Демі-чян бажають потеревенити. Том 1

Interviews with Monster Girls #1

by Petos, Катерина Шабельник (Translator)

Упирі, дюллахани, сукуби, сніжні дівчата… Прояви, які майже нічим від нас не відрізняються (останнім часом їх ще кличуть «демі» від demi-human). Отож гарнюні демі та їхні милі клопоти. Молодий талант Петос представляє трохи абсурдну (але від цього не менш чудову!) комедію.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Slice Of Life, Comics, Paranormal, Comedy

144 pages, Paperback

First published March 6, 2015

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was hoping for more monster lore and less inappropriate interactions between underage girls and their teacher (who doesn't seem very qualified as an educator, either).

I'm dropping this at the scene where one girl pinches the other's nipples to embarrass her while she's on a practice date with the teacher.

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this for a class on comics and manga, and a section on horror/fantasy, but I’m not committed to reading very much into it. Just found it at the library. Tetsuo Takahashi is a high school biology teacher interested in doing research on demi-humans—rare supernatural creatures. There are ethical barriers to research on demi-humans, and even apparently to interviewing them, but see title. Turns out he is in luck re: his interests, because there happen to be 3 demi-human girls in his school: A Dullahan, a vampire, and a snowwoman, and there’s also a woman teacher who is a succubus.

I had to look up Dullahan, which is a creature who carries her head around; she is a fairy.

The horror comics are heavier than this one, where all the girls are nice, and there’s a slight vibe of crush about the cute teacher, It looks kind of interesting.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok this is a super cute series with very likeable characters. I love that this is about a group of girls and none of them are mean, all of them are really sweet and charming. It's also quite funny too.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So happy I bought this one, it was fantastic, and now I am even more eager for the anime. \o/

Welcome to a world were demi humans just live among the humans. There aren't seemingly a lot of them, given that in one school there are only 3/4 and that is a lot apparently according to the teacher.

The 4 girls (well, 3 girls and a woman) are a Dullahan, a vampire, a snowwoman, and a succubus. It was great fun getting to know these 4 characters, and also see how their lives work, and go. Our vampire gets a bag of blood once a month, but we also see she much prefers being a vegetarian. Our snowwoman can collapse due to heat, but there are also some other things that don't go so well in her life. The Dullahan was really cute, though it was a bit unnerving to just see her hold her head like that, and even later, went shopping with the teacher while he held her head. I know, I know, everyday stuff for a Dullahan, but for me it isn't. :P
Then we have our succubus, and I have to say I felt sorry for the woman. She just wants to look nice, she just wants to find a boyfriend, but she knows that will be tough considering what she is and how her body works.

I am quite curious if there are more demis (yes, that is what our vampire said to call them) in this world, and if so where are they? And what are they?

The teacher is a truly nice guy, and I loved how much he cared about the demis. Not only because he wants to interview them, but he really cares about them beyond that. He tries to help them out. Holding them when things get tough, helping them out in the form of a group/club so they can talk about demi things.
I loved how sweet he was when he came in contact with the succubus. Awww! <3 <3

The story was hilarious, and I just laughed my butt off. Though one chapter was a bit sad, but it all ended well, so I was happy again.

The art is also really good, I love how the characters are drawn. Though I have to say the Dullahan girl could use a bit more improvement.

All in all though, I will definitely buy the rest of this series too as it comes out in English, and of course I will be watching the series when it airs.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, fluffy manga (with minimal fanservice) about a variety of female demi-humans, their efforts to fit in, and a curious human man trying to learn more about them. This could very easily have become a harem manga, but there is very little below-the-belt thinking here (though that could change in later volumes). Instead, we have a book full of cuteness and positivity, all conflicts are resolved quickly, and all of the "monsters" exercising impressive self-control. It is silly and idealized, but the world needs the occasional dose of unmitigated cheer.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars!

First Read for my O.W.L.S Readathon...

O.W.L.S - Career Auror
Potions - Book Under 150 Pages

That was a super fun quick and easy read, I didn't really know what to expect going in, but it was cute and the characters are all endearing... especially a certain vampire who I found absolutely hilarious! I know I'll definitely be reading Volume 2 at some point, and I'll have to have a look into the next ones in the series!

Overall a quick enjoyable read!

[Svitlana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Гмм... Це дуже дивна манґа, в якій багато обіймашок і... 🤔 грудей (?)😁

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a relaxing read. It's a school life comedy manga about monster girls and how their adapting to a human life in the most appropriate of settings: high school.

