Introduction: A Yuri Horror Symphony of Longing and Dread
In the shadowed shallows of yuri horror, where forbidden desires lap against the terror of the unknown, This Monster Wants to Eat Me (original title: Watashi o Tabetai, Hito de Nashi) emerges as a haunting melody of melancholy and monstrosity. Written and illustrated by Sai Naekawa, the manga began serialization in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Maoh magazine on August 27, 2020, amassing eleven tankōbon volumes by October 2025. Licensed in English by Yen Press, it quickly captivated readers with its blend of supernatural dread, emotional intimacy, and yuri romance laced with existential hunger. The anime adaptation, produced by Studio Lings and directed by Yusuke Suzuki, premiered on October 2, 2025, as part of the Fall cour, streaming on Crunchyroll with an English dub that captures the whispers of the waves.
At its core, the series follows Hinako, a high school girl adrift in grief, whose "delicious" essence draws yōkai predators—chief among them the enigmatic mermaid Shiori, who vows protection with the predatory promise of eventual consumption. What unfolds is a slow-burn symphony of trauma, desire, and defiance, echoing the bittersweet yuri of Bloom Into You but steeped in the folkloric chills of Mono no Aware. With a MyAnimeList score hovering at 7.8 and early reviews praising its "thoughtful, evenly paced" exploration of mental health amid horror, it's a welcome companion to 2025's The Summer Hikaru Died—less profound, perhaps, but a "treat for those salivating for terror twisted with romance." This review delves into the narrative's depths, character psyches, production artistry, and thematic tides, revealing why This Monster Wants to Eat Me is a siren call worth heeding.
Plot Summary: From Seaside Solitude to Supernatural Surrender
Spoiler Warning: This section reveals major plot points across the manga's eleven volumes and anime's ongoing first season (Episodes 1–12 as of November 2025).
The story submerges us in the coastal town of Shiomi, where the sea's endless murmur mirrors the protagonist's inner void. Hinako Adashino (voiced by Reina Ueda in the anime), a 17-year-old orphan, drifts through high school like flotsam—her parents and older brother Mutsuki lost in a tragic car accident three years prior. Plagued by survivor's guilt and a passive death wish, she gazes at the ocean, yearning to dissolve into its depths and reunite with her family. Yet, self-harm eludes her; a deeper cowardice—or perhaps an unspoken will to live—holds her back. Her days blur in monotonous isolation: classmates' chatter fades to white noise, teachers' concern feels like pity's tide.
Episode 1 (and manga Chapter 1) crests with a fateful plunge. Wandering the beach at dusk, Hinako encounters an iso-onna—a vengeful sea spirit, its watery form coiling like drowned kelp. The creature lunges, drawn by Hinako's "irresistible" blood, a rare delicacy to yōkai that amplifies their power. In a blur of scales and spray, she's saved by Shiori (voiced by Kana Hanazawa), a stunning mermaid with azure hair and eyes like abyssal pools. Shiori's confession chills: "I've come to eat you." Hinako's flesh, she explains, is a yōkai aphrodisiac—sweetened by grief, ripening with time. Rather than devour her immediately, Shiori proposes a pact: she'll guard Hinako from rival monsters, nurturing her to "peak deliciousness" before the feast. It's a twisted courtship, equal parts threat and tenderness.
Act One (Chapters 1–20; Episodes 1–4) establishes the uneasy symbiosis. Shiori transfers to Shiomi High as a enigmatic new student, her human guise flawless but for the faint scent of brine. She shadows Hinako like a jealous lover—fending off a kappa in the school pool (its water-yōkai assault deflected with a casual tail swipe) and a tengu on the rooftop (its wind gusts parried by Shiori's aquatic barriers). Hinako, initially repulsed, finds solace in Shiori's unwavering presence; the mermaid's cold hand in hers feels like the first anchor since her family's death. Subtle yuri sparks ignite: shared lunches by the shore, Shiori's fingers tracing Hinako's scars, whispers of "You'll taste divine someday" laced with longing. Yet, dread simmers—Hinako's classmate Miko (voiced by Aoi Koga), a bubbly girl harboring her own darkness, senses Shiori's otherness, igniting a rival triangle.
Mid-series (Chapters 21–50; Episodes 5–8) deepens the horror-romance rift. Hinako's "ripening" accelerates: her blood's allure summons bolder yōkai—a nine-tailed kitsune seducing her in dreams, promising ecstasy over Shiori's fatal embrace. Flashbacks unveil Hinako's trauma: the accident's rainy night, Mutsuki's hand slipping from hers, the sea's roar drowning screams. Shiori's backstory surfaces in tidal confessions—she's a ningyo (mermaid yōkai) exiled from her underwater clan for sparing a human meal, her hunger now a curse of affection. Miko's instability erupts: revealed as a latent yōkai hybrid, her "friendship" masks possessive jealousy, culminating in a brutal beach brawl where she attempts to "claim" Hinako, forcing Shiori to reveal her full form—a colossal, bioluminescent horror that nearly devours the shore.
