Interviews With Monster Girls Review

I love it when I find a show that surprises me! It's like looking at you're bank account and seeing that you have more money than you originally thought! I definitely found a show like that in the winter season! I was a bit skeptical about Interviews With Monster Girls but it turned out to be one of my more favorite shows of the season! Let's take a look and see what makes this show better than people may think! Also if you want more stuff to see then check out my YouTube channel, GiraffePants Anime where I do reaction episode to anime series. I'm currently reacting to Berserk 2017 so if that interests you, then check it out!

*NO SPOILERS SO READ ON!*

SYNOPSIS

Tetsuo Takahashi is a biology teacher with a fascination for Demi people, half-human half-monster hybrids that have integrated into present society. His urge to study them (academically) is answered when all of the sudden, three demi students enroll into the school as well as a demi teacher! Takahashi quickly befriends the girls quickly and begins to study them hoping to learn more about demi life and how different (or similar) they are to humans.

STORY

As I said earlier, I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I came into this show worried because when you look at the title, you immediately start to think bad things. My first thoughts were, inappropriate harem, ecchi, and huge flop. Luckily, my thoughts were wrong! This show provides a nice story that really warmed my heart. I enjoyed the bond between teacher and student as it grew into an acceptable friendship. It's the characters that really make this show. I'll talk about them later so let's focus on other aspects. The pacing of the show could have been better. There were times where the story was moving slow and other times where it felt too fast. It really went back and forth around the spectrum. For example, there was one episode solely focused on Sakie, the demi teacher and we learned about the fact that she's monitored by a detective to make sure she doesn't use her succubus powers for evil. Although it was an insightful development into the life of Sakie, I felt it was unnecessary that the show take a whole episode to explain this point. I think that the show could have been more effective if they had shortened that side story and continued with the main plot. There were times that the show flowed nicely though. The arc focused on Yuki, the snow woman, was well done and was what really got me thinking, "Hey! This show could be good." That's what the show did best; these more sincere and more serious moments. This show likes to have these moments of conflict with the demi girls. As we all know, it's hard to find our place in society; now imagine trying to find our place as a demi human. We're going to run into some problems and that's just what happens. Our main characters face issues that only they can and it makes the show feel fresh and insightful. How do you go around while holding your head? How do you deal with heat as a vampire? How do you get around being a succubus? Interesting questions are answered and not only do our characters grow but so does Takahashi, the man studying them. I absolutely loved this side of the show; it was everything I could have hoped for and I was impressed.

There's also a nice touch of comedy in the show. Most of it isn't die hard laughing level of humor but it does make you chuckle or throw out a giggle so often. Some comedy includes the demi girls' mischievous acts or their (including the demi teacher) blunders due to the crush they all have with Takahashi. That's another thing that needs addressing. This crush that the demi girls have for Takahashi is surprisingly nice. I thought I'd hate it because I thought it would be weird (Teenagers shouldn't have a thing for their teacher after all) but the show managed to make it work. These feelings that the girls hold for their teacher is made up of one part romantic feelings and two parts admiration. This admiration comes out of a respect the girls have for Takahashi's character and the way he treats them. I'm much more okay with this kind of romance compared to if the girls just thought he was hot or something. It makes the romantic feelings feel more real and adorable. One last comment; I was ultimately not pleased with how the season ended. The pool episode was nice but it didn't give me the closure I was looking for. I can understand if people were to say that the second to last episode is more like the finale and the last episode is more like a bonus but it may throw you off if you're looking for a grand conclusion in the last episode.

CHARACTERS

Let me say...I fell in love with the main cast pretty fast. I immediately found them interesting and fun to watch. They're not crazy characters in the slightest but they do feel real and it never feels like their personalities are being forced. The personalities aren't complex but they aren't simple either. For example, Yuki goes through a great transformation in the show. She starts as a kind but rather quiet and reserved person but then we come to see that she has an interest in comedy and loves reading funny manga! Later in the show, Yuki begins to come out of her shell and begins to share among her friends and Sakie. By the end of the show, Yuki becomes quite a talkative person and cheerful while still holding the kind personality she had in the beginning. It was nice seeing growth in characters but even seeing the girls just having fun was great. The demi girls' chemistry is well done and the perceived bond between them is strong. These three demi girls become friends really fast you almost think they've been friends since birth! The point I'm trying to make is that the characters are great in many aspects and is probably the biggest strength of the show!

