Top 10 favourite characters in the Fate series anime

Top 10 favourite characters in the Fate series anime

Monday, May 11, 2020 / No Comments

Hello everyone, today I will be sharing with you my top 10 favourite characters in the Fate series. Before I share them with you, I will also briefly tell you why I love the Fate series and give you my recommended watch order on all the current anime in the series.

Holy Grail- The omnipotent wish granting device

The Fate series is one of my favourite anime series for several reasons. I was hooked after watching Fate/stay night because I felt that the story was very unique and well-written. The concept of masters summoning heroic spirits as servants to engage in battle with each other over the Holy Grail was truly fascinating. These heroic spirits are all based on true historical figures, well maybe except for Archer in Fate/stay night.

Aside from the story and the characters, I also thoroughly enjoyed the action scenes in the Fate series. The animation was great in some of the anime in the series, Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works in particular. The original soundtracks are pretty decent as well. 

Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works

Fate/Zero

For those who are new to the Fate series and would like to give it a try, below is a list of all the available anime belonging to the series. My recommended watch order will be the order in which I listed them.

1. Fate/Zero

2. Fate/stay night (2006) – Saber route

3. Fate/stay night Unlimited Blade Works – Tohsaka Rin route

4. Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel – Sakura route

5. Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya

6. Fate/Extra: Last Encore

7. Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note

8. Fate/Apocrypha

9. Fate/Grand Order: First Order

10. Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia

You might not have the time to watch them all but my recommendation would be to at least watch Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night because they form the core foundation of the Fate series. The rest of the other anime are spinoffs that take some elements and/or characters from Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night.

An important thing to note is that Fate/stay night consists of three different anime, Fate/stay night (2006), Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven’s Feel. Fate/stay night is originally a romance, action-fantasy visual novel where the male protagonist has the option of choosing between three routes. Each route leads to a romance with a different female heroine which I have included in the list above. However, the difference between the three routes is not simply which female heroine the male protagonist ends up with but also in the theme of the story. Therefore, there will be a difference in the story within each of the three Fate/stay night anime.  

Top 10 favourite characters in the Fate series anime

10. Emiya Kiritsugu

Tsukihime

Appears in: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night (flashback)

The main protagonist in Fate/Zero, Kiritsugu is a key character in the Fate franchise. His life was a constant struggle and his ideals brought him nothing but regret, to the point of nearly driving him insane. Kiritsugu had a large influence on the protagonist in Fate/stay night, who inherited his dream of becoming a ‘Champion of Justice’. He was the Master of Saber in the Forth Holy Grail War. 

Kiritsugu’s struggles and backstory are the main reason why I like him. Let’s begin with him in his youth. Imagine having your childhood sweetheart turning into a vampire and then finding out that it was caused by your father. Imagine killing your own father as a child when killing a person is already hard enough for most. He lost everything, the place he called home and everyone dear to him. For those confused about how the vampires came about in Fate/Zero, I recommend checking out Tsukihime which is an earlier work of Kinoko Nasu, the author of most of the anime in the Fate series. I suggest reading the manga or playing the visual novel as Tsukihime was poorly adapted as an anime.

Kiritsugu had believed in the act of sacrificing people for the salvation of humanity as a whole, a view he held since young and throughout most of his adulthood until the end of the Forth Holy Grail War. I like his character development over the course of the anime as you could clearly tell that he was slowly starting to struggle with this belief. I also enjoyed his action scenes in the anime as a professional mage killer, his battles against Kayneth and Kirei were epic.

9. Iskandar 

 Ionioi Hetairoi

Appears in: Fate/Zero, Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note (flashback)

Servant class: Rider

Iskandar was summoned by Waver Velvet as the Rider class servant in the Forth Holy Grail War. His true identity is Alexander the Great, the King of Macedonia and more commonly known as the King of Conquerors. Iskandar was on a conquest to conquer the world and before he was summoned as a servant, died while chasing his dream of reaching Okeanos.

Iskandar is one of the most charismatic characters in the entire Fate series and my favourite servant in Fate/Zero. I felt that Rider made Fate/Zero so much more enjoyable because of how he acted and his choice of words. I never get tired of listening to his battle cry “Aaaalalalalalaei!!!”. The main reason why I like him so much besides his charisma is because he made a very significant impact on the character growth of the other characters especially Waver Velvet and Artoria. One of the most hyped scenes in Fate/Zero was when Iskandar unleashed his noble phantasm, Ionioi Heitairoi which is shown above. His death was honestly one of the saddest moments in Fate/Zero. 

