Monster Musume

Episode 6

Monster Musume poses a lot of questions about the everyday challenges and inconveniences of being a monster girl in a human world, but it doesn't always get around to answering them. If that oversight has bothered you in the past, then this episode should deliver exactly what you're looking for. With no major character introductions or plot developments to worry about, it's time for a big ol' slice of monster life. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for.

Miia takes the lead in the episode's first half with a very snake-like problem: she's shedding. When an unfortunate kitchen accident leaves her unable to peel off the excess skin herself, she enlists Kimihito's help in dealing with the problem. Anyone who's watched the series up to this point will probably be able to guess the direction that this scene ends up taking. Just in case that isn't enough excitement for one week, Papi starts off the latter half of the episode by announcing that she's going to lay an egg. There's no privacy to be had this time around because a suspicious documentary filmmaker suddenly barges into the house and demands to interview all the girls. The sleazy cameraman claims it's all in the name of cultural exchange, but his actual intentions are pretty obvious. Looks like it's time for Kimihito to break out his “punch a jerk in the face” special attack once again.

This episode is weird and discomforting, and that's a good thing. Monster Musume's chief selling point is its non-human cast, so it'd be a shame not to let the monster flag fly as high as possible. This is the kind of skin-crawling, shiver-inducing content that helps the show distinguish itself from the rest of its genre. Where the average harem comedy just lazily shoves animated cleavage into the viewer's face, Monster Musume forces us to walk a tightrope of sex appeal and inhuman horror. It's the kind of baffling, unique work that makes anime such an interesting medium to write about.

The inclusion of the sleazy director also presents an interesting quandary. On one hand, he's clearly a caricature cast from the same mold as the obnoxious onlookers that gawk at the monster girls. He has no depth of character, and we're meant to laugh at him for being such an idiot and a scumbag. On the other hand, his actions raise some awkward questions about the audience and our motivations for watching the show. As lewd and shameless as his commentary may be, it's not all that far removed from my own thoughts in the previous paragraph. Does watching Monster Musume for its strangeness reduce us to an obnoxious crowd gawking at a circus sideshow, or does the wall of fiction protect us from the indictments leveled at the filmmaker? Whether by accident or design, Monster Musume offers some serious food for thought this week.

Even as it stirs up a bubbling cauldron of conflicting emotions and mixed messages, the show doesn't forget to toss in some appropriately raunchy comedy. There are a couple of moments in this episode that aren't fit to broadcast, so the series uses creative visual metaphors to let the audience know what's happening. The results are silly, irreverent, and funnier than they have any right to be. If your inner middle school student isn't buried under a mountain of good taste and decency, you'll find it hilarious. There's also a fun little background joke accompanying the brutal assault Kimihito receives when Papi first announces her egg dilemma. Miia, Centorea and Mero rush to the obvious conclusion and beat him senseless with their weapons of choice, but Suu seems to join in just for the fun of it. As everyone else discusses the situation, she frolics merrily around with her stick and pays no attention whatsoever to the conversation. It's a nice detail that takes advantage of the show's wide range of personalities.

Monster Musume is an increasingly tough nut to crack. I feel like a lunatic for trying to analyze it seriously, but it's just too darn interesting in its ideas and implications, intentional or otherwise. The show is still a slimy, scaly mess of uncomfortable moments, but the mere fact that a harem comedy is exercising mental muscles that I haven't used since college is a wonder. Bring on the spider lady and the monster girl SWAT team!

Rating: B+

Monster Musume is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Paul Jensen is a freelance writer and editor. You can follow more of his anime-related ramblings on Twitter.