I find it relaxing because it has likable characters, wonderful illustrations, and well-written chapters. The first volume has episodic chapters, so it's easy to read. Sometimes, it is just satisfying to read a relaxing manga.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading the manga after watching the anime adaptation.
It's really nice to see a monster girl series that isn't perverted but instead a cute slice of life series about how demis get along in society

[Roman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Простенька та легенька манга, яку я брав колись на аукціоні Вражень ЮА, розповідає про школу, де навчаються демі-чян (це напівлюди - персонажки із японської міфології, і як не дивно - із ірландської також). Демі, як виявилось, дуже хочуть обіймашок, в першу чергу через те, що їх трішки унікають через їх особливості, але напевно це взагалі притаманно японському суспільству, яке протягом довгого часу потерпає від самотності, тому і тут тема обіймів дуже актуальна (впевнений, що й українцям, які живуть в стані перманентної тривожності, нервових розладів та депресії, спричиненому війною, обійми так само актуальні).

П.С. А ще тут вчителі по школі ходять в капцях на кшталт готельних - скоріше за все, щоби не спричиняти зайвого шуму, не знаю, чи це насправді так, якщо так і є, то це дуже прикольно)

[Anne (ReadEatGameRepeat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a fun manga - I watched the anime a few years ago (like right when the anime aired) and I kind of fell in love with it then but didn't realize until quite recently that there was also a manga, so I had to try to get my hands on it.

I will say there are a few things that made me a little uncomfortable but they didn't spoil the story overall for me and it was just a fun lighthearted silly read.

[Marius Paulsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

kawaii

[Matthew Whitson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute and fun comic. Getting to know there characters is a delight.

[Ruslana Bookslover · Rating 4 out of 5]

прикольна, кумедна манґа. перший том — все ж більше про знайомство з персонажами, але цікавий, читати далі хочеться)

[Julia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love the concept, but for me this manga just didn't land. If it was simply a story about monster-girls becoming friends and supporting each other, with the help of their human and succubus teachers who have their own B-Plot slow-burn romance starting, it would be a 4 stars from me easily.

But I've never been a fan of the harem genre, and the fact that it's a teacher having shippy moments with 3 schoolgirls made me uncomfortable throughout. Even if it is ultimately one-sided on the girls part, the hugging and dialogue and overall vibe just had me low-level creeped out the entire time. Unfortunate, since the rest of the story is so promising.
I particularly loved that the succubus teacher is plain-but-pretty, rather than an oversexualized bombshell. The Dullahan girls story is also really interesting (the crush-on-teacher thing aside) with the unique challenges that come from having a head separate from your body.

The art is good but nothing special.

I probably won't be continuing this series, unless the teacher/student aspects are greatly toned down (if not removed entirely) in future volumes.

PS. Maybe I'm just being sensitive about this, but I also didn't like what I perceived as a slight dig about LGBT+ relationships. When talking with the vampire girl, the teacher says something along the lines of "with members of your own sex, you can convince yourself that the sexual undertones of bloodsucking are something to laugh at, but with a member of the opposite sex, you're not so sure". It just seemed to be dismissive of/trivializing feelings between same-sex individuals? I don't think that's what the author intended, but that's how it felt to me.

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my thing. The teacher comes off as creepy and it makes for uncomfortable reading. DNF after second chapter

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was very nervous picking this up, because so many monster manga with female main characters turn out to be ecchi and mostly fan service. the blurb on the back also made me nervous, since the whole premise is about a male high school teacher who wants to meet demi-humans and low and behold, the school he teaches at now has four of them. I'm very against any kind of age-gap romances where one party is a minor, and any over-sexualized minor characters as well. there's a fine line between high school kids being kids, exploring their sexuality, being free and silly and learning to love their bodies...and this material being portrayed in a sexual way for older people's consumption. I am not comfortable with the latter and usually avoid anything even remotely close to this.

only after scouring most of the goodreads reviews did I decide to try this, since I read mostly all positive things about it being a pretty wholesome series. after reading it, I'm happy to confirm that it is very cute and wholesome! our mc Tetsuo is a biology teacher who'd wanted to learn more about demi-humans for his thesis, but had not been able to due to laws and regulations. at the school he's teaching at, he gets the chance to meet not one, but four demis - three students (a vampire, a dullahan, and a snow woman), and one other teacher (a succubus). though he starts off mostly curious about demis, their powers and how they're different from regular humans, he finds himself truly caring for their well-being and becoming something of a mentor to them. while one of the girls does develop a crush on him, he is never portrayed as feeling anything but concern and compassion for any of the students. the only demi he ever reacts to is the succubus teacher, who also shows a bit of interest in him - it's rather cute, and I'm excited to see where their relationship goes! and though he does react to her presence, he actually takes great care to not show her how affected he is, because he doesn't want to make her feel uncomfortable by sending the wrong message.

