EPISODE 9
Holy crap oh no oh my god!! I don’t even know what to say other than I’m screaming on the inside and I’m absolutely terrified for Haru. This went in a completely different direction than I could have imagined, where I thought we would have just gotten to the Meteorite Festival but oh my god.
The episode opens up with a gorgeous children’s book artstyle, showing us a quick look into Louis’ awful childhood. I had wondered why and how Louis knew about the dark market, and we find out here that he was sold into the dark market to be someone’s prey. Gouhin told us that the dark market only took herbivore meat from dead animals (hospitals, funeral homes, etc.) but it seems like there are some shady groups, or things were done differently back then, that animals were thrown into cages. Louis was extremely young, not even able to read or write, or even speak though I would guess that was from the trauma. One day he randomly gets bought by someone, an adult deer of high status. It starts off awkward with zero trust but the man takes him. He then shoves Louis into a room full of hungry herbivores and gives him a knife to defend himself, but instead he was ready to take his own life. The man takes Louis and tells him who he is, and that he will adopt Louis as his son. He gives him the encouragement that he needs to take his trauma and fear and turn it into strength to better the world. I’ve never really known how I truly felt about him, but I at least completely understand him much better. Who he is, his ideals, what being a Beastar would mean for him. His hatred for carnivores. Why he feels the need to be perfect all the time. It’s no wonder he’s so much of a hardass after all that he’s been through, but you have to admire him for coming so far in his life from where he came from. However, that doesn’t mean that I will agree with everything he does like at the ending.
Finally, after all this time they decide to mention Tem’s death again. All the drama that’s been happening has been cool and all, but I was really wondering when they would mention poor Tem again. But the fact that they would transition into that gave me a bad feeling, and I wasn’t wrong in feeling that way.
Lots to think about from this episode, and one thing is that Louis has a target on his back. We know more than ever why Louis wants to become the next Beastar, but there’s a hit on Louis from the carnivores in the school that are completely against him. With him, an herbivore, at the top they believe that carnivores are going to be even more at a disadvantage in society. Because while even though carnivores are definitely at the top when it comes to the animal world, they aren’t when it comes to regular society with limited food (naturally) and the stigma against them. Legosi defends Louis and he even admires him, thinking he absolutely deserves to be the next Beastar. But I can’t totally write off the worries of the carnivores, either. The times they live in right now are very bad with all the killings, the stigma, the general uneasiness between the two animal groups. It’s such a complicated thing, that if I were in their shoes I wouldn’t be too sure how to feel either. But it’s also a terrifying thought that lynching Louis is the go-to solution the carnivores came up with. Probably because they’re animals, but they always go to such the extreme when they don’t have to. Is it because of their animalistic nature?
I’m actually pretty surprised how Legosi has accepted the relationship Louis and Haru have. Especially with how bloodthirsty and angry he looked that one episode, I would expect him to try a little harder. Though, then again, I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. Legosi never seemed to be the confrontational type, and he’s always been the type of person to lay low and never cause too much of a fuss. It’s mature of him to accept it, but still come to terms with his emotions. So, he decides to tell Haru how he feels to which she totally saw coming and tried to interrupt on purpose but he confessed anyways. He proposes they meet at sunset at the festival, just so she can give her answer to him. Which is pretty fair, but it’s interesting to see that Haru is conflicted and confused.
And then things take a very ugly and terrible turn and the show gives me a jump when Haru is suddenly kidnapped. Some of the students report her disappearance and later Legosi hears about it too. A black card was left behind where her shoe fell, and we learn that the Leo Group were the ones that took her. The Leo Group seems to be a mafia-type group of lions that took her supposedly because an all-white rabbit is a very rare, and delicious, meat. The whole scene where the guys pinned her down and the boss made her undress in front of him made me so anxious and grossed out, but mostly so scared for her. Here I am internally screaming, and the mayor is telling Louis to keep his mouth shut or else his past will be revealed to everyone.
It’s amazing that just to become the mayor, he had to undergo plastic surgery costing millions to have a nicer and friendlier face. I mean…it makes sense, but the fact that he would go that far just proves how bad carnivores have it. Not wanting the city to go into a panic, and not wanting to be on the receiving end of whatever crap the Leo Group will dish out on him, he basically blackmails Louis to keep his mouth shut and he reluctantly agrees.
I don’t blame Legosi for losing his mind, and Louis absolutely deserved those punches. I know he’s conflicted and trying to convince himself this is right…NO. HELL NO! This is Haru, the girl you supposedly love! How the hell can you just accept this and not do anything to save her? Legosi is shocked and he’s not having it. He’s going to save Haru, and he tells this to Louis’ face, that he’ll just have Haru for himself.
