Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi
This Monster Wants to Eat Me

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If you've been following recent manga trends you've most likely noticed a new-wave sub-genre of monster-girl supernatural dramas I like to call "waifu eat waifu protec".

They tend to have a similar premise - a monstrous shapeshifter of tremendous power is "protecting" a tormented protagonist from an array of supernatural entities wishing to "eat" them. However, said "protector" has an ulterior motive, which is to consume the said protagonist themselves once certain conditions are met.

"A Monster Wants to Eat Me" is no exception to this, however I believe it manages to set itself apart from the rest by having great sense of direction and pacing.

- "Green ... was the silence, wet was the light, the month of June trembled like a butterfly..." (Art & Atmosphere)

The major element setting this work apart from its siblings is the atmosphere. From the very beginning you get to feel the melancholy of the main character and their world. The pensive sadness they are experiencing is always looming over their shoulder and even during moments of levity it manages to remain unshaken. It works as a cornerstone for all other aspects of the manga which makes you believe that the author has a very clear idea of what they wish to accomplish with this work.

While arguably not the most outstanding in the sub-genre the art here definitely feels a lot more 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.

- "Dreams are the touchstones of our characters..." (Story & Characters)

Unlike in other works with similar premises where the main character feels bland or are just a vessel to take the reader along for a ride here the protagonist is an actual individual. Through subtle facial expressions, actions, inner monologues and lighting and shadow compositions of the panels accompanying them you can feel that there's more to characters than 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 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 answers which have been provided were fairly smart and foreshadowed well, however it simply does not have the same pull as the atmosphere.

Additionally, this is as urban fantasy as it gets but there's simply too great of a disconnect from mundane and supernatural - the author went with the most basic of cop-outs to explain why supernatural phenomena are not being talked about on the news.. Maybe they will surprise us with their creativity and if that happens I will be the first to applaud them and change my opinion on this matter. However, until then, while the pacing is superb the actual plotline is the weakest aspect of the manga.

- "And I would have gotten away with it too, if not for those meddling transfer students..."

And now for my personal pet peeve... I simply can't comprehend why this story has to be set in a school.. It serves absolutely no purpose - teachers do not exist, characters don't go to classes or worry about their grades, there's no dramatic element of monsters messing with their school life, etc. It almost feels like the school was chosen as a "default setting" and was not thought through at all. And don't get me started on the one of the stupidest plot holes in this entire thing - you'll know when you see it..

If you look this series up on any manga list aggregators you will notice tags like "Shoujo Ai" or "Yuri". While there are some scenes where certain characters "look" at it 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 at the very least they are doing a good job of pacing the development of the relationship, making it seem plausible.

Overall this is an enjoyable read and well worth keeping up with its releases. As long as focus and direction are not lost and all the mystery elements being set-up are executed well this might turn out to be one of the best works in the genre.

I started reading this because of a stupid fandom joke (hello, shiori flesh eaters club). I did not expect how invested I would get in this manga!

The characters and their relationships are compelling, the plot is easy to follow, and the art is beautiful. I love how the art focuses on scenery and background while also having very good character drawings. It touches on themes of death and suicide in a serious way, but it also highlights the things worth living for without being surface level platitudes. It seems both deeply personal and fantastical.

Despite only having 3 major characters, the story is very character driven ... and focuses on their growth and relationships. There is believable tension and romantic yearning, though the romance aspect tends to fall into a secondary theme. Even through the darker parts, there is still good romance and some comedy throughout. It is a very worthwhile read, and I highly recommend! Can't wait for the anime!

As of writing this review there are 45 chapters out, and I can't recommend this manga earnestly.
The initial premise and presentation are strong, but it did not live up to my expectations despite having potential to do so, especially in regards to romance or drama.

The art is fantastic, easily the best part of the series. It captures a solemn atmosphere, and blends elements of horror with a soft introspective drama throughout its exploration of the characters and their pasts.

The main driving force in "Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi", or Watatabe, is the protagonist Hinako's lack of will to live. Shiori's arrival appears to offer Hinako exactly ... what she has been wishing for- a way to die without the guilt of taking her own life, but as both are characterized further it becomes less clear what either of them truly want. Ostensibly as a Girls Love manga, the plot is involved with the relationship between these two as it develops beyond the transactional premise.

Unfortunately, the narrative is frustratingly unconcerned with actually developing that central premise, and instead has spent 45 chapters mostly focusing on an examination of humanity through the allegory of "monsters" and their relationships with humans. As Hinako generally lacks the motivation to advance the plot, it often falls on other characters to push things along. Miko, a childhood friend of Hinako who is also a monster, is introduced early and given substantial amounts of focus, being generally omnipresent and having a story arc which takes up most of volumes 8 and 9. The story explores what it means to be a monster or a human, who is deserving of love, and how people change based on those around them. These ideas are all obviously connected to Hinako but are mostly framed in the context of her friendship with Miko. Often, Hinako as a character and her relationship with Shiori take a backseat to the dynamics between either of them and Miko, or the occasional extra character.

Shiori is equally unsatisfying as a deuteragonist. Her internal motivations are not expressed in a way that allows the reader to observe her role in the story organically. She is revealed to be reluctant to eat Hinako and only willing to follow through with their arrangement once Hinako can live happily. Her backstory explains her initial appearance, but robs her of the possibility for character growth by redefining her as somebody who already cares deeply for Hinako. While this leaves things more or less similar to the initial premise, it removes much of the tension and transforms the atmosphere of the manga from an ambiguous romance to more of a slice-of-life. This is all further hurt by Shiori's frequent characterization as flippant and carefree, which often leaves her feeling one-dimensional.

All in all, Watatabe is atmospheric, beautifully drawn, and shows itself capable of emotional depth, but remains distracted and lacking in execution. It has potential from the start to explore all its themes, develop Hinako and Shiori, while crafting an emotionally resonant narrative, but gets lost along the way with side stories, worldbuilding and repetition. It may still realize its potential down the line, but with so much of its time spent on other things than what is promised by its first chapters I can only really recommend it as a fluffy (albeit often dark) slice-of-life featuring monster girls.