8. Waver Velvet / Lord El-Melloi II 

Waver Velvet in Fate/Zero

Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note

Just to clarify for those unaware, Lord El-Melloi II and Waver Velvet is the same person. Waver is referred to as Lord El-Melloi II after the events of the Forth Holy Grail War when he became more grown up. You will understand how that came about after watching Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note.

Waver was the master of Iskandar in Fate/Zero as mentioned earlier. I feel that Waver has one of the best character developments in the Fate series. He starts out as a character full of hatred after being humiliated by his teacher Kayneth. Waver was also portrayed as wimpy and whiny throughout most of Fate/Zero but all these negative traits changed after forging a strong bond with his servant Iskandar. I was very proud of his courageous display after Iskandar’s final battle against Gilgamesh. Iskandar’s approach towards life had a large impact on him, resulting in him wanting to experience more of the World. If you like Waver as much as I did after Fate/Zero, you can consider watching Lord El-Melloi II but it is more of a mystery anime with less action. Waver is much more calm and collected as Lord El-Melloi II. I prefer him in his older version because he has really matured as a loyal subject of Iskandar. The scene in Lord-El-Melloi II Case Files where Rider asks Waver whether his journey had been fun hits me in the feels every time. 

7. Astolfo

Appears in: Fate/Apocrypha

Servant class: Rider

Ahh Astolfo, easily one of the best “girls” in Fate/Apocrypha and a character that has been made into memes. In popularity polls on Apocrypha, Astolfo constantly takes the top spot. Summoned as the rider class servant of the black faction, he is one of the Twelve Paladins of Charlemagne. He is the very definition of cheerfulness, loyal to a fault and straightforward, following through with whatever he believes to be right. Astolfo may not be the strongest character but he will never yield to those stronger than him as shown in his battle against Mordred. 

Sadly, Astolfo often gets bashed by some fans of fate for who he is. Fans either really love him or hate him, the group who are neutral about this character exist but are few mainly because of his portrayal as a character. I feel that in Apocrypha, Astolfo is one of the best characters mainly because of his bubbly personality and protecting his beliefs to the end. 

6. Artoria Pendragon 

Appears in: Fate/Zero, Fate/stay night, Fate/Apocrypha (flashback)

Servant class: Saber

Excaliburrrrr!!! Even if you have not watched or heard of the Fate series, chances are you would have likely seen Artoria somewhere. That unmistakable ahoge, striking armour and distinctive holy sword make Artoria one of the most iconic characters in anime. Artoria has always been the poster girl of Fate and adored by a significantly large group of fans. In fact, due to her overwhelming popularity as the face of the franchise, many other characters were modelled based on her, what fans fondly refer to as SaberFaces. As the name implies, SaberFaces are characters with faces that bear a striking resemblance to Artoria. 

Artoria was summoned as the saber class servant to Kiritsugu in Fate/Zero and to the main protagonist in Fate/stay night. Artoria’s true identity is that of King Arthur, the King of Britain, although referred to as the King of Knights by the other servants. I like Artoria as a character because of her pride as King and her unwavering loyalty to her master. She is also very supportive towards her master’s beliefs and ideals, using all of her strength to fight those that stand in their way. I must admit I have a soft spot for all SaberFaces and she is my favourite heroine in Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero. 

5. Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh (archer) – Fate Zero, Fate/stay night

Gilgamesh as King of Uruk - Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia

Appears in: Fate/stay night, Fate/Zero, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya (child), Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia

Servant class: Archer (in Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero)

This dude is literally a walking cheat code. In terms of strength, Gilgamesh is no doubt the most overpowered character in the Fate series anime. Gilgamesh is summoned by Tohsaka Tokiomi in Fate/Zero as the archer class servant during the Forth Holy Grail War. He is the most arrogant and selfish character in Fate/Zero and Fate/stay night, often addressing other masters and servants as mongrels. Gilgamesh is known as the King of Heroes and is also the King of Uruk. 

I like Gilgamesh because of his overwhelming might and his arrogant demeanour. His noble phantasm, Gate of Babylon, is a treasury that houses numerous amounts of weapons which are all noble phantasms. In short, he has close to infinite noble phantasms and is able to launch them towards his enemies as projectiles. Among his trove of noble phantasms is the strongest noble phantasm, a sword called Ea that will decimate his enemies. He perceives himself as the strongest supreme being that would never be defeated and that all the world’s treasures belong to him. It is this pride that makes him one of my favourite characters.

In Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia, the focus is on him as the King of Uruk although he still has his powers. We see a different side to Gilgamesh, one that is slightly less arrogant while also fulfilling his responsibilities as an actual King. I actually prefer Gilgamesh in Grand Order because he was more well-balanced as a character. 

4. Saber Alter

Appears in: Fate/stay night Heaven’s Feel, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma Illya

Servant class: Saber

Saber Alter is the result of Artoria being tainted by the shadow in Fate/stay night Heaven’s feel. She is the dark and evil version of Artoria. Just think of Alter servants in Fate as an alternate version of their original counterparts. Anyway, the Heaven’s Feel anime is a three-part movie each lasting about two hours. The third and final episode was originally scheduled to be released in April but has been postponed due to the recent coronavirus pandemic. 

Alter class servants have always been one of my favourites because they look so badass. They are more powerful than their original counterparts in terms of raw power. Saber Alter is no exception. I absolutely loved her armour and character design when I first laid eyes on her. Her battle against berserker in the second episode of the Heaven’s Feel anime was very exciting to watch and I enjoyed every moment of it. 

3. Ereshkigal

Appears in: Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia

Fate/Grand Order: Zettai Majuu Sensen Babylonia is based on the Babylonia arc in the top-grossing mobage Fate/Grand Order(FGO). It is a turn-based gacha game which I highly recommend playing because the story content gets really good especially in the later chapters of the story. You can clear the story content as a free-to-play player without the need to roll for 5 star servants. FGO is more of a pay to waifu/husbando game. Just note that rates in FGO are terrible and you will likely have to whale (spend a lot) in order to summon your waifus and husbandos unless the gacha gods always shine on you.

Ereshkigal has a sad backstory. This dere-dere goddess has been appointed the ruler and caretaker of the underworld since birth. She has never tasted freedom, never met new people and does not know of joy or sadness. Managing the souls of the dead for thousands of years was the one and only thing she did.

The reason why I like Ereshkigal a lot is because she is very helpful in the anime, has a playful side to her and also being a dere-dere. Ereshkigal is a RinFace, you can just think of her as Tohsaka Rin from Fate/stay night but with blonde hair. Unlike Rin, I would not consider her as a Tsundere but rather a dere-dere. She gets flustered really easily and is very cute when she does so. She did not hesitate to help the main protagonist save Uruk from destruction and played an important role in the final battle. My only gripe is that she did not have much screen time as she only appeared after the halfway mark of the anime. 

2. Mordred

Appears in: Fate/Apocrypha

Servant class: Saber

Summoned as the Saber class servant of the red faction, Mordred is the “son” of Artoria, a SaberFace and also known as the Knight of Treason. In the early episodes of Apocrypha, we can see that Mordred has nothing but admiration for her father, Artoria. However, this admiration quickly turned into resentment as the recognition she craved was not returned coupled with the fact that Artoria rejected Mordred as the heir to the throne.

She is spunky, has a fun-loving attitude and does not hesitate to throw insults which made her a loveable character. Two notable traits of Mordred are her high level of confidence in her abilities and her courage, always eagerly awaiting the next battle. Mordred has always been one of my favourite SaberFaces and my best character in Apocrypha because I really like her backstory and how she developed as a character. She actually did not want to be King just because of her lineage but something else entirely which you will understand after watching Apocrypha. Mordred was the main reason why I did not drop Apocrypha despite how terrible the main character Sieg was. 

1. Saber 

Appears in: Fate/Extra: Last Encore

Servant class: Saber

Umu! You can just call me Saber. Saber is the saber class servant summoned by Hakuno Kishinami in Fate/Extra: Last Encore. Fans call her Red Saber mainly to distinguish her from Artoria. She also appears in the video game Fate Extella. Her true identity is Nero Claudius, the Fifth Roman Emperor. Nero has a tragic backstory but I like how she always stays positive and cheerful. I love Nero because Umu! Well other than Umu, Nero like the other SaberFaces, is very loyal towards her master. She supported Hakuno throughout the anime, even after he found out about his true existence. Overall, Nero is just very cute and likeable. She is my favourite character and SaberFace among the many that exist in the Fate Franchise.

