Beastars is a furry anime. Now shut up and listen to me first. A furry is someone who has interest in animals with human characteristics (known as anthros). Furry, in general, is about anything anthro. Beastars does the concept of anthropomorphism to a wonderful degree, even superior to Zootopia due to its worldbuilding and sheer story length. Beastars makes good use of the 'furry' element as it emphasizes and develops the characterizations within the animal world.
If you're going to skip Beastars just because of the 'furry' thing, then excuse my language. Fuck your petty judgments. You are missing out on a wonderful material that is loved by a large population.
STORY 8/10
As the anime has been (mostly) faithful to the manga, I believe the credits for this should go to Itagaki's efforts. The anime did remove some backstories, and even some which I'd say is damn important, but it's all understandable due to time restrictions and what not.
As of Season 1, it's just the fundamental part of worldbuilding. Underlying themes of conflicts have been well executed so far, and there is much to be excited for.
ART and SOUND 10/10
I feel like I have to mix these two to give my supporting statements. I've read the manga before, and totally wanted an art style adaptation similar to that of Soul Eater's and the like. However, Studio Orange did a very different approach for this anime... and managed to pull it off.
Two key points here are the focus on Perspectives and Contrast.
For Perspectives, we see a lot of this through how the studio handled Legosi's characterizations, through the eyes of both herbivores and carnivores... and also through his internal monologues. This plays along very well with the themes of duality with the characters.
For Contrast, the color scheme of the anime helps guide the eye and the mind to the mood and focus for each scene. You will see a lot of scenes where light is used to portray a character's view, while darkness is used for mental thoughts or the more tense scenes. A good combination to this aspect is the utility of the OST. It probably has a playlist in Youtube, I totally suggest for you to go try it. There are stark differences with the soundscapes of Legosi's dark scenes as compared to Haru's cheerful but dubious scenes. Another interesting example is the different outro songs used for episodes with specific running themes.
CHARACTERS 9/10
I'd have to put down the score one bit, as the anime removed some backstories. Again, understandable but sad nonetheless.
This still plays with the wonderful execution of Studio Orange's delicate care for the characterizations of the cast. And they play very well with the thematic drama club aspect (for the first few episodes at least) and the hints of darker anguish and instinctual problems (for the later episodes).
ENJOYMENT 10/10
I've been waiting for some time for an anime adaptation. I expected to be disappointed due to the flowery poster of the anime, but I was beyond impressed. Why did I ever doubt the studio of Houseki no Kuni's adaptation?
There will definitely be a piece of character that you will like. The characters are solid. Even then, I urge you to take time to appreciate the OST and the design choice of the anime.
OVERALL 10/10
This anime does have fanservice, but it definitely isn't exaggerated like most animes with a hint of ecchi. Most of the credit goes to Itagaki, but it is remarkable for Studio Orange to give this a respectful and loyal take all the same.
I highly recommend Beastars, and this is the first review I was actually compelled to make... from basically having an unused MAL profile for two years. This anime feels like a movie born out of passion, and even if you are not one with a keen eye for details, Beastars is simply fun. The pace is not staggering and the tension (and resolutions) are really rewarding.
The best part for me is the worldbuilding, followed by the characterization. And I know the anime will follow through with the manga's potential.
