Monster Musume No Iru Nichijou
If any of
your avid otaku friends have developed new or interesting fetishes involving
attractive female mythical creatures lately, this manga is probably the one to
be blamed. Think your usual harem-style romance manga, with harpies, centaurs,
lamia and mermaids replacing the host of high school or college girls that
frequent this genre.
As absurd as the setting is, it makes for a good read and
is a refreshing addition to a genre saturated with generic characters and
storylines. Just keep your newfound fetishes to yourself afterwards, it’s
better that way.
The story
is set in a world where mythical creatures exist. This was kept a secret by the
Japanese government till a bill was passed, revealing their existence and
allowing them to live alongside humans.
The ‘Interspecies Cultural Exchange
Act’ let these creatures live with human host families, with a number of
restrictions and obligations to fulfill. Being a new bill also means that
loopholes will be exploited and subpoints are added as the chapters go by,
creating new problems for the main character and his harem.
This is
where main character Kurusu Kimihito comes in. He didn’t volunteer for the
programme but a technical error meant that he had to play host to Miia, a lamia
(part-human, part-snake). He continues to play host, though not willingly to
new creatures such as a centaur, harpy, a monster made of slime and a mermaid
to boot.
Hilarity ensues due to each new addition wanting to be Kimihito’s
girlfriend and eventual wife, much like any other harem manga. Various
incidents and funny situations occur because of each creature’s unique
characteristics too, be it Miia needing to shed her skin or Kimihito scrubbing
Cerea’s (the centaur) bottom.
The main
thing I appreciated while reading Monster Musume was that Kimihito is not a
complete idiot oblivious to his surroundings. Many authors of harem manga employ
this technique to drive and flesh out the story, understandably so but
frustrating for the reader nonetheless.
Kimihito understands that the girls in
his home are vying for his attention but has clearly stated that he isn’t able
to make a decision just yet due to various reasons. Coupled with the mangaka
giving each girl equal screentime with Kimihito, it’s easy to see why this
series is so popular, especially with the anime’s recent run.
I can’t
deny that I continued reading the manga because of the ecchi aspects but the
humour kept me hooked onto the series, constantly flipping page after page.
Characters broke the fourth wall and noted the absurdity of their situation, be
it one of the girls whining that she hasn’t made that many appearances recently
to Kimihito being resigned to the fact that his house is basically a United
Nations for mythical creatures at one point.
The manga
doesn’t take itself too seriously and the lighthearted tone makes it a breeze
to read through. Monster Musume is a great pick-me-up, especially if you’ve
been feeling burnt out from your typical rom-coms or have been dabbling too
much in thought-provoking seinen anime/manga.
However, the art may put some
people off, especially in earlier chapters. Certain panels seem amateurish but
the ones that highlight the girls are detailed and polished. I feel as if the
mangaka did this deliberately but this is a minor issue for me.
With only
36 chapters out at this point, Monster Musume doesn’t seem to be ending anytime
soon and I’m looking forward to more exotic creatures being given the ‘attractive
anime girl’ treatment.
The girls introduced thus far were based off common
Western mythical creatures. It would be nice to see some being based on
traditional Japanese yokai, perhaps?
Written by ET
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