BEASTARS: Vol. 1

Gr 10 Up–At Cherryton Academy, the student body and faculty are made up of anthropomorphic herbivores and carnivores. With the herbivores already wary of the carnivores, tensions escalate even further between the animal classes when an alpaca named Tem is brutally murdered on campus. Large gray wolf student Legoshi wonders why distrust of carnivores has to run rampant in his world, as he struggles to keep his carnivorous side at bay. When he takes notice of a lovely upperclassman, the white dwarf rabbit Haru, Legoshi’s internal battle becomes harder than ever. This is an absorbing title with a protagonist all readers can take a lesson from. Legoshi is a lovable, contemplative protagonist. This is a coming-of-age story in a unique universe, where characters deal with typical high school drama, with the dark cloud of Tem’s murder adding a dash of uniqueness to the narrative. The art style will not be everyone’s cup of tea, though helps the story to stand out from other manga for teens. Drawn in a sketchbook fashion, the characters occasionally come off as goofy in appearance. Such a marked difference from the typical manga art style could possibly draw in new fans and intrigue the format’s devotees who are looking for something new.