Episode 19

Unforgettable Sweetness (蜜漬けの記憶) is the nineteenth episode of the Beastars anime and the seventh episode of Season 2.

Synopsis
While alone in the locker room, Legoshi tastes the water bottles of every male carnivore member of the drama club in order to identify Tem's killer. After a horrifying incident during practice, Legoshi and Riz take Kibi to the infirmary, after which Legoshi reveals to Riz that he knows he is the culprit. Before they can start fighting, Pina interrupts them and blackmails Riz. Due to this incident, the school is set to become segregated and all clubs suspended, but the club members are not giving up. Riz reminisces about the times he spent with Tem and vows to always cherish those memories until the day he dies.

Plot
In the locker room, Legoshi laments the loss of his jaw strength and wonders the reason for his situation. Realizing that he is completely alone in the locker room, Legoshi takes the opportunity to investigate the identity of the murderer now that he knows the taste of his saliva. Legoshi checks the lockers of the carnivores and takes a sip of the drinks of each of them. Failure after failure, Legoshi finally finds the last suspect's locker. Finding a completely crushed thermos by the hand of its owner, Legoshi remembers that his attacker was strong enough to knock him around with one arm, and interprets this bottle as a warning to him.

Later, the activities of the drama club are carried out with total normality, until suddenly Ellen's scream alerts everyone and they see that Tao ripped off Kibi's arm while doing group stretches. While Kibi writhes in pain, Tao desperately tries to tell his companions that it was an accident. Aoba and Bill tell the herbivores to stay back, but an upset Tao shakes Ellen trying to make her claim it was an accident. Bill stops him and holds him while the others make a restraint to Kibi so that he does not bleed out.

Legoshi monologue that it is not uncommon for a carnivore to underestimate their own strength and injure a herbivore's arm or leg by accident, which is why replantation surgeries have advanced, so they should be able to reattach Kibi's arm.

Aoba tries to carry Kibi to take him to the infirmary, but a terrified Kibi does not want any carnivores to touch him for fear of losing his other arm. Aoba tries to convince him that he needs the strength of a carnivore to help him, but Kibi scared and crying flatly refuses. Kibi agrees for Legoshi to be the one to take him and he accepts. Before leaving, he asks someone to take his arm for him. Everyone looks at the arm without daring to be the one to offer to carry it, until Riz gives in and offers. Riz covers his arm with his vest and together with Legoshi they run towards the infirmary. While Tao regrets what he has done, Sanu cancels the club activities and tells everyone not to panic. On the way to the infirmary, Kibi asks if he will be taken to a hospital and Legoshi replies that it is likely, and promises to make sure to visit him.

At the same time outside the club, Bill and Aoba try to console Tao who regrets what happened. Bill assures him that everyone knows it was an accident and Aoba assures him that if he needs to, he will testify for him. Tao assures him that it is not that and although he was shocked when he ripped off Kibi's arm, the worst thing was the way everyone looked at him and they surely thought the same thing - that he must have been the one who killed Tem. Bill asks him if it was him, but Tao denies and reveals that all this time he stayed calm so that they wouldn't be afraid of him, but alleges that everything is over and asks how he can stay calm after ripping off his friend's arm. Bill reveals that even he and Aoba sweated as if they were the ones who attacked him.

After leaving Kibi in the infirmary, Riz gives Legoshi a handkerchief to wipe the blood off his uniform, but he returns it claiming that he needed more than a handkerchief to clean it. He asks Riz if he was the one who ate Tem, and warns him that there is no point in hiding it. Riz proves his guilt by asking him if he found it because of the French kiss he gave him. Legoshi answers that that was the only way to find out and he does not regret it. Riz alleges that he did not think Legoshi is going to confront him in this way and declares that he never wanted to eat Tem, that it was an accident. Legoshi asks him if he thinks he would let him get away with that excuse. Riz scratches the ceiling with his claws and declares that he will have to silence Legoshi permanently. Legoshi is paralyzed by fear, feels intimidating by Riz, and declares he has no chances of winning, but he still prepares to fight Riz. Both are interrupted by Pina who passes between them and informs them that they asked him to take Kibi's belongings to the infirmary. As Pina enters the infirmary, Legoshi and Riz calm down while diverting their attention to this interruption. When leaving Pina makes a joke about the damage that Riz did to the ceiling and claims that he will not say anything. Before he can leave Legoshi catches him and asks if he heard them, hoping that is not the case. Unfortunately Pina openly reveals that he now knows that Riz is the murderer, and that he got involved in the matter intentionally.

