Paru Itagaki

With this volume of short stories spun out of the BEASTARS universe I'm finally caught up on this series! There are fewer characters from the main series this time, but the stories are all pretty good, usually with bizarre or odd little twists or viewpoints.

The Python and the Hyena

A snake panics when he finds that his bully has hanged himself, worried he'll be accused of a vengeful murder.

The Japanese Deer and the Snow Leopard

To the dismay of his costar, an actor wants to confess to a crime on the night of the Academy Awards.

The Turtle and the Sheep

A girl finds that there is more to the classmate who keeps to himself in his shell than she could have ever expected.

The Tiger and the Alpaca

The best story in the book examines a submission and domination dynamic between a businesswoman and her massage therapist.

The Wolf and the Seal

Legoshi learns more about the philosophy and traditions of marine life in the BEASTARS universe when he helps Sagwan locate a missing octopus.

The Lion and the Rabbit

In one chapter of Volume 14 of BEASTARS, a new interspecies couple is introduced just long enough for Eado, a lion, to have a bestial reversion and attack his rabbit girlfriend, Ako, while they are making out. The scene is mostly there to cause some angst for the rest of the cast, but here we see what happens when Eado and Ako meet up again a year or so later.

The Alligator and the Cow

Nagumo, an alligator, is embarrassed when he is caught doing something highly inappropriate in the bathroom of his new friend's home . . . and it's not what you think. It's much, much weirder.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Story 13. The Python and the Hyena -- Story 14. The Japanese Deer and the Snow Leopard -- Story 15. The Turtle and the Sheep -- Story 16. The Tiger and the Alpaca -- Story 17. The Wolf and the Seal -- Story 18. The Lion and the Rabbit -- Story 19. The Alligator and the Cow… (mais)

These short stories feature the residents of Beast Apartments (including a certain gray wolf) and mostly take place after the final volume of BEASTARS. If you liked the main series, you'll definitely like these "Where are they now?" updates.

The Pig and the Peacock

Eugene, a Yorkshire pig, has to deal with an unusual request from a vain police officer at his taxidermy business.

The Shiba Inu and the Shiba Inu

A middle-aged, cross-dressing Shiba Inu model has to come to terms with how his aging may effect the lazy lifestyle he has taken for granted.

The Crow and the Kangaroo

Animals with albinism are often targeted with predator-on-prey violence, so for safety they congregate in the District Zero residential area, where they in turn target a resident who is not perfectly "bright" with sexual harassment.

The Steller's Sea Eagle and the Mongolian Gerbil

Leica, an eagle, acts as a private chauffeur for Fina, a gerbil, so she doesn't want to worry about getting crushed on public transit systems. This platonic relationship has served them each well for years, but a new development upsets the status quo.

The Chipmunk and the (Mountain Hare)

A rookie editor is tasked with getting the magazine's most popular author to get their serial installment in by the end of the day. A home visit to Beast Apartments proves more harrowing than she could have expected.

The Wolf and the Rabbit

Now twenty-years-old, Haru invites Legoshi to her coming of age ceremony in a story that touches on the first time they met and looks at where their future might take them. Required reading for BEASTARS fans.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Story 7. The Pig and the Peacock -- Story 8. The Shiba Inu and the Shiba Inu -- Story 9. The Crow and the Kangaroo -- Story 10. The Steller's Sea Eagle and the Mongolian Gerbil -- Story 11. The Chipmunk and the (Mountain Hare) -- Story 12. The Wolf and the Rabbit… (mais)

A collection of short side stories set in the world of BEASTARS produced before and during the run of that series. Except for a one-panel cameo of Legoshi in the background of one story, no regular characters appear herein.

The Lion and the Bat

A student council president is tasked by a teacher with coaxing a dropout to return to school. But the bat in question has a legitimate reason to be upset when a carnivore shows up at his home.

The Tiger and the Beaver

Elementary school buddies have to defend their carnivore/herbivore friendship and stand up for the bullied.

The Camel and the Wolf

A journalist wants to write his last story about the complex relationship between predator and prey animals in his society, but when he asks a random wolf if she has ever had an uncontrollable urge to devour a predator the answer puts him in an unexpected position.

The Kangaroo and the Black Panther

The manager of a slowly failing hotel takes a fatherly interest in the furtive teen staying in one of his rooms who seems to have gotten herself into some sort of trouble.

The Crocodile and the Gazelle

A reality cooking show on the verge of cancellation tries to shake things up with an aggressive-talking new chef who puts the nervous sous chef on edge.

The Fox and the Chameleon

Back to high school as a vixen teases her shy classmate and suffers some bullies.

FOR REFERENCE:

Contents: Story 1. The Lion and the Bat -- Story 2. The Tiger and the Beaver -- Story 3. The Camel and the Wolf -- Story 4. The Kangaroo and the Black Panther -- Story 5. The Crocodile and the Gazelle -- Story 6. The Fox and the Chameleon… (mais)

Final volume!

The first half of the book wraps up the action plot so the second half can turn to the romance and squaring away the supporting cast.

This is a goofy book that the author was obviously improvising at high speed up against a chapter a week deadline. Lots of characters and plot elements got dropped or took rapid twists or developments for the sake of moving along to the next chapter.

Still, the high energy delivery and the dark undercurrents of coexistence of carnivores and herbivores -- predator and prey -- kept this an engaging roller coaster from start to finish.

And it turns out there's a spin-off series, Beast Complex, I can use to wind down and wean myself from the Beastars universe. Onward!… (mais)