unfortunately you fall outside that fetish). In the final minutes of the episode as everyone is finishing day 2 of the festival preparations, a blackout occurs, and the non-nocturnal animals begin to panic. Legosi rushes off to find Haru where he finds her and as if sticking a knife in him, she mistakes him for Louis (Nitsuj: Ohhh~, I feel it in my back). Juno witnesses this and can’t believe what she’s seeing (scene here: https://youtu.be/svo5i6MSW2M. That’s right girl. You’re love rival is a whorbit).
Episodes 9-12
Episode 9 starts off with the past of Louis. We find out that he was actually illegal livestock for the Black Market (meaning that carnivores were going to eat him, live). Fate would smile on him as he was adopted by a wealthy red deer like him who couldn’t have children saying that Louis was destined to change the world. With this moment we actually get a clearer idea into why Louis wants to be the Beastar, to make sure that no herbivore goes through what he went through (scene here: https://youtu.be/S77B702o6e4). Unfortunately, there are a few carnivores who don’t want Louis to become the next Beastar as they fear they’ll lose a lot of privileges. Back with Legosi, after the events of last episode and hearing about carnivores trying to lynch Louis, he decides he has to come to terms with his feelings for Haru before it’s too late and causes trouble. He goes to Haru and sets up a time and place to confess his feelings to her (Nitsuj: Well this has got to be the most staged confession I’ve ever seen. Haven’t seen something this staged since the video game awards *grr*). As Haru takes a second to process everything, she gets kidnapped by the Leo Group, a criminal gang of lions where their boss intends to eat her (scene here: https://youtu.be/s5Jje4qpKq8. The bathtub only serves to make this whole scene more unsettling. (Nitsuj): At least she didn’t have to spread them. (Yume): Something I’m sure she’s used to by this time). News of Haru’s kidnapping reaches Legosi and Louis with Louis being told by the mayor not to do anything and to just accept the fact that there’s no saving Haru (peace built on corruption. It never works out in the end). Once Louis tells Legosi he intends to do nothing (even trying to convince himself that there’s nothing he can do), a fight breaks out between the wolf and deer with Legosi warning Louis that if he intends to follow this path to the top then Legosi will take Haru from him (scene here: https://youtu.be/B1nPVq1-Ct8. (Nitsuj): Well look who decided to show up, an alpha).
With Louis being useless, Legosi goes to rescue Haru in episode 10. He follows her scent all the way to the Black Market, but the smell of meat makes him lose the trail. He tries to ask the locals for help, but they all ignore him or don’t talk. He eventually gets attacked by two carnivores and saved by Gouhin who comes in with a crossbow that shoots bamboo (Nitsuj: Would have been cooler with a tommy gun. Scene here: https://youtu.be/Lr5mex_kjZ4). Gouhin hears his situation and tells him to give up but Legosi says no and runs off to look for the Leo’s Group hideout. He finds their hideout and gets immediately spotted by one of the lions who kidnapped Haru. When Legosi smells Haru’s scent he goes into instinct mode to get answers (he finally ditched his sheep clothing). He loses his concentration for a minute which allows the lion to get the upper hand, but Legosi gets saved by Gouhin who has decided to help him (scene here: https://youtu.be/KMdPiTt4O-U). The two raid the hideout where Gouhin takes care of things down below while Legosi goes to claim what belongs to him (scene here: https://youtu.be/YoZhjaLr_9k). As Legosi makes his way to Haru we learn about her past and find out why she’s a whorbit. She was born as the smallest in her family where she was told by her mom to always be on guard because she’s a dwarf rabbit and they die easily. Throughout her life Haru always felt worthless and pitied by other animals until one day she got confessed to by another rabbit and the two had sex. For the first time Haru felt like her life meant something. Nobody saw her as an animal to be pitied or looked down on, they saw her as Haru and she wanted to keep feeling that way even if it meant losing all of her friends (and being known as the school’s whorbit. Scene here: https://youtu.be/EMQExnS3Klk). As Haru reflects on her life she finds it within herself to get back up and not give this lion the satisfaction of breaking her (Nitsuj: Well give her credit, she’s not going out like a bitch). Her confidence is short lived however, and just when she’s about to get her ears plucked off, Legosi arrives to save her (scene here: https://youtu.be/I8WCY4-9KK4).
