Reviews

Beastars was an odd experience. The main trio (Louis, Legoshi, Haru), were interesting enough and I enjoyed watching them develop over the series, but the story itself was a bit messy. It seemed like a lot of potential plot points were introduced and then never brought up again (Like the student eaten in episode 1, Legoshi's shadow self, or what exactly a 'Beastar" is). This could just be attributed to lack of time to delve into details due to only having 12 episodes, and these points might be readdressed in future seasons. The mafia arc was a bit odd as well. The series seemed fairly grounded in reality, outside of the anthropomorphized animals, and then suddenly drama club students are beating up the mafia? Sure I guess.

Like I mentioned before though, the characters were able to carry the series enough for me to enjoy it. Legoshi working out the differences between feelings of love and that of a predator chasing prey was compelling, as was the complex relationship between Legoshi and Louis, which was reminiscent of Hayama and Hachiman's relationship in Oregairu. There wasn't a ton of backstory, but the bits we get do help flesh out the main cast.

The art was a bit jarring at first, but it's passable as far as 3D animation. There are scenes where the frame rate is distractingly low, but it was smooth enough otherwise.

Overall, Beastars was an inconsistent, but unique experience. If you into slice-of-life anime that a bit more thought provoking, and are willing to adjust to its animation style, I think it's worth a watch.