there are a few hugs that happen throughout this, which I know in real life I would feel mega uncomfy about - a male teacher hugging his female students is a no. but in the context of this manga, where we can literally see their thoughts and get some third-person narration, it's way less icky. I do hope that it never escalates beyond the hugs, because right now they feel very chaste and more for the comfort of the girls (for instance, one girl is crying after hearing some not-so-nice gossip about herself, and feels like she's being ostracized for being a demi).

so far, this is right up my alley. it's not a harem/fan-service/ecchi monster girl story, it's a rather sweet, heartwarming slice-of-life story with great humor and an interesting supernatural twist. I reserve the right to change my mind if things change further on in the series, but I'm desperately hoping for more wholesomeness like this!

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interviews with Monster Girls, Vol. 1 (My Kindle Review)

Monster girls are certainly a popular topic found in many anime and manga, but this series gives it an interesting take.

We follow biology teacher Testsuo Takahashi, who has a huge interest in demons living in our world and how have become demihumans. He learns that some of his female school students are demihumans: playful vampire Takanashi, shy dullahan (headless demon) Machi, quiet snow girl Kusakabe and new teacher Sato-sensei who’s a succubus. When he learns about their struggles of fitting it at school, he comes up with a way to help them.

An excellent first entry with a great take on its genre. It felt like a more tamer and heartfelt “Rosario+Vampire” that focuses more on its characters and story than on fanservice. The cast of characters will win you over by the end of the volume. Wonder where our demihumans will go from here. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biology teacher Tetsuo is excited that he gets to talk to three demi-humans at his school.

This was ok, but it didn't suck me in enough to make me want to read a second one. The demis, a vampire, a snow-woman, and a dullahan, are all girls and it's nice to see them supporting one another. The dullahan was an interesting character type I haven't seen before - the head is separate from the body and the body has what looks like flames coming out of the neck (but other than that, it looks like a regular person). The hugging and obvious crushes the girls have on their teacher was a touch unnerving.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Дія багатьох манґ відбувається в школах, адже це одне з небагатьох місць, де підлітки регулярно взаємодіють одне з одним, що робить його ідеальним тлом для драматичних подій. І манґа «Демі-Чян бажають потеревенити» Петоса пішла тим самим шляхлом, але трішки іншим. Історія розповідає про проблеми шкільного життя, але у світі, де є монстри. Ці монстри, хоч і незвичні, але цілком безпечні та нормальні. А серія пропонує подивитися на те, як вони інтегруються в шкільну культуру.

Упирі, дюллахани, сукуби, сніжні дівчата. Це, лише деякі з істот, яких колись називали «напівлюдьми». І вчитель біології старшої школи Такахаші Тецуо завжди мріяв про зустріч із ними. З початком нового семестру його мрія здійснилася: четверо дівчат «демі» (так їх називають сучасні підлітки) вступили до школи, де він викладає. Тепер добросердий і трохи незграбний Тецуо буде намагатися знайомиться із цими чарівними дівчатами й допомагати їм долати злети й падіння шкільного життя. А ще тут є інша вчителька математики, сукубиня Сато Сакія, яка живе відлюдним життям через свої здібності може спокушати інших людей.

Манґака Петос підкреслює унікальність кожного персонажа та грає з їхніми здібностями. Наприклад, показує, як упириня використовує свій особистий холодильник не лише для зберігання крові, але й щоб охолодити ноги. В іншій сцені дівчина-дюллахан йде на побачення, використовуючи лише голову, тоді, як її тіло спілкується з упиринею, що знаходиться далеко. Петос майстерно демонструє здібності монстрів, не забуваючи про їхні звичайні підліткові страхи та тривоги. І, як без еччі. Але, мабуть, це й так зрозуміло. Адже чотири демі-дівчата, які є новенькими в школі. І ще вчителька, яка нерівно дихає до Тецуо. Ви зрозуміли.

Але якщо відмежуватися від жанрових особливостей, то Петос хоче донести проблеми цькування і намагається допомогти зрозуміти, наскільки певні дії можуть завдати шкоди. Це шкільна історія, яка використовує монстрів, щоби підкреслити унікальні та часом химерні відмінності між нами. Але водночас це максимально дивна й весела манґа, до якої я не зрозумів до кінця, як ставитися. Були класні моменти, а було багато нецікавого для мене. Можливо, мені не вистачило обіймів?

