Homo homini lupus est.

tl;dr
Read it!

In a nutshell
Beastars takes place in the cutting-edge, progressive Cherryton Academy, in which predatory and herbivorous animals live and study. A wolf, a tiger, a chicken, a hamster, a hare - it does not matter. The main thing is that you are to follow the rules: harming others is a big no-no. Any violation is severely punished. For a long time in the academy, everything goes on as usual, until one day a particular incident changes everything - an unknown person attacks a member of the drama club and eats them. Everyone is shocked by that, and, as it often happens in such cases, various rumors spread throughout the academy. "Who, if not the predators would do something like that!” No one knows exactly who committed the murder. But the first came under suspicion a wolf named Legoshi. He is so big and has an evil look! A pity, since only a few people know that in fact Legoshi is a kind and modest guy who was not lucky to be born in the skin of a wolf.

Characters
Beastars is an extremely rare find. After all, it is a high school manga in which characters are the main asset. It has been a while since I last read such a manga, where characters are not simply a bunch of clichés walking around. Thanks to Beastars, there is one more high school manga that can be called a must read. Starting the review, this manga revolves around the three pillars: the wolf Legoshi, the rabbit Haru and the deer Louis. Three absolutely different characters, who are the main focus of the manga.

So, let us analyze the three protagonists, starting with Legoshi. Big and scary gray wolf. He has never tasted meat, he has a kind and compliant character and is generally harmless. “I am just an innocent child, who has not yet cognized the world” - this is the characteristic he gives to himself. But he is so unlucky to be born in the skin of one of the most severe predators. Basically, Beastars is the story of Legoshi's search for himself. Everyone expects and sees him as a predator, yet, he chooses a rabbit as a partner. The example of Legoshi is an excellent example of the struggle against society and instincts, waged simultaneously on the two fronts - external and internal. Legoshi, is not a weak protagonist. Yes, he is soft, but not weak. On the contrary, the desire to fight with oneself and with the desires of the society demonstrates Legoshi’s considerable strength. I am sure that many of you can perfectly understand Legoshi and find him, as well as his development, very enjoyable.

The second protagonist in Beastars is Haru. Her character does not match her appearance. A tiny, white rabbit who, in her free time, takes care of flowers in a gardening club, and then indulges in sexual pleasures with everyone. Of course, because of this behavior, she quickly turns into an outcast: men use her services, but avoid further communication, and women openly hate and despise her, calling Haru a whore. Here is the paradox - the rabbit, who tried to cope with the feeling of her own insignificance and fill the hole in her soul by physical closeness with everyone, turns out to be even lonelier than she looks. Personally, from my point of view, it is Haru who is the most interesting and controversial character in the manga. Of course, it is only her fault and everything that has happened to her could have been avoided. Still, you feel somewhat sorry for her.

Finally, the third protagonist of Beastars is the deer Louis. Perfect in everything, he can be called Mr. Success himself. It would seem that he is an ordinary type of everyone's favorite, who without much effort becomes the best. However, it is not as simple as it seems at first glance. In fact, Louis has a rather tragic backstory that unfolds throughout the manga's story. No spoilers, of course.

A bit of thinking
Let me tell you one thing: Beastars is not a story about furries. It is not designed to satisfy anyone's perverted needs, and you will not become "crazy" from reading it. Beastars is a story about the conflicts of interest of the two societies, divided by a social chasm, which need to get along with each other to maintain peace and balance. The story about self-identification and finding a place in the society filled with prejudices, the story filled with struggles. This is an adult and very serious piece, which is rather controversial. This manga perfectly demonstrates the modern human society. And believe me, it does not matter at all - animals or people- whatever. On the contrary, endowing the characters with animal traits only allowed many ideas to be revealed more vividly.

All in all
Overall, Beastars is a modern take on Romeo and Juliet, in which the chasm between lovers is not bad family relationships, but the species differences. There are many things to think about and analyze; far too many. Reading this manga little by little is awesome. Unfortunately, it loses its pace near the end of the manga and is no longer that enjoyable as in the beginning. However, this should not be the case for you to ignore this manga. It is still an expreciene that you should relive.