The back half (Chapters 51–end of Volume 11; Episodes 9–12) surges to sacrificial crescendo. Hinako confronts her death wish in a storm-lashed cave, where Shiori's clan demands her as tribute. Allies fracture: Miko, redeemed through Hinako's empathy, sacrifices her hybrid nature to seal a rift, while a council of yōkai elders—oni, yokai foxes, and sea spirits—converge for the feast. Twists cascade: Shiori's protection was a clan ploy to fatten Hinako for a ritual rebirth, merging human and yōkai essences. In the finale, Hinako chooses agency—offering herself willingly, not in despair, but to forge a new bond. Shiori, torn between hunger and heart, devours a sliver of her flesh, granting Hinako partial immortality and yōkai sight. The series closes ambiguously: Hinako, empowered yet scarred, gazes at the sea with Shiori at her side, Miko a watchful shadow. Manga's open-ended volumes tease escalating threats—a yōkai war—while the anime's first season ends on a cliffhanger kiss amid crashing waves.
Pacing ebbs like the tide—introspective lulls building to visceral bursts—rewarding patient viewers with a narrative that's as nourishing as it is nauseating.
Character Analysis: Flesh, Blood, and Forbidden Yearning
Hinako Adashino anchors the abyss—a fragile vessel of grief, her monotone narration (Ueda's flat delivery cracking into cathartic sobs) a masterclass in internalized torment. She's no passive victim; her death wish evolves into defiant desire, reclaiming agency through Shiori's gaze. Shiori (Hanazawa's ethereal whisper turning feral roar) is the series' siren soul—a monster masking vulnerability, her predatory affection a yuri archetype twisted into tragedy. Miko (Koga's bubbly facade fracturing into mania) adds volatile voltage, her hybrid rage mirroring Hinako's suppressed fury, forming a triangle of toxic tenderness.
Supporting yōkai enrich the ecosystem: the kappa's lecherous lurk, the kitsune's seductive snares—each a folkloric foil to Shiori's sincerity. Hinako's lost family haunts as spectral chorus, their absence the true devourer. The ensemble's chemistry simmers—stolen glances, bloodied embraces—elevating horror to heartbreaking intimacy.
Production Excellence: Studio Lings' Submerged Splendor
Studio Lings' adaptation is a fluid triumph: animation glides like seaweed in current, with watery filters overlaying mundane scenes to evoke Hinako's drowning despair. Character designs mesmerize—Shiori's scales shimmering in bioluminescent blues, Hinako's pallor a canvas for crimson bites. Direction by Suzuki balances slow-burn subtlety with visceral vignettes: the iso-onna assault a whirlwind of ink-black tendrils, yōkai battles stylized in shadow puppetry. Sound design drowns you—waves crashing in ASMR whispers, Hanazawa's voice a haunting hook. At 24 minutes per episode, it's efficient elegance—no filler, just escalating unease. Drawbacks? Early episodes lean expository, but the dub's emotional timbre (Ueda's shaky resolve) elevates the chill.
Strengths, Weaknesses, and Fan Verdict
Strengths lie in thematic depth: a yuri horror that dissects depression's delicious despair, with pacing deliberate as a tide's pull. Yuri sparks ignite without exploitation, and yōkai lore feels fresh—mono no aware in monster mouths. Fans on MyAnimeList rave: "Heartbreakingly beautiful," a 7.8 average buoyed by "Ueda's cathartic performance."
Weaknesses? Clichéd beats—Miko's jealousy veers trope-heavy—and animation's sparsity dilutes some scares, per CGMagazine's "lacks flavor" critique. Reddit threads note "clichéd plot points," but concede the "rich dynamics" carry it.
X buzz tilts tender-terror: "Episode 1's beach scene wrecked me," mirroring ANN's "frustrating but engrossing." As a "perfect companion to The Summer Hikaru Died," it's less profound but no less poignant.
Final Verdict: A Devourable Delight of Dreadful Desire
This Monster Wants to Eat Me is an 8/10 siren song—Naekawa's manga a masterful marriage of yuri yearning and yōkai yawns, Studio Lings' anime a submerged splendor that surfaces emotional eddies. It falters on familiarity but feasts on feeling, a treat for trauma-tinged romance seekers. Stream on Crunchyroll; let Shiori's whisper lure you—delicious, devastating, and deeply desired.
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