[Jillian -always aspiring- · Rating 3 out of 5]

2020 Read #547

This series is surprisingly endearing so far! I mean, I have low expectations for monster girls stories, but this manga has some really nice moments between its characters. I hope the rest of the volumes are as good!

[Mykhailo Gasyuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Шкільна романтична комедія з елементами еччі, ускладнена умовностями сеттінгу. Окрім людей, у світі цієї манги існують ще напівлюди, такі собі породження міфів. Ось вам вампірессолюдина, ось безголова фейрі-людина, ось суккуболюдина, і так далі. Від людей майже не відрізняються, окрім очевидних особливостей. Інколи серед таких створінь бувають дівчата, і їм також треба ходити в старшу школу, де якраз вчитель біології проводить дослідження напівлюдей. Романтичне місиво, де вирішують якісь шкільні проблеми та обнімаються. Чогось надцікавого в першому томі я не помітив.

[Nore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Does this count as a harem manga? A very inappropriate one, especially considering the main male character is an adult and only one of the women is of a proper age to date him? There were only hints in the first volume, but it's enough to concern me, even though I love the harem trope to death.

However, this was cute as heck, and I look forward to reading the rest - I love monster girls, and I love how the author is using their monstrosity as a lens through which to look at the struggles of growing up while different (though none of them are as monstrous as I would like); the art is cute and light, and the story is delightfully upbeat so far.

Also: Completely, utterly unrelated to the story, a bell ringing was translated as "dang-dong" at one point, and I, an adult woman, literally almost choked on tears of laughter for about eight hours every time I thought about it. Dang-dong. I'm an adult.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This manga is about 3 high school girls (each Demi's)A Dullahan,Vampire and snow woman.Mr.Takeiashi (the biology teacher ,he studies demis )Runs into a vampire thinking she is a normal girl asking for help for her friend Macchi (A Dullahan).On there way to here they see some high schoolers rushing a girl to the nurse (she is a snow woman ).He gets shocked to see a Dullahan's body where Hikari (the vampire )leads him .So if you want to know more read it;).(If you already have cool :))

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but I'm definitely concerned about harem tendencies.

Full review eventually appearing on ANN.

[Logan Nathaniel Keseg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing too exciting. Casual slice of life read.

[MangUA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Уявіть собі ситуацію – ви, звичайний вчитель біології, який все життя тільки і мріє, що дослідити демі-людей, але доля все ніяк не зводить його з жодною такою особою. Аж раптом, одного погожого квітня в школі з'являється не одна, а цілих три демі-дівчинки, ще й з такою ж вчителькою на додачу!

Ось так і починається історія Такахаші Тецуо – надзвичайно доброго, люб’язного та уважного вчителя біології звичайної токійської школи, який все життя цікавився напів-людьми, яких тут лагідно називають “демі”.

Тепер Тецуо може поспілкуватися з цілим виводком демі-старшокласниць: тут вам і упириня Хікарі, яка не проти вас кусьнути, і дюллаханка Кьоко, яка дійсно може забути вдома голову, і навіть сніжна дівчина Юкі, холодна зовні, але надзвичайно тепла всередині душі (а ще вона на смак як мочі з морозивом (не питайте)). Та в Тецуо тепер ще й є чудова колега – сукубиня Сакіє, яка одним дотиком здатна підкорити будь-якого чоловіка (ну, не лише чоловіка).

Почавши перший том, я очікувала що вся манґа буде побудована на злегка абсурдному гуморі та еччі моментах. Та виявилось, що насправді історія піднімає важливі теми, такі як булінг в школі, інклюзивність, інакшість та самопізнання. Очима підлітків-дівчаток, які відрізняються від своїх однолітків, проте розділяють всі ті ж проблеми, ми бачимо дорослішання, примирення зі своєю природою, щиру насолоду від навіть найменших дрібниць, таких як морозиво після школи, розділене з друзями.

Проте вистачає тут і доброго гумору та кумедних ситуацій, наприклад зображення пристосування дюллаханки до безголовості, або конкурс на “найласіші руки” (все ще сумно за Тецуо), або надзвичайно милі спроби Сакіє вперше з кимось зблизитись, і зрозуміти, що воно таке, оте ваше справжнє “кохання”.

Легенький та приємний візуальний стиль манґаки, який не шкодує пера намалювати чергове смішне обличчя Тецуо-сенсея, в купі з дійсно цікавим сюжетом та глибокими персонажами, робить цю манґу надзвичайно приємною та теплою. Окрема подяка перекладачу за пояснення деяких моментів в кінці томиків, дуже часто це полегшує розуміння усієї ситуації.