Shortly after, Pina, Legoshi and Riz sit in the rest area where Pina proposes to have a peaceful chat and asks Riz to stop seeing him as prey. Riz comments that he just feels nervous and Pina agrees with him since two students now know his secret and there is only one way to calm down after that. Riz comes forward and says that he just has to kill him. Legoshi tries to tell him that he will not allow it but Pina interrupts him saying that he would not recommend hurting him, arguing that if two members of the drama club are killed, the police would have to do an investigation and even a primary school student would know that they would focus their investigation on the drama club. Leaving Riz cornered, Pina affirms that he will not tell anyone since they are both under a certain predicament, but who for the moment declares this a victory for justice and wishes that Riz won't sleep peacefully tonight. Pina and Legoshi leave leaving Riz defeated and full of anger.

Three days later, Legoshi does his homework with his roommates until everyone receives a message on their phones notifying them that the school will be segregated, and the carnivores and herbivores will be in different classes starting next year. At the same time, Bill reads the same message that says that the drama clubs will be suspended next month and also hears two herbivore students agreeing with the news, so he feels that a carnivore like him has no right to judge them. On his way to the club, Bill is depressed but represses his sadness because he is supposed to be the happiest in the club and he cannot let this news bring down. Bill is interrupted by Els with whom he behaves in a cheerful way, but she is sad by the news of segregation. Bill treats the news as if it were unimportant and alleges that she should be happy since now she will be safe. Els stops and calls him a coward, asking him what right he has to say that. Els confronts him saying that he does not want to hear about safety with him, revealing that she knows that Bill sneaks meat from the Black Market. Bill asks her how she knows that and Els replies that everyone in the club knows, and also that he said in the locker room that "If Els was a female tiger, he'd totally hit that." Els affirms that everyone in the club knows what a creep he is but is still there for them. They know his bad side as much as his good side, he has shown them every part of him and that's what it means to be in a club. Out of breath she asks him why now of all times he is backing down so easily. Bill tells Els that that is enough and he apologizes to her. Bill proposes to fight back because he wants the club to continue. They arrive at the drama club where the members had already organized a vote to accept or oppose segregation and Els and Bill vote to oppose. They sit down with the rest and Legoshi asks Bill if he had a fight with Els, to which he answers no.

In the middle of the night in his dormitory, Riz is in bed writhing from the pain of an intense headache until he accidentally scratches his pillow. Riz remembers that Pina told him he hopes he doesn't sleep well tonight and responds internally saying that there was no need to say that, since he has not been able to sleep for a long time. A roommate asks him if he is okay and asks if he is going through the side effects. Riz replies that his head is hurting and his roommate tells him that he has to put up with it since big bears like them have no other choice. All bears that exceed 2 meters in height are required by law to take Strength Restrainer pills that decrease muscle mass. Bears are incredibly strong, so it is necessary to avoid any accidents and that's not a bad thing, but the humiliation of being forced to take these drugs every night is too much. Honey is the only thing that calms the side effects so Riz has a whole supply of honey in a mini-fridge. The next day, Riz hangs out with two of his club mates who claim to feel comfortable around him. Riz has a monologue where he says that everyone who looks at him believes that he is a friendly bear who loves honey and no one knows his true self, except for Tem.

