"The Moon and the Beast" (満月は照らす獣を選んでる, Mangetsu wa terasu kemono o eran deru?) is the first episode of the Beastars anime.
Synopsis Official
At the prestigious Cherryton Academy, there was a "predation incident" in which the student Tem the alpaca was killed. In the drama club to which the victim belongs, carnivorous animals and herbivorous animals have a harsh atmosphere. In this situation, the strange wolf Legoshi doesn't even participate in the club's activities, but he is a bit confused.
Plot
Tem gets attacked by one of his carnivore classmates.
Under a blood-red moon, an injured Tem runs away from a large carnivore hot on his trail. He stumbles into a classroom and closes the door, asking if his pursuer will really eat him despite being classmates. As the predator throws open the doors, Tem tumbles down the stairs. Panicked in the complete darkness, he asks if herbivores are nothing but food for carnivores before accidentally stepping on a remote triggering a projector slide on building a shared society for carnivores and herbivores. The assailant slowly approaches, blocking out the projector light. Tem cries out that carnivores are monsters before a sharp set of teeth end his life.
The next morning news quickly spreads of Tem's murder. Students gossip about how he was a member of the drama club where carnivores and herbivores were supposed to get along and speculate whether it may have been a student. Els laments that he was just practicing with them the day before and says that it might not have been a student, though the others insist it must have still been a carnivore. Her friends warn her to be careful with a gray wolf in the club before leaving her alone with her thoughts as a gray hand slips away from a nearby corner.
Tensions rise between carnivores and herbivores in the drama club after Tem's death.
In the locker room, Legoshi overhears Tao and Kai discuss how they will need to replace Tem only two weeks before the performance and whether they should even put on the play considering one of their cast members just died. Outside members of the drama club are anxious as Els notices Legoshi watching her from afar. When the president walks in to discuss the news, the herbivores and carnivores of the club have separated into groups on opposing sides of the room. Tensions rise asEllen accuses the carnivores of having something to do with Tem's death as the club was the only place where he interacted with them. She says someone must have wanted his part, starting an argument with Bill who says herbivores are always like this and anyone who hurt an herbivore would be expelled. As they continue to argue, some herbivores notice Legoshi is missing. Els worries about his disappearance, noting it was like he was scoping her out as prey.
On the walk home, Els tells her prosimian friend it feels like Legoshi is telling her she is his next target. Her friend laughs that he couldn't be and tries to comfort Els saying to come to her for anything she needs before bidding her goodnight and leaving.
Els and Legoshi talk about Tem.
Once she is alone, Els sees Legoshi's shadow emerge from behind a tree to approach her. She panics, asking if he pretends to be their friend only to eat them when he is hungry and pulls out a pair of scissors to defend herself. Legoshi takes the scissors, handing her a note from Tem. He says it was a love letter from Tem and explains he waited all day until she was alone to give it to her, apologizing. She thanks him, apologizing for speaking ill of him and promising to make things right but Legoshi says there is no need because he would feel bad if everyone found out about Tem's crush because of it, and he is used to being feared and hated.
Students made a memorial to Tem outside the classroom where he was killed.
The next day, Legoshi visits Tem's memorial and recalls Tem saying he would wait for the right time to give the letter to Els and tell her how he feels. While Legoshi kneels by the memorial, Louis approaches, kneeling nearby. Legoshi reflects on how Louis must put thought into every mannerism and action as star actor at the top of the school. Louis scolds him for staring and being rude before asking him for a favor.
Meanwhile, as Haru tends to flowers, objects fall from a window above. Two girls throw her things out the window, teasing that a man always steps up to save her. When Haru says nothing they can do will bother her, they throw her mattress out the window as well telling her to move to a different room. As Haru drags it back, an anteater offers to help her carry it but is warned by his friend not to mess with Haru, who then declines the offer. Haru asks her roommate Sally why she didn't stop them if she was in the room. Sally dismisses Haru's concern and her offer to go eat dinner together.
Mizuchi and her friends bully Haru.
No one allows Haru to sit with them in the cafeteria, so she enjoys her food alone outside. As she starts to eat, Mizuchi approaches with the two bullies from before and taunts her about being in danger of getting eaten if she's alone. Haru asks why Mizuchi doesn't spend time fixing her relationship rather than spreading rumors about her since Mizuchi's boyfriend was the one that kissed Haru. When Haru makes an implication about Mizuchi's boyfriend getting too excited from just a kiss, Mizuchi pushes her off the ledge and soaks her with a bucket of water. Mizuchi says her relationship will flourish because they are both endangered Harlequin rabbits, and since Haru ruined their purebred couple, she's telling everyone Haru is fooling around with other men too.
Louis threatens Zoe to learn Tem's lines.
Louis tells Legoshi to fix Tem's costume to fit Zoe who they determined would replace Tem at the management meeting the day before. Louis begins to rehearse but when Zoe struggles to recall his lines, Louis berates him asking if he ate the script since eating paper is all goats are good for.