Ось такими мені видались перші три томи манґи «Демі-чян бажають потеревенити», з нетерпінням чекаю продовження! Якщо ви любите історії, які набагато глибші, ніж здається на перший погляд, тоді вам сюди. Буде весело, ніжно та саму дрібку сумно, адже світ все ще не такий легкий, як би нам того хотілося, і демі-чян вам це покажуть на своєму прикладі.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually read book 10 today, but since I had a plan to review only the first in a long series unless and until I managed to somehow review EVERY OTHER BOOK I've read so I could then cycle back around to the rest of the books in any series, I wouldn't necessarily get to note down the "read" date(s) for the books I read since starting on Goodreads, so I went back and reread 1 as well.

The story is basically the same throughout the whole series, slice-of-life story of high school kids and their teachers... but some of them (students AND teachers) happen to be "monsters."* They get into more or less normal human shenanigans, but with their specific traits making them stand out or affecting what shenanigans in specific happen (dullahan = disembodied head; succubus = affecting arousal of others).

*This is a translation thing, I assume, because "monsters" has this connotation of their being uncontrollable beasts when the opposite is true: all of the "monster" girls are (more or less) quite well behaved and otherwise normal humans with one or two unfortunate(?) traits that make interactions with other people harder than normal. "Monsters" in this usage is just the simplest words that encapsulates the fact they aren't 100% plain human.

The difference in the art style is a little jarring, but I'm not really surprised since it's actually quite rare for the style to remain almost perfectly the same between the first and tenth (or hundredth?!) volume. I still like the story enough, but it's sort of like looking at old baby photos by comparison.

Overall, it's a fun exploration of "positive racism": Takahashi is discriminatory in that he is actively seeking out demi-humans ("demis") and spending disproportionately more time and attention on them as a result of his fixation on them for their traits, not for who they are as individuals. (I debated whether to tag "racism" or similar for this, but it's not really what I was going for in creating the "racism" tag. Also, the alternative is sort of a niche tag.)

Recommended for anyone who loves the idea of revisiting the classic "monsters" in a more positive light (except Hikari, who is pretty incorrigible).

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tetsuo Takahashi is a young high school biology teacher. He had wanted to write his thesis on demi-humans--supernatural creatures that are known to exist but pretty rare. Experiments on demi-humans were deemed unethical so even though he just wanted to do interviews to learn more about demi-humans, he had to do something else entirely.

His desire to meet a demi-human didn't go away but he thought it'd never happen. Then he meets four demis--as he's informed is the cute term they prefer--at school. Three are students: Hikari is a vampire, Kyoko is a dullahan, and Yuki is a snow woman. The fourth is a succubus and a fellow teacher, Sakie Sato. Hikari starts giving him lessons right away and he quickly develops relationships with the demi students.

The story is really cute and sweet. Tetsuo is interested in the girls well-being and despite Hikari teasing him a few times for being pervy, he never is. His interest may have started out as academic curiosity but he quickly starts to care for the girls and their unique situations and problems. It seems like the demi students were aware of each other but not close before the events in the first few pages and with Tetsuo's involvement they start to become closer.

This is a different take on supernaturals. People just become demis instead of being turned into one or born as one. There aren't many of them, but there are enough that Japan has developed some social services for them. The students have different levels of comfort with what they are and are navigating both demi problems and regular teenage ones. I'm sure as the series goes on we'll learn more about they whys and hows of demis. And see more adorable hugs.

[Pieter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interviews with Monster Girls is a rather wholesome manga about a RL modern Earth, but with a handful of demi-humans such as vampires, dullahans, snowwomen and succubi openly living among society. The MC is a biology teacher at high school who always has had a scientific curiosity in demi-humans, but who was never able to learn much about them. Until there appear a few such demi-humans among the first year students and a new math teacher happens to be a succubus. While genuinely trying to help his students he gets to learn more about the subject of his interest.

It is rather wholesome story about a teacher genuinely trying to help his students with their problems with some very interesting characters. The demis certainly have some good twists on the tropes to their personality. Their problems are well thought out and do tie in with their "powers" (nothing overly powerful), but are also grounded in regular life problems such as bad gossip and being/feeling different from others and the awkwardness this can create. It is a slice-of-life high school story, so no action or overarching plot beyond the ordinary day to day which is what I like and expected.

While things remain wholesome (and from what I know of the story from the anime remains as such; the romance works towards between the two teachers, and not a teacher and a student), I do think it would have been better if it was not just monster-"girls".

All in all, a fun and interesting read of a manga I got at a sale that did not disappoint. I am probably going to read later volumes at some point.