BNA – 03

「Rhino Melancholy」

The third episode of BNA has Shirou investigating Sylvasta Pharmaceuticals as it turns out that they are working with humans to blow up evidence that could link back to their own company’s corruption. But while it shines more of a light on beastmen and humans working together to tarnish the image of Anima City and beastmen, this episode is significant for giving us insight on Michiru’s life before becoming a tanuki.

It was nice to get Michiru’s point-of-view on her experiences up until she ran away to Anima City. Her school life clues us in on what type of society Michiru lived in back when she was in the regular human world. With her friend turning into a beastman earlier than she did, Michiru had the first-hand experience at seeing someone being detained for their beastman status.

Her reaction to becoming a tanuki also had a major impact on her personality as her disdain for feeling restricted came from her experience having to hole up in her room so that she wouldn’t be discovered as a newly transformed beastman. Her new beastman identity ended up becoming a visual marker that categorizes her in a demonized community in human society and lends itself to showing how marginalization in this community can cause beastmen to either leave home at such an early age or face public scrutiny as soon as they leave the house.

Similarly, it spells out trouble that Sylvasta has knowledge of Michiru and is aware of her identity as a human who was turned into a beastman. As a result, the chameleon doctor hints that her existence and appearance in Anima City had further complicated their work from behind the scenes. With their connection to both organized crime and a secret organization supervised by an unknown blonde man, Michiru and Shirou would likely be able to go directly through them to discover what it is that made her and her friend turn into beastmen.

This episode has some fun and meaningful scenes with Michiru and Shirou as the latter starts to warm up more to the former’s eccentricities and tenacity. But overall, Episode 03 provides excitement though the potential it presents by adding more context to Michiru’s past.