I will be completely honest. Nero is the only reason why I forced myself to watch Fate/Extra till the end because of how weak the story and characters were. There was little to no character development whatsoever in Fate/Extra and Hakuno as the main character was comparable to Sieg in Fate/Apocrypha. I felt like both of them were just there for the plot armour in their respective anime. It is quite a shame because both anime had so much potential. Among all the Fate anime in the series, Fate/Extra is probably the one I enjoyed the least. Umu, I was so glad that Nero appeared in every episode of the anime. 

That concludes my top 10 favourite characters in the Fate series anime. Thank you for reading and please stay safe during this period. Take care everyone!

Written by Kou

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Old but still gold: Death Note

Old but still gold: Death Note

Monday, April 20, 2020 / No Comments

With nothing other than a surplus of time lately in my hands, my daily life has been extremely boring lately. Watching anime, reading manga and playing games has integrated to be part of my daily life recently and while I have no complaints about this, there's only so much new content that can be consumed in a short period of time.

That's when I had an idea, why not revisit some of anime's most classic series? In this post, I'll be reviewing one of my favourite anime ever, Death Note. Be aware, since this is a recollection, there will be spoilers, however major or minor!

I first came into the anime community around 2010. Thus, I didn't really notice the hidden gem in which this anime had to offer. As a newcomer, I only watched what others recommended to me at that time, which I call "The Big Four". "The Big Four" consisted of One Piece, Bleach, Naruto and Fairy Tail. In that regard, I did not venture out of these four anime since I had a lot of episodes at the time and couldn't afford to add more.

However, once I had caught up to The Big Four and became more comfortable in watching anime, I started looking for more anime to fill my new favourite pastime. Death Note was one of the first anime I watched after finishing The Big Four and it really left an imprint on me. See, after watching anime with fantasy-esque elements and superpowers, I was not ready for the drama and action-packed Death Note. Death Note differs from what I had watched and I couldn't help but get hooked instantly as a person who loves investigative and drama works.

Speaking of which, I'll now explain the plot of Death Note. Death Note is set in modern time Tokyo (Well, modern at the time) and is centred around an individual who happens to chance upon a notebook that has mysterious yet appalling powers. Before encountering said notebook, the main character is devoid of any motivation, lamenting at the fact that life is devoid of excitement and he has nothing to look forward to. One day, while spacing out in the classroom, he happens to glance at a black object plummeting into his high school garden. Uninterested as he was when picking it up, he scoffs at the over-ambitious words written in the ambiguous notebook. 

However, once he tested the limits of the abilities the notebook offered, he then realizes that this was what he was missing, this was what the world was missing. With a determined mind, he vowed to set the world on its right path.

That was a quick rundown of the series and what it has to offer. I'll now go over the characters of the anime, one of the most important aspects of anime in my opinion

1) Yagami Light

The main character or protagonist (?) in Death Note. Light is characterized as hardworking, talented, and a natural genius. Highly perceptive and good with problem-solving, Light was a skilled planner and had good foresight. Furthermore, Light was very popular among peers and adored by his family members. However, all is not what it seems to be. 

After coming into contact with the Death Note, his overwhelming sense of justice which he inherited from his father becomes skewed over time. Due to his frequent use of the Death Note, he became a cold and ruthless individual who spared no thought for the victims.

Yagami Light was someone that I really liked and disliked at the same time. I was fond of his meticulous and highly-skilled planning which was shown beautifully in the anime, while I also despised his indifferent attitude towards lives. He doesn't hesitate to use someone as a sacrifice to achieve his goals which brings me back to why I questioned him as a protagonist. In this case, I see him as a protagonist as well as an antagonist at the same time. The duality of my perception of his character was exactly why I couldn't just drop the anime even though its plot was vastly different from other anime I had watched.

2) Ryuk

Ryuk is not your typical Shinigami (Death God) neighbour. Coming from the Shinigami Realm where everything is stagnant and there is absolutely nothing to do other than wait out your lifespan, Ryuk seeks refuge in modern Earth to pass his time. By doing so, he finds his interesting specimen, Light, and goes along his adventure in purging the world of all evil. Though, he does not assist Light in any way, only lurking in the shadows and occasionally doing a few handstands and eating apples.

