FILM
Beastars is Weird Anime at its Best
A World of Furries Asks: Can We Overcome Our Deepest, Darkest Natures?
Are we responsible for things that are built into us? Or can we overcome our deepest, darkest desires?
Beastars is based on a Japanese shonen manga series written and illustrated by Paru Itagaki (serialized in Weekly Shōnen Champion since September 2016). Shonen manga is aimed at teen boys, but the Beastars Netflix (2020) anime has a much wider appeal.
What’s fascinating about this series is the way it utilizes anthropomorphism to both engage with the fans who are a member of the furry culture but also to explore a complex question about human (and animal) nature. Paru Itagaki herself is a furry (she can be found on videos dressed as a giant chicken) and grew up loving Disney films. She calls this the “Disney gene” — the idea that those of us who grew up with talking animals as a normal part of our childhood are more likely to accept the idea in media.
Beastars follows Legoshi, a gray wolf who is an average shy teenage boy until he begins to have . . . urges. Yes, the idea of sexuality is intertwined with Legoshi’s status as a carnivore. In the world of Beastars, there are carnivores and herbivores, and while the society paints a picture of them co-existing peacefully, all is not as it seems.
In many ways, Beastars follows the standard anime-set-in-school script. Legoshi is a member of the coveted drama club of Cherryton Academy. He struggles to fit in and is bullied by other students, who are all competing for the title of “Beastar” or top student. He struggles to make sense of relationships and the preset roles that society creates for carnivores.
When Tem, a herbivore alpaca, is brutally murdered, the tensions of a civilized world made up of people with deeply different natures arise. Legoshi begins to have strange cravings for meat. Meanwhile, he begins to fall for Haru, a small dwarf rabbit who is bullied by other students for being a “slut.” Haru throws herself at Legoshi during one of their first encounters, making him uncomfortable about both her teen girl's body and her vulnerability as a rabbit — as prey.
As Itagaki says, “The lingering predation relationship between carnivores and herbivores in this world is a way in developing stories. It’s not entirely inapplicable to humans” (OtaQuest). This quote can be read several ways, not the least of which the idea of men as predators (and predation as men’s natures.) The anime explores what it means to be broken on the inside — are we responsible for things that are built into us? Or can we overcome our deepest, darkest desires?
One of the opening scenes of Beastars depicts Tem running from a mysterious carnivore. The story opens with a murder — like any good mystery. What struck me about the animation was how when Tem goes into the shadows, the animation shifts to just a red outline, mixing 2D and 3D animation. Colors of red and purple connotate scents — heightening the tension of the chase scenes.
Beastars suffers from the standard anime lack of nuance as far as gender and sexuality go (Why is Haru so promiscuous? So viewers can feel better about her crush Legoshi simultaneously wanting to sex her and eat her.) But its weirdness and complexity make it a worthwhile watch.
I have to admit, I’d never put together how furry culture has this obsession with taboo — or rather, how it challenges what we think of as taboo. One of the reasons I love anime is that it deals with issues that Western show-makers would be hard-pressed to jump into. Humans like weird, disturbing things sometimes. We’re all a little broken on the inside. And maybe that’s something that needs to be explored to make us understand who we are as humans.
Season 2 of Beastars is scheduled to appear on Netflix in 2021.
Interstellar Flight Magazine publishes essays on what’s new in the world of speculative genres. In the words of Ursula K. Le Guin, we need “writers who can see alternatives to how we live now, can see through our fear-stricken society and its obsessive technologies to other ways of being, and even imagine real grounds for hope.” We use affiliate links and Patreon to pay our writers a fair wage. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
