Beastars Vol 8 Review

As with my other reviews of the Beastars manga, be aware that this review will contain some spoilers for events that occurred in the previous volumes in the series.

Synopsis:

After being attacked by the same student who murdered his friend, Tem, Legoshi seeks out Gohin to ask him to train him in combat. Gohin is initially resistant to the idea, but agrees once he sees Legoshi is resolved to become strong enough to protect the other students at Cherryton Academy. But is Legoshi prepared for the rigorous training Gohin has in mind for both his body and his mind?

Review:

In comparison to some of the previous, action-packed entries in the series, it feels like not a lot happens in this volume of Beastars. This is because it’s largely focused on Legoshi’s training and the story is taking the time to set up some things that, I imagine, will come into play later. That isn’t to say that the volume was boring, however. I’ve found Legoshi’s struggle to overcome his desire to consume meat to be very compelling and here he finally achieves a resolution to this inner conflict. While Gohin points out that eating meat might be necessary in order to become more physically powerful, Legoshi sticks to his principles and rejects this as an option, since the whole reason he wants to become stronger in the first place is to protect herbivores. Instead, Gohin uses a combination of meditation and exposure therapy to help Legoshi overcome his carnivorous urges and, as a result, Legoshi seems to finally be at peace with himself.

I love how unimpressed Haru looks!

With his violent urges now under control, Legoshi starts assisting Gohin with his work and gaining fighting experience by helping him to track down and capture carnivore who are being driven mad by their addiction to eating meat. He’s more prepared then ever to face the murderer, but all of this time spent training in the black market might lead to some unintended consequences for his relationships. Louis spots Legoshi in the black market and misunderstands why he’s there, resulting in him loosing faith in the wolf’s integrity. A rift is also beginning to form between Legoshi and Haru, since Legoshi has been avoiding her and doesn’t want to tell her any details about what he’s been up to. Despite his good intentions, Legoshi’s lone wolf approach might end up causing a lot of problems for him in the future and I’m a little worried about how this is all going to play out.

Probably the most dramatic moment in the book comes when Louis tries to cut ties with his adoptive father. While his father had always treated him coldly in the past, and Louis is certain that he only cares for him as a tool he can use, Louis still feels like he owes his father for rescuing him from the black market and doesn’t want to cause problems for him. Thus, he tries to sever their relationship for good, but things don’t end up going the way he expected and it looks like his father might care more for Louis then he’d previously let on. I hope we see more of this character in the future and get to explore the complex relationship between these two in more depth, as Louis’ father seems like an interesting character.

This volume also featured a cute side story about Sheila, one of the members of the drama club, becoming closer friends with her classmate who’s a sheep. I love these little stories featuring the background characters that Beastars sprinkles in-between the chapters focusing on the main story. They help to flesh out the world and make it feel more fully realized, plus they’re really fun and it’s nice to take a break from all of the melodrama to enjoy a sweet and simple story once and a while.

While a slower entry in the series, volume 8 of Beastars is still engaging and features some important character development for Legoshi. All of this training feels like it’s leading up to something big and I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.

Final Score: 7 out of 10.

For more information on this manga, visit Viz Media’s website.

What did you think of this volume? Let me know in the comments.

You can also check out my reviews of the previous volumes in the series:

• Beastars Vol 1 Review
• Beastars Vol 2 Review
• Beastars Vol 3 Review
• Beastars Vol 4 Review
• Beastars Vol 5 Review
• Beastars Vol 6 Review
• Beastars Vol 7 Review
• Beastars Vol 8 Review
• Beastars Vol 9 Review
• Beastars Vol 10 Review
• Beastars Vol 11 Review
• Beastars Vol 12 Review
• Beastars Vol 13 Review
• Beastars Vol 14 Review
• Beastars Vol 15 Review
• Beastars Vol 16 Review
• Beastars Vol 17 Review