Back when I first watched this anime and saw a glimpse of Ryuk, I immediately closed the video player because I was startled. That was my first ever time seeing something so sinister and unique and the anime did a great job in conveying his Shinigami character in the first few episodes. However, as you watch the anime, you soon realize that he's... not normal and that you don't really have to be scared of him. Sure, his appearance is really off-putting at first, but once you get past that, you get greeted by his very human-like nature, desire to eat more and more apples and his insatiable desire for entertainment.

3) L

Don't be fooled by his dishevelled and languid appearance, L is actually one of the world's best detective, solving multiple big cases alone, earning him fame and reputation throughout the police scene. He even has the capability to call the FBI in Japan to do his bidding! However, he's uncommonly reticent about his appearance and does not reveal himself easily to anyone. That being said, due to Kira's constant killings, L is forced to reveal himself in order to decrease the number of casualties. 

What made him stand out to me though was his methods and attitude in solving and cracking cases. L is extremely meticulous and analytical. He always tries to figure out his opponent's next move and even resorts to drastic measures such as using a decoy to find out how Kira was killing his victims as well as handcuffing himself to Yagami Light, a potential Kira suspect. His meticulous behaviour and intelligent tactics are portrayed strongly in the anime, thus showing how formidable he actually is, putting him on par with the show's protagonist, Yagami Light.

3) Misa Amane

Misa Amane had a tragic past, seeing her parents murdered right before her eyes and learning that the murderer was let loose of his crimes made her suffer from depression. However, the anime portrays her as a cheerful and outgoing individual. Furthermore, she is an idol that is widely famous in Japan. She also happens to be the second Kira, after getting to know that the original Kira, Light, killed the murderer that was responsible for her parent's death.

For me, I did not really like the character of Misa. Actually, let me word that better. I did not like the premise of Misa's story to the whole anime. I felt like the creators just shoved her in the plot in order to have another character in the story. Sure, she does some meaningful things in the later episodes such as successfully tricking Kyosuke Higuchi into revealing himself to be the Yotsuba Kira. But other than that, she is seen often clinging to Yagami Light like glue, thus preventing him from doing any potential moves. Other than that, she does basically nothing! For one of the main characters, her development was almost non-existent. That being said, I do not think that she ruined the anime, just that her character could use something more to strengthen her impact on the anime.

Now that we've gone through the characters, I'd like to talk more in-depth about the story itself. While I was really hooked and enraptured by the story, there were still flaws and things I did not really like about the anime. Firstly, about the story, I was not impressed by how there is little to none backstory behind most characters. Yagami Light was a student with perfect scores, valued by many, and was seen as the perfect teenager. However, in just one episode, he changes to be a serial killer that doesn't bat an eye towards the cries of his victim. There was also almost nothing about L's background and how he became the world's most professional detective. In fact, these things are only revealed after L died, which serves little purpose. However, what ticked me off the most though was that the anime went downhill after L's death. The first half of the anime was really intriguing and kept me from getting off my computer. However, when L died and the anime continued, they only placed another character to replace L in his fight against Kira. While this seems logical, the show fails to show it's creativity in creating a new scenario. Thus, the second half of the season is just another L vs Kira again, just that you replace L with Near. Furthermore, since you've already gone through the first half and know the character's thinking and attitude, seeing them repeat it all over again becomes...boring. The anime at that point became repetitive and was a chore for me to stick with it to the end. As such, to me, only the first half of the anime was the real Death Note for me.

You must be wondering why this is one of my favourite anime if it has major flaws. There's a lot of reasons actually. Firstly, like what I mentioned previously, I only grew up watching The Big Four and nothing else. As such, the jump from that to Death Note was significant for me since it signalled the start from where I started branching out and watching various other animes. Moreover, I was fond of the investigative and drama scene at the time and Death Note seem to fill in that void for me. Lastly, despite my laments, Death Note was actually a really good anime in my humble opinion at the time. Well. The first half of it anyway :p

All in all, I do recommend at least watching the first half of the anime if you have no other series backed up at this time. Its suspense and methodological approach between L and Kira will definitely intrigue you at the very least. If you feel that the animations are too old and clunky, then you could also give its adaptations a try like the 2006 or the 2017 Death Note adaptations. There's also L: Change the World which is a spin-off, with the show focusing on L challenging a case that could decide the fate of the whole world.

With that said, I do hope you give the anime a try! Also, do let me know some of your favourite old anime! After all, they're old, but they're still gold.



