Beastars, Volume 4

[theradicalchild]

BEASTARS, Vol. 4 by Paru Itagaki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

As with its predecessors, the fourth entry of mangaka Paru Itagaki's Beastars series opens with a summary of previous events and visual depictions of dramatis personae, afterward commencing with a flashback where Haru encounters Louis in a dream. In the present, Louis is bloody from shedding his antlers and gives her hush money. Haru wishes to care for him until he recovers, becoming intimate, with Legoshi entering the scene and taking shock. Louis and Legoshi go on a walk, with the red deer insisting that he interacts with his fellow lupine Juno, for whom Legoshi has complicated feelings.

Back in the Canidae dormitory, Jack, the Labrador retriever, has a dilemma with his childhood friend Legoshi, thinking he is a pervert given his possession of a small animal pornographic magazine, feeling that falling for Haru has dulled the wolf's hunter instincts. Legoshi and Haru later help with preparations for the Meteor Festival. However, the prep ends early due to news of an herbivore's devouring, after which the wolf and the rabbit run through the subways, catching the attention of others and even the police, before hiding in a bathroom to await their eventual retreat.

Legoshi continues to wonder if Haru feels she is in danger and is afraid of her discovering that he had attempted to capture and devour her in their first anonymous meeting. In the meantime, Bill the tiger accidentally claws Louis, the red deer insisting first aid is enough for recovery, after which Bill confesses that he visited the black market, resulting in Louis threatening him with a gun, insisting they are unequal, and leaving for the infirmary. Haru insists that she and Louis are just friends, although the red deer and Legoshi argue about her, with Louis giving a mandate about the romance.

Juno, in the meantime, hits on Legoshi, who receives accusations of seduction, afterward rehearsing with Louis and expressing her ambition to become the next Beastar. Consequentially, she pins down Louis, who warns her about Legoshi. As the Meteor Day festival approaches, a blackout occurs, with carnivores accused since while they can mostly see in the dark, herbivores can't. After the incident, Louis recalls his past when he was #4 in an underground market, not taught to read, speak, or write until an adult deer purchased his freedom and adopted him as his heir.

The fourth volume ends with Legoshi serving as "secret bodyguard" for Louis when he pins down a leopard attempting to devour the red deer as he visits the memorial for Tem the alpaca, devoured at the very beginning of the manga series. Itagaki further reveals some design notes for Juno, provides notes on responsible mating practices whether interspecies or within the same species and gives a parodic comic sequence on whether Els the Angora goat prefers canines or felines. Overall, the fourth entry of the manga franchise is every bit as enjoyable as its precursors, with superb localization and how it reads from right to left being the sole indicator of its country of origin.

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