MUSIC

The music for this show was ok; nothing spectacular but not horrendous either. The opening song for this show is, "Original" by TrySail. The song is nice but far from memorable. The vocals were pretty good but the music felt lacking and a bit reminiscent of too many other openings. The ED is, "Fairy Tale" by Sangatsu no Phantasia. This song was much better than the OP but still lacking overall. It was good because it helped you cool down after the episode was relaxing to listen to but lacking because it too sounded like other EDs I've heard before. Pretty much the same could be said about the music within the show. Music is very simplified in this show and that's not necessarily a bad thing but it didn't help me personally. Ultimately, it's up to you whether music is an important part of the story telling process.

ANIMATION

Here's another area where a have a bit of concern. Now don't get me wrong; I think the animation is good, but that's as far as I'd go. I wouldn't say it's great, just good. Again, nothing bad with that but I feel like A-1 Pictures (The guys in charge of this) could have done better. If you've read my review for WWW.Working (If no go read it) then you know that my feelings for A-1 Pictures are complicated. I Like A-1 Pictures but their animation quality has been flip flopping like crazy since 2016. There are definitely moments where the animation shines and has more detail than usual but for the most part, the animation and art style is very simple. Now I don't think it hurts the show but I know we all have preferences so I put this up here. A positive about the animation is that it mixes well with the comedic cues. The comedy is heightened thanks to the help of the animation. Expression changes are hilarious this show. Someone will be eating a cookie and all of sudden the cookie cracks (the cookie didn't deserve that) and a devilish smiles appears on their face! To wrap up what I've said; the animation could have been better but I don't hate it.

FINAL VERDICT

Technical Score: 7.4 out of 10
Interviews with Monster Girls has a lot to offer someone watching. It has a great story that hits a lot of ideas and lessons with a finesse you don't see a lot and well-built characters that keep us entertained. This story never feels rushed beside the fact the pacing is an issue as well as the ending (hoping for a second season). Both music and animation are sub-par but never hurts the story this show wants to tell. If you're more interested in story than fabulous display then I would recommend you check this show out if you haven't already.

Personal Score: 7.7 out of 10
As you already know, I was pleasantly surprised by this show. I think it's nice finding gems like these; It might be lacking in some aspects but it makes up for it with its story and characters. This is a show I can look at in the future and say, "Man...THANK GOD that was good otherwise it would've been a waste of my life!" Please check this show out if you haven't seen it, I am sure (not really) that you'll enjoy watching these cute demi girls have a lovely adventure along with their lovable science teacher!

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid Review

Raise your hands if you like dragons? I'm now going to assume you all raised your hands. Dragons are probably one of the coolest ideas to come out of or brains. Giant flying lizards capable of supreme destruction and chaos but also complex creatures capable of high intelligence. I love dragons so much that I've given my car a dragon name (it's Kazonnoth The Marvelous if you were curious) so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I was excited about Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid when it started back in winter. The winter season is far over now and after a good thought, I determined that Kobayashi's Dragon Maid was definitely one of my favorite shows from the winter season. From great animation, to nice comedy, this show had a lot of good things about it which brought me a lot of joy so go get some chips (or whatever, I don't know what you like to much on) and enjoy this review of Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid!

SPOILER FREE (THANK GOD!)

SYNOPSIS

Our story begins when Miss Kobayashi, a normal office worker opens her apartment door to find a ferocious green dragon at her doorstop. The mighty dragon then turns into a cute maid and offers to work in her household as a maid due to a drunk experience the two shared deep in the forests of Japan. After remembering the incident, Miss Kobayashi allows the dragon Tohru to live with her as a maid (although reluctant). What possible Hi-jinx cold this pair get into, right?! (That totally sounds like the end of a 90's sitcom commercial). 

STORY

Although the premise of the show is quite simple, the show takes that simple premise and turns it into a lovely story full of different themes. I think it's due to that very simplicity. Kobayashi's Dragon Maid isn't confined to any boundaries, it's free to experiment and do as it pleases. That freedom allows the show to really thrive because the story progresses for the most part naturally and doesn't feel manufactured (except for that beach episode, we all know the animators just wanted to draw the dragons in swimsuits). The story takes its events and is able to turn them into a learning experience for the characters (mainly Kobayashi and Tohru) and in return, they grow a little more as people (or dragons, don't want to species racist). I like the themes that this shows plays with. It likes to play with the idea of family which I thought was really great. Both Tohru and Kobayashi are used to being lone wolves but then suddenly living together (along with Kanna) teaches them the good things about having someone by your side and what it means to be part of a family. It's not just Tohru and Kobayashi though, Fafnir and Lucoa also find a human companion to grow with so companionship reaches many characters of this show.