Written by Kai Yuichi

Netflix's Beastars: the anime I never knew I needed in my life

Netflix's Beastars: the anime I never knew I needed in my life

Wednesday, April 8, 2020 / No Comments

Netflix has been busting out anime originals for a while now, with total busts and utter wins like Knights of Sidonia and Carole & Tuesday (this anime's soundtrack is GOLD I tell ya). The latest is Beastars, which didn't pique my interest at first actually! I only watched it because I heard from a Japanese friend that they'd heard the manga is REALLY good. Hearsay hearsay. Well, I heard this say for sure. If you're into Badass Terminator Panda counsellors, chickens that sell their eggs and pride themselves on the quality, Bunny Playboy Bunnies (is this a pleonasm?), a pride of lion Yakuza, and inter-species relationships probably based on hunger idunno, then you're in for a ride!

Be warned: **SPOILERS** because, well, review and all.

Beastars is set in a world where animals live together and are supposedly all vegetarian. We follow the (overly protected) life of high school students at Cherryton Academy. The first few minutes of this anime starts with the murder of Tem, an alpaca who is a 'herbivore'. He is hunted by a 'carnivore' and killed for its flesh (is what we and Tem assume). This murder introduces a world in which herbivores and carnivores live together in 'peace', with incidents like this happening from time to time causing tension between the groups. Are all herbivores victims? Are all carnivores murderous beasts? 

Tem was part of the theater group, the only group which consists out of both herbivores and carnivores. This hints to the fact that the two groups are usually quite separated. The next few episodes don't focus on the murder or Tem, and just show us an unusual slice-of-life type of high school life of these furries. This is where the show started to lose me a little bit, but the whodunnit pulled me through till the end. Like, who murdered Tem? What's going on with this anime, it seems all light and fluffy (pun intended) but I got a feeling it has gotten a very, very dark side to it.

We follow the story through Legoshi, a grey wolf who is struggling with being a carnivore and trying to keep a low profile. This causes some interesting internal conflicts, as he is a carnivore with strong instincts on the one hand, but on the other hand just a harmless sweet cub. He is part of the theatre club that Tem belonged to. In this club, we also see Louis, a handsome and immensely popular red deer with a dark past. And we are also introduced to Hal, a bunny who has always lived life to the fullest but is actually just really promiscuous ok no shaming here move along, as it can end any minute because of her very weak position as a small, defenceless rabbit. Legoshi meets Hal and falls in love with her (not because she immediately upon meeting him offered to have intercourse, nope, probably not, is it?). Little does he know, she is already in a relationship with Louis. But we still have a murderer carnivore running around eating herbivores. What's love got to do with it? Well, everything, apparently, because Legoshi is a carnivore and Hal a (physically very weak but mentally quite strong must I add) herbivore. Also, Legoshi actually tried to EAT HER the first time he smelled saw her. The whole is-it-love-or-lust or just an empty stomach is something that runs like a red thread through this story.

Next to this, we have Louis, who also has a relationship with Hal but has a fiancee that's arranged by his family already. He's aiming to become the next Beastar, which is a hero of some sort, actually it wasn't that clear to me and during season 1 they don't go into it too much. It might be important to future seasons. *Shrugs*. The story is interesting enough without this, but it does add an interesting political angle to the story. 

Legoshi and Louis have a complicated sort of frenemy relationship. Legoshi is always trying to keep a low profile and not hurt/offend anyone, while Louis is out there, and doesn't hide his hate for carnivores. I kind of like these characters, as they are still drawn to each other even though they are supposed to be mortal enemies. The very humanistic portrayal of these animals draws interesting parallels between this world and ours.

While we do the whole will they or won't they with Hal and Legoshi, the theatre group is getting ready for an important festival called Festival of the Meteor during which they honour their 'ancestors'' mass extinction. I wonder if they pray to the T-Rex. Because of recent events of herbivores getting eaten attacked, only a group of carnivores are allowed to leave Cherryton academy for a meeting at city hall. Louis warns them not to go to the black market, where meat is sold and can easily be attained by herbivores. This of course, seems like a very bad thing, because someone had to die in order for this meat to be sold. Was it obtained legally? Illegally? How does this all work in a world where animals are all equal unlike the world we live in? 

One might argue, peace is kept because the carnivores don't have to fight their instincts and can still eat meat. Try putting a dog or a lion on a vegetarian diet, not sure if that works. When the theatre group sets foot outside the academy, where do they end up "accidentally"? Of course, the black market. 

