There is no way to review this volume without a few spoilers, so if you would like to skip them, please jump down to after the asterisks.
Kitsune, the legendary shapeshifting yokai have a rival among creatures in Japanese folklore. The other well-known, shapes-shifting yokai, known as the tanuki, and the fox-like Kitsune have a long rivalry.
In Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi, Volume 8 ( 私を喰べたい、ひとでなし), Hinako gets caught in the middle of this age-long hatred.
Hinako knows who her best friend Miko is. She understands that Miko is dedicated to protecting her and she trusts Miko. When a new girl shows up with a clear desire to destroy Miko and Hinako’s relationship, even Shiori is unable to do anything.
Before we get a climax, we get a poignant look at Miko’s life long ago, when she was in fact known as a murderer, a human-eating monster. But her life is different now – her affection for Hinako is undeniable. Nonetheless, Miko clearly habors guilt about her past. Miko tries to warn this menacing newcomer away from her friend, but the girl, Tsubaba is focused on pushing Hinako away from Miko with fearful hints about her true nature.
Unfortunately for our interloper, Hinako knows the truth. When Tsubasa’s ploy isn’t enough, this mischievous tanuki clearly is not above violence , but she’s forgotten that Hinako is not just protected by an ancient kitsune – she is also protected by a sea monster. But Tsubasa is as wily, as one might expect from a tanuki, and she knows one more secret. Will Miko be able to remain human in the face of this animosity?
***
I know I say I love this manga every volume, but, wow, do I absolutely love this manga. It is steeped in darkness that is wholly Japanese – these are the things that make weird noises in the night in Japanese folklore. To have a tabula rasa as plain as Hinako as the center of the story, it requires the story to stay very tightly wound around her. Naekawa Sai’s writing is on point and the moe cuteness of the art really sets one teeth on edge as we more deeper and deeper into terrifyingly inhuman Yokai lore.
Where can this story go? I have no idea at all. Hinako might bring Tsubasa into her protective circle of deadly bodyguards, or maybe drive her away…we’ll have to wait until Volume 9, which is coming out at the end of October (Halloween Yokai!) to find out. I can’t wait!
Ratings:
Art – 9 really, really good
Story – The menace is palpable
Characters – 8
Service – 0
Yuri – Both Shiori and Miko have intense feelings about (and maybe for?) Hinako
Overall – 8
In the meantime, don’t miss the English edition, This Mosnter Wants To Eat Me, Volume 1 (reviewed last May) and Volume 2 (reviewed last month) out now from Yen Press!
