BEASTARS

BEASTARS is based on a manga by Paru Itagaki that ran in Weekly Shonen Champion from 2016 to 2020. The manga won many prizes in Japan, including the Manga Taisho award and a Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize. The first anime season aired from October to December 2019 on Fuji TV, and Netflix brought it to viewers around the world in March 2020. It was made by studio Orange, which is known for 3D computer animation, and directed by Shin'ichi Matsumi. The show uses CG animation that still looks hand-drawn and full of texture.

The world looks a lot like ours, with schools, cities, and phones. But everyone is an animal who walks, talks, and dresses like a person. Society is split into two big groups: meat-eaters, called carnivores, and plant-eaters, called herbivores. By law, eating meat is a crime, and the two groups are supposed to live together as equals. Under the polite surface, though, there is fear. Herbivores know that their classmates could, in theory, hurt them. Carnivores feel judged for instincts they did not choose.

The story is set at Cherryton Academy, a boarding school where both groups live and study. Early on, an alpaca student named Tem is killed on campus. Everyone believes a carnivore did it, and trust between students starts to crack. The show treats this crime as a slow mystery that hangs over the whole school.

The hero is Legoshi, a tall gray wolf. He is shy, quiet, and careful. He works backstage for the drama club, moving sets and lights instead of acting on stage. Because he is big and has sharp teeth, other animals often feel nervous around him, so he tries hard to stay small and out of the way. Then he meets Haru, a small white rabbit. She is treated badly by many students, but she is bold and lives on her own terms. Legoshi's feelings for her are confusing. He cannot tell if he likes her, wants to protect her, or is fighting a hunter's instinct.

Another key figure is Louis, a red deer and the star actor of the drama club. He is proud, smart, and wants to become the school's "Beastar", a top student leader who stands for peace between the groups. Louis hides his own fears behind confidence. Later in the season, Legoshi also learns about a black market in town where meat is secretly sold. He meets a panda doctor there who teaches him about his own nature.

BEASTARS is not a cute animal story. It uses animals to talk about real human topics: prejudice, class, desire, and the fear of what lives inside us. It is also a coming-of-age drama about a teen trying to understand who he is. The show was praised by critics, and its opening, "Wild Side" by ALI, won Best Opening Sequence at the Crunchyroll Anime Awards. Two more seasons followed, with the final part released in 2026.