Maybe it’s a little of everything after all.  Sex, puberty, class, race, and a bunch of animals living their daily lives as high schoolers.  Trying to puzzle out just what Beastars is trying to say at any given time is certainly a never-ending task, but maybe Itagaki Paru doesn’t even know herself sometimes.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m dead-certain that the premise of this series is metaphorical to an overwhelming degree, but this episode more than any so far had me feeling like the cigar is sometimes just a cigar.

We started out with an amusing little omake about Legom (Andou Sakura) the hen who sits next to Legosi.  While this vignette was obviously played for humor, it was still sort of creepy.  And it was a reminder of the dynamic that exists between herbivores and carnivores in this mythology, albeit a less grisly one than the old man at the black market last week.  If that had more than a whiff of FLCL-style sexual symbolism, this one felt much more class-driven – if one were inclined to try and read between the lines (perhaps more than they probably should).

Indeed, class was a strong presence in the air this week, where the headline was definitely Legosi learning the truth of what was happening between Louis and Haru.  Truthfully Louis has no reason to hide his relationship with Haru – theoretically neither does Legosi but the practicalities obviously don’t work that way here.  But herbivore or no, Louis makes it very clear that for social reasons he and Haru can never be more than clandestine lovers.  He’s an elite, and his future – including marriage – has already been decided by his family.  And a common white rabbit (or any other Lepus) is certainly not part of it.

It’s hard to fault Louis too much here.  He certainly didn’t force himself on her, and it was Haru who initiated their relationship after their gruesome initial meeting.  He seems genuinely fond of her, and from what we can see has been pretty honest about his situation.  But the reality is that Haru clearly doesn’t mean that much to him – she’s beneath his station, and given her reputation he surely realizes it would be damaging to his precious social standing if the truth were ever to come out.

None of that, of course, will matter to Legosi.  The poor guy is really doing his best to try and forget Haru, as society dictates he do.  Everyone (including Louis) is trying to push he and Juno together, and she’s certainly more than interested.  But it couldn’t be more clear – there’s no chemistry there.  Legosi feels none of the things for Juno that he does for Haru (he’s honor-student clinical in explaining her feelings when she’s close to him).  Even here, in this modern anthropomorphic parable, the heart what it wants.

It’s hard to see this ending well between Legosi and Louis, which means nothing good for either one of them.  Here we seem to be drifting back towards adolescence as the metaphor of the moment, as Legosi is constantly reminded that a beast exists inside him – one that’s awakened by Haru to be sure – and he must always be vigilant to prevent it from breaking out.  Jack finding the bunny porn mag in Legosi’s cubby (where the overgrown schoolboy keeps a stag beetle as a pet) was a funny moment, but one that didn’t quite mean the same thing Jack thought it did.

The really hard question here is what to think about Haru and Legosi.  If you give any credence to the rules of the road Beastars has declared the logic of the situation is obvious – this pairing is nigh impossible and a very bad idea for any number of reasons.  But the fact remains that as lacking in sparks as his meeting with Juno was, Legosi’s chance encounter with Haru was (as they’ve all been) a veritable 12-cylinder engine.  They’re adorable together and based on personalities alone, a perfect match.  While biologically they’re even more mismatched than she and Louis, socially they’re much closer.  It’s all very confusing at this point to be honest, and will be until Itagaki is willing to show her hole cards (if indeed she ever does).