6 shorter Netflix anime you can binge in a weekend

Beastars

Directed by Shin’ichi Matsumi, Beastars takes a unique approach to anime storytelling with animal kingdom characters and 3D CG animation so crisp it almost looks 2D. Based on the manga written by Paru Itagaki, Beastars is a coming-of-age mystery drama that focuses on Legoshi, a towering grey wolf and a second-year student at Cherryton Academy.

While Cherryton had previously prided itself on the “successful,” albeit surface-level, integration of its carnivore and herbivore students, everything changes when a student from the herbivore group is found brutally murdered on school grounds. A fearful divide falls upon the high school’s student body and Legoshi, among his other fanged and clawed friends, is viewed as one of the suspects.

As if the adolescent wolf didn’t already have enough on his plate being suspected of murder, he takes a particular liking to a third-year student named Haru, who also happens to be a dwarf rabbit.

Unable to tell if his lust for Haru stems from typical hormones or the killer instinct he’s tried to suppress for seventeen years, Legoshi finds himself sinking into a confusing spiral of love-sickness and self-hate, remedied by the innocent, listless moments he spends talking with Haru.

Beastars, though unconventional and definitely not a family-friendly show, is masterful at its approach in tackling subjects of racism, mental illness, and addiction, making it a must-watch on our list of Netflix anime you can binge in a weekend. Season 2 is scheduled to release on Netflix in July 2021.