Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi: The Perfect Manga for Fans of Atmospheric Storytelling

If you're a fan of the supernatural drama and romance genre in manga, then you've most likely come across the latest trend of monster-girls protecting their tormented human partners. While some may find this sub-genre repetitive and unoriginal, "A Monster Wants to Eat Me" manages to stand out with its captivating art style and well-developed characters.

The manga follows high school student Hinako, who lives a quiet life in a seaside town but feels somewhat detached from her friends during the summer months when she is reminded of the tragedy of her family's death years ago. One day, she meets Shiori, a mysterious girl who reminds her of the ocean, especially when it comes to her translucent blue eyes. However, Shiori soon reveals that she is actually a mermaid who has been looking for Hinako for a long time.

The major element that sets "A Monster Wants to Eat Me" apart from other manga in the genre is its atmospheric storytelling. From the very beginning, readers get to feel the melancholy of the main character and her world. The pensive sadness that Hinako experiences is always looming over her shoulder, even during moments of levity, and it remains unshaken. The atmosphere serves as a cornerstone for all other aspects of the manga and makes it clear that the author has a clear idea of what they wish to accomplish with this work.

The art in "A Monster Wants to Eat Me" is outstanding and impactful due to the fact that it manages to maintain the melancholy atmosphere all the way through. Every page is filled with detail and emotion, and even the most generic urban background looks like a painting. The double-page spreads are the highlight of every chapter, filled with small details and using lighting and shadows to great effect in order to set the tone of the scenes.

Unlike in other works with similar premises where the main character feels bland or is just a vessel to take the reader along for a ride, Hinako is a well-developed individual. Through subtle facial expressions, actions, inner monologues, and lighting and shadow compositions of the panels accompanying them, readers can feel that there's more to Hinako than what the outward appearance presents. The subtext is pretty strong, and there are many small details which work as great foreshadowing for things to come.

The story in "A Monster Wants to Eat Me" is just beginning to take shape, but as it currently stands, it looks fairly simplistic and does not deviate much from the premise description given earlier. At the current stage, one could classify it as a mystery drama - there are many questions which have been raised, and the answers provided were smart and foreshadowed well. However, it simply does not have the same pull as the atmosphere.

Additionally, the setting of the story being in a school serves no purpose other than being a default setting. There are no teachers, characters don't go to classes or worry about their grades, and there's no dramatic element of monsters messing with their school life. It almost feels like the school was chosen as a "default setting" and was not thought through at all.

One notable aspect of "A Monster Wants to Eat Me" is its portrayal of relationships between the characters. While there are some scenes where certain characters "look" at each other "longingly," the key is context, and it is definitely not the case of "Sappho and her friend." At most, we are presented with a twisted friendship, and if the author does, in fact, want to lean that way, they are doing a good job of pacing the development of the relationship, making it seem plausible.

Overall, "Watashi wo tabetai hitodenashi" is an enjoyable read, well worth keeping up with its releases. Its characters are entertaining to watch, and there are some great moments here.

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