Fool that I am, I thought I'd read one or two volumes, realize that it's super sappy and just move on. What a fool. I was initially curious because of the music angle - the protagonist is a young pianist who's suffered a terrible loss...but then, I got sucked in by the story, characters, and the way everything is told.

I friggin' cried - real tears streaming down my face - while reading this.

I was not expecting that!

But, I was "sold" even before that - I don't know how Arakawa did it, but I felt like I really connected with the scenes where different characters are playing music, and it really moved me! Maybe this is because I used to play the cello - but, I felt something real reading this. I won't say that "I heard the music in my head as I read it", but....reading it FELT like being carried away by a wonderful piece of classical music at times.

So yes, really enjoyed this. Would recommend, but perhaps it resonated more with me because of my background with the cello?

Oh. As an added "fun trivia" I recently saw (during vacation) a poster for a live show (like, theatre) of this manga! Wow! I wanted to go see it so badly...

Thanks local library! (they had all the vols I still needed to read)

So, I read it all the way to the end and yes, still worth reading, still super fun, thought provoking and sometimes bizarre. (see my first post on the series)

Highly recommend!

While I have played Elden Ring (for an hour or so?), I would not say I'm any good at it or that I'm particularly interested in the game in a meaningful way (this may change, of course). But, I was intrigued by the existence of this manga - and the fact that it's been coming out slowly...

I got the first volume sort of as a joke - but it was interesting enough that I then got vol 2 and even pre-ordered number 3! The manga is definitely on the jokey side of things - with silly situations and "idiot" protagonist, but I think it's also authentic in the characters and bosses? There are even sections at times that are an introduction to the game (in a way) which is interesting. I wonder how long it will continue and whether it "ends" with a new manga for the DLC? Or maybe the DLC stuff will be a continuing part of this manga? At the rate it's coming out that might just be the case... Either way, it's fun and funny so far so I've been enjoying it. If I played the game further my guess is that I'd enjoy it even more?

I've really been enjoying this one. Initially I thought it was going to be somewhat silly or stupid - but it quickly won me over. To be fair, I have enjoyed lots of anthropomorphized animal comics (Blacksad, Monstress, and a few more) - but this is manga! So, who knows what silliness it would devolve into?

It turns out that one of the central issues in the series comes from a pretty basic question I had never thought about: in a world where animals are people and share lots of the animal traits and so on, what do the carnivores eat? (if meat is being eaten, whose meat is it?). Especially in a universe that does not have regular animals - as in, there are no regular cows and anthropomorphized cows. In the world of beastars that's a thing - with carnivores not eating the meat of the herbivores and somehow, their animal society sort of works despite the obvious (and recognized) issues that come from large animals and small animals all living together in society.

The series is all about these highschool kids - one of whom was recently (before the series starts) murdered and eaten! Presumably the culprit is another school kid - a carnivore..and that gets thigs rolling as you follow the protanogist Legoshi (a gray wolf) as he deals with the issues of being a carnivore, how to relate to herbivores, and all the teen angst and emotional turmoil that comes with adolescence.

I can't say WHAT the meat-eating represents (if anything) - the obvious answer would be "sex" or "lust", but that doesn't quite seem to work and, the more you read the more is revealed about the Beastars universe that's both fun, interesting, and...surprisingly (to me) thoughtful. It also helps that it's pretty funny at times.

I had thought to only read the first 12. But now I'll be looking up the rest of the series, hopefully it's at my local library!