BEASTARS: the Award-winning Manga about Animals

I read a lot of manga, and often I hop on and notice some outstanding ones before they break into being mainstream. So yes, I consider myself a manga hipster who began reading series before they are cool.

One of those series that everyone should really pay closer attention is BEASTARS. Don't worry, I am not going to spoil anything major here because I do want you to discover the many themes of this manga by yourself.

Essentially, this manga takes place in a world where carnivores and herbivores live peacefully together. The carnivores don't eat meat anymore, but rather they consume processed plant-based products that replaces meat in the meals. Although they form a society together, there are differences between animals who eat meat and animals who eat plants, due to their physical differences and "animal instincts". The story revolves around one of the schools in such a society, particularly a gentle wolf in the school and his relationship with a senpai in his drama club as well as a little white bunny girl he met. I will stop there.

This manga is absolutely magnificent. The themes get deep and dark as they talk about racism, violence, drug-use, sex and other social topics, but at the same time, the amount of smart humour balances everything out and makes it a manga that I read for the intense plot in a strangely relaxing way. Despite the serious themes, I would still recommend this for those looking for a semi-light hearted read.

The art took me some time to get used to but now I realized how this mix of Japanese manga and western comic style fits perfectly for the story and the type of jokes, especially when the characters are all animals.

It has already won a huge award this year for being an outstanding piece of art, and I am very certain it will continue to gain popularity and be turned into an anime or even a movie in the soon future!