So, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 lacks a compelling heroine, which sometimes makes engaging with the story challenging.
This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 opens up about Hinako’s past and the gloom and sadness that’s haunted her since. There’s uncertainty about where the story plans to head. But the surprises are part of the allure, spilling reveals and a question about what makes Hinako so tasty to monsters. The volume and series are more serious than other stories. Unfortunately, Hinako’s character, which feels like a shell of herself, she’s not that interesting. So, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 lacks a compelling heroine, which sometimes makes engaging with the story challenging.
The Yen Press manga‘s creator, Sai Naekawa, does well weaving the supernatural creatures with the everyday. Translated by Caleb Cook and lettered by Bianca Pistillo, the story also captures a surprising bait and switch in the relationship. Still, the series feels similar to many others, where a special girl has people or monsters circling them. To make the situation more difficult, it suffers from a flat main character. Compared to the fascinating monsters clamoring for Hinako’s flesh, Hinako herself does not stand out.
This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 Delivers Some Surprises
When Hinako turns down her friend Miko’s invitation to the festival but goes with the mermaid monster Shiori, Miko sees them; the conflict becomes a ticking time bomb. But it allows the jealousy of old friends against new friends to twist into something more. Because it turns out that Miko is not exactly normal either. She hangs around Hinako to protect her, too.
Still, Shiori is less protecting Hinako to keep her safe than safeguarding Hinako until she’s ripe for Shiori to devour. There is also some Spirited Away energy as Miko reveals her need to shelter Hinako after failing to protect her family. So, it clues readers that she’s possibly the god the family regularly prays to for protection, as shown in Hinako’s flashback. In this regard, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 creates a lot of interest in what’s to come.
Lackluster Heroine Is a Common Problem That Needs Fixing Here
The series suffers from a common issue. Although Hinako is the main character, she—especially compared to the monsters around her—is boring. Even the illustrations of Hinako’s expressions appear hollow. There’s little room for comedy, and given the cloud hanging over everything, it’s hard to laugh when the series makes attempts. Shiori and Miko have regal and animated personalities, respectively. Hinako lacks that. However, as the goal is to get her to enjoy life, hopefully, this will change in later volumes.
This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 makes Hinako feel similar to Belle in Twilight because the most compelling aspect of Hinako is that everyone’s obsessed with her. While Shiori and Miko pull readers in, especially as they clash, Hinako needs to be more than an empty wallflower. There are ways to balance grief and sorrow with a personality and unique qualities. However, aside from monsters flocking to her, Hinako has none of that. If the series can solve this dilemma, This Monster Wants to Eat Me 2 could be the end of hollow Hinako, paving the way for something more exciting and fun.
