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swimfast724's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Bullying, and Cannibalism
Minor: Classism, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, and Gaslighting
choco_bunbun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Death
berry21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I can't help but appreciate how Beastars' protagonist is introduced. A carnivore and herbivore are seen having a heated argument, fueled by distrust after the murder the night before. Suddenly, the lights go out, and when they are fixed we see him. Legoshi, a grey wolf, is perched up high staring down at his clubmates. The argument is cut short and there is an air of tension between him and the rest of his club. We first see him from his clubmates' perspective. Quiet. Towering. Suspicious.
Then later that night, Legoshi, who'd been acting odd all day and watching a herbivore girl intently, seems like he's going to kill and eat her. He approaches her quiet but domineering, and right when the reader and girl believe she's done for it's revealed he was actually performing an act of kindness that defies our expectations. We see him for his true self; simply a shy, kind and gentle soul.
One night not long after, the rug is pulled out from underneath the reader once again when Legoshi is suddenly and for the first time overtaken by his carnivore instincts. He lunges at a small rabbit, Haru, a very interesting character with her own chapter on how she feels unsure of her place in the world and the harsh bullying she faces . You can feel how tense both of them are, and Legoshi's internal conflict in that moment and the rest of the volume are wonderfully portrayed.
The only part of this scene that personally falls flat for me is how his temptation manifests as a small cartoony-eyed silhouette. It just looks a bit silly and takes me out of it a bit, but that's just a small criticism of a great scene.
We are also introduced to a red deer named Louis, who more than any herbivore or even carnivore exudes power with his confidence even in the face of carnivores. He questions why Legoshi holds back his strength, and shows himself to be the type to never let anything stop him from achieving his goals.
The art style is rough and sketchy but I find it very unique and it allows the characters to be extremely expressive from intense and unnerving to endearingly cartoony.
The fun little bonus comics at the end of each volume are very charming, and I love the in-depth character profiles that show Paru Itagaki's thought process. My favourite bonus however has to be the bit of world building with facts about how beast society functions, practically, socially, etc. So much thought is put into this and makes the world feel so fleshed out, Beastars no doubt has the best depiction of an anthro-animal world imo and I am always eager to learn more about it.
Graphic: Death, Murder, and Bullying
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity
steffiraquel's review against another edition
4.25
Moderate: Violence and Animal death
Minor: Bullying
alaskan_bull_worm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Murder, Violence, and Animal death
Minor: Cannibalism, Blood, Infidelity, Cursing, Death, and Bullying
zombiezami's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Bullying, and Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity
Slut shamingkylantis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal death and Violence
Moderate: Bullying
willdahbeast's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Bullying