BEASTARS wasn’t received with open arms originally when it was announced. Yet, when BEASTARS released in 2019, anime fans began to howl for Legoshi—the main wolf lead—and his battle to be accepted in a world dived between herbivores and carnivores. BEASTARS even had people love a rabbit-human hybrid—Haru—and begin to have her on waifu lists! The beauty of BEASTARS is that it allows viewers to see through the eyes of animals and wonder. Is this really how animals live? Probably not, but it would be cool in our minds!

As much as we love anime with every fiber of our being, it’s hard not to feel that many anime can get repetitive. There are only so many times we can see a young man or woman get sent to another world and/or watch a high school harem go askew. With anthropomorphic themes, anime can explore new genres from a fresh perspective. BNA—Brand New Animal—was a recent studio Trigger series that gave us real-world themes through the lens of anthropomorphic characters. Imagine more series using the concepts of BNA or even BEASTARS? We’d have a whole new realm of anime possibilities and we love how that sounds!

Anime viewers have probably noticed that protagonists in anime can look…quite similar. Akin to video games—namely RPGs—the idea of having a generic hero is so the viewer can live through their eyes and envision themselves in those characters. As much sense as that makes, it ultimately makes main characters look rather boring. Animal hybrid heroes like Legoshi, Michiru Kagemori from BNA, and Hitomi Uzaki from Killing Bites have unique designs and are far removed from the stereotypical anime heroes/heroines. Would it be that hard to see yourself in the shoes of Legoshi if you’re quiet and afraid to make waves in the real world? No, and that’s why we think anthropomorphic-like protagonists could pave the way for new anime legends to be born!

Whether you loved or hated anime series like Killing Bites, Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou and/or the ones we mentioned above, you had to have realized something amazing about these anime. Rather than being predictable, they were quite different. Even the harem themes of Monster Musume were altered by having a male human getting with non-human girls. Killing Bites had anthropomorphic warriors who fought with the spirits of those animal genes! These anime allowed viewers to enjoy different battles and feel new adventures that aren’t too often seen in anime. Plus, we got a ton of new waifu/husband from those series!