When the anime television series Beastars, based on the manga written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki, was released on Netflix back in March, the common if redundant description about the show is that it’s the Disney animated Zootopia with sex and violence. It does a disservice towards a story that is nuanced through its world-building and relationships with anthropomorphic animals. Having been impressed with the first season, whilst waiting for the second season next year, I was curious to read the source material and how it compares to the TV adaptation.

As the initial volume of Paru Itagaki's series – adapted as the first two episodes of the show – the story opens with Tem the alpaca being brutally murdered and devoured in the night, setting off a wave of unease and distrust between the herbivore and carnivore students of Cherryton Academy. At the center of this cultural divide within the school, is the large gray wolf Legoshi, who keeps to himself as a stagehand for the drama club, despite suspicions raise towards him. Generally conflicted with his status as a carnivore, this conflict reaches new heights when Legoshi has a fateful encounter with the small dwarf rabbit, Haru.

Similar to the seminal TV show Twin Peaks, the murder that opens the story is ultimately the backdrop in establishing this world and characters, all of which go through some form of relationships, whether it is heartwarming or deceptive. Already the conflict between herbivore and carnivore has been established, and yet this divide isn’t simply black-and-white and there is even friction between the various factions. As the central cast is predominately the school's drama club, that’s where unsurprisingly the drama occurs.

As the star actor of the school's drama club, with the dream to become the next Beastar, the red deer Louis doesn’t let his position as an herbivore feel inferior and tends to look down upon those around him and assert his dominance, even if he occasionally antagonizes Legoshi in an attempt to push the latter’s carnivorous instincts. In fact, Legoshi has never given in those instincts throughout his seventeen years of existence, and despite being seen as a weirdo by most of the school, he has a tenderness that only a few are aware of, especially how he resolves an issue that his late friend Tem tried to resolve before his demise.

Like I said before, the world-building is impressive, as seen one dramatic sequence taking place in the school cafeteria, where all the various animal students are served differently, whilst where they seat is somewhat humorous, like the mice students being seated on the higher floors above everyone else. Even the supplemental material from this volume dissects some details, such as school uniforms and lavatories. As impressive in how Itagaki conceives this world, her art doesn’t always convey that. Considering that this is her second manga after Beast Complex, you still get the sense that Itagaki is still developing her style that can look unsettling in how it merges various genres, but the end result can still look amateurish.

Artistic issues aside, this initial volume is a strong enough introduction to Paru Itagaki's creation, which is able to explore mature human themes through the lens of its anthropomorphic animal cast.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I really like the title and the idea behind it. I kept waiting for something exciting to happen or for the plot to make a little more sense to me, but as the story progressed I discovered that it was really just more about the day-to-day lives of the animals at this Academy. It isn’t a bad story and it is a great choice for someone who is looking for a manga about animals, but it just wasn’t for me.

I wasn't really sure what to make of this one going in, but I am glad that I gave it a try. While this manga shares some superficial similarities with Zootopia, it is a much more complex and adult tale. The plot focuses on the complex relationships between different students at a college where the students are all either predatory animals or prey. Its primary themes are of racism, as both races have a tendency to make assumptions of each other based on their species.

While this volume is slow building and doesn't do a lot to investigate the murder, it does set up the story well and does a great job of introducing the core protagonists. The sketch art-style also suits it well, neatly capturing the body language and expressions of Legoshi in particular. I enjoy how so much time is spent focusing on the characters, learning about how they both relate to and differ from their species stereotype.

Due to the cliffhanger ending of this volume, I am very eager to get my hands on the next installment to see where the story will head from here.

I don't know what I was expecting when I picked up Beastars but I wasn't expecting such vivid and "human" characters. We all fight with our inner desires but it is much harder as an animal when they define their identity by their desires.

Beastars is kind of like a twisted fairy tale mashed with Manga. There’s a bit of a mystery and it talks a lot about the different cliques. Hand this book to students who enjoyed To Ra Do Ra.

Beastars was incredible. The artwork. The uniqueness of the storyline. Legoshi is so misunderstood and standing accused. Those in the background, in the shadows, continue to pull the strings, manipulating. I will be continuing this odyssey. I want to know who who murdered Tem..

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and Paru Itagaki for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The reason I read this was because I binge watched the entire Netflix series in one day. So, I had high expectations. This is like Zootopia, but set in a high school in Japan and for a mature audience. I would highly recommend both the anime and the manga!

This manga takes place in Cherryton Academy, a high school of herbivores and carnivores. The two groups sleep separately, eat separately, and stick to their own kind. A herbivore student is killed, allegedly, by a carnivore student. This further drives the separation between the two groups. I don’t want to give away any more plot points because it’s much better to go into this not knowing the plot.
This was awesome! The art was beautiful and the story was so unique and interesting. Just go read it. After you read it go watch the anime. This is me reading Beastars: (gif of sloth from zootopia smiling)

I was really intrigued by the advert for Beastars that popped up on Netflix recently, but I haven’t yet got around to watching it. I’m always apprehensive about watching an anime because I always want to read the manga first but then often don’t get round to it. This year though, I’ve really been making an effort to get more into manga though, and I’ve been very much enjoying it, so I was thrilled to see Beastars v1 available on NetGalley!

