Interviews with Monster Girls (2015)
[δΊδΊΊ(γγ)γ‘γγγ―θͺγγγ]
Volume 1
Author/Artist: Petos
Publisher: Young Manga KC
Synopsis:
A science teacher fascinated by demihumans but lacking any hands-on experience suddenly finds himself with several of them at his school.
Story/Characters:
If you've followed my reviews of TV anime, you know that I rather liked the adaptation of this story and as the adaptation didn't even make it to the halfway point, I had every reason to go out and get the manga. I may be retreading some of the same ground in my commentary here, but bear with me. We've seen several series in recent years take an interest in really going into depth on what makes demihumans tick, something that's of great interest to me as I spend a lot of time thinking about how the biologies and metaphysics work in my own stories. I also appreciate that this is a non-horny version of this approach to dealing with demihumans. Yes, there's a little bit of light teasing going about, but the focus isn't titillation but rather a lot of usual school romcom tropes with a supernatural twist.
There's an interesting balancing act that our lead Takahashi-sensei has to manage as being a passionate researcher on the one hand but also the teacher of sensitive adolescent girls on the other. He's conscientious of this balancing act, but he also works well as the straight man to the girls' antics, especially the hyperactive Hikari (which is a delightfully ironic name for a vampire). I love all the little details that go into the characterization, like Hikari's habit of nibbling on people's arms, especially her sister's, which is drawing on her instinctual thirst for blood but toned down, or yuki onna Yuki who will break into a literal cold sweat when she's worked up emotionally. Even side characters get a bit of roundness to them as the bullies that appear early on and the pair of slacker boys go through their own development.
Art:
The art style is simple yet appealing, a little rough at times, but I think it adds to the charm. Essential to any comedy, there are some great reaction shots. Big panels get used quite effectively to emphasize the important moments. I know this should be pretty basic for manga art, but not all mangaka really make the most of their paneling.
Other:
Each chapter ends in a 4-koma that will do things like showcase brief imagine sports, commentary from the incidental cast or little mini-epilogues. We also get some sketches in the next volume preview that always has some random doodles added in.
Conclusion:
This first volume is mainly focused on establishing our four main girls and setting up the sort of activities that characterize the little circle that forms around Takahashi-sensei, which involves him exploring more about how the different types of demihumans work and dealing with the girls' concerns. It's mostly comedic in tone with points of light drama sprinkled in, all fairly well balanced. It's the individual quirks of the characters and how they play off each other that charmed me and I'm sure it will do the same for most readers. I recommend this one for the collection.
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