BEASTARS, Vol. 1 (1) Paperback – July 16, 2019

As a manga fan, I've drifted towards seinen (adult men's) comics and ignored shonen (boy's) comics because I've associated them with paint-by-numbers, never-ending fights/adolescent wish-fulfillment stories. Beastars was the series that made made me reconsider and start giving shonen stories a serious look before discarding them.Full disclosure: Beastars is a story featuring anthropomorphic animals (aka "furries"). Some of you might be willing to dismiss it there, but I'd advise against it. One of the primary backdrops of the series is the conflict between carnivore and herbivore which remind many Westerners of the Disney film Zootopia. To be fair there are surface level similarities between the stories (to the point that the author of Beastars was afraid that her work would look like a derivative), but Zootopia is targeted towards children and Beastars is targeted towards teens, so you'll see some differences in nuance very early on in this first volume.The story begin at the exclusive Cherryton Academy boarding school, with the brutal murder of a male alpaca student and member of the school drama club named Tem. This murder immediately increases the tension between the carnivore and herbivore students.In this first volume we are introduced to our three primary characters. Legoshi is a fearsome-looking, but kind-hearted grey wolf who is a member of the Cherryton Academy Drama Club's stage crew. Louis is a popular and wealthy red deer who is the head of the drama club and its star actor. Haru is a female white dwarf rabbit who awakens some feeling within Legoshi. But is it love, or predatory instinct?I won't go any farther into the plot as to not spoil anything, but anyone who picks up this volume is in for a treat. I've read a LOT of manga and this is one of the finest series I've ever encountered. It's funny, heartwarming, thought-provoking, and through its use of animal characters, offers a lens into the human condition. Many of the issues that exist in the world of Beastars exist in our own and are of greater relevance than ever.This is not going to be a short series. While this is the first English volume, the series is at 14 volumes and counting in Japan. Still, it is absolutely worth the investment.

As you might have read, I am not normally a manga reader, but don't let that discredit this review. Some time ago a friend told me about this story he was reading. It wasn't until after I asked what it was called, that he said it was a manga, specifically this one. I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to read the actual thing, and as soon as I was done the first volume, I had to admit, I was hooked on it. The author didn't lie when they said it's a human drama, with anthropomorphic characters. Already up to volume three and it hasn't disappointed yet. The artwork for it matches the story itself, and that adds to the beauty and obvious care taken when creating the world you see in it.

One of my all time favorite series, Beastars paints a society amongst civilized animals harboring uncivilized instincts. A beautifully drawn work of art that actually, and thoughtfully, capitalizes on every and any aspect you can think of in a "what if carnivorous animals had to share a peaceful society with herbivores?" What societal pressures would be placed on the carnivores, how would they work together, and after all of it, which side is really oppressed? Sprinkle in a murder and you got a tension filled drama that may be set in a high school, but focuses more on the mental turmoil of suppressing who you are. What I love most is the art; the emotional intensity exuding from squiggly, scratchy lines and bold dark tones, to the brightness of suddenly beautifully detailed scenes. The characters' expressions are well done given the complexity of each, well, animal portrayed. I love this series and can't wait to finally support the artist with a whole English set.

I watched the anime on netflix and then decided I had to read the series. This story is written so we'll and interesting it will keep you hooked from cover to cover. I read them in one sitting and I'm not a big reader at all. The world is so fleshed out and even the background characters react in ways that make this feel like a living breathing world. If you watched the show and liked it, you'll love the manga.

I was a big fan of when Zootopia came out. However, in the special features, there was actually a more class/race allegory that had a darker tone in the original story. BEASTARS has thus far been a pretty good approximation of what that might have been like. The basic story is a murder mystery involving the death of a popular (herbivore) actor at a high school and how this ends up reverberating through the school as now carnivores are judged more openly with suspicion. A good read, but a bit of a slow burn that really starts to pick up late in volume 1 and really starts gaining steam in the next 2 volumes. Definitely worth a look.

it came in perfect condition no damage i see whatsoever so yeah all good…also perfect manga series i love it

My first foray into manga couldn’t have landed me on a better series than Beastars. I hope many more discover the plight of Legoshi and join in. I read on in part for my love of the initial hook and characters. However, I think Legoshi strikes home with many downtrodden. Being misunderstood, whether in fear or revilement, sucks. I read on in the hope that Legoshi finds peace with not only others, but himself. If you’re not convinced, check out the first episode of the anime. It skips a lot of detail, but gets you straight into the juicy plot. Dig in my friend, cheers!

This manga series is surprisingly addictive. The characters are more subtle and fully realized than most manga, and the world created for them has been meticulously thought out by the creator. At first the storyline seems heavily borrowed from Zootopia, but it quickly differentiates itself by being a story that can wrench your heart in very which direction and make you care about each character. Even characters that seem two-dimensional at first are later shown to have rich backstories that realistically explain every aspect of their behavior. Recommended.