Holy crap. Things went from 0 to 100 real quick, and I’m terrified. I hope Haru will make it out okay, though the chances of one teenage Legosi against a whole group of grown ass lions…the odds are not in his favor. Ugh…
EPISODE 10
O-Okay, I guess the odds really were in his favor. You know, I actually had no idea that this was a shounen. I watched this episode and thought Wow! My mans Legosi is going straight up Full Cowling up in here. I didn’t know his full wolf self would turn him into Deku! I felt so much shounen vibes and lo and behold, this actually is a shounen! Oh…okay?
Yeah I know, I conveniently forgot that Beastars is published in the same shounen magazine as her father’s manga, Baki. But this doesn’t even feel like a shounen, that is, until this episode came out. Just like The Promised Neverland, Beastars feels nothing like a shounen as it touches on subjects other huge shounens would never dare to touch. It’s a slower story, more character driven, and handles some very mature themes in a smart way. I’m not saying shounens are stupid, I still like them from time to time obviously. But I just feel like this is a case where Beastars is a shounen only because it was published in a shounen manga because if it weren’t, there’s no way I’d classify it as one. It’s more in the seinen territory, or just a straight up drama without all those labels.
But anyway, short tangent aside that’s kind of related…wow. Legosi really kicked their asses, didn’t he? He wasn’t alone, as Gouhin decided to join in but still. A teenage wolf and one panda against 35 lions. I guess this is where plot armor kicks in because my suspension of disbelief had to be put into play just for this episode. And I’ll admit, I’ve been loving this show to pieces and it has to be one of my favorites of this year, but I wasn’t too big a fan of this episode. The whole rescue kind of felt ridiculous, especially when Legosi came in at the end mostly unharmed. Like I said, it really did feel like a shounen because in reality, some teenager handling a tough group like this one is basically a suicide mission. Maybe because they’re animals, but Legosi should have been shot to death immediately. But…ah. Yeah. I’m not going to lie, though. I do love seeing my boy Legosi kicking ass with rage, and Gouhin shooting a bunch of people with his awesome crossbow. But still, it was too much for me. Where I felt like this anime has been realistic in terms of characters and drama, this was a little strange for me.
One thing from this whole rescue that stood out to me and shocked me was Legosi going off on the first lion that attacked him, and in his rage he declared Haru to be his prey. Not his love, but his prey. This was a big oooooooh crap moment, it even took him by surprise too. This just goes back to what Gouhin was telling him before, that Legosi’s love for Haru was just a warped hunting instinct. And it’s not like the anime hasn’t hinted at it, what with the OP basically showing us that. Legosi chasing Haru, his prey. Then dancing by the fountain in his little daydream. Then the OP ends with Legosi crying as a skull and pool of blood sits next to him. While Legosi is going this far, risking his own life, just for Haru’s sake, this questioning of his feelings for her come into play again. Even I’m not sure what to think anymore.
While that was a great moment, my favorite part of the episode was Haru’s inner monologue. We had gotten a glimpse into her character here and there, but it all came together in this moment. Her last moments in what she thought was her death approaching, I thought it was brilliant that we saw her thoughts through her writing a will with images around her. Haru didn’t come from a rough family. In fact, it was a normal happy family and she grew up in a normal and happy life. However, because she was a dwarf rabbit and an exceptionally smaller one compared to her siblings, she was always treated differently and given the same warnings by her mother. Everyone around her would help her, give fake smiles, and she felt they saw her as a baby, as weak, and pitiful. She never was treated as Haru, but as a weak rabbit. It wasn’t until one time a boy confessed to her, and not with a fake smile. Being confessed to and during intercourse was the first time she was able to feel like someone saw her for who she really is, and not just as a weak rabbit. And she’s kept onto this feeling, moving from partner to partner. And yet, in the end she still feels lonely. I knew that Haru had some underlying issues, it was a given. I knew there had to be a proper explanation for her promiscuous ways, and unfortunately this is her answer to her complicated feelings. It’s not exactly right, but it’s understandable and I quite like Haru. It’s just ironic that even though she has someone she loves (Louis), she still felt alone and he never even came for her. The one that came for her in the end was the one person that acknowledged her not as a rabbit, but as Haru. The one person that saw her this way without sleeping with her. The big awkward wolf fending off the boss lion that was about to eat her for standing up to him.
The insert song made that scene so romantic, I’d be shocked if Haru’s heart didn’t go doki at least once. We leave off on a huge cliffhanger, and I don’t even know what’s going to happen next. I just hope Gouhin isn’t dead because he was hurt kinda bad. But of course I’m very worried about Legosi and Haru as well. >_<
