Something that kinda seemed off about Melon's dad to me is just how abnormally calm he acts.
Gosha pounced on him. A large poisonous komodo dragon is restraining him (not attacking but still) and this man did nothing to try and escape. No struggle, no screaming for help when Yahya's less than a meter away, no pleading for his life, barely any change in expression. It doesn't feel like when Haru would accept that it's her faith to be eaten by a carnivore either. It's like Gosha's tackle doesn't affect him in the slightest even tho we are shown that physically he fell over and can't get up until Gosha moves.
What's even more bizarre is that after Yahya and Gosha leave, there's a small panel of Gary sitting up that says he spaced out 🤣🤣
It's so weird to see this old herbivore not really depicted as scared of carnivores due to his instincts like other herbivore characters when those same instincts are the reason he left his leopard gf and hybrid son.
Not to mention how even Yahya another herbivore is put off by him. I think he's on to something. From my memory no character in Beastars ever acts that catatonic especially not Melon, his own son.
So yeah. If Melon's lack of taste isn't a hybrid trait, but genetic, it's probably inherited from his dad alongside a goodie bag of undiagnosed mental illnesses 😘
THIS!! Ok, let me rant here for a second:
If the whole lore and ongoing conflict in Beastars is the fear of herbivores devouring herbivores, then HOW is Melon’s father THAT calm in the face of certain death by Komodo dragon venom?! Like BRUH!!
It’s possible that Gary has a slow reaction to things like that or is just very calm despite terrifying circumstances. I’m not sure if I’d call it mental illness but the way he describes him leaving Melon and his mother reads as very casual and unemotional. Not robotic but similar to how someone might describe going to the market or something like that.
Similarly to that, he didn’t seem to pick up that Gosha lunged at him out of anger or (like you said) what to do after that. I’m not trying to say he’s neurodivergent but I can’t think of any other possible explanation for it.
Please note that if that is the case it wouldn’t excuse his actions nor am I trying to say ‘disability would explain it’. This is just the thought I have based on the few panels we have of Melon’s father.
Also, mental illness and/it disability is not always genetic but that being said, I think we all agree Melon is most certainly not neurotypical (I think most of the fandom has embraced him having Anti Social Personality Disorder or something like that).
But all that aside, there is something very strange about the relationship between Melon’s parents. I would have understood Gary’s reasoning if he really did fear for his life or if Melon’s mother had r-worded him (I mean I wouldn’t put it past her to do that-she already did that to her son) but the way Gary describes her makes me think that wasn’t at all the case.
Really, it sounds like Gary viewed her as a little more than a ‘one night stand’ and Melon as the ‘cruel gift’ that came from it. He’s an interesting character but I just hate him. 😑
Lastly! He is kind of hypocritical for leaving his leopard girlfriend and his son out of fear of being eaten by her but WASN’T scared when Gosha pinned him to the ground!