In the spring, eight months ago, Tem without any context tells Riz that it is a bit scary, which surprises Riz. Tem tells him that when he saw him he could not help but realize how big he is and when he saw Riz's reaction, Tem apologizes in case he offended him. Riz alleges that he was just surprised because no one has told him that he is scary. Tem states that maybe he expressed himself poorly and says that he has been curious about the way Riz looks at his club teammates when they work. Tem approaches Riz and asks if being so big makes him feel lonely and what he usually thinks about it. For Riz Tem's words were sweeter than honey. Riz bends down and tells him that he fears that he does not know the reason but his rapacious body feels lighter. Tem tells him that if he is worried about something, he can talk to him and proposes to go out for a drink. Riz accepts and asks him again if he called him scary and Tem affirms that he didn't mean it in a bad way as Tem always spoke his mind. Later, Riz and Tem sit in the academy courtyard where Riz told Tem all about the Strength Restrainer pills he must take, and Tem comments that it must be hard for him. Riz claims that he has never told anyone about his pills in addition to his family and that he never thought he would tell a herbivore. Tem declares that it would be better if he told everyone but Riz refuses because if everyone discovers that he restricts his strength they will be scared of him. Tem alleges that everyone knows how nice he is and that it would not bother anyone, which Riz disagrees with because his true self is not really nice, and he doesn't even know what the word "nice" means. Tem remembers that Riz said that he felt lighter when they were talking, so the idea occurs to him that they continue to see each other outside the club and maybe his side effects will go away completely. Tem was right, with only a few days of small talk with Tem, Riz realized that he was consuming less and less honey and thanks to him, he no longer feels depressed when he takes his pills. In The night, just before taking one of the pills, Riz wonders if he really still needs them anymore. Wanting to get closer to Tem and wanting him to see his true self, Riz discards his Strength Restrainer pills. Later he reunites with Tem who tells him that he looks different as if his body had swollen. Riz affirms it and reveals that for the first time he did not take his pills, causing Tem to be surprised and tell him that he should not have done that. Riz alleges that he no longer needs them and a scared Tem tries to run away from him. Riz stops him by asking why he is running away from him and accidentally digs his claws into his arm, hurting him. Tem runs away from Riz who begins chasing him, trying to explain himself and saying that he only wanted for Tem to see the real him. After finally cornering Tem in the auditorium, Riz tells him that the two are supposed to be able to understand each other, but Tem disagrees, claiming that carnivores are nothing but monsters. To Riz, when Tem said that, his eyes and words were more beautiful than they had ever been, and he had an expression of true friendship. After that, Tem alleges that Riz doesn't need to hide anything anymore, since they are best friends and that should be obvious. While Riz cries, Tem tells him that that immense strength that he has is a part of how wonderful he is. Tem hugs Riz while telling him that he'll accept every part of him and he does not have to suffer anymore. Riz hugs Tem to later regain consciousness right after having killed him. I, in front of Riz were pieces of meat covered in blood and on him were marks made by desperate resistance. No matter what, Riz couldn't let the time he spent and the memories he made with Tem become a mere illusion. While devouring the remains of Tem's body, Riz desperately tries to make Tem's texture, color, warmth and flavor a part of his beautiful adolescence. He will always treasure them until the day she dies.

Anime/Manga Differences

 * In the manga you can see in a somewhat more graphic way the moment in which Tao tears off Kibi's arm.
 * In the manga, Legoshi comforts Kibi in a school hallway, while in the anime, he does it outside.
 * Legoshi vowing to protect Pina and asking for his phone number and scent sample is absent in the anime.
 * In the manga, the students received hand delivered letters about the future of the school, while in the anime, they received messages on their phones.
 * In the manga, Els scolds Bill inside the school, while in the anime, she does it outside the school.
 * The interspecies club uproar against the Cherryton Academy segregation decision and the involvement of the PR Club in publishing a newspaper on the subject is not shown in the anime.
 * In the anime, Riz and his roommate talk in their dormitory, while in the manga, they talk in the washroom.
 * In the manga, Tem wears his practice uniform when he calls Riz scary. In the anime, he was in his school uniform.
 * In the anime, Riz tells Tem about his Strength Restrainer in the academy courtyard and they spend time talking in the cafeteria. In the manga, it's the other way around.

Episodio 19