Beastars Vol. 17

~~ warning for SPOILERS ~~

Louis spends the night in a hotel with his fiancé, but can’t um, perform to satisfaction. Disgruntled at her insistence, he seeks out the company of the lions- and finds Legoshi there. All of them- the eight-lion gang, one wolf and a fierce deer- set out to track down Melon. The big cats have some curious methods- divination using their pulled whiskers, for one. (Fun fact- the lions have been assuaging their meat cravings by gnawing on Louis’ shed antlers- which he finds upsetting at first). We find out that Melon has insinuated himself into another profession where he can prey on the unsuspecting. He’s teaching in a university- and Haru is a student there. Melon seems to be tormented by conflicting urges due to his dual nature. He has a very touchy and dangerous encounter with Haru- and she stands up for herself- but seems to escape only just barely. There’s more on the carnivore / herbivore history, and the use of products from their bodies: eggs, milk, and the coffee beans that travel through a civet’s gut! There was a whole episode about that. Right after escaping Melon’s clutches, Haru pays a surprise visit to Legoshi- throwing him into angst because drinking the civet coffee gave him strong urges to eat meat. She’s afraid to tell what happened with the professor. Haru really wants to attempt intimacy again, but Legoshi gets such a shock that all his fur turns white. Emotionally reeling, he pledges himself to Haru, to their future. Legoshi then finally accosts Melon- they battle- and we get glimpses of the mixed-species beasts’ childhood- bullied by other young ones for his differences- and then Legoshi and Melon survive a fall from a great height together. When Melon flees Legoshi’s clutches (again), bystanders – and law enforcement- assume that the wolf is the aggressor, so his trouble with police begins all over again. Legoshi runs to his old roommate buddies for refuge.

Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 4/18/24