Holiday Review: SACHI'S MONSTROUS APPETITE

 Horror manga can take all sorts of forms.  Take today's review, where we look at a series that mixes horror, food and romance into an uneasy combination.

SACHI'S MONSTROUS APPETITE (Ano Hito no I ni wa Boku ga Tarinai), by Chomoran.  First published in 2018 and first published in North America in 2021.

PLOT:

Makie is a lonely boy, and one of the few people who soothes that loneliness is Sachi, a neighboring high school girl.  He works up the courage to give her a home-baked treat, but in the process he discovers Sachi's secret: she is a watari, an inhuman creature that must consume other watari to survive.  He soon finds himself drawn into Sachi's world, as the two share Makie's homemade bentos and a burgeoning relationship.  Yet Sachi's hunger is never fully satisfied, and as the two get closer she finds it harder and harder to suppress her natural urge to consume.

STORY:

I'm still not sure what sort of tone Sachi's Monstrous Appetite is going for.  Most of it seems to revolve around the sensitive romance between Makie and Sachi, as the two learn about one another and ease their mutual loneliness.  There's also the monster-hunting element, which adds to both the supernatural goings-on and the relationship.  Yet there's always an uneasy undertone in all their scenes, the ever present thread of our protagonist getting devoured.  I suspect it's trying to say something about how hunger and desire aren't always as separate as you think and I can't tell how much of this is intentional.

At least it's not supposed to be a kink.  At least, I don't think we're meant to consider the prospect of vore here.

ANYWAY.  As far as characters go, both Makie and Sachi are fine.  Sachi stands out a little more, but that's mostly because she tends to be more of a chatty flibbertigibbet.  In comparison, Makie is more nervous and reserved but not without reason.  He's not only still grappling with the loss of his mother, but the complex that gave him over food due to losing the last bento she ever made for him.  There is a genuine sweetness in the way that the two bond over Makie's meals, as it helps Makie move past the trauma of his mother's death and allows Sachi to experience some everyday human delights. 

I just wish Chromoran had more confidence in the appeal of that.  Halfway through, they introduce a handler for Sachi and set the two on tasks to hunt down other watari and their nests.  Personally, I've seen this idea done so many times that my eyes started to gloss over and to skim the pages that much faster.  It's only towards the end of the volume that things started to focus again on Makie and Sachi before reminding us that no matter how much Sachi can pretend, she's not human and that her desire to eat might just eventually overwhelm her.  Only time will tell if this is true or if this manga continues to go into some weird directions, but at least it's got a decent emotional foundation to work from.

ART:

Chomoran's art is something of a throwback to late 90s anime.  There's something about the angularity of the characters, the way their faces sit so low on their heads, the little vents in Sachi's hair, the prominent cheekbones in the character's profiles that evokes that time and that particular look.  They definitely play up the size difference between the two frequently, as even in her human form Sachi has at least a half foot of height and is built along sturdier lines.  It kind of reminded me of Witchcraft Works in that sense, although I don't feel like this size difference is being played up as much for kinky purposes here.  

It also works well with the energy they bring to the art as well.  This is most obvious in the contrast between Sachi and Makie.  Sachi's scenes are always full of motion and sound.  She fills her scenes with chatter and motion, and the panels are often drawn from Makie's perspective.  Meanwhile, the scenes more focused on Makie are still and simpler, focused more on flashbacks and interior monologue.  It's a good balance.

RATING:

Sachi's Monstrous Appetite is certainly a different take on the concept of a monster girl romance.  It's got a lot of heart and some good energy.  If it can settle down a little and find its focus, it could very well turn out to be a very good manga.

This series is published by Kodansha Comics.  This series is complete in Japan with 6 volumes available.  4 volumes have been published and are currently in print.

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