The premise of this manga is a really interesting one. A boarding school where herbivores and carnivores have to coexist which in turn leads to anxiety as they are forced to interact with each other in all aspects of school life.

We begin with a herbivore student being murdered which only ramps these anxieties up.

The art style for this was really cool and more sketchy in style that I usually read in a manga but that only added to the pleasure of reading this. The personalities of the various different characters was really able to shine through which was definitely this manga's core strength. You find yourself rooting for a number of students.

It certainly lives up to the hype, and I'm already looking forward to getting stuck into Vol 2. Definitely recommend.

Some of the worst, least-readable artwork does its best to spoil this teen-friendly drama of school days. In this school for anthropomorphised characters, a surly grey wolf is the prime suspect when a herbivore is slain – and whaddaya know, they were both in the drama soc and the performance was weeks away? The end result is a very patchy affair, sometimes serious in showing us jealousy, hatred and other such animalistic natures, sometimes laying it on really childishly. It was a good job I was only going to see the first of the twenty books – seeing the rampant randy rabbit come on to our wolf in part two would not have been my thing.

One fo the best manga i've read in a very long time. I enjoyed Legoshi's character so much, i'm looking forward to keep reading this story,

Great manga. I'm pretty new to this, and each time I open one i'm amazed by all the imagination required to write such stories. You get easily caught up in the plot, you want to know what happens. It's really interesting. Great read!

I don't know what I was expecting, exactly, but it was not this. BEASTARS is a high school drama manga that seems to use predatory/non-predatory animals as an allegory for racism and racial segregation. There is a bit of a mystery introduced in this first volume with the murder of an herbivore, assumed to have been enacted by a carnivore. I can't quite tell with the information provided in just this one volume, but it seems to have the feel of a Dracula or werewolf type story--Legoshi appears to be having a struggle with his nature that is classic to those types of tales (and Legoshi is borrowed from the actor Bella Legosi).

I enjoyed the character design, and some of the larger and extremely detailed panels were excellent. I do wish there had been more of a cohesive story, to improve pacing and to make me care about finding out more about these characters. As it stands now, I am ambivalent.

I love the idea of slice of life with animals! This is SUCH an enjoyable series. I’m going to pause on reading the series though because I’m going to watch the tv show and I’m excited!

This was a different type of comic to what I usually read. I think Chapter 6 would have been better to start as Chapter 1, as that's where it made the introductions to the characters. It needed more explaining at the beginning to start the comic off.

It is a unique idea of a school with animals, slightly separated by herbivores and carnivores. I really liked the concept of Lego fighting with his natural instincts.

There wasn't much in the story that gripped you or made you feel on enjoy, but overall the story was ok.

Beastars (Volume 1) by Paru Itagaki, 198 pages. GRAPHIC NOVEL. VIZ Media, 2019. $13.
Language: PG (8 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG13
BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
When Tem, an alpaca, is found murdered on campus, all carnivores at the high school are under suspicion. Tem’s friend Legoshi, who happens to be a wolf and a loner, is under as much scrutiny as the other meat eaters. And when Legoshi starts to struggle with his bestial instincts, he is as frightened as the herbivores.
Even having read the whole volume, I still feel confused about what was going on and what the point of the story is, which is odd because I was interested in Legoshi’s story while I was reading it. Some of the confusion may be because of the conspicuous cloud of suspicion that hangs over so many of the characters introduced -- even some of the herbivores. While I am still curious about the loose ends, I don’t feel compelled to search out volume 2. The violence rating is for murder and gore.
Reviewer: Carolina Herdegen

Beastars is a hidden gem and I'm so glad it's receiving more attention! It's a murder mystery wrapped up in a slice of life romance and the art is absolutely gorgeous.

The focus of the story is on Legoshi, a gray wolf student, and his day-to-day life. At the beginning of volume 1, an alpaca student is murdered by a carnivore which throws suspicious onto Legoshi. However, our hero is anything but a viscious pack animal. He is a gentle giant, awkward and trying hard to stay out of the limelight.

Volume 1 doesn't get much into Legoshi's love story, but he does make the acquaintance of rabbit named Haru that he eventually develops feelings for. His connection with her starts to force him out of his shell some. Volume 1 introduces all of the main characters and sets the story up, but things don't really ramp up until Volume 2 :)

Overall, this is a fantastic read and great start to an imaginative series. Itagaki's art is beautiful, detailed and expressive, bringing out the little details of this world.

