WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Beastars Season 2, now streaming on Netflix.
Beastars Season 2 has two diverging storylines that focus, respectively, on the anthropomorphic animal characters Legoshi and Louis. Legoshi’s story focuses on his quest to catching the person who murdered Tem the alpaca at the start of Season 1, while Louis finds himself stuck in Shishigumi -- the Lion’s Mafia -- as their leader. Louis’ story primarily focuses on his relationship with Shishigumi’s #2, Ibuki.
At the end of Season 2, Ibuki gives his life so Louis can leave Shishigumi. It's the emotional climax of Louis’ Season 2 arc and one of the more heartbreaking moments in Beastars. Unfortunately, the anime did not portray it very clearly due to time constraints, so many viewers were left confused as to how and why Ibuki had to die. Enter the Beastars music video.
The music video for Beastars Season 2’s ending theme, “A Gentle Comet,” wonderfully fills this void and gives the best retelling of Louis and Ibuki’s story from beginning to end -- in less than four minutes. The ending song (along with the opening “Monster”) is produced by the music duo YOASOBI, who specializes in telling stories using lyrics, or novelized songs. Beastars creator Paru Itagaki wrote short stories specifically to help inspire their music, and the result is impressive.
"A Gentle Comet" is divided into two parts, with the first featured as the anime's ending. It details Ibuki’s inner journey as he remembers how their friendship developed: Louis has to eat meat after joining Shishigumi, and he’s unable to find any vegetables in the Black Market. Ibuki notices him losing weight and helps him get vegetable juice from a bar he knows.
Ibuki is captivated by Louis’ headstrong personality, completely changing his perception of herbivores. He admits he has also been keeping up a strong pretense since being in Shishigumi, but Louis makes him realize real strength comes from within. The lyrics also reflect this:
“I was pretending to be strong, pretending to hide my weaknesses,
Putting on a daily performance.
One day, your gaze suddenly appeared, and I realized something I never did before.
As long as there is something to protect, I can be this strong.”
When Ibuki is with Louis, he stops hiding his vulnerability and feels much more like himself. This is a bit ironic since Ibuki’s favorite meat is deer meat, so he constantly has to control his hunger around Louis. But emotionally, their friendship is what sets him free.
The second part of the video shifts the background color from a calming blue to a bloody red, symbolizing what’s about to come. Ibuki is pulled back to the cruel reality where he realizes Louis is determined to leave Shishigumi and help Legoshi. But the criminal world has its rules -- a mafia boss cannot abandon his organization for an outsider. So, Ibuki decides to give up his life in exchange for Louis' freedom.
Before enacting his plan, he tells Louis their time together has been the most comfortable time of his life, and later admits that it was actual happiness. Louis saved him from darkness and dread, so now it's his turn to save Louis. The lyrics almost repeat this dialogue verbatim:
“…My days with you are irreplaceable.
They were comfortable.
No, they were happiness.”
The video then reveals what the Beastars anime glossed over: before Ibuki attacks Louis, he sees another lion, Free, closing in on them on his motorcycle. Ibuki then pretends to attack Louis to force his friend to shoot, but Louis refuses. However, Ibuki had once told Free to shoot him if he ever attacks Louis. When Free arrives on the scene, he follows through and shoots Ibuki.
The music video does a better job conveying the chaos and pain of Ibuki’s death than both the manga and the anime. Ibuki’s lifeless body falls into Louis's arms as he frantically shakes his friend, trying to wake him up, but he has already stopped breathing.
“The ruthless sound of gunshot tears though the night.
The breath of farewell assaults the senses.
This cruel comet shines for only a moment.
The wish is gone before it’s conveyed.”
The comet in the lyrics represents several things. First, it is the headlight of Free’s motorcycle, letting Ibuki know his plan will work. It represents the bullet Ibuki gave to Free, which ends his life. It symbolizes the tear on Ibuki’s face that Louis saw before the attack. Most importantly, the comet is Ibuki himself -- he was only in Louis’ life for a short while, but he leaves a lasting mark.
As Louis holds Ibuki's skull, the video's ending returns to the blue background. This shows Ibuki is resting in peace knowing his sacrifice lets Louis be free.
Beastars' music video clarifies the last moments between Louis and Ibuki in Season 2, as well as helps convey the thoughts and emotions of both characters effectively. The beautiful visuals and the music work together to complete and even elevate this moving experience. There are so many small details that enhance the viewing, such as the smoke from the gun and the claw marks on Ibuki's steering wheel. The video's excellent animation is produced by independent animator Kohei Kadowaki, using mostly hand-drawn images with limited CG effects. Kadowaki documents his entire process on Twitter, and it's definitely worth checking out.
