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nathandouglasdavis

  • Joined Feb 23, 2019
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Beastars

Oct 22, 2019

It's got sex, gore, and philosophy--the big three.

It's set in a society of anthropomorphic animals, at first focusing on the Cherryton School but then expanding to show more of the world at large. The main character is Legosi, a socially awkward gray wolf. The central theme is the difficulties with carnivores and herbivores coexisting, with the intersection of instinct and morality. Vigilante justice is prevalent, but at least it's recognized to be self-righteous and egotistical, which is more than I can say for many stories that just mindlessly glorify vigilantism. I appreciate the moral ambiguity it profers. There's also romance and childish idealism in the face of a cynical, "adult" world. And a healthy dose of humor throughout.

The art in the first few chapters is rough around the edges, but it quickly improves. The world is well developed and the characters are distinct and lovable.

[Originally reviewed at chapter 148]

[Updated upon completion]

Addendum: I find myself primarily enjoying the gorgeous artwork and just seeing these fascinating characters eating meals or whatnot. In other words, this manga has a similar appeal to Slice of Life stories. Though, of course, the action scenes are pretty cool and I appreciate its attempts to grapple with philosophical ideas, but I don't think those are of prime importance for me. There were some aspects of the lead-up to the final battle and the final battle itself which I liked--such as the training with Kyuu--but quite a bit of it I felt was badly put together. They were floundering around with how to make this confrontation between Legosi and Melon epic and climactic, and I think they failed. I didn't care for the way it was connecting the entirety of carnivore-herbivore relations into this singular moment. I didn't like the quiz show and I had mixed feelings about the sequential fights against different groups. Though that idea of sequential fights was also one of the things the story introduced but then just dropped--the others being the Imaginary Chimeras and whether any resolution happens with Kyuu. I also didn't enjoy the philosophical aspects nearly as much as in the beginning. I think part of that is that this dealt with societal collapse and how to build up communal coexistence (with shallow/nonexistent ideas) rather than with personal morals.

And maybe I'm just a perv, but I'm disappointed they didn't include a sex scene with Legosi and Haru. Or at least more gooey romantic moments between them (something sorely lacking in the second half of the story). But, overall, I still think it's probably deserving of a 10/10. The characters are still enticing, the artwork is still gorgeous, and the story is still largely acceptable (with the first half still deserving especial praise).

Story--10 > 8

 

8/10 story
10/10 art
10/10 characters
10/10 overall

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