We start episode 11 with Legosi fighting against the big boss of the Leo Group. After giving into his instincts, he’s able to get the decisive hit in and win (scene here: https://youtu.be/gdvDRX26m2s). They both leave together but as they head out the big boss lion tries to shoot Legosi only to miss. Louis comes at him from behind (oh now he shows up when all the hard work is done) and delivers his own brand of gangsta on the lions for messing with his girl and boy (scene here: https://youtu.be/-U9kJWUTDko). Legosi and Haru go to get something to eat where they discover the last train has left so they’re stuck in the city until morning (Nitsuj: Well they’ll be the talk of the school tomorrow). The two go to spend the night at a love hotel (our little pup will become a wolf) where Legosi finally confesses that he was the one who attacked Haru that one night which she kind of figured it was him, but still got close to him because of his good nature. Haru gives Legosi the greenlight to have sex with her and as the two seem like they’re about to have their first sexual experience (Nitsuj: For Legosi it’ll be his first time with a woman. (Yume): And for Haru it’ll be her first time with a carnivore). Sadly, before they can fulfill everything Deviant Art, tumblr, and 4chan fantasy (did I miss any other fetish sites? (Nitsuj): No, I think you got them all) their instincts kick in. Legosi bares his fangs and Haru (and this is an odd one) actually tries to jump into his mouth as if accepting her death (scenes here: https://youtu.be/n0eSGF6cU_k. (Nitsuj): Talk about a bone killer).
In the final episode Legosi and Haru go to sleep and return to the school the next morning where surprisingly they don’t get in trouble (if anything they’re more concerned about them breaking curfew) because a wolf and a rabbit is just too scandalous for the school to handle (Nitsuj: Wait, isn’t that a good thing? I thought this is what everyone in the world was aiming for). Juno stops by to see Legosi in the nurse’s office where Legosi ignores her advances (scene here: https://youtu.be/EilIAkh2d7M) and she finally meets Haru where the two have a confrontation on the stairs and Juno says she has no intention of giving Legosi to Haru (scene here: https://youtu.be/MjXRHQQM7WU). That night at the festival, we find out that Louis has gone missing (Nitsuj: Well he did just kill a mob boss, so I’m sure he’s wanted for murder. (Yume): That or the other lions killed him), but Juno encourages the group to put on a good performance. Legosi goes out to meet Haru, but she didn’t show up at the meeting spot they agreed upon as she feels that Legosi would be better off with Juno than her (scene here: https://youtu.be/05jmN7_JAxU, well Legosi would be breaking new ground and not boldly going where every herbivore has gone before). The drama club’s performance begins where Juno captures the hearts of everyone with her dance (Nitsuj: So this is what Dances with Wolves was really all about). Even Haru can’t help but feel inferior to Juno. Legosi finds Haru in the audience (scene here: https://youtu.be/GHs6SxJ7nDs) and after the performance Juno lets everyone know about Legosi rescuing Haru and uses this as a way to boost her support to become the Beastar as well as promote carnivores (scene here: https://youtu.be/XNFgqOaV5W0). Before Legosi and Juno can light their candles, Legosi ditches her to go be with Haru where she admits to herself that she has feelings for Legosi, but knows society will never accept them as a couple (Nitsuj: Despite the fact that this is what society has been aiming for) and worries about their instincts kicking in again, but Legosi says he knows he won’t eat her because he loves her. He promises to get stronger so he can fight against his instincts and she says she’ll wait for him (scene here: https://youtu.be/Ix8Lmx86tCY). The season wraps up with Legosi running into an unseen student in the hallway who smiles for no apparent reason.
Final Thoughts
(Nitsuj): Beastars was an amazing anime from beginning to end. Everything about this anime is just excellent. From the characters, to the story, to the world, and to the themes. This whole series is like Zootopia or Animal Farm taken to the next level and I love every minute of it.
