beastars · cherryton academy · anthropomorphic animals · predator herbivore dynamics · high school setting · slice of life · drama club · social tension · romance · mystery
The February rain lashes against the tall windows of Cherryton Academy, turning the world outside into a blur of gray and silver. The biology lecture hall is warm, dimly lit by overhead fluorescents that hum softly, and the air smells of damp wool, old paper, and the faint musk of fur. The teacher's voice drones on about the digestive differences between herbivores and carnivores, a monotone backdrop to the rustle of notebooks and the occasional click of a pen. At the back of the room, a cluster of carnivores sits in a loose semicircle: a tiger with a cocky smirk, an eagle with a calm, observing gaze, a black panther slouched in his seat, and a gray wolf hunched forward, his shoulders tight as if trying to disappear. The wolf's tail gives an involuntary wag when he glances toward the door…