Beastars is a Netflix  anime adaptation of a popular Japanese manga with the same name. The fantasy world focuses of animals in utopian sense as sentient anthropomorphic beings living together harmoniously. Herbivores and and carnivores living together, where it is illegal for carnivores to eat meat, specifically other animals. The very first episode starts with there being a murder at the local high school, Cherryton High beginning the investigation of which carnivore it could be at the school, with many suspects, yet Legoshi, the main character and lone wolf is the main suspect. The subplot also focuses of a white dwarf named Hal, and the bullying she faces with high school plots with her being a metaphorical “lone wolf.”

As the series continues it focuses of carnivores who have willingly stopped eating meat, yet still fall prey to their instinctual nature towards meat and sometimes what is seen as an inclination towards violence. Herbivores at times are viewed as skittish and nervous individuals. I think this overarching theme of comparison when focusing on the two main characters Hal and Legoshi shows that the simultaneous Othering between both animal groups that occurs during the series is why you see the violent outbreaks and arguments. Legoshi and Hal are almost like a modern Romeo and Juliet minus the unnecessary death at the end showing that they come from two different worlds that make it exceedingly hard to overcome.

Another main character, is Rouis who is an herbivore and highlights the caste system within the series with the school play. He was the first to get a lead that has only been reserved for herbivores.

The identity that these two groups, though dynamic and imaginary also lends true to almost a caste system within the fantasy world. Who and what you are determines what you can and will achieve and breaking out of that is nearly impossible.