All girls have feelings … but what happens when a human gets involved with demis?
Creative Staff:
Story & Art: Petos
Translation: Kevin Steinbach
Lettering: Paige Pumphrey
What They Say:
Call them “demis”! …
Vampires, dullahans, succubi, snow women. These are just a few of those beings once known as “demi-humans,” and high school Biology teacher Tetsuo Takahashi has always wanted to meet them. He gets his chance when the new term starts, and there are four “demis” in his school! Join the caring, bumbling Tetsuo in his quest to get to know these adorable monster girls, while helping them navigate the highs and lows of high school!
As if high school wasn’t scary enough …
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Everyone has heard about them in mythology and folklore, but what happens when fantasy becomes reality? Now that those who were once called monsters have been assimilated into human society, these new demi-humans are now just trying to live their own normal lives. It has always been that way, but for Testsuo Takahashi, he has been fascinated by the differences and wanted to learn more about these uncommon people. As a biology major in college, the obsession drove him to try writing a thesis on these new citizens, but lack of volunteers to interview proved daunting, so he had to opt out for something else. Now a high school teacher, that preoccupation still drives him, but how is he going to meet them in such an out of the way location? As if to answer his plea, a new transfer to the faculty introduces herself that morning: Sakie Sato is the new mathematics teacher … and is also a succubus.
Once the meeting finishes, a stunned Tetsuo wanders off into the hallway where he is flagged down by a student, calling for help. One of her classmates collapsed and she needs an escort to the Nurse’s Office, since she is too heavy to carry by herself. The white haired girl introduces herself as Hikari Takanashi and brings the teacher to her fallen friend, but something is wrong; she looks like an average pupil, but as his gaze wanders upward, it is soon apparent that where her face should be there is nothing but a blazing gout of spectral flame. Hikari calmly states that she already took the head to the infirmary, but the body was too much for her. Amazed to have met yet which he has quested for all his life, now before him lies a dullahan. Confounded by the state of affairs, the instructor asks how his new acquaintance isn’t as confused as he is … to which she smiles and tells him they prefer the term demis. After all, she is one of them, and with a toothy grin confirms that she is a vampire. Just how much more bewildering can Tetsuo’s day become?
In Summary:
Anytime a supernatural creature enters a normal person’s life or vice versus, you would immediately think of an off-beat comedy series like: InuYasha, Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou, Rosario + Vampire or Omamori Himari, but this would not be the case in Interviews with Monster Girls. In fact in this book, mangaka Petos takes a completely opposite approach and tries to keep is as plain as possible, preserving the calm nature of the academic atmosphere in lieu of any excitement or confusion which would typically befall such an adventure. While there are a few quirky jokes associated which each character’s unique nature, the book stays as level headed as possible, with no twists that you wouldn’t normally find in a school days series with average people. Therefore, the biggest concern for all of the girls is just trying to fit in with your common teenage problems and being accepted into society. Since humanity now accepts demis into their fold, none of the problems which you would see in mixed student body arise, everyone is treated equally and without prejudice.
However, this is where the problem for the series arises. Most readers would see a comical or horrifying situation when you are lead to meet a headless woman lying in the hallway and she is called the patient, but it is passed over as commonplace, with deadpan characters to meet you. It seems by the time Tetsuo and his generation are born, demi-humans have been fully integrated into society and any foul racial biases no longer exist. Everyone accepts them as people and the reaction we as readers would see as stereotypical have no bearing on the book. Events which would have caused a response in any other monster involved series, such as the ones aforementioned, are dismissed for normality. As such, the visuals are rather plain and straightforward, allowing Petos-sensei to give us a school based manga without any surprises. While there are some heartfelt moments when the girls feel isolated due to their differences, it is can be passed off as teenage angst or strangeness; for example, when you see Tetsuo carrying a scared head like a ball cradled in his arm, it just doesn’t have the same comical effect since no one else on the page reacts to the event.
Interviews with Monster Girls may have wanted to become a different school manga, but somewhere along the path it took a wrong turn. To downplay the entry of monsters into normal society may have been a tactical choice for Petos-sensei, but the decision to turn this into a melodrama lessens the effect of using demis; for the majority of the book, the situations could have been just as effective with an all human cast. While there are moments of comedy slipped in, they are not very noticeable since no one overreacts as you would see in a typical manga, the effect is lessened due to emotionless characters. I just hope that the next volume can generate something more interesting, otherwise this series will fall flat before it has begun.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Kodansha Comics
Release Date: November 1st, 2016
MSRP: $12.99
