 The eighth television series from Studio Trigger, BNA, or Brand New Animal, was released in early 2020 via Netflix Japan, and later on worldwide. A 12-episode action mystery set in the fictional Anima City, a place where beast men are able to live as themselves. You see, this is a world where humanoid animals roam the earth. Some are hunted and persecuted. Others discriminated by humans. When high schooler Michiro Kagemori is one day turned into a Tanuki Beastkin, she seeks refuge in Anima City, where she will meet Shirou Ogami, a wolf beast man with a keen sense of smell, and a protector of the weak. Hi everyone, welcome back to the channel, Gio here, and I decided to review BNA, Brand New Animal, which instantly became one of my favorite anime of recent memory. Trigger has a bombastic reputation when it comes to their work. Kill a kill, premiere, grid man, the list goes on. Known for their intense action, gorgeous art design, larger than life, plots, and wonderful action set pieces, I was more than excited to check BNA out. As I mentioned at the start of this video, we follow Michiro's journey and experience, what this world is, and what it has to offer through her eyes. She's on the run from humanity after turning into a beastkin, and enters a decade old city that is a safe haven for beast men. Its mayor, Barbara Rose, is working with the Japanese government to secure the right for every citizen and to keep Anima City intact. Those same citizens are very diverse. Beastkin come in all shapes and sizes, from birds to rhinos, dogs, cats, minks, wolves, bears, and so much more. One of the city's main figures is the mysterious Shiro Ogami, a wolf beastkin who possesses immense strength and what seems to be an immortal body. Shiro is both veered and revered in the city. Criminal underground mobsters know of him, while citizens are thankful for his role in keeping the city safe. His appearance is reminiscent of Gindro, a huge wolf deity that is known throughout history as the legendary guardian of beast men. During the first act of the series, Michiro becomes acquainted with Shiro after he saves her life from a thief and a bombing plot. Together they will look into Michiro's mysterious transformation as well as conspiracies and foul play that disturbs Anima City. Meanwhile, an enigmatic entrepreneur and president of Silvasta Pharmaceutics, Alan Silvasta, has taken note of our main heroes and is working behind the scenes to unravel the nature of their abilities and transformations. One of the great things about using anthropomorphic animals for your cast of characters is how we can criticize and poke fun of ourselves as a species through the lens of animalistic characteristics. BNA takes advantage of this by constructing a narrative similar to real-life issues that plague society, such as discrimination, racism, and inequality. Humans fear and loathe beast men. They see them as lesser, freakish beings. When Anima City was built, people resented them and opposed to a fully functioning autonomous city within Japanese borders, but those on the positive side of things moved ahead and helped make this utopia a reality. Inside the city, however, things aren't as bright as they might seem. Like with any big city, crime, injustice, and fear are present, from organized crime to beast trafficking. Michiru gets a hands-on experience early on in the story on the dirty side of Anima City, and at first declares her hatred for beast men, seeing herself as a human with a sickness, a condition that needs fixed. Artanuki Girl joins forces with Chido and the mayor of Anima City to cure it and eventually leave. As the series progresses, Michiru's beliefs are put into question as she gets to know the different characters that inhabit the great city. The dolphin daughter of a crime lord, who is a social media influencer in her human form, and is oblivious to the prejudice coming from humans. The Bear's team, a poor, down-and-out baseball team led by a coach who is more interested in bribes than actually winning tournaments. An albatross who has faced trouble migrating due to flight restrictions placed on them from human governments. The introduction of religious cults into a modern, evolving cosmopolitan city, and most important of all, a white fox who resembles her best friend from before her transformation. Through all these interactions and more, Michiru learns of diversity and how we are all one in the same. Like the human condition, these characters are living, breathing parts of a society that is trying to coexist and survive amidst social issues and the ills that plague us. During the middle portion of the show, I realized that BNA could have easily been made into an epic motion picture, but I'm thankful for them to have created a riveting TV show instead. What could have been an action story set in an hour and a half spectacle instead gets a multi-layered run of 12 episodes, taking the time to explore the city, its inhabitants, and Michiru's evolution as a character. But most importantly of all, explaining the significance of her mixed blood in a society that is pure. A lot of the characters in the show resent the opposing side. This is evident in the way humans look down on beastmen, as well as how several characters such as Shiro Ogami also resent humanity for their past transgressions. At first, questioning Michiru's purpose for being in the city, he quickly develops an awkward relationship with our Tanuki girl, and as the two investigate her mysterious transformation and evolving abilities, Ogami acquires a piece of humanity itself, the understanding and embracement of our differences. One fascinating element of this series is represented in the relationship between Michiru and Nazuna, a former friend who is also going through the same disease. In the story, she is the poster child for a silver wolf cult dedicated to the mythology behind Ginro, the sacred deity of the beast kin. While our main lead struggles with her identity and her new appearance, Nazuna takes advantage of her issue and uses it to catapult her popularity into becoming a famous idol. Her cult of the silver wolf is feared at first as a fanatical abheaval of the society that took 10 years to build. As the mayor reluctantly is forced to approve of their stay, we find out that the true motivations of the series antagonists and their willingness to manipulate from the shadows, these powers that be reveal the series lore to us, the audience, and how easily it can be for those in power to change public opinion. The villain in this story is seeking to fix beastmen problems, and through a series of coordinated events, works to dismantle the city to its very core, producing our characters to their true animalistic natures, and proving to humans the dangers of a city like anima. It will take the coordinated effort between our protagonists to uncover the truth behind truths, and in the process, learn about the true meaning of beastmen. In true trigger fashion, the action is intense, stylized, and bursting with attitude. In my first impressions video, I talked about how synthwave heavy the series was and how much I dug it. I still feel the same way after finishing the story. The villains' motivations are pretty unique and somewhat different than what we are accustomed to. Every episode added more to the story, and not once did I feel it dragged, each adventure adding to the overall enjoyment and world building of the show. At the end of the day, this is a story of prejudice and acceptance, told through the metaphor of animals, and expertly brought to life by a talented creative team. Each character has a story to tell. You grow to love or hate them, and hopefully sympathize with what they are going through. The animation is gorgeous. The 12 episodes help us understand our main protagonist and her journey of self-discovery. The music and sounds of BNA bring to life this kick-ass story, and hopefully leaves you with a sense of wonder. Through one adorable tanuki girl, we learn of a character that comes to term with who she is and embraces her individuality as she moves forward with a new sense of purpose. Underneath the action, style, and look of the series, brand new animal has a message to tell. Though sometimes we may look, talk, and behave differently, we are all the same at the end of the day.