Fresh fingers! Fresh fingers! Got em all here! Left hand right hand pick and choose! Ring finger pinky finger thumb, pick, lick and chomp!

After meeting Mr. Finger(less), they realize they have come to the Black Market. It kinda looks cozy and fun though.. I won't mind trying that Kalbi don on the right. One portion please! Take away, because of COVID-19 and all.

Legoshi gets upset and runs away from the group, realizing that in order to keep some semblance of peace, there's a darker side to the society they live in that's silently being accepted. Welcome to adulting, babes. While he's contemplating on life, he gets knocked out by a panda called Gouhin, who basically forces counselling on carnivores that come to the Black Market. Mistaking Legoshi for one of those, but then learning about his feelings for Hal, we get the most interesting exchange of this anime. It reminds me of interracial dating or relationships transcending social class. There are many people with different opinions on this, and the same happens in this anime. In this anime, there are even different hotels - carnivore or herbivore only, even though mixed ones exist, there is still a clear boundaries between the two. Are Hal and Legoshi basically Romeo and Juliet in a furry setting?

BSDM basement vibes much? 

Are you really into that bunny or just want to eat her? Here, the latest of Wild Kick, find out if you're a "wet wet bunny" loving pervert or just hungry.

And then there's Juno, another love interest for Legoshi. A young grey wolf that is seemingly perfect for Legoshi. It would make everything so much easier for him if he went for her. No one would question their relationship, no one would give Legoshi an adult magazine with wolves to see if he's REALLY into his own kind or not. 

From here on out this anime becomes really interesting. During preparations for Festival of the Meteor, Hal gets kidnapped by the Shishi-gumi, basically lion Yakuza, only to be offered as a snack to the boss. This raises interesting political questions as Louis confronts the lion mayor who then doesn't do anything about it to not ruin his image. He even had plastic surgery done to look friendlier. If the public found out about the lion mafia, the city may fall into chaos and order will crumble. Louis is also told not to do anything about it, even though he is in a relationship with Hal. Is it worth sacrificing one life just to keep a very delicate peace? Your loved one has been taken and the city and your own ambitions to become this hero, this Beastar, depend on you doing nothing. What would you do? 

Yeah, still creepy though.

Legoshi gets help from Gouhin and rescues Hal. Louis shows up after they leave, and his own troubled past makes it seem like he has lost it. He guns down the boss, and he's never to be seen again, at least not in season 1. Hal and Legoshi stay at a hotel that allows herbivores and carnivores together, and we assume things will start getting heated. But then the most ridiculous thing ever happens.

I get that he feels this desire, this instinct to hunt and eat this small animal. But I doubt that bunnies in the wild throw themselves in the mouths of wolves or try to have sex with them for that matter. Nothing happens, and they go home. At the Festival Juno tries to draw Legoshi's attention, but Legoshi only has eyes for Hal. We end the first season there. 

This anime is brilliant at sucking you in and leaving you hungry for more. We are left with so many questions, what happened to Louis and Gouhin after the altercation with the Shishi-gumi? Who killed Tem? What will happen to Hal and Legoshi, will they ever be accepted? Will this society be even to hold up under these circumstances? Will there be an internal strife? I am getting very invested in this show, and I definitely can't wait for season 2 to come out. An honourable mention for my gal Legom, the hen. She keeps fit just to lay the best eggs, which then are used in the sandwiches that Legoshi eat. He can even taste the difference between her eggs and others, she has the best ones! This episode was hilarious and ridiculous and had me in stitches.

Sitting next to Legom, he never knew... but she did...

 That the sandwiches he loves so much.. are actually eggs coming out of HER, his classmate right next to him.

 YESS Legom, yes!! Lay those eggs girl!

 Check those eggs.

 Sleep early.

Even exercise. All for those perfect eggs!

All in all, I would give this anime a 4/5, I only deduct one point because it started out slow. Also, the female characters could be fleshed out more (no pun intended). I feel like Juno and Hal are only there to make the male characters feel all these inner conflicts. They fall a bit flat next to the complex Legoshi and Louis. Anime wise, it's exceptional. The art is amazing, the fluidity is excellent, and I love how the world is a mix of Europe, the U.S.A, with Asian style "yatai" and who knows what. It kind of felt like a dark Ghibli story, which I am all for. This anime is not over the top crazy, but crazy enough to keep me hooked on its mysterious world and I can't wait to explore it more.

~Written by Devi~