Interviews with Monster Girls (2015)
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Volume 2
Author/Artist: Petos
Publisher: Young Manga KC
Synopsis:
Machi seeks advice from Satou-sensei about her crush on Takahashi-sensei.
Story/Characters:
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that with the entire cast of Demis being female that Takahashi-sensei would become an object of affection. It is funny that Satou-sensei, because she has to hold back so much due to her nature as a succubus, really isn't in a better position than the girls. Machi definitely has caught the love bug the worst, followed by Satou-sensei, then Yuki and Hikari as a distant fourth, mainly because she's too childish to have really hit that stage yet (though she's got enough of a mischievous streak that she enjoys getting him into trouble, especially with Himari, who regards our hapless protagonist with suspicion).
One of the main episodes this volume is Takahashi-sensei exploring Yuki's properties as a yuki onna, mainly because Yuki herself doesn't fully understand them and all the mythology around yuki onna has her paranoid about interacting with others. It's a fine example of how the series works to demystify its eponymous monster girls (and thought that's the English title, I'm going to exclusively refer to them by the more accurate label of "demihuman" from now on). While I certainly don't mind a more conventional fantasy approach, I do like the aversion of a more scientific take on things.
The chapter about what Takahashi-sensei calls the girls is really funny. (For reference, he calls Hikari by her given name but Machi and Yuki by their surnames.) Of course, Machi and Yuki find out that they're not quite ready to be called by their given names just yet. Maybe after marriage. ^o^
We close on a creepy kid called Kurtz and a detective that Satou-sensei knows, but we'll get more on that next time.
Art:
The art isn't quite what I'd call first-rate, but it's consistent and most importantly, the expressiveness of the characters really shines through. Hikari in particular is very entertaining to watch. Both the emotional and comedic beats are well-executed, so a little occasional wonkiness can be excused.
Other:
We have a three-page color intro. It's not directly story-related and could serve as a generic bookend to start things off. We get a bonus chapter where Takahashi-sensei is discussing a vampire's bloodsucking habits with Hikari, but perhaps being a little too frank about it with a pubescent girl. (I said before that Hikari is too childish to have much romantic awareness of Takahashi-sensei but she's not completely out of the woods.)
Conclusion:
This volume does some really nice exploration of the girls not just as demihumans but as people, and that's really the whole point of the story. There's a good blend of emotion and comedy that makes for a very enjoyable read, one that I'd recommend for your collection.
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