Our favourite wolf boy just keeps getting more redesigns and thus we have a white Legoshi on this volume’s cover. We’ll get into the reason for his fur colour change in this review.
As with my other reviews of Paru Itagaki’s Beastars manga, this review may contain some spoilers for events in both this and previous volumes in the series.
Synopsis:
Legoshi teams up with Louis and the Shishigumi to try and find out more information on their common enemy, Melon. They travel to the Black Market to meet with a shady character who’s been researching mixed-species beasts in hopes of discovering hitherto unknown properties that they might possess that could be useful. Will they be able to uncover some weak point that will help them take Melon down?
Meanwhile, Haru is continuing to attend her University classes and sees Legoshi whenever she can. While the troubled nature of herbivore and carnivore relations still weighs on her mind, things are going quite well for her, overall. Unfortunately for her, the new professor teaching her history class is none other than Melon himself!
Review:
Poor, poor Haru. She always seems to run into the worst creeps.
So, Melon has coincidentally met Haru and it seems like he’s become obsessed with her. After a single conversation with her, he’s struck with a desire to devour Haru and grabs her when they’re alone together. She manages to get away from him after he starts acting threatening (the part when he stabbed himself in the leg made things especially awkward), but she still doesn’t know he’s a murderer or that he isn’t the simple gazelle he seems to be. I’m guessing this will lead into another damsel in distress storyline for Haru where Legoshi will need to protect her from Melon. That would be disappointing to me, as we’ve already seen that playout once before and it’s a rather thankless role for someone as cool as Haru to have to assume, yet again. Hopefully I’m wrong and Haru will end up contributing to Melon’s capture instead, but I don’t think that’s likely. Haru’s been spending a lot of time on the sidelines lately and I unfortunately think that’s probably where she’ll stay.
While Haru is trying to figure out what to do about her professor’s apparent psychotic break, Legoshi continues to be tormented by his desire to consume meat and worries about his future with her. There’s a truly heart-wrenching fake out in this volume where Legoshi briefly thinks that he harmed Haru in his sleep. It turns out to be a mistake, but it drives home the reality of what terrible outcomes could await their relationship, and Legoshi is so shocked and distressed by the experience that his fur turns completely white. It’s a very affecting scene, but Legoshi bounces back extremely quickly. I guess nothing is going to dissuade him from pursuing a future with Haru at this point, not even coming face to face with the potential for violence that exists within him.
On a lighter note, Legoshi and the Shishigumi trying to work together is priceless! The lions are all just a bunch of goons and they have only the barest semblance of a plan for how they’re going to defeat Melon. Pair them up with the straightforward and pure-hearted Legoshi and you have a recipe for comedy. Luckily, Louis is there to pull the team together and they all wind up getting along and working well together in the end. Legoshi and the Shishigumi’s mutual admiration of Louis is particularly adorable. You’re so popular Louis!
While I’m not thrilled about all the developments in this volume of Beastars (can’t we find something else for Haru to do besides getting objectified and threatened by psychos?), there was still a lot of fun to be had in this installment. I’m hoping we’ll see a lot more of the Legoshi, Louis and Shishigumi team going forward. Also, the situation Legoshi finds himself in at the end of the volume really throws a dramatic wrench into his plans. Can’t wait to see how he’ll get himself out of this one!
Final Score: 8 out 10
For more information on this manga, visit Viz Media’s website.
What did you think of this volume of Beastars? Was anyone fooled by the fake out with Haru? Let me know in the comments!
Be sure to check out my reviews of the other volumes of the Beastars manga!
- 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
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