A Complex Look at Beastars

By Timia Cobb
Web Content Contributor

I had been recommended to watch Beastars for months now. I kept seeing the constant hype on Tik Tok, which also came with very different mixed reviews. I couldn’t get a full grasp on if the show was worth watching on account of everyone making it out to be a show that was highly sexualized and described to be for furries.

Besides this, I still gave it a shot. And I have to say, it is a beautiful show that many people will never watch due to the image people are giving it. Beastars is a show that you have to watch without being influenced by what others say about it. When you give it a chance, it becomes a beautiful story that represents a lot of the hardships that society puts us through.

Beastars is set in a world where animals are given human character traits and live together in a society just like humans. The main characters are a grey wolf named Legoshi and a white bunny called Haru. The show has been compared to Pixar’s Zootopia, but with a darker plot and for sure rated PG-17. The show is based on a manga and separates animals into groups divided by predators and prey.

Legoshi is a predator who hates his predatory nature. He hates what predators do to prey and never wants to stoop to the level of eating the people he calls his friends.

Haru is the opposite, she’s not only prey, but the runt of her family who is seen as vulnerable and easily manipulated. The only time Haru feels strong is when she shows power in her sexuality which gives her confidence in knowing that she can have any man she wants.

The show is about Legoshi falling in love with Haru, which is considered taboo because of they are from different animal species. Their relationship isn’t what kept me watching the show, even though that’s why many love Beastars, it’s them both needing each other to become better people and to accept themselves for who they are.

Honestly, their physical relationship bothers me. Their size difference is concerning. Legoshi is six feet while Haru is only three-foot-five. Their size difference plays a big role because it’s supposed to represent how different they are and how easily Legoshi could kill or manipulate Haru.

However, he doesn’t because he doesn’t see Haru for just her body or size. Nonetheless, the size difference still bothers me due to so many people sexualizing it when it’s the exact opposite of what the show wants.

Legoshi and Haru’s relationship is hard to feel comfortable about, and if you ever watch the show you’ll understand why. But it is an extraordinary friendship that makes me happy to see.

For them to be predator and prey but have a civil relationship says they are trying to write their own story even if nature is against it. You start to root for them, but not for them to be together, but for the happiness they give each other..

If viewers do ship Legoshi and Haru together, that doesn’t make them furries, it means they were able to look past two people’s appearances and fall in love with who they are as people. This is why I believe this show is very complex and hard to love. You can’t think of it as a furry show or a predator and prey relationship, which can be very hard not to do.

Beatstars is a gem. I hope the show gets the love and attention it deserves and can escape the labels it has been given in order for more people to watch it. I look forward for the next season to be released on Netflix.

Featured image retrieved from Netflix.