The Spring 2026 Anime Preview Guide

BEASTARS Final Season Part 2

SYNOPSIS

BEASTARS Final Season Part 2 is based on the BEASTARS manga by Paru Itagaki . The anime series is streaming on Netflix on Saturdays.

The final Final Season of BEASTARS is something I have been awaiting with equal parts anticipation and trepidation. On the one hand (paw?), I haven't been let down yet by Studio Orange's excellent trademark style or their ability to streamline and even improve on the original manga. Then again, I've read BEASTARS from beginning to end twice, so I while I have learned firsthand why Paru Itagaki has developed a reputation for being a unique artist with a keen sense for character writing and worldbuilding, I have also learned why she has not become known for being a writer who is particularly good at the “plot” part of storytelling (especially when it comes to conclusions). All of this is to say that I have been very excited to finally catch up with Legoshi and Co. after the hilariously literal cliffhanger we last left off on, but I have long been worried that even Studio Orange won't be able to wrangle the unwieldy mess that the BEASTARS manga devolved into through its final chapters.

If I put on my Professional Critic Hat and simply judge the first episode of BEASTARS's final dispatch on its own, though, I can happily report that the show still hasn't lost its footing. Sure, the series inherited a lot of the manga's bloated ambitions and messy pacing, but I thought the first half of this Final Season contained some of the show's strongest material since Season 1, with more direction and intentionality behind the presentation of this sprawling crime drama than we'd seen in years. While the individual stories of Legoshi, Haru, Louis, and Juno are still far too removed from one another for my liking, the growing thread of hybrid serial killer Melon has provided BEASTARS with just enough connective tissue to remain cohesive. Granted, much of Haru's screentime here is devoted to teasing out the next big threat that our hero will need to overcome, but we do get an excellent reunion between Legoshi and Louis that demonstrates just what made this unlikely duo such compelling protagonists when the show first started.

Studio Orange's handle on the film-noir stylings of BEASTARS, the gritty and bloody world of predator and prey continues to elevate the material, as it always has. Whether or not you're personally interested in the “furry” appeal of the show's steamy melodrama, it is impossible to deny that there just isn't anything else on TV that looks or feels quite like BEASTARS. Even if the Final Season doesn't completely overcome the baggage of its source material, I am happy that we're getting the chance to finish Legoshi's story.