MANGA REVIEW | "BEASTARS" - Vol. 14 & 15
If there’s one thing BEASTARS is great at showing, it’s how far a character would go to prove their strength. Legoshi, Louis, and even Haru have demonstrated their means of evolving all for the sake of being a better person. Yet in this world, where a line is drawn between carnivore and herbivore, that strength must be demonstrated in sometimes the most extreme ways. For both Legoshi and Haru, that moment arrives in BEASTARS’s fourteenth volume.
Legoshi is invited to meet with current Beastar Yahya in his penthouse suite. After their meal, Yahya reveals his own dark side, one involving the kind of fertilizer he uses to make his carrots the tastiest around. In a moment of sorrow and forgiveness, Legoshi proves that he feels awful for eating Louis’s leg by ripping out his own fangs. The act catches Yahya by surprise, as the Beastar begins to see why this wolf is as noble as he is protective.
While attending college, Haru’s herbivore friend introduces her to her carnivore lover. The moment awakens deep feelings for Legoshi within Haru, even if she feels that she shouldn’t see her. But an incident between the friend and significant other shakes Haru’s urge to the core, seeking out her canine boyfriend in time for his eighteenth birthday. That day, Legoshi and Haru set out on their first proper date…towards the Black Market.
The dangers of mixed relationships are put into focus in this volume of BEASTARS, be it as friends or lovers. There is a level of trust that is needed for both carnivores and herbivores to find their level of comfort. However, a quick slip can bring out a beast that was never meant to escape from within, as evident by what happens to Haru’s friend. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that trust between two different creatures isn’t an impossible task.
It’s when Haru has Legoshi drag her to the Black Market where the trust between those two grows towards new heights. As Haru stares at the corpses of other rabbits waiting to be bought for food, there’s nary a bit of fear that can be found within her. Instead, Haru takes the moment to become the dominant one in their relationship, as the rabbit demands a kiss from the wolf. But even with such a powerful moment, the romance takes a humorous pause when Legoshi shows how responsible he is when it comes to long-term promises.
But it’s in the final chapter of this volume of BEASTARS where more of the interspecies relationship concept is pushed more. We all know of Legoshi being part lizard, but you don’t see much of that side in his physicality. However, during a raid, Yahya comes face-to-face with an interspecies creature that shares multiple traits on their outer shell. In this particular moment, Yahya comes to the realization that there may be some bigger problems than full-blooded carnivores down the line.
Volume Fourteen of BEASTARS manages to find new ways to expand on its world, while giving two of its key characters plenty more growth. The mixture of deep drama, action, and even humor helps to make Paru Itagaki’s work one of the most thought-provoking and eye-opening works in VIZ’s current roster. And if this volume’s ending is any indication, BEASTARS is far from finished growing; in fact, one can say a spurt is about to commence...
VOL. 14 RATING:
VOL. 15 REVIEW:
BEASTARS has never shied away from interspecies relationships. As Legoshi himself is a mixture of grey wolf and kimono dragon, this aspect of Paru Itagaki’s world was surely going to take a moment in the spotlight. In the fifteenth volume, BEASTARS showcases the pros, cons, and unexpected dangers of those who are mixed breed. But first, somebody’s coming over for dinner…
Haru’s father catches here and Legoshi exchanging their schedules, leading the hare to invite the wolf in for dinner. It’s a situation that’s both tense and humorous, as Legoshi deals with small silverware and a concerned father constantly staring him down. But during a car ride, the tension slowly eases, with the grey wolf going so far as letting Haru’s dad know of his feelings for her. Surprisingly, the father takes the news well, as he knows what kind of character Legoshi is.
Despite it lasting a single chapter, this moment shines the brightest in this volume of BEASTARS. What should be the most tense moment in Legoshi & Haru’s relationship has instead become the most liberating for the two of them. Mixing the situation up with observational humor and a good nature helps to show that — despite them being two species of a wide generational gap — there’s room for love and acceptance between carnivores and herbivores. It’s a sweet way to open up a volume that then starts going down a much darker path.
As we found out in the previous volume, there’s a mixed breed hunting down herbivores. Tired of the police force dragging their feet, Beastar Yahya recruits Legoshi on a mission to seek them out. With the promise of having his criminal record wiped, the grey wolf takes the opportunity to jump in on the job (while making some good cash, on top of that). But when seeking out the culprit, Legoshi finds them to have a similar back story as him.
It’s a situation that showcases why Legoshi’s heart is both his strongest and weakest aspect. On one hand, he gives every person a chance to explain themselves; but it also can lead to some serious trouble in the long run. Legoshi learns this the hard way, as his one-on-one with the mixed breed results in a deep conversation that ends with blood. Worse, that person-of-interest just so happens to have some powerful people in their corner.
One cannot speak more about this volume of BEASTARS without diving deeper into spoiler material. All I can say is that there are moments here that demonstrate the dangers, the love, and even mutual respect between friends, lovers, allies, and even enemies. The world of BEASTARS is one complex place, but then again, isn’t that what life is all about? If anything, Volume Fifteen is a prime example of why this world and our own are a lot more parallel than any reader could’ve imagined!
VOL. 15 RATING:
Promotional consideration provided by Gabrielle Dyer & Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media
