Originally written in 2021 for the Facebook group, Kaiju and Henshin Manga. I lightly revised a few things for this reprint, but the text is mostly the same.
Monster Tamer Girls vol. 1
In 2021 young actress Kaylee Hottie charmed many viewers with her depiction of Jia, a deaf Iwi girl from Skull Island who could communicate with King Kong via sign language. The character of Jia takes a longstanding kaiju trope—the woman who connects/communicates/saves the monster—and adds a slightly new twist. Usually the female who connects with the monster is older, and may even be a romantic interest to the beast (the original Ann Darrow from King Kong (1933) being an obvious reference), but Jia is neither of those; she is more like a tiny friend to our favorite giant ape. However, whatever the role, women have been communicating with, befriending, tempting, and controlling giant monsters from the start of mega-monster fiction—whether as priestesses, twin fairies, jungle women, or just naïve ladies in the wrong place at the wrong time.
This trope was made the center of a two-volume manga series back in 2014-2016, released in English in 2018 via Yen Press, and written plus illustrated by Mujirushi Shimazaki (that HAS to be a pen name—“mujirushi” just means “off-brand”). She took the classic girls-and-monsters bit and made it into a tale of cute girls doing cute things with giant monsters with Monster Tamer Girls—and it’s a lot of fun.
The story goes that in 1999 giant monsters appeared around the world, and, while destructive at first, people soon discovered that the giant beasts were not inherently violent and could be tamed via the singing voices of prepubescent girls (who knows why). Thus schools were opened up specifically for training young women in the ways of kaiju calming and handling, and Monster Tamer Girls follows Ion Hidaka and Sora Misumaru as they start out their monster schooling careers. When they arrive, they are given the task of looking after the local grumpy giant monster in the woods to break them in as kaiju freshies. This monster is notorious for being recalcitrant and tough to handle, but it takes a shine to shy Hidaka, who shows great talent in connecting with monsters through her powerful voice. Thus the adventures begin, as various strange beings continually emerge into the tale and cause trouble, and friendships between both monster and human form as a consequence.
The girls are a big focus, with their foibles and charms, each new recruit trying to fit in, struggling to figure out their place, how to connect with monsters, and dealing with their dreams. The girls are treated with a light touch—they have problems and faults, but they aren’t tragic and dark characters, and their lives seem a bit like marshmallow pudding: saccharine and sweet and light, perfect if you’re in the mood, bad for those who dislike the fluff. The monsters are cute, too, and have their own issues—often relational—that the girls must confront and help solve.
For me, I really enjoyed the airy, amusing misadventures of Hidaka and Misumaru. They are far-removed from the punched-up action and explosions in most monster-fare, and folks with a taste for the silly and calm storytelling of something like Flying Witch will probably find something to enjoy here.
The art is clean and easy to follow, and the girls are not sexualized (beyond short skirts). They are charming, if a bit empty, but since the girls are drawn in a similar fashion without many distinguishing features, sometimes I found myself getting confused as to who was who. Monsters, meanwhile, are illustrated in the same low-detail, high-adorability frame. The designs are not that memorable, and come across as fairly generic, but they suit the purpose of pushing the story forward.
I would totally recommend this series for kaiju fans looking for something fun that takes a familiar trope and twists it in a new and fun way. References to the greater kaiju fandom can also be found, and it’s just nice to relax with an undemanding piece of entertainment that makes you smile—especially in these stressful times.
Three stars