Title : Beasters
Written by : Paru Itagaki
Published by : Akita Shoten
Magazine : Weekly Shōnen Champion
Original run : 2016 – 2020
Volumes : 22
The Difficulty of Tolerating Diversity
Synopsis
In the world of “BEASTARS,” carnivores and herbivores live together. Legoshi, a grey wolf, is a member of the drama club at Cheriton Academy, a boarding school. One day, an incident occurs: Tem, an alpaca belonging to the same drama club as Legoshi, is brutally murdered and devoured in the night. This incident leads to a difficult relationship between herbivores and carnivores at the Cherryton School. Saddened by Tem’s death, Legoshi decides to catch the killer. Meanwhile, he falls in love with Halu, a dwarf rabbit. In a world where interspecies, much less carnivore-herbivore, romance is not common, he is deeply troubled by his love life.
Review
Although this manga “depicts the world of anthropomorphic animals,” it is not a “heartwarming story.” In a world that is peaceful on the surface but distorted at the same time, human nature is replaced by animals, depicting friendship and love that transcends species and, conversely, conflicts that are incompatible with each other. What emerges is the difficulty of tolerating diversity. By taking an objective look at a world in which species that are very different from each other are exploring how they can coexist, we can find hints for diversity in the real world.
