Interviews with Monster Girls (2019)
[δΊδΊΊ(γγ)γ‘γγγ―θͺγγγ]
Volume 7
Author/Artist: Petos
Publisher: Young Manga KC
Synopsis:
A Kijimuna from Okinawa temporarily transfers to the school to learn from other Demis how to better integrate with regular students.
Story/Characters:
We start with our Demis sharing some of the quirks of their nature with the former bully girls as a way to better bridge the gap between them. This is used as a segue to introduce our feature character for this volume. Kaoru is a Kijimuna, traditionally a kind of Okinawa tree spirit, who interprets the emotions of others via the color of their eyes (not the natural color, mind you, but rather a sort of supernatural phenomenon only perceptible to the Kijimuna). Kaoru is an interesting character, who on the one hand is a prankster who enjoys using her powers to make mischief and on the other is a lonely girl who has cut herself off from people due to her sense of otherness. As we're introducing a new type of Demi, we get exploration into Kaoru's nature by Takahashi-sensei with comparisons to the myths and legends surrounding Kijimuna that builds on earlier research. This is all well and good, but perhaps of greater interest to you is Kaoru's influence on the character dynamics. Both as someone who can see the emotions people try to hide and as an outsider, she's able to prod at some things that have been left largely unaddressed such as the nascent love triangle with Takahashi-sensei, Satou-sensei and Machi. Don't expect any major developments, but her instigation does give a bit of a push to all parties involved.
We close on the first two parts of a mini arc where the Demis pay a visit to Youko and Zashiko. The interaction of Kaoru and Youko's powers is one thing, but more than that is Youko's perspective as someone in between the world of children and adults bringing her perspective to Kaoru's situation. However, the real kicker comes when Machi arrives and the the two extradimensional forces of a dullahan and a spirit medium start to mingle. It leaves us with quite the cliffhanger.
Art:
I rather like Kaoru's design and when she's in control of the situation, she comes across as rather cool, so whenever the tables get turned on her, we get a nice contrast. The way she stirs things up, we get some pretty good reaction shots out of it. There are some particularly artful panels that stand out as well, such as one shot of of Kaoru looking up to the sky while holding Machi's head and talking about her favorite color. On the other hand, there are a few panels that are meant to be impactful but are rendered a bit wonkily. (As you're sure to have noticed by now, there is a bit of jank to Petos' art that's usually not a problem, but I feel it did have a bit of a negative effect in a few important spots this time around.)
Conclusion:
You might be concerned about new Demis getting added just for novelty value, but I'm happy to say that Kaoru's introduction has some major ramifications for the character dynamics overall and she's shaping up to be a fairly compelling character in her own right. If you're in any way invested in the current cast, the way she shakes things up should be interesting to you. While I doubt the consequences expressed in the cliffhanger will be quite as dire as what's suggested as a worst-case scenario, it certainly gets you looking forward to the next volume. Fans will want this in their collection, so be sure to get your hands on it.
Own It