(Yume): The complaints some people have about this anime are all minor and really don’t get in the way of ruining the anime. Some people have said the anime moves slow in the first episodes only to pick up near the end which is true, but honestly the slow pace never felt boring or a waste of time. The earlier episodes do a good job at world building and setting the tone between the characters. We see how even though herbivores and carnivores live together, there’s still a dividing line between them. We see how carnivores have to constantly fight against their instincts which are telling them to eat the herbivores with some even going insane and falling apart because of it. We see how herbivores have to fight against their own instincts which are telling them to stay far away from the carnivores out of fear of being eaten and being quick to assume the worst from them. This center of conflict is shown in the relationship between Legosi and Haru. Despite society preaching about peace between herbivores and carnivores, both sides are baffled by the relationship between Legosi and Haru. Why is she with him, why is he with her, it doesn’t make sense to them and neither side can fully accept this relationship even though their relationship should be everything they’ve been striving to see.
(Nitsuj): Speaking of characters, you really do come to love and relate to all of them. Legosi despite his intimidating figure is a gentle guy. He can be an alpha but chooses to be a beta because he himself is afraid of giving into instincts and becoming something he knows he won’t like. You feel bad that he has to keep holding himself back out of fear of how everyone will react to his alpha side and want him to embrace it while still remaining true to himself. The character of Haru is a tragic character. Throughout her whole life all she’s known is pity and self-satisfaction. She’s never been treated like Haru and it kills her inside. While I don’t condone her promiscuous actions, once you hear her backstory and how she feels, you start to understand why she’s the way she is. Louis and Juno are the two characters I was surprised by. I thought I wasn’t gonna like them and they were going to come across as terrible animals wearing a mask for the public, but in truth both characters are good animals. Both of them have beliefs and goals of becoming the Beastar to make the world better. However, the problem with both of them is that they both only focus on one class of characters. Louis only cares about herbivores and making their lives better, so that no one has to go through what he did as a child. While Juno has nothing against herbivores her main focus is to make life better for carnivores so that they can be themselves and not be discriminated against so quickly. Both characters have the right intentions but neither one tries to understand the other side. Louis curses Legosi for not embracing his natural instincts, but never stops to think why Legosi does what he does or put himself in his shoes. Juno praises the natural strength of carnivores but never stops to think how terrified it makes herbivores who are defenseless against carnivores. It’s because both sides fail to understand the other that the relationship between Haru and Legosi baffles everyone. Speaking of relationships, it’s hard to say who works better with Legosi. While I admit Legosi and Juno would be a cute couple, I can’t help but be drawn to the relationship of Legosi and Haru because they both need each other and make each other better. Haru gives Legosi the courage to be an alpha and not be ashamed that he was born a wolf, while Legosi treats Haru for who she is. He doesn’t care about what she’s done in the past all he sees is Haru and who she really is and I feel like that’s the most important thing in any relationship.
(Yume): The CGI animation is really great here. At first I felt it was off putting given the history of CGI animes in the past, but Orange went all out here and showed us how when used correctly, CGI anime can tell us some really compelling stories. If I’m being honest, if this series was done in the traditional 2D animation style the anime would not have been as impactful as the CGI made it. This is a series I can’t see working in a 2D animation setting. I enjoyed the various designs of the characters and how different they are in both height and weight to each other. The author clearly took the time to study up on her zoology to make sure she got each character right and gave them their own personality and design that differs from the other animals.
(Nitsuj): The music was good. From the catchy opening to the assortment of songs we hear throughout the anime that matches up well with the scenes and conveys the emotions we the audience and the characters are feeling. There are in array of scenes that bring out many emotions in here. The anime knows how to get a good laugh out of you, but also keep you invested into the story and its characters creating a masterpiece that keeps you coming back for more.
Final Score
(Nitsuj): Well I think it’s time to correct a mistake from 2019, the final score for Beastars is a solid and well deserved 10/10 with a must watch stamp of approval.
(Yume): I also must agree and give it a 10/10 as well. It’s a masterpiece of animation, storytelling, characters, and setting. It’s definitely worth checking out if you haven’t checked it out already. With a second season set to come out in the near future and with everything that happens in the next part of the story, the second season is going be wild and enjoyable.
(Nitsuj): Well guys, that’ll do it for us. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.
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