Beastars Season Two: The Sincerest Smile Can Hide The Deadliest Secret

*SPOILER WARNING* If you haven’t watched the Second Season, please refrain from reading this review due to massive spoilers.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. There are plenty of people who have come across a person who was considered to be one of the gentlest around but suddenly, they show a small hint of what they truly are, and now your back is against the wall fearing for your life. Today, we’re going to continue from the Season One Review of BEASTARS, adapted from the Award Winning Manga by Paru Itagaki, Legoshi has saved Haru from being eaten by the ShishiGumi Boss but the Chief Lion’s luck quickly ran out when Louis murdered the Lion who quickly finds himself surrounded by the Lions of ShishiGumi. The Meteor Festival arc reached its conclusion with Legoshi finally accepting his fate as a Predator, promising Haru to become stronger than his instincts. Haru tells him that she will be waiting. With the Drama Club and Meteor Festival Arcs behind us, we’re moving toward the Murder Incident Solution. Legoshi begins his new mission, to find the culprit behind Tem’s Murder who unbeknownst to the Wolf, the culprit is hiding in plain sight. To confront the person responsible, he must train both his body and mind, while at the same time, undergoing an experience of self-discovery and newfound confidence.

For those who are keeping score, this collects chapters 50 through 99, with the world turned upside down the fact remains that Tem’s Killer is out there, and immediately this issue is addressed aggressively, thanks to the presence of the Giant Rattlesnake Security Guard, Rokume, “The Six-Eyed Ghost“. Her interactions with Legoshi were creepy but were fun to watch in the build-up for finding Tem’s Murderer, but it also set up the perfect way to introduce some other elements that helped keep the story interesting, and for it not to finish so quick.

Unlike the usual anime antagonists who are written out to be bad are driven with an act of selfish behavior, Riz was acting out of pure animal instinct, ergo, it was an accidental murder. Riz and Tem were friends but the Brown Bear was suffering the side effects of strength limiting medication that the Government mandated for bears to take, after committing the murder Riz developed an odd perception of reality, where he thought Tem not only consented to be eaten but viewed it as a “Celebration of Life”. While some expect a larger-than-life battle when it comes to a Shonen Title, but the payoff was worth seeing what the next chapter has in store for Season Three. Season Two served in another way to help fans see the evolution of Louis’s Character, from an arrogant, manipulative, and insecure Red Deer (due to intended purpose to be sold as livestock in the Black Market) to be the deer of today. Finally, before we end this review, let’s discuss the animation and artwork for this season, it brings back the familiar style that fans have grown accustomed to when experiencing Paru Itagaki’s art is uniquely brought to life. Fans have grown accustomed to Netflix’s method of CG Anime but Beastars stands out for its dramatic and action-packed story, by blending both Traditional and Computer animation, it was the perfect way to bring these characters to life, all thanks to Orange Studio. One thing I would like to point out before ending the review is an observation I am not sure you all would agree with but hear me out, while it is a known fact that Paru Itagaki is the daughter of Keisuke Itagaki, Creator of Baki the Grappler, it would seem that during the battles with Riz there is a subtle nod to the Ogre, Yuujiro Hanma, who is known for his fierce strength and brutal style of fighting.

Final Grade:

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