This review will contain spoilers for Volumes 1 & 2 of This Monster Wants to Eat Me.
Hinako is a girl in a quiet seaside town, who has longed for death ever since the loss of her family in a car crash a few years earlier. Her world is changed forever when she meets Shiori, a girl who looks normal but is actually a mermaid who fully intends to eat Hinako as, apparently, she smells incredibly delicious. Hinako, in her dark depressive state, has welcomed this, however Hinako’s childhood friend, Miko, is set on coming between them. She reveals that she’s also not human but a kitsune, a fox spirit who has promised to protect Hinako at all costs. However, just like Shiori, Miko also finds Hinako’s scent intoxicating. Can she keep Hinako safe whilst also preventing herself from eating Hinako first?
Volume 3 of this dark yuri series serves as a conclusion to the first ‘arc’ of the series, as well as paving the way for the next arc. The first arc has mostly been introductions of characters, and the reveal of Miko’s secret, with the first half of this book dedicated to firmly establishing Miko’s place in Hinako’s life. Miko only made Hinako THINK she’s been her childhood best friend, warping her memories in order to have a firm place by Hinako’s side. In reality, Miko is the spirit of a shrine that Hinako’s family used to pray to on long journeys, with the irony being that no amount of prayers could make Hinako’s family survive the car crash, as Miko had no such power to begin with. It’s an interesting dichotomy, where we pray to old shrines, assuming someone, or something, is listening and will answers our prayers, only for the ‘something’ on the other side having no such power to do so, but it brings comfort to us, right? It’s also the position Miko put herself in. She was forced to be stuck in that particular shine by a monk many years ago, but she chose to become a human to help Hinako, as a way to atone for her guilt at not having the power to save her family. It’s also a testament to her loyalty, with the lengths she goes to prevent herself from eating Hinako’s flesh. I won’t say what it is, but anyone who knows Japanese folklore will know the implications (and the translation notes help as well to provide context too).
I also really like the fake-out at the end of the first chapter, where you think Miko will give in to her bloodlust; it’s a two-page spread where Miko, in huge fox form, has Hinako right in her jaws. The thing to note here is that in the next chapter, we see Hinako completely calm and eyes closed, like she’s waiting for it to happen. It’s a chilling panel; she welcomes death, but cannot do it herself, so she longs for someone to give it to her, whether that be a fox god or a mermaid. In a way, knowing she has a way out brings her peace. There’s also a telling moment later on where her joy comes from not just accepting Miko as she is (fox form and all) but also, as she puts it, knowing that Miko and Shiori will have each other after she’s gone. That they won’t be left alone once Hinako dies. It’s both a sweet but harrowing thought that keeps Hinako’s state of mind consistent from what we’ve seen before. She may find her everyday life extremely harrowing and hard, under consent pressure like the ocean, but she also has a kind heart that doesn’t want others to suffer like her, but fails to see that maybe Miko wants her to live too, not be saddled with another monster for the rest of her life.
Speaking of, I do like the banter between Miko and Shiori; the frenemies dynamic of teasing each other and somehow working together to keep Hinako from being eaten by other creatures is fun to watch. I love how Shiori is all smiles and toxic positivity, whereas Miko is more direct and snappy. Between them we also get the biggest info-drop of the volume: the reveal of when Hinako’s ‘deliciousness’ started to kick in. It’s a mystery that I look forward to seeing unfold as the series goes on.
The second half of the book however has less to discuss, as the new arc starts with Hinako and Shiori going to the beach, with a sunny day ruined by rain, a foreboding warning of something yet to come over the horizon. It’s more of a setup than a chapter, with small tidbits to note, such as Hinako even willing to go to the beach, despite her disdain for the summer, and also having Miko encourage going on the trip, whereas previously she would never allow such a thing. Sadly, this volume is a few pages short of being the thinnest volume so far. The book has five chapters, and a bonus chapter, but one chapter is noted as an ‘intermission’, where nothing happens except for Hinako reiterating her feelings that she clearly explained in the previous chapter. So it feels like a waste of paper and readers’ time. Also the bonus chapter is cute, but it’s noted to be a one-off for a magazine, and the content is a retreat of what we’ve seen before: Shiori being positively mysterious and warding off another monster that wants to make a feast out of Hinako. So there’s nothing to gain for fans, and mostly plays like a teaser for the series (which it possibly was).
Art by Sai Naekawa is still extremely good; the monsters are highly detailed and chilling in their presence, immediately setting a tone of danger whenever they’re on the page. Translation by Caleb Cook is also a good read, and translation notes (as stated) are always appreciated, although I found it weird that they were before the bonus chapter, rather than afterwards.
Hopefully we’ll get more content in the fourth volume due later this year, but Volume 3 feels like a light snack, rather than a full meal.
Our review copy was supplied by the publisher Yen Press.
