Beastars Anime Review: A Rated-R Zootopia
Beastars is an anime on Netflix about anthropomorphic animals living in a society where carnivores and herbivores co-exist. It’s set in a Japanese high school, and the main character, Legoshi, is a large, but timid, grey wolf who wants to befriend a white rabbit classmate named Haru. The series delves into a lot of interesting social issues, for instance, with the invisible tension that exists between carnivore species and herbivore species. Kind of reminiscent of racial tensions in real life, but the stakes are much higher in the anime, because some carnivores actually murder and eat herbivores in secret. It’s also rated TV-MA…because it shows violence, somewhat censored nudity, and also somewhat censored sex scenes. I think the series as a whole was interesting with a good mix of light, heartfelt moments and darker moments. I was not a fan of the romantic plot-line…but more into that later.
I really enjoyed the high school dynamics of this show - with the cliques and the school clubs - and seeing how different animal species co-exist. I particularly liked scenes about the drama club, and the fact that all of the animals in the club were chosen to join for a specific reason. I hope that the series will explore those reasons further in future seasons. Rouis, the deer, is my favorite character, because he’s full of complexity and charisma. I could bear with all of the interspecies violence and underground societies depicted in the show, even though I’m not a fan of violent scenes, but what I really didn’t like was the romance storyline between Legoshi and Haru. To watch mature scenes being implied between them is a bit weird. I feel like the anime is trying to prove a point to the audience about how characters with wildly different backgrounds can still become friends and fall in love. I have a feeling this will be a romance that will continue to develop in future seasons. Call me close-minded or old-fashioned, but I’m definitely not a fan of it right now, but maybe season 2 will change my mind.
In conclusion…
Beastars is an anime with interesting themes. While I loved the world building and the darkness of it, I started tuning out a little when it came to Legoshi and Haru’s romance. But anyway, I guess I will continue to watch this series because the season 2 trailer looks pretty interesting! If you like anime with dark themes and don’t mind being labeled a furry, this can be an interesting one for you LOL.