What a great series for anyone who enjoys Graphic Novel with retellings! Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this graphic novel

Everyone wants to be a hero, or even a superhero, in Beastars Vol 1, a new high school manga for grades 4 through 7.

At Cherryton Academy, carnivores and herbivores live in separate dorms. But when an alpaca is killed, the carnivores are the prime suspects especially a large wolf called Legoshi. The murdered alpaca, Tem, was friendly with Legoshi in their drama club. Tem was also the lead in the club’s latest play. Could his murder have been motivated by envy rather than hunger?

This manga is marketed to ages 9 through 12, which explains the rather simplistic plot. I would have liked more world-building. Why are the animals in a mixed school? It also seemed weird to have a budding romance between a huge wolf and a dwarf rabbit. I’m sure there must be an underlying message (about bullying or belonging in high school) that I’m completely missing. Nevertheless, I’ll give Beastars Vol 1 3 stars for children in the right age group.

Thanks to Viz Media and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a strong opening for the series! The murder mystery has me hooked, but my favourite part is seeing the different dynamics between the characters. Legoshi (our male lead) is so interesting - shy and sensitive but struggling against violent instincts. We don’t get to spend much time with our female lead, Haru, but I enjoy her confidence. I definitely want to know what happens next!

I love this series! I am so glad it has been translated into English. The plot is fascinating and the characters are complex and extremely compelling. The series does a lot with the prey vs. predator dynamic, but it is more than just a social dynamic; the series looks at psychology and the struggle the main character faces knowing that he has the potential for terrible violence. I cannot stress enough that every collection needs this series. Even if animal characters aren't your thing (they aren't really mine), you should give this one a go. It won't disappoint!

Saw that this series was getting an anime release soon and figured I would give it a shot. Overall, I would say it's not bad but it's not for me. Story and themes just didn't drag me in.

Peeves:
- I wasn't a big fan of the art style, it often seemed incomplete to me, but that is probably more of a personal preference thing.
- The font used looked something someone did on paint, but I got a digital ARC, so perhaps it's placeholder text in case they make changes to their translation. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on that and assume the official release will be better formatted.

Random Asides:
- Was very amused to see a hippo set aside on the predators side.
- Giggled at the last page. I think it was meant to be serious but honestly I just thought it was kind of funny.

Thanks to NetGalley and VIZmedia for a digital copy to review.

ARC COpy...to be honest I don;t know what to think of other then bizarre but enjoyable for those who like bizarre and...a high school drama clique with animal dynamics hmm...

This manga is definitely unlike anything I've read before. In a way it was reminiscent of The Twilight Zone, in that everything made me feel somewhat uncomfortable and I wasn't sure what was going to happen or whom I should be rooting for.

I found the characters hard to connect with because they are all portrayed as villains. The wolf has urges to eat weaker prey; the deer is arrogant and rude; the rabbits are mean girls who like spreading rumors and flirting with other girls' boyfriends; the mongoose picks fights with everyone he encounters. After just one volume, I can't tell whose side I'm supposed to be on or what outcome I'm intended to hope for.

For the most part, I thought the art was good. There are a few rodent-type characters that look similar enough I could hardly tell them apart.

There are two things that make me curious enough to want to continue reading this story. For one thing, by the conclusion of volume 1, I'm still not sure who the murderer is that killed the student in the opening of the manga. And secondly, I'm a sucker for a love story and it almost appears as though the wolf and the rabbit are going to wind up in a forbidden romance.

I was a little wary of this when I first saw it, but I enjoyed it more than I had previously anticipated. The art is a little rough around the edges for my taste, but the story is engaging. I am interested in seeing what happens next in volume 2.

I voluntarily offered to review this book with no obligations and my opinions are honest!
This was a great book !
We are introduced to Wolf Legoshi + Rabbit Haru.
In Cherryton Academy, carnivores interact w/ herbivores.
Can carnivores suppress their instinc ?
Or will it be too much ?
The issue comes up when a herbivore student is murdered.
Loved the characters + the storytelling !
It has all the ingredients that you need for a great book!
I can't wait for the next book in this series.

Unfortunately this book cannot be downloaded and read on my Ipad. I dont have this issue with other graphic novels.