We didn’t get any explanation for Legoshi’s issue, but that doesn’t matter because things went into overdrive from the start. I will admit the reveal of Riz being the murder was really anticlimatic, but it was obvious for awhile that he was the murderer. And everything after that definitely made up for it.
I’m so glad that the reason that Tem died wasn’t anything simple like simply a carnivore giving in to their instincts. Not everything is as black and white as it seems, and it was pointed out many times this episode. Tao didn’t mean to rip off Bidi’s arm and Riz didn’t want to devour Tem, they were both accidents. Of course, the damage has been done however and the school is going to change quite a bit.
Riz has barely had any screentime and yet he really stole the episode. This is just an incredibly tragic situation that could have been avoided and it’s really sad. Riz has done something awful and yet I have to feel for him because it was all just a terrible accident. His need for acceptance for who he truly was was so strong and in the end it ruined his friendship, and himself. Riz finally felt lighter and happier once he really became friends with Tem since he finally found someone that could understand him. Because of that, he felt he didn’t need the pills, and unfortunately he underestimated his own strength. The entire ending scene was both horrifying and beautiful in a strange way. Hauntingly beautiful, and again I have to give props to Studio Orange for making it so mesmerizing. The shift from Riz’s illusion to the gruesome reality before Riz was done so well, and made it the more emotional. It’s awful to imagine that after the “You carnivores are all monsters!” line, with Riz imagining Tem’s approval and them hugging, in reality Tem was most likely screaming and crying out for help as he was being mauled to death. It’s so sad all around.
Riz isn’t evil, and he didn’t do this on purpose. He was just an individual so desperate for someone’s approval that he accidentally let his instincts kick in and take over. Tao isn’t evil but he accidentally ripped off Bidi’s arm. These are things that go against them, and most people in their world won’t understand. They’ll just see: big bad carnivore hurts/kills a small defenseless herbivore. Of course, Riz still needs to be punished. Yes, it was a tragic accident but he still kept quiet all this time so that’ll come back to bite him. I wonder what Legoshi and Pina will do now that they know this. Obviously Riz can’t do anything because another drama club death would bring a harder investigation from the police (tho their investigation has been trash right now). Then again, after the freak accident with Bidi, things in the school are going to get worse with the drama club getting cut and the school becoming segregated.
And just a side note, but I thought Bidi’s arm ripping off wasn’t real at first and just them acting. I mean, they are the drama club so it took me awhile to realize it was all real. Yeesh…
I also want to point out Bill in all this. He’s a hotheaded asshole at times, but he’s not inherently evil either like Els said. He’s a pretty good guy, but he falls into this gray area. He’s a carnivore through and through, and it’s known that he sneaks in meat from the Black Market regularly to satiate his carnivore side. However, he has a genuine love and passion for drama and also does care for his herbivore peers. He’s not as obsessive as Legoshi, but there is a genuine care for them. But, he still can’t deny his carnivore side. The whole Black Market thing is a weird moral issue, because while he is eating meat, the meat in the Black Market are from herbivores that have already passed away. No one was killed so he and other carnivores aren’t really committing crimes. But like I said, it’s not black and white, good vs. evil. Bill may do things that go against what society deems acceptable, but he’s not evil. He can get on my nerves but Bill is pretty fascinating and I like what they’ve done with his character.
One thing I have to point out that I thought was strange was Tem and Riz’s friendship never being mentioned until now when supposedly they were best friends. Everyone should have known about it if they were seen to hang out a lot, so the fact it wasn’t brought up now and Riz wasn’t given any spotlight until now is just strange to me.
Anyway, this was still one of my favorite episodes in all of Beastars, probably my favorite of this season so far. The storytelling in this series is always done so well, and Orange just continues to deliver with its incredible animation and direction. Can’t wait to see where things go from here~
Yeah, it was always going to be Riz the bear given that he was the only one with a fuzzy head and that huge height that matched the silhouette. I still think the episode was awesome though. Re:zero Season 2, Beastars Season 2, and Horimiya are carrying this season for me, and because of them, I find this season to be the best anime season in a long time. It’s been years since I had 3 shows I really enjoy watching every week.