The premise of Beastars is deceptively simple – at a boarding school for animals, there’s a clear divide between predators and prey, but the balance between both is carefully maintained, and students go about their day, attending lessons, eating meals and sleeping in dorms all on a campus full of their natural opponents. The apparent murder of a student throws the balance into disarray – suddenly, no one knows who to trust, and the previously cosy familiarity between organisms of the same type starts to feel more like taking sides of a battle.

We follow Legoshi, an awkard wolf, as the murder is discovered, and then as he tries to go about his normal school life in the aftermath. We have a big cast of supporting characters, from Louis the drama club president stag to Tem the alpaca who is close friends with Legosi. The cast are really interesting, and the story takes an interesting approach to stereotypes, with creatures living up to some and subverting others.

The art is unlike anything I’ve seen before (in my admittedly not very wide experience with manga). It has an endearing cartoon sketched style, something I can totally imagine following as part of a webcomic, and there’s so much detail, both on characters and backgrounds – in many ways the art reminded me more of a graphic novel than a traditional manga.

The comparisons to Zootopia are unavoidable, but it’s sort of Zootopia crossed with One of Us is Lying or a Gillian Flynn story. Think Zootopia made by the creators of Pretty Little Liars or Riverdale rather than Disney – it isn’t truly gruesome or horror, but it’s definitely got a dark and sinister edge to it (in the best way).

I’m gripped by the plot, which is at times a little farfetched but nonetheless addictive and intriguing. The story is undeniably clever, with it’s clever allegories, the social divides and relationships. It makes you think about nature vs nurture, and whether gaps that seem like they could never be bridged truly have to be that way. The cast are great and I LOVE Legosi. The art is something to really enjoy taking your time over. All in all, a brilliant opening volume that I desperately need a physical copy of and I can’t wait to read the next one!

Even if this book is not adequate for a classroom setting due to mature topics, it is an enjoyable read for mature teenagers and up. Legoshi is a relatable character and the topics within it are something many people have faced and will face through their lives. It is interesting to see animals be facing so many challenges and trials that reflect so many parallels in today's world and the characters themselves are well developed and grow gradually in the volume as time passes by. Overall, if you know your teenager is mature, I recommend picking up this manga series for them.

Murder, high school drama, and awkward teens but the catch is they're all animals!

This series was okay. It began with a murder which I though would be the arc for the series, but it is mainly used as a way to introduce the lead character, Legoshi. Legoshi is an awkward, extremely large grey wolf struggling to "find his tribe" like any other high schooler. However, the murder of his best friend casts him under suspicion and forces him interact with others more.

The story moves at a slow pace taking time to build up the plot. However, for this to be the first volume in the series, it moved too slow to really engage me. The other characters did not get enough attention to really help readers understand the world the series takes place. But this approach is different than the manga I'm used to reading so that does influence my opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I was pretty skeptical going into this manga of half animal half people characters. And the title was confusing. I like fantasy, but this really seemed weird. However, I was sucked into the whodunnit plot from the get-go. The pacing is fast and the artwork is clean which makes for an easy read. The translation could have been improved, some of the dialogue did not seem natural.

I can't wait to read the rest and see how the Netflix anime compares.

The only thing that bothered me, <spoiler> was that they ate eggs and drank milk for breakfast. Isn't that like eating someone's unborn children? Weird. I think I can accept a wolf-bunny relationship, but I can't get over that. </spoiler>

Thanks to Netgalley for the eARC.

I went into this with very low expectations, not knowing a single thing about the plot, simply because a friend asked me to watch the show. When I saw volume 1 on Netgalley, this was my compromise to her.

Uhm hi yes. I need volume two.

I didn't know what to expect from this especially when seeing the anime was rated M (I think). Sometimes that means nothing, and sometimes that means it's more sex, drugs, and violence than is necessary. This is volume one, so that could really change as the story goes on, but I see a lot of potential in this.

It's a boarding school story that focuses heavily on the politics of the world. There's loads of bigotry and racism (speciesism?) between the carnivores and herbivores. As is stated by one carnivore early on, if it's believe a carnivore does anything to harm an herbivore, they get kicked out from the school. There's obviously a power struggle going on, and severe trust issues between the two groups due to the opening chapter that further fractures the alliance between them.

I found the main character compelling. He's not what you expect, and I want to see how his story progresses.

There are also potentially magical elements to this? Something happens near the very end that hints at something else that may be going on that people don't know about/is hidden, and it intrigues me as well.

All of this to say, give this a shot. What will it hurt?

I started reading this as I'd seen the series advertised on netflix and was pleasantly surprised! I love the concept of animals fighting against their primal instincts and the aart manages to convey that struggle perfectly.

