Beastars is one of our favorite stories of all time, and it's one of the manga we're incredibly hyped to see new chapters of each week. But, why is a high school drama about anthropomorphic animals so high on our favorites list? Well, that's what we're here to talk about.
Namely, how Beastars is still underrated and underappreciated for how good it is. Thankfully, the anime that came out (and its dedication to staying faithful to the manga) does a lot to bring the IP into a bigger spotlight, but it's still not enough. That said, re-experiencing it through the anime has shown us a couple of ways we've overestimated the series as well, so let's talk about the good and the bad sides of Cherryton Academy.
10 Underrated: People Think It's Not Good Because It's Region Locked
Obviously, something that isn't easily accessible but is still well made will be a bit underrated solely due to the fact not many people can see it. Beastars, for some reason, is region-locked at the moment to Japan's Netflix. Now, there are ways to get around it, but we can't in all good conscience recommend any of those.
Still, we've got our fingers crossed that after they see the hopefully stellar numbers in Japan, the team behind the Anime will decide that the rest of the world may look upon the mammal-based drama series. Plus, for some reason, some people think that region-locking it means that Netflix or the studio have no faith in it, and that just doesn't make any sense.
9 Overrated: Oh Hey, A High School Setting...Again
No matter how many things Beastars does better than Zootopia (which isn't nearly as popular as it should be), they'll still be at a disadvantage creatively because it's in a high school. At least we think so. For people unaware, Anime is constantly locked behind the gates of the high school setting. Why? Because that age range is the audience most Manga are trying to appeal to.
But that doesn't make it okay for like 40% of all Anime to take place there. Especially since this has to be one of the most dangerous schools in existence. Beastars is a show about carnivores eating Herbivores and trying to get us, the reader, to understand how this animal society works. So, why do we have to be stuck watching kids argue in the cafeteria again for the millionth time?
8 Underrated: People Underestimate Legosi's Character Depth
We can't undersell this, Beastars is a property with a main character that doesn't scream constantly, actively thinks as he tackles problems, and observes before he acts. Legosi is a quiet and reserved introvert, and that's always interesting to watch a series follow. Why? Because standard Shonen heroes say exactly what they're thinking and do everything on impulse.
While characters like Legosi tend to think and say very different things. They make plans, carefully work through issues, and solve things ergonomically. And, when they do act on impulse, it's a big surprise to the audience. Legosi's growth throughout the show/manga is one of our favorite character arcs in the last decade.
7 Overrated: It Doesn't Do Enough With Its Architecture
And, while we're comparing it so directly with the Disney film, the interrelations between the species might be more interesting, but the general architecture is way less complex than Zootopia. In Zootopia, we get to see different districts for different animals, how different animals use their characteristics at work, and it feels like a society built for animals that happens to be similar to ours.
In Beastars, it's a high school with animals inside. As if humans tried to edit a school for humans into one for animals. Sure, that's putting it a bit lightly, we know that the habitation zones, back alley market, and sealife areas exist. But still, Beastars feels like a human world with some slight animalistic adjustments, while Zootopia feels like an animal world slightly adjusted so humans would understand.
6 Underrated: Viewers See CGI And Run Away
CGI in Anime is still commonly frowned upon. Hardcore Anime fans are starting to realize its cost-effectiveness and are more understanding of its use in certain situations, like when the camera is way paned out, or when they need people moving in the background, but not important characters.
But full CG shows are still actively avoided like the plague. We have things like 2018's Berserk to thank for that of course. But, with shows like Land of the Lustrous and Beastars, people are starting to see the things that 3D Anime can do that 2D just doesn't. Beastars may be a 3D show, but it's real dang pretty.
5 Overrated: People Won't Shut Up About It
Pop Culture media, more than seemingly anything else, are where the rabid fans lie. Whether it's animation, shows, film, movies, or even anime. People will come out of the woodworks to fight you to their dying breath about your opinion on a show. And, Beastars happens to be one of those properties where the people who know about it, never shut up from singing its praises, ourselves included.
So, by that same logic, we can't exactly call a show underrated when there's such a decently sized fanbase recommending it from Every corner of the globe. Seriously, the amount of "tutorials" we've seen online from people showing others how to watch it in whatever country is pretty staggering.
4 Underrated: It Doesn't Get Enough Credit For Experimenting
Beastars is a different kind of story in a lot of ways. It deals with the concept of death in a unique way that we still aren't used to, it explores the relationship between carnal desires related to both hunger and pleasure, and it follows multiple characters. Legosi may be the lead, but other characters like Haru and Louis get almost as much screentime in certain arcs.
The Beastars anime, in particular, experiments even more with the visuals, just look at that opening! The style of animation, the song, and the graphic design are all things we don't get enough of in Anime. We'll always give credit to shows that try to do something new, and Beastars does it in spades.
3 Overrated: You Can't Exactly Underrate Something You're Not Allowed To Watch
And finally, related to our last point, we can't really underrate something we're technically not allowed to watch. Beastars is currently exclusive to Japan's Netflix program, and so people with IP addresses in other countries can't access it. Well, they can, but we're not going to say how. Anyway, we can't overrate or underrate a show that isn't allowed to be viewed, as that wouldn't make much sense.
It might seem like a bit of a nitpick complaint, but whatever it takes for Netflix to notice how much people want this show so they can put it on all their platforms.
2 Underrated: It Shows The Depth Of Its Character With Every Little Movement
While yes, This show is overly dramatic most of the time, that isn't us saying that the characters aren't incredibly nuanced and complex. There are subtle movements that Legosi makes that say a million times more about his character than his words would.
Louis has certain lines of dialog where his tone implies the exact opposite of what his mouth is saying. And, Haru lying to herself about what she actually wants sheds a lot of light on how she's learned to wall herself off from everyone else. Beastars is subtle, and the anime does it's best to show that.
1 Overrated: It's A Bit Too Over-Dramatic
We don't mean to trash talk Beastars so much, but it's mostly to be fair to both sides. It's simply overdramatic! Characters would sooner fight to the death than calmly discuss their issues. In fact, the reason the mystery of the show with Tem's death is even expanded upon at all is because the writer wanted to show drama rather than a police investigation.
Sometimes we run into the problem of two characters being at odds simply because they won't talk things out for more than 10 seconds. And in a show about bridging connections between Herbivores and Carnivores, discussion should be the number one thing.