More short stories from the Beastars world. Somehow these didn’t grip me quite as much as the others. Some of the stories felt a bit short, like it dropped off right before reading the point. But it could just be that my attention was flagging. Here’s a short synopsis of each:
‘The Python and the Hyena’ – A python likes being in the school building early, before anyone else. He’s shocked to walk into a classroom and find a hyena had hung himself. This hyena used to relentlessly bully the python, so the snake is terrified that authorities will assume he was responsible, and he reacts unwisely in his panic.
‘The Japanese Deer and the Snow Leopard’ – The deer and leopard are co-stars on a popular television show. Deer has been feeling insecure about her acting ability, after overhearing criticism from the public. She’s encouraged that they’re going to receive acclaim at the Academia Awards- but then horrified to find out her partner the leopard committed a crime, and wants to admit it on camera at the ceremony.
‘The Turtle and the Sheep’ – This young male sheep is indecisive and shy. He’s been told that his horns, which curve inwards pointing at his face, will eventually pierce his own head and endanger his life- and is waiting for someone else to point this out, convincing him to have surgery to remove them. Meanwhile he wonders about a turtle who sits near him in class, mostly hiding his legs, arms and neck inside his shell. It turns out he’s a tattoo artist who feels the need to hide the work he’s done on his own body- and now he offers to practice his skill on the sheep’s horns.
‘The Tiger and the Alpaca’ – A tigress in a powerful job position who feels the constant stress of dealing with her subordinate co-workers, seeks relief at the massage parlor. She’s surprised to find herself experiencing a serious role reversal when the alpaca takes control of the situation, and even turns it into something suggestive . . .
‘The Wolf and the Seal’ – Legoshi and his seal friend Sagwan go looking for a missing young octopus. When they find grilled octopus tentacles for sale at a street stall, they fear the worst. Legoshi is shocked at how Sagwan handles the situation, but he learns more about the marine animals’ traditions in the events that follow.
‘The Lion and the Rabbit’ – This story has two characters from Beastars Vol. 14, where a lion was dating a rabbit in college, and their relationship ended with a mauling. Now the two meet up again by chance, and the lion is startled that she not only wants to talk to him, but seems eager to see him again. Her friends object, thinking he’s going to attack her, but she insists on talking to him in private, and soon makes it clear that she wants to manipulate their reunion in public, as a popularity stunt.
‘The Alligator and the Cow’ – An alligator is visiting his friend’s house- who happens to be a cow. The alligator had recently tasted beef broth for the first time, which someone had given him from the black market. Now he finds himself alone in the bathroom, and the tub is full of steaming hot water that his cow friend had just occupied, and he can’t help noticing that it smells compellingly like the broth . . . so he does something very unseemly- and is startled when someone else walks in. Then he’s consumed with worry about did his friend notice what he’d done.
In a book full of quirky and odd stories set in an imaginary world, I thought the last one was really strange! My favorite was the story of the turtle and sheep.
Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 4/30/24.
One Response
I can see why these didn’t grip you as much as the earlier books did. The plots don’t seem as interesting and there were few twists/shocks (other than the bathwater broth, which while gross I guess is at least harmless…).