Upon first glance, the 2019 anime Beastars seems like it's only made for a specific type of person. That person would be called, a furry. The series, based on the popular manga of the same name, is set in a world where anthropomorphic animals are the main characters. There is a lot of romance, there is a lot of drama, and because of that, it's very easy to write it off if. However, its themes, metaphors, and writing make it well worth the time of any anime fan and it should definitely at least be allowed a chance.
Season one of the series is set off with the murder and devouring of an alpaca named Tem. It's learned that he lives in a world and attends a school where carnivores and herbivores are integrated and meant to coexist, despite carnivores still having their natural instincts to eat. The main character of the show is a grey wolf named Legoshi, who is a member of the drama club and begins to have feelings for a dwarf rabbit named Haru, who he simultaneously wants to eat. The series is primarily a drama, rich with metaphors, and of course, it also has some romance.
The way the show is written provides a real purpose for the characters being animals. It's not just pandering to the furry community, though that would be perfectly valid too, it's using that situation as a metaphor for so many societal issues. After the murder of Tem, there are hate crimes against some of the carnivorous characters despite them not being the culprits. Legoshi, the main character, struggles with his feral instincts but he wants to be a kind person. Other characters, like white rabbit Haru and red deer Louis, act out in detrimental ways so they can feel powerful despite being herbivores. Multiple other plot points are clear metaphors for real-world issues like racism and even human trafficking.
Metaphors that give the show deeper meaning aside, it's just very well written and entertaining. The plot progressions feel natural, but there are still surprising twists that catch the viewers off guard. All of the characters are also extremely well developed, and it's easy to root for all of them. Even the characters that are meant to be on the bad or villainous side, are complex enough to still make them relatable on a human level.
The things that happen, even though it's set in a very much fantasy world, feel so real and it's so easy to get emotionally invested in what's going to happen. The events of the series genuinely feel very high stakes and it doesn't shy away from disappointing its viewers, because the plot doesn't feel like pandering or fan service even slightly. Anyone who enjoys really intense dramas that can be heartbreaking, thought-provoking, and controversial, will probably enjoy Beastars.
There are many aspects of the show that can be uncomfortable to watch, and could potentially be a little controversial or offensive. There is some violence and gore, as well as mature themes in general, but there's also some sexual content. That will absolutely be off-putting for the majority of people, particularly because the characters are animals, and it's definitely a little awkward when it comes up.
It's a risky choice and some people will give it a hard "no" with plots like that, which is totally understandable, but someone who enjoys more disturbing and controversial works might like how they use the sexual content to make their points. It's never explicit so it doesn't feel too crude, and it's played for some very obvious metaphors. They touch on forbidden love with a strong racial element, the elements of power found in sex, as well as sexual violence. They're all pretty heavy subjects, and portrayed in a very jarring way, but it's an aspect of the show that still feels important.
Beastars is not too likely to draw in a casual anime watcher, because in all honesty, it's kind of weird. A heavy drama series made for adults that includes interspecies anthropomorphic animal romance is going to be kind of a niche pull. It's been called Zootopia for adults, and there are some elements of that but it is still very different from that film, and that just seems like it might be kind of weird. However, this is an opportunity for anime fans to step out of their comfort zones and give something that might be kind of weird and dark and different a chance.