Kai bursts into the room asking why Zoe will be replacing Tem when Kai was the runner-up in auditions. Louis tells Kai that he will be joining Legoshi backstage and was no longer an actor as others listen outside the door. Louis continues to taunt Kai about his past mistakes until he lashes out in anger, attempting to punch Louis. Legoshi stops Kai, reminding him that Louis is lead actor and Kai leaves in frustration. Louis tells Legoshi that he will be sneaking into the auditorium to practice with Zoe and needs Legoshi to keep watch.
After drying her clothes in the bathroom, Haru contemplates how men approach her thinking she needs them but when she doesn't fit their fantasy, they mess around before leaving. She walks toward the auditorium where Legoshi keeping watch and pacing by the door. As Legoshi bends over to pick up a grasshopper, he catches a whiff of Haru's scent. It courses through his body. Haru notices his instincts kicking in and tries to run, but Legoshi leaps and tackles her to the ground.
Anime/Manga Differences
- In the anime, Tem accidentally turns on a projector in the lecture hall where he is killed, contrary to the manga, where that event does not occur.
- In the anime, Jack, Collot, Durham, Miguno, Voss and Mark do not have their respective appearances.
- In the manga, Legoshi's first brief appearance is at the dormitory hiding behind the trees while in the anime, his hand is briefly seen at the cafeteria.
- There is less carnivore members of the drama club in the anime than in the manga.
- In the anime, Els fears Legoshi and suspects that he is the murderer because some friends gave her that idea. In the manga, Els fears Legoshi for his intimidating appearance and for having suspicions that he killed Tem. However, Els did speak about her suspicions with her friends in the locker room.
- In the manga, Legoshi causes a brief blackout from atop the rafters to get everyone's attention in the drama club and asks Els directly if she felt sad about Tem's death. In the anime, this does not happen, and he instead works with the lights on top a balcony.
- In the anime, a squirrel looks for Legoshi in the club to open some nuts and other members stop her. In the manga, Legoshi does break the nuts, but the squirrel didn't ask for it.
- Legoshi secretly taking Tem's love letter from his locker is not presented in the anime.
- In the manga, Legoshi confronts Els in the practice room after she forgot her watch, so she returns alone while in the anime, Legoshi hides from Els until she is alone.
- In the manga, the letter drops from Legoshi's pocket while in the anime, Legoshi presents the letter to Els.
- In the manga, the flashback where Legoshi talks to Tem about the letter occurs right after he gives the letter to Els. In the anime, however, the flashback occurs while Legoshi is at Tem's altar.
- In the manga, Legoshi and Els chat in one of the school corridors on the window while in the anime, they talk outside the herbivorous dormitories on benches.
- In the manga, Jack talks with a herbivore student named Mark about Legoshi and the outcome of Tem's murder. In the anime, this does not happen.
- In the manga, Legoshi discusses with Jack about the play Adler. In the anime, this does not happen.
- In the anime, Legoshi gives his condolences on Tem's altar and then was accompanied by Louis who does the same. In the manga, this does not happen at all.
- In the anime, Mizuchi's friends throw Haru several of her notebooks and then her mattress, from an elevated floor of the herbivorous bedrooms. In the manga, this does not happen.
- In the anime, rejection by students towards Haru is more explicit.
- In the anime, Haru talks with Sally in her bedroom. In the manga, Sally meets Haru outside the cafeteria.
- In the manga, Mizuchi strikes Haru in the face with the water bucket, whereas in the anime, Mizuchi merely splashes water with Haru from the bucket.
- In the anime, Sally proves not to care about Haru's situation with Mizuchi, she even lets Mizuchi take her things, while in the manga, Sally tells Haru that she can't let her see her anymore, looking worried about Haru.
- The anime does not have much focus on the character of Kai, while in the manga, Kai is a character with a more thought out background.
- The character Mokichi the badger is not presented in the anime. Also, the part where Sheila talks to a drama club member about Kai being taking out from the acting team is not presented in the anime as well.
- In the anime, Kai visits Louis at the same time that he was with Legoshi and Zoe. In the manga, these meetings happen at two different times of the day.
- In the manga, Legoshi blocks Kai's strike with his elbow. In the anime, Legoshi blocks Kai's strike with his shoulder before giving him a threatening snarl which he never did in the manga.
- In the anime, because of Kai meeting Louis at the same time that he was with Legoshi and Zoe, the part where Kai see Zoe's costume fitting does not happen in the anime as well.
- In the manga, Kai angrily snaps at the rest of the drama club members, and in the anime, while this does happen however, the drama club members are off-screen.
- In the manga, Haru is seen in her underwear waiting for her clothes to dry in a bathroom cubicle. In the anime, she does this but is not seen in her underwear.