Can we get a summary of like...who Lous is and why people hate him? Spoilers under the cut, maybe?
Oh no, that “Fuck Louis” post isn’t mainly about people hating Louis! This is gonna be a long post with Beastars spoilers so
Louis from Beastars is probably the most interesting character in the story and he’s been my favorite from day one! He’s a deer highschooler who’s also captain of the actor trope in drama class. He’s strict to his peers and expects nothing less than perfection, but also struggles with his lack of innate strength as a herbivore. Louis also acts as the main foil to Legosi, a big wolf man who’s struggling with subduing his instincts as a carnivore.
Being a part of a noble family and wanting to be the next Beastar, Louis has to keep on a mask to the public that he’s always perfect, to the point where he hides his fractured ankle until he passes out from the pain at the end of his big play. And even then he’s concerned over the audience seeing him fall. He’s terrified of being seen as a defenseless prey animal. The only person who knows about his more vulnerable side as someone who’s still a kid and dealing with heavy emotional issues is Haru, a rabbit he’s been involved with for two years who also is the basis of the love triangle issue between Louis and Legosi.
Louis has a lot of personal baggage he hides from everyone else, and when he feels powerless, he’s bound to explode on the first predator he can trust will never talk about it in public, which is usually Legosi. When Bill (A huge asshole tiger that embraces eating meat) finds out his secret, Louis threatens him at gunpoint to never let his past go public. Now I understand if people who see this say Louis is unredeemable for this, but honestly, he was in the right to be carrying a gun in the first place!
(big spoils ahead) First of all, there’s a group of his fellow classmates that are actively trying to lynch him simply because he’s a herbivore trying to become Beastar. He may have a strong spirit, but Juno, a young wolf, can pin him effortlessly due to her status as a carnivore. Louis is also constantly threatened by his past coming back to haunt him, either via trauma or by being blackmailed by other predators.
What kind of past justifies pulling a gun on someone who knows about it? Well (In chapter 33) Louis was raised as livestock (named and branded No. 4) in a jailcell of an illegal meat vendor for the first five years of his life. Not being taught how to speak, read, or understand, he saw his young friends being dragged to an elevator to be drugged and eaten alive. He was only saved when Ogamu, a rich noble who couldn’t provide a son, bought and adopted him. Louis was violently separated from his remaining friends, and was forced into a room of four hungry adult carnivores with only a knife in hand. And after that he’s thrust into a strict family that desires nothing less than perfection from him. Haru is basically his only relief, but she strongly resembles one of his closest friends from when he was No. 4.
The main tragic flaw with Louis is that he’s never allowed or is able to explain his situation to others. Not only would his reputation tank, but it’d be the largest scandal in town, and other predators will find out that the perfect deer is just as weak as any other herbivore. With the truth out, Louis’s own life would probably be at more risk from predators that want to silence him. Legosi not understanding this leads into a huge fight when Haru is kidnapped and Louis is unable to do anything due to blackmail. Legosi shows him how weak he is, and decides that Louis doesn’t deserve to have someone like Haru, which does drive Louis off a pretty steep cliff emotionally and mentally. ( A little too sharp, author.)
In chapter 42, Louis is left in a really precarious spot where he’s given up on living. He’s in physical danger and I really hope someone reaches out to finally help him because he needs it badly. I’d feel super uncomfortable if someone who goes through so much trauma ends up either dead at this point in the story or turned into a cartoon villain simply because he’s the 3rd side of the love triangle.
