Beastars Vol. 22

~ this is the last book in the series, so of course you will get SPOILERS ~

A stranger shows up, claims he is Melon’s father (the mixed beast had always said his father was dead). This shocks Gosha into disabling the reporters’ equipment, busting up the press group and dashing with Yahya through the rioters to find Legoshi and Melon. The wolf has the upper hand now. Gosha questions the old gazelle man, who tells that he left when Melon was little because he feared living so close to a carnivore (his wife). Gosha reflects on how fearful he always was of his own wife, contracting his venom. And it ended in grief. Then a whole crowd of herbivores enters the black market, to face what Louis had admitted to the world (carnivores must eat meat, it’s natural for them). A big cat exclaims the quandry- they eat meat but don’t want to hurt their herbivore comrades- so they start destroying signage and shopfronts- both kinds of beasts participating in a rampage against that evidence of the market. Louis runs to support Legoshi. They stand side by side against Melon, who openly mocks the idea of herbivores and carnivores living in peace. Then he turns his weapon upon himself. Everyone scrambles to stop it (why do they not want Melon to die? Legoshi feels a connection because of being half one beast and the other, but I don’t get it about the rest of them). Yahya hauls Melon away to get medical help. Louis and Legoshi congratulate each other and Louis prepares to march back into his CEO role.

Legoshi’s seal friend returns to the ocean. We see that Melon survived and got locked up. Yahya confers with the whale again. Louis and Juno go on a date, but Louis puts an end to it, still committed to his arranged marriage partner. And then we see Haru and Legoshi together again- he’s slowing his stride to pace hers, always worrying about what she’s thinking, getting cut off when he tries to propose- and then she says the words. But with a caveat. They argue some, and finally agree. We see Legoshi’s old boarding school friends planning their futures after graduation. And all the other main characters get individual where-they-are-now pages, too. I liked how it all ended- except that I really wish Melon had just died.

Borrowed from the public library. Completed on 4/23/24.