Like Pacific Rim, if they decided to hug it out instead of fight the kaiju.
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Mujirushi Shimazaki
Translation/Adaptation: Amber Tamosaitus
What They Say
When giant monsters roam the earth, “wildlife care” takes on a whole new meaning. That’s where the Tamers come in— girls trained to soothe the savage beasts. But while coexistence is a way of life, it’s still a little overwhelming for meek Ion Hidaka. Can she handle being one of the newest of the Tatara Girls’ Academy Tamers Committee? The monsters seem to think so!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Imagine that the kaiju weren’t sent here to kill us, but if instead, they might be sent here to save the planet by rejuvenating the earth? Monster Tamer Girls seems to suggest that the monsters which have trampled their cities could possibly contain that hope, if only there were a way to control them. Luckily for the characters in the story, there is a way, and it involves the singing voices of girls.
Yes, songs can soothe the savage beast. Or at least we’re told that some of these monsters are savage beasts and the destroyed sections of town would certainly suggest that. And yet, none of the kaiju we meet in this book seem more threatening than your average wild critter. None even seem as threatening as a house cat!
Yet for the lead Ion, they are terrifying. Too bad she was chosen to be on the Tamer Committee, which is just a fancy way of saying she’s on pet detail. The all-girls school she attends happens to train Tamers and happens to have a Kaiju on the grounds which needs to go for walkies regularly.
The story doesn’t explain the kaiju very well. They have a mysterious metabolism where they drink but don’t eat. They can apparently turn to stone. It all sounds rather magical rather than logic based, and a major point seems to be no one is quite sure how it all works. New discoveries about the creatures happen every day.
It’s the execution of the premise that doesn’t quite work, and the fault falls onto the dull characters. Yes, the leads in this story are the very definition of moeblobs. Outside of the lead girl Ion, I can’t remember anyone else’s name. The girls look far, far younger than they’re supposed to be. The leads look like someone stuck boobs on eight-year-olds. The adult women look like fourteen-year-olds. I don’t think there’s a single male present in the story for the sheer fact the artist probably can’t draw an adult male to save their life. (Ok, I checked, there’s one in a background scene at some point proving that they can exist.)
The lack of personalities is a huge problem, but the other problem is that everything is so predictable. Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Ion is searching for a girl who once saved her from a kaiju and inspired her to become a tamer. The author has to be aware of the trope, but never lampshades the inevitable meeting. There’s no big twist when that meeting comes to pass, at least not one I’ve seen play out a million times before. The girls eventually laugh about the initial put down and oh no… the older girl is losing her ability to sing whatever shall we do? Really author? You walk in here with this crazy original premise and deliver it in the most boring, trite and played-out way possible and expect me to enjoy this?
At least the story stays firmly away from any sexualization of the girls that look like they’re twelve. Although one pair of girls seem to be lesbians or at least one has a definite attraction for the other but it really does feel like the author is just checking off boxes on the moe slice-of-life checklist. For a story with so many monsters it certainly is toothless.
In Summary
Cute girls and cute monsters, and that’s about it when it comes to Monster Tamer Girls. In going for a slice-of-life with giant monsters it’s falling short of a key ingredient for its recipe for fun, and that’s whimsy. I’m not sure why this story isn’t grabbing me the way a good sleepy magical realism tale should. I think it’s falling back on clichéd tropes instead of pushing its unique premise. Which is a shame because cute can be fun, but so far Tamer Girls is surprisingly boring for a story featuring pet kaiju.
Content Grade: C
Art Grade: B –
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A –
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 10, 2018
MSRP: $13.00 US / $17.00 CAN