Let's get the acceptance of the fact that this is in a very similar vein the Disney's Zootopia out of the way first. Yes, it's about anthropomorphized animals all living together and carnivores and herbivores learning to live with each other. But I really do think that's as far as the comparison can go.
BEASTARS takes place in a boarding school where a tragedy has taken place, an herbivore has been murdered by a carnivore and no one has any idea who it was. It's into this scenario that readers join gentle giant Legoshi and the world of animal students. Legoshi is a wolf, the biggest and baddest in school, but he just happens to be a super calm and introverted guy who just wants to live a peaceful life as part of the technical/production team in the school's drama club.
At its heart this is a slice of life/high school story that just happens to have the added quirk of the students being animals. And Itagaki makes full use of the entire animal kingdom by including a massive array of them and getting as many species as possible into each frame. It's a feast for the eyes to discover all the animals and little details of the world that inhabit the pages and it rally helps propel the story forward. It also lays the groundwork for some pretty funny puns and elements.
There's an underlying theme to being true to one's nature and fitting in that really caught my attention and has me looking forward to seeing where this story is eventually heading. This is definitely a pretty original story worth following.

Massive thanks to Netgalley and VIZ for the early peek at a series I've been hearing many great things about.

Imagine Zootopia, but with a much more realistic approach.

Actually, it’s unfair to make the Zootopia comparison, but many people approaching this for the first time are inevitably going to connect the two, when really they are very different in their handling of the topic. Beastars, however, has an advantage of having an edge. It doesn’t have the problem of being constrained into the limits of a kids movie.

In a world where animals take the place of humans, the world is divided in two; carnivores and herbivores. The tensions between these groups is exacerbated by the murder of a student herbivore by a carnivore at the same school. Legosi, a grey wolf, is used to the distrust of his fellow students because of his carnivore status, and has to face his feral nature during a time when suspicions of carnivores are at its highest.

I saw the anime first, but I was glad that the manga had a different feel. While the anime is fairly faithful, there was more the manga had to offer. The main thing is the art style. It’s gorgeous. It’s something I’ve never seen before, and has some beautiful visuals. It’s eye catching, and portrays tension magnificently in just a one panel. Can’t recommend highly enough.

While this is a mystery, the murder isn’t the main focus, nor does the investigation of it appear all that much. If you were going into this expecting it to be a crime procedural or detective mystery, then you’re going to be disappointed. However, the cast of characters totally makes up for it, especially with our lead. Legosi is a complex and layered character that has so much potential to be explored, along with Haru who has a different approach to the supposedly innocent nature of her species but really has many complexities that makes me want to know more about her. It’s also interesting to see how their animal nature complicates their everyday lives, and not just the herbivores living in constant danger of being killed by their carnivores friends, or the carnivores always being seen as a threat and battling their feral instincts. It’s a fragile balancing act that brings more tension to the story that puts it on a whole new level.

For a first volume it holds a lot of promise and potential that I am excited to learn more about. From the world, the characters, and the intricate society, this is definitely a manga I would recommend to anyone. Ignore the Zootopia comparisons. This is on a whole new level.

I will be leaving a review on the Waterstones website.

With a herbivore student murdered the school year at Cherrystone Academy has been turned upside down. Now tension is running high with the herbivores and carnivores. Legoshi see this first hand seeing as he's a big grey wolf.

I really enjoyed this one! I liked Legoshi and can't wait to see where his character goes from here. The ending left me guessing and I'm excited to see what Haru does next.

I also enjoyed the art style there was a lot of detail.

This was fun to read and I wanna read more!!! but it is a little weird at times. I love Legoshi though, he's so awkward and sweet and he loves bugs ahh.

WOW! I have been dying to check out this series for some time now, so thank you so much VIZ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read it! I must say, the art is beautiful. I feel like I can truly see the artists vision through this. It didn't feel "typical anime style" if that makes any sense. This story tackles hot topics like racism, sexism, and other types of prejudice. I love seeing this being done in a not so obvious way. The characters are super relatable even though they are animals. I particularly love our main character the wolf. He is battling with himself over things and I am excited to see what he ends up doing with all of it. Highly recommend! I plan on buying these volumes myself someday.

I’m new to the manga world, but I absolutely loved this. I like how it tackles racism, prejudice, taboo relationships, and bullying. I’m definitely hooked and will be continuing the series.

Beastars is one of my favorite manga series. The story is set at a boarding school where the students are divided between carnivores and herbivores, and much of the plot revolves around the animals' instincts and their ability to fight those instincts or not, in many cases. While the characters are simply animals, the issues that they deal with can be understood by many high schoolers and young adults. It covers racism, prejudices, taboo relationships, promiscuity, class/clique interactions, and bullying. It is also a series on Netflix now, I am still waiting for resolution for the crime that kicks the whole series off, but I am not sure if the resolution to that really matters, since it covers so much more. It does cover mature issues, though, so I would recommend it as a mature young adult manga.