Violently Stylish and Beautifully Dark

Based on Paru Itagaki’s manga series of the same name, Beastars is a show revolving around anthropomorphic animals living in a world where herbivores and carnivores live in supposed harmony. Set in a high school called Cherryton where an alpaca student has just been devoured by an unknown carnivorous fellow student, the story follows three main characters, students at Cherryton, as they traverse this world where a deep-rooted racial divide beneath the cordial surface results in conflicts and tensions that are a driving force of the story.

It is a stunningly written psychological drama that explores societal divides and their implications, together with individual character studies focused on inner conflict regarding what one wants for oneself and what is expected from society.

Needless to say, I think the show is good.

Characters

As a mainly character-driven show, the three main characters Haru, Louis, and especially Legoshi, the series’ lead, spearhead the show with depth, vulnerability, and narrative grace. Through them, we explore what it means to be both herbivore and carnivore in this world where being either comes with its downfalls, though one more than the other.

Legoshi is an awkward grey wolf coming to terms with what being a carnivore in this world means and his anguish over the predatory instincts he suppresses. Louis, is a confident red deer and the most popular student at school, who harbours a deep frustration over being a herbivore in a world where carnivores are so much more physically stronger. Haru, an assertive small dwarf rabbit dealing with how people view her physically and emotionally due to her small stature and general looks, deals with her ostracisation from other students. The complexity of these three, despite the fact that the show also has a deal of genuinely good drama and action with a little bit of comedy thrown in, is what keeps you glued to your screen in want of the next episode once the current one ends.

Shows Themes

Looking at the show’s premise superficially, it is difficult not to draw comparisons to Disney’s 2016 smash hit Zootopia but where Zootopia uses the anthropomorphic animals as an easily digestible medium to lecture a wide audience, but specifically children, about the racial divide in our world as it holds up a very obvious mirror to us, Beastars does not really think about or push an equality message. What it does instead is take the concept of drastic inequality and put it under a roof to be examined. The intent seems more to use the setting to explore its narrative potentials. What if there was a world where herbivores lived in “harmony” with carnivores, despite carnivores still having the instinct to eat meat? What would happen in that world? What could happen in that world? Beastars is still used as an allegory for societal divide, but it is not its main goal.

Animation

When it comes to its aesthetics, the best way to describe Beastars is stylish. Every single aspect from the music to the visuals to the acting is at the perfect degree of polish. The visuals alone are stunning, shattering preconceptions of ugly CGI, with a mostly restrained palette, changing it up for effect. The switching to 2D animation, in various animation styles, during certain flashbacks, dreams, and internal monologues gorgeously accentuates the story at each instance. The direction heightens the drama beautifully and underscores the more emotional sequences. Brought to you by the people who gave us the stunning Land of the Lustrous in 2017, Studio Orange is quickly becoming a household name as it returns to let everyone know that anime animated using CGI can not only be on par with 2D animation, but it can surpass it, showing everyone that, again, it can produce the most good-looking anime of the season, if not the year.

Conclusion

With a dark and violent tone and a sprinkling of anthropomorphic animal sexuality, Beastars might not be for everyone. If, though, those facts are not enough to turn you away, do not sleep on this masterpiece for you will not be disappointed, and I for one cannot wait for season 2