Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e

Katsute Kami Datta Kemono-tachi e, often known in English as To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts, is a dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Maybe, a collaborative duo consisting of a writer and an artist. The series began serialization in Bessatsu Shōnen Magazine in 2014, emerging during a period when the dark fantasy genre was gaining significant traction in Japanese manga. The narrative is set in a fictional post-civil war era, exploring the plight of Incarnates—soldiers who were transformed into monstrous beasts to secure victory but were later cast aside by the society they protected.

The design of the series reflects a somber, cinematic approach to character-driven war drama, moving away from traditional hero tropes to focus on the psychological toll of power and abandonment. Maybe, known for their distinct aesthetic balance between character detail and fluid action sequences, utilized the series to delve into themes of morality and the consequences of weaponized science. It was received as a poignant, gritty addition to the magazine’s lineup, eventually receiving an anime adaptation in 2019 that highlighted its stark contrast between the humanity of the protagonists and their monstrous physical manifestations.