While humans have perpetuated the idea that the howl expresses sadness or loneliness,
the wolf's howl is actually a tool to communicate location and to ward off outsiders
as well as a way for wolves to socialize with other packmates
When wolves get sad, they don't howl.
But any time any one of my friends asks me, "Hey, Scott,"
I usually end up giving some type of variation on, "It's like Zootopia,"
"but with more sex and violence."
Which is pretty reductive,
because at the end of the day, Beastars is well and truly:
its own beast.
Beastars is a story about murder,
society,
the biological instincts that drive the characters within,
and their struggle to reconcile the wants and needs of their very biology
against the social constructs that keep the world running,
their own individual sense of morality,
and the dangers of unabashedly embracing the Id.
TL;DR, this sad wolf desperately wants to give this fuck-rabbit his
But he also can't tell if he's just horny or VORE-ny,
And she's too busy either dodging mattresses or wearing them out to notice.
Also, there's an emo deer who sucks at social distancing that complicates everything...
Hyper-hormonal brainchild of award winning mangaka and proud chickenhead, Paru Itagaki,
Beastars has been running since 2016 in Weekly Shounen Champion.
And yes, Beastars is a shounen.
So was Fist of the North Star.
*TATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATATA*
I started reading in early 2019 and became instantly enamored by the this tale of bloodshed,
racism, sexual politics and egg sammiches.
But--
When I heard that Studio Orange, responsible for Lesbian Space Rocks,
No, not that one-
Yeah, that one--
Was going to animate the series in CG,
I was admittedly tense.
Anxious.
*It did me a concern.*
Paru Itagaki's art style for the Beastars manga is pretty wild, mind the pun,
with a focus on expression, exaggerated features and perspective,
in short, it doesn't, at first glance, translate incredibly well to 3D.
However, I can safely say that, while not a perfect adaptation,
the folks at Studio Orange ended up delivering a spectacular 12 episodes
covering the first 47 chapters of the original manga.
What is it about Beastars that makes it so compelling?
Is it the social commentary mixed with violent melodrama?
Is it the internal and external struggle of the characters that we relate to?
Is it bunny tiddies?
Truth is, it's all of the above!
But there's something about that last one that actually plays a little more into it than you might think.
Anthropomorphism! Also known as:
"I couldn't help but notice your bulgey- wulgey from across the floor..."
It's the humanization of an otherwise non-human entity.
*SQUEEK*
Think Fritz the Cat or Forky from Toy Story 4.
"And you are?" "I'm trash"
Anthropomorphization has been common in art since the beginning of--
Well, art.
And it's helpful in Beastars to help tell a story steeped in some pretty serious subject matter
all the while, giving itself enough wiggle room as to not shove its own foot too far into its own mouth.
All animals have innate biological instincts and behaviors that, when filtered through an artistic lens,
can help represent human personality traits:
Rabbits rely on their defensive instincts to avoid conflict
Rabbits rely on their defensive instincts to avoid conflict and also like to * F U C K *
Wolves tend to run in packs and are vicious hunters,
and deer PACK HEAT!!
*Pillar Men theme from JoJo's Bizarre Adventure intensifies in volume*
And that's one of the reasons Beastars work so well.
Its characters, from the get-go,
give you a solid conceptual idea of their personalities the moment you lay eyes on them,
because you know that dog goes bark,
cat goes meow,
and rabbit * g o e s d o w n . *
But.
The strength of how Beastars uses this narrative shorthand
lies in Paru Itagaki's open acknowledgement of these stereotypes,
embracing them and making them part of the narrative,
knowing when to play them straight and when to subvert them,
and that makes for a fascinating story, where the concepts of right and wrong, nature versus nurture,
biology versus society all create a genuinely compelling conflict.
Hell, while the series opens with a murder,
the first two thirds of the anime's first season is all about how these hormonal,
frustrated teenagers interact and inhabit a world where such acts are not only commonplace,
they're expected.
It isn't until the third part where the action truly kicks in and the stakes are raised sharply.
For some, this is where Beastars truly gets good.
For others, it kinda feels like an abandonment of its premise.
But honestly, I cannot WAIT for you guys to see what season 2 has in store!
And yes, it does get hornier from here.
*Also, the opening theme is a goddamn banger!*
And speaking of Studio Orange,
while it's true that the story of Beastars is phenomenal
and the characters and their conflicts play into that greatly,
it's impossible to ignore the sheer amount of craft and talent that went into the anime's production
The soundtrack is one of my favorites in years,
the storyboarding and cinematography are top fucking tier,
and while the CG can be a little bit stiff at points,
it's a frankly gorgeous looking series,
and you just know that season 2 is only going to look better come 2021
(Kaiser chuckles) Or, you know, five months -after- whenever it releases in Japan,
BECAUSE THAT'S A GREAT FUCKING BUISNESS MODEL, NETFLI--
And I can happily say that, whether or not you're about enjoying media in its native tongue,
or you're one of many who prefer enjoying their anime without
having to focus on the bottom quarter of the screen,
both the sub and dub deliver delightfully.
Jonah Scott *nails* the socially awkward, introverted nature of Legoshi,
without ever making him sound bored or tired.
Griffin Puatu as Louis delivers an intense, complicated and well-rounded performance throughout,
and Lara Jill Miller is *fucking inspired* as Haru,
and hearing her, not only back in anime,
but giving one of the most heartfelt and moving performances in the entire series is a treat.
Also, you get to hear Kari from Digimon say shit like this:
"Don't worry, it's fine. You can be rough; I can handle it."
"I think it'll be fun."
I will say however, that if you enjoyed the first season of Beastars,
check out the manga!
The anime adaptation loses much of the charm that permeates Itagaki's artwork.
Also, the pacing of the anime sacrifices some noteworthy worldbuilding
in exchange for fitting the entirety of this particular arc into 12 episodes.
Luckily though, at the end of the day, there's no bad way to consume Beastars.
Except five months late!
That's definitely a kick in the dick.
But, for all you fur-gins out there who are still unsure about it,
I Implore you to give it a try.
And what's the worst that can happen?
It's not like Bad Dragon gonna suddenly send you a box of their merch out of no-
OH
OH MY
* F U C K I N G *
"You know you can always count on me!"
"I promise, I'll never be suspicious, or be disgusted by anything you do."
"You like what you like, it doesn't matter; insects, rabbits, anything at all is totally fine--"