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A review by nightwing
Beast Complex, Vol. 1 by Paru Itagaki
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
These are all short stories set within the Beastars universe, if you haven't read those, go check it out! I think this is still somewhat easy to follow, but it's still better to read the Beastars manga, or the first couple of volumes in order to better understand the conflicts within the world.
Overall, I really enjoyed the stories and Paru's artwork! I hope we get more like this, I love the Beastars world and its complex machinations. I also like how Paru, despite having similar creatures like a tiger and a wolf from Beastars appear in Beast Complex, they're still unique enough to be their own characters instead of carbon copies of the Beastars cast.
The Lion & The Bat: A lion with high aspirations and great long-term goals is shaken to the core thanks to the words of a small bat. Very sweet story
The Tiger & The Beaver: A story focusing on two children who are determined to stay friends despite their differences. Oh man, this one was so bittersweet. Great, but bittersweet.
The Camel & The Wolf: A camel is about to write a scathing article on predators until a beautiful wolf sweeps him off his feet. The art style with the camel was fantastic, he truly looked like a nervous, broken down newspaper reporter. Definitely an odd story, but the camel's style was awesome.
The Kangaroo & The Black Panther: A kangaroo owns an inn and a young panther buys a room. The kangaroo's deadpan snark was hilarious. Can't believe he literally told his friend to buy him at the black market if he ever ends up in there, wow. A tragic story, but still interesting.
The Crocodile & The Gazelle: A gazelle is an assistant chef on a cooking show...she's not happy about the new chef because he's a predator. A lighthearted romp that was pretty entertaining, great banter between the two.
The Fox & The Chameleon: A fox deals with bullies and is frustrated by the stereotypes while a chameleon learns what it means to not blend in. A sweet story, the fox's frustrations with the bullies was relatable.
These are all short stories set within the Beastars universe, if you haven't read those, go check it out! I think this is still somewhat easy to follow, but it's still better to read the Beastars manga, or the first couple of volumes in order to better understand the conflicts within the world.
Overall, I really enjoyed the stories and Paru's artwork! I hope we get more like this, I love the Beastars world and its complex machinations. I also like how Paru, despite having similar creatures like a tiger and a wolf from Beastars appear in Beast Complex, they're still unique enough to be their own characters instead of carbon copies of the Beastars cast.
The Lion & The Bat: A lion with high aspirations and great long-term goals is shaken to the core thanks to the words of a small bat. Very sweet story
The Tiger & The Beaver: A story focusing on two children who are determined to stay friends despite their differences. Oh man, this one was so bittersweet. Great, but bittersweet.
The Camel & The Wolf: A camel is about to write a scathing article on predators until a beautiful wolf sweeps him off his feet. The art style with the camel was fantastic, he truly looked like a nervous, broken down newspaper reporter. Definitely an odd story, but the camel's style was awesome.
The Kangaroo & The Black Panther: A kangaroo owns an inn and a young panther buys a room. The kangaroo's deadpan snark was hilarious. Can't believe he literally told his friend to buy him at the black market if he ever ends up in there, wow. A tragic story, but still interesting.
The Crocodile & The Gazelle: A gazelle is an assistant chef on a cooking show...she's not happy about the new chef because he's a predator. A lighthearted romp that was pretty entertaining, great banter between the two.
The Fox & The Chameleon: A fox deals with bullies and is frustrated by the stereotypes while a chameleon learns what it means to not blend in. A sweet story, the fox's frustrations with the bullies was relatable.