BEASTARS episode 7 takes on a more light-hearted tone this week as Legosi navigates himself through a complex web of high-school romance. All he can think about is Haru, but she’s getting it on with Louis, and he has to deal with the advances of his underclassman, Juno – Legosi is one popular guy, that’s for sure.
Return of the Egg
But before we get into all of that, BEASTARS episode 7 starts off with a largely unrelated vignette. I’m talking about egg sandwich story from chapter 20 of the original manga, which was conspicuously cut from last week’s episode.
One of the reasons that I pointed out its absence from last week’s episode was not just out of curiosity, but out of a genuine sense of disappointment that anime-only viewers wouldn’t get to experience this fantastic piece of belly-busting world-building. Therefore, I’m more than happy that it made it in.
I’m also happy to say that Studio Orange managed to nail the appeal of the original vignette on almost all fronts. Not only was the voice actor that they chose for the conceited hen Legom absolutely perfect, but composer Satoru Kousaki is absolutely on fire here – inserting three musical motifs that perfectly sell the mood of each key moment. That upbeat tune with the whistling that fades into the opening is definitely a stand-out.
It’s all the more surprising that this vignette managed to fit quite snugly at the beginning of BEASTARS episode 7 without harming the pacing of the episode’s other, more important events. Studio Orange did this through a number of small changes to dialogue and scenery, including cutting a redundant scene of Legom checking into her part-time job and reworking the scene on the rooftop to express the chicken’s emotional journey without using up much time at all. It’s pretty clever stuff.
Haru’s Adventures in Wonderland
With all that out of the way, BEASTARS episode 7 launches into the real meat of its story content: setting up a love triangle between Haru, Legosi, and Louis.
This process starts off with perhaps one of the best pieces of animation in the show so far, which is also up there with some of the best cuts of the season. Haru walks through a deep, violet forest and into a body of water, both her body and the scenery warping and distorting in a sequence that very much reminds me of the trippy visuals of Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – no doubt intended by Studio Orange, given the fact that Haru is a white rabbit.
This scene also takes cues from Paru Itagaki’s original manga and art at the beginning of chapter 26 of the original manga, but major credit must be given to Kuno Yoko for taking this one step further. She even drew the scene entirely by hand – a rare feat in this day and age, let alone in a 3D-animated show. Just when I think that this production can’t get any better, it does.
BEASTARS第７話にてハルの夢パートの演出をさせていただきました。ほんの短い尺ですが久しぶりに色鉛筆でアニメーションを描かせていただきました…✏️
写真は色を変える前の原画の一部です。 pic.twitter.com/SQMYcG8sX9— KunoYoko (@kunoyoko) November 21, 2019
Even beyond the visuals, what makes this entire sequence so captivating is its importance for the overall plot. We already got hints of this in previous episodes, but BEASTARS episode 7 finally reveals to us that Louis is indeed enjoying a relationship with Haru – something which Legosi surely won’t be all that happy about.
And just when you speak of the devil, he shall appear; the first half of the episode leaves off just as Louis goes to open the door of the garden shed and finds Legosi, the other party in his love triangle, loitering outside – mirroring perfectly the break that comes between chapter 26 and 27 in the original manga.
It’s almost a shame that, on Netflix, the second part comes in straight away as the level of tension created by this ending is palpable. Nevertheless, the feeling is greatly appreciated, along with Sayaka Senbongi’s excellent, wistful performance as Haru and Satoru Kousaki’s delicate piano arrangement.
Just as an aside, the scene where Louis and Haru are doing the dirty in the Gardening Club shed is much more risqué in the original manga. That’s not a slight on the anime version, but more of just an interesting way in which content standards for TV and manga differ.
Legosi’s Love Triangle
Poor Legosi. Things just aren’t looking up for him at the moment, with his crush enjoying a relationship with his senpai and idol figure Louis. And as we move into the second half of BEASTARS episode 7, things are just going to get even more complicated.
Legosi is pondering the nature of his infatuation with Haru – is it love or is it predation – in the Drama Club rehearsal room when his kouhai and secret admirer Juno joins him, making it very clear that she’s fallen head over heels for this senpai of the same species.
This fact is well expressed in BEASTARS episode 7, even more so than it was in the original manga, as the entire scene of Legosi helping her with the dance for the Meteor Festival is viewed through a literal rose tint. Excitable inner narration from Juno, provided by Atsumi Tanezeki, also helps in this task. There’s also the moment where we enter into Juno’s headspace and focus on Legosi taking off his jersey for just a second – is it me, or is it getting hot in here?
It’s good that BEASTARS episode 7 was able to put across the level of Juno’s infatuation so well given that they cut an important scene from last week’s episode that shows Juno listfully daydreaming about her senpai. That scene seems unnecessary now, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it turned up again sometime later, like the initial egg vignette.
In any case, Juno’s bubble is thoroughly burst by Legosi, who turns down her advances in a typically boneheaded fashion by explaining that their feeling of relaxation when together is simply down to biology. Studio Orange underscore the effect of all this with the encroaching darkness that starts to surround Juno as Legosi digs his hole further and further, her expression twisting in annoyance.
Not that Legosi is aware of any of this, nor will he be for a long time to come. He’s much more preoccupied with his growing crush on the dwarf rabbit Haru, as the next events in BEASTARS episode 7 show.
We cut to an ominous look of horror on the face of Jack, Legosi’s roommate and childhood friend, who was somehow able to discover the rabbit-themed porno magazine that Goushin gave him at the end of last week to determine if he might have a herbivore fetish.
Studio Orange’s animation, particularly in characters’ facial expressions, is absolutely on point here as Jack’s face twists in shock and nervous indignation, and Legosi unleashes a flying kick from the inside of his bunk bed to rid Jack of the embarrassing document.
All of that comedy, however, soon fades as BEASTARS episode 7 moves into more serious territory. The words of Gouhin have really resonated with Legosi and he’s now considering completely abandoning his feelings for Haru – culminating in this heart to heart with his childhood friend, as he painfully tries to convince himself that he’s just a normal wolf, that he doesn’t have feelings for a rabbit.
Nevertheless, that all comes full circle at the end of the episode, as Legosi finally discovers what we have known all along: that Haru and Louis are in some kind of relationship, despite both of them assuring the wolf that that was not the case.
Studio Orange changed the location of this final, climactic scene from chapter 29 of the original manga, and this works really well. Instead of simply seeing the pair through the crowd, he instead spots them while up at the top of a scaffold. This not only makes more sense (Louis does want to hide his relationship with Haru, after all) but it literally elevates the impact of the scene as Legosi finally admits to himself that he does love her – he won’t run from it anymore.
BEASTARS Episode 7: Lucky in Love
Overall, BEASTARS episode 7 is definitely one of the more melodramatic episodes of the series thus far, but it’s no less full of great animation, fantastic voice acting and enchanting soundtracks – as well as delivering some genuine laughs and breathtaking suspense.
If you guessed that something was going to change from Legosi’s little admonition at the end of this episode, then you’d be exactly right. From here on out, BEASTARS is going to completely change gears and take full advantage of the big, wide world that Paru Itagaki has created – look forward to it.
You can watch BEASTARS episode 7 via Netflix. Be sure to check out our features month on BEASTARS as well for exclusive interviews from series creator Paru Itagaki, the team from Studio Orange behind the anime, and more!