Another big positive I have to give this show is its comedy! I'm not saying it's the best comedy in the entire world (I would give that honor to Nichijou) but it does a good job and was probably the funniest show of the winter season. It answers all the hard hitting questions we ask ourselves everyday like how would dragons play dodge ball?! Ok, perhaps not 'hard hitting' but fun none the less. The majority of the show's comedy comes from the dragons' attempt to fit in with human society but as you can tell, that more or less fails! Whether it's dodge ball or a play, they find a way to give it a dragon twist! I really enjoyed seeing the dragons not fully understanding some aspect of human society and making an absurd scene out of it and along with good animation, the execution of these funny moments are fantastic! Overall, the show does a good job of telling its story and making me laugh along the way.

CHARACTERS

If I had a negative for this show it would be in this department! The characters themselves are very good. I enjoy every one of the characters because I find them all to be hilarious and well fleshed out. Their personalities may be more on the simple side but I enjoy them a lot so I don't find it to be a problem. My issue with the show is different. My issue is that there are a number of characters that do not get enough screen time. I don't know if it's because of the original source, the direction or other outside factors but I was disappointed when characters that could have made the show even funnier didn't get any time to shine! I'm referring mostly to Lucoa and Elma! I wanted Lucoa to be more than a big sister character with titanic (YES TITANIC!!!) mounds and I wanted Elma to be more than a dragon that's used for food gags! The episode when Elma finally appeared (after like eight episodes!) and it was my favorite episode! I wanted so much more from her and then the show just nipped those dreams in the bud and made her a useless gag character! (Can you tell I'm angry?) I understand that Kobayashi and Tohru are the main characters and deserve a lot of the screen time but what is the purpose of these other characters if they're just going to be used for gags! There needs to be a balance and the show did not find it (in my opinion). 

MUSIC

Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid has some pretty good music. My favorite piece of music is the opening, "Aozora no Rhapsody" by fhána. This song is super addicting! I generally like fhána's work but I thought they killed it with this song! It really showed off the personality that this show has; energetic, happy, and a bit random. You can't help but tap your feet along to the beat as you wait for the show to start. The ED, "Ishukan Communication" by Choro-gonzu, Yuuki Kuwahara, Maria Naganawa, Yuuki Takada & Minami Takahashi is also pretty good. I enjoy the chorus a lot and it gives off a lot of the same energy as the opening. The majority of the music in the show gives a happy strolling feeling and sometimes a feeling of curiosity. The music is used to describe the mood of the environment. Whether wanting to depict a heartwarming scene or a comedic moment, the music does a good job at laying out the scene. I would say that the music does a satisfactory job at effectively aiding the show.

ANIMATION

The animation is fantastic, Kyoto Animation has done another great job! Kyoto Animation always brings great quality animation and it shines here as well. The animation throughout the show is consistent but gets a whole lot better during comedic or action scenes. The best example I can give is the scene where Tohru and Kanna are playing (if you call what they were doing playing) on an open field. There is a lot of work put into that scene and ends up becoming one of the best moments for the show. Dragon Ball Z could only wish to meet this level of quality!!! Another great example is the scene where Kobayashi holds Tohru's boobs. (I don't want to sound pervy, but there's no other way to say this) The fluidity of Tohru's bazongas as they bounce up and down is so (unnecessarily) well done that I can't help but stand and give a huge applause! I also applaud the moe character design! I'm picky when it come to the moe genre but I definitely like the design of these characters. The show uses a variety of bright colors for their characters and I say 'good choice!' The color palette makes the characters stand out a lot (which is good since they're dragons!). I think the eyes are the best part of the character designs because they're just so big and full of color (hell, Lucoa has double the color!). I have nothing but positives to say about the animation quality but I'll leave it at that, good job KyoAni! 

FINAL VERDICT

Techinical Score- 8 out of 10 (B)

I loved watching this story of new friendship and family. It made me laugh so much with its comedy and had me in awe at its animation! You can tell a lot of work was put into this show and it really shows. This show is full of addicting music that gets stuck in your ears and helps tell or lovely story. There were characters that deserved more time on screen and could've improved the show but overall, this was an enjoyable show!

Personal Score- 8.2 out of 10 (B)

I enjoyed this show a lot, mainly in part that it reminds me of one of my favorite comedies, Nichijou! It has good comedy that can be totally random but enjoyable none the less and a set of characters you can't help but love. I was genuinely excited for every episode that came out and I loved seeing the relationships between humans and dragons grow into beautiful companionship. 

I hope you guys enjoyed this review! If you did, drop a +1 or comment down below about any other shows you want me to review. I have platforms you can follow me on so you know when a new blog comes up so check out the links I have below for Google+ and Twitter! Also check out my YouTube Channel, GiraffePants Anime for anime reaction videos! I currently have series for Berserk 2017 and Danmachi Sword Oratoria so if that interests you, check it out! That's all I have to say so I hoped you guys enjoyed and I'll catch you next time!

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