Beast Complex

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Beast Complex is the debut manga of Paru Itagaki, who would later go on to write the hit series Beastars. The stories of Beast Complex take place in a world where herbivore and carnivore animals live together in society. The stories found in Beast Complex explore the challenges faced in a world where these two different types of species coexist. Each story focuses on the relationship between a certain herbivore and a certain carnivore. The relationships presented in each story vary, from childhood friends, to lovers, coworkers, and more. While the characters and the stories are not extremely complex in their own right, they do ... help flesh out the world and feel real and human. I found the stories very enjoyable, and Itagaki's unique and sketchy artwork along with the well done paneling really make them an engaging read. I would highly recommend this series to anyone, especially those who enjoy Itagaki's later work Beastars. The first four chapters of Beast Complex were written prior to Beastars, and you can actually see a lot of the worldbuilding shown in Beastars introduced in Beast Complex. Overall, this series is great and I hope to see more of it.

I am sure that, like me, most people who come in contact this manga are already familiar with Beastars. If you're already engaged with this series, then Beast Complex is more than you could ever ask for. And I don't mean the inconsequential, trivia-style background. I mean that Beast Complex makes for a perfect companion/predecessor in that it both expands upon this universe and feeds readers' understanding of what Paru Itagaki aims to achieve with her unconventional, "adult-Zootopia" premise.

After reading the first volume of Beast Complex, I understand that Itagaki's writing's strength is character (besides her already excellent creative compositions and worldbuilding). She has ... proven in Beastars that she is so versatile that the series' genre is almost impossible to pinpoint. This is, in my opinion, because she can effectively replicate what it is like to live and coexist in a society that is diverse and multifaceted and yet finds finds that putting people in specific boxes is the best way to go about it - this being universal but especially true for Japanese society. Beast Complex is, as you can expect, not pessimistic or pedantic and builds sweet and poignant narratives in every episode. You are sure to find one or two that you cen relate to.

Nonetheless, I do not think Beast Complex may be as palatable to people unfamiliar with Beastars. It the place to go if you're in need of a change of pace from the dynamic companion. It is not as ambitious and is by no means revolutionary anthology storytelling, but, as you may be able to tell, I am very very happy with my purchasee. Art-wise, I found some of the panels hard to read, especially in comparison with how much the author has polished her style. I hope this review helps!

Amazing short stories, all sharing the common theme of a carnivore and a herbivore co-existing in the same society (with a few exceptions) with (if I remember correctly) 2 Beastars spin-offs

Paru Itagaki's art drastically improves in the middle of the manga, along with her incredible storytelling skills (can't stress this enough), you'll definitely miss details if you're not deeply observing the visuals

Very enjoyable read that made me laugh multiple times, and manga rarely if ever makes me laugh

It's great for what it is, all I could ask for are more chapters but I doubt we'll have more any time soon seeing that Sanda is coming ... out and Beastars is finished

Fun-fact: Legosi appears in the first volume as a background character (it was published before Beastars was even written)