The pilot episode for WataTabe looked and sounded beautiful. Additionally, it was strong in terms of presenting the main premise and themes of the story. The three characters introduced thus far – Hinako, Shiori, and Miko – were all cute and interesting. I will briefly recap the events of the first episode here and also mention a few highlights that stuck out at me. But before that, let me share a more general thought.

What struck me most about this initial installment was that it was significantly grimmer than I expected. Besides the fact that Shiori is a violent monster who literally plans to consume a human, we also know Hinako deals with intense suicidal ideation. The last shoujo ai (Girls Love) I watched was the wholesome anime Whisper Me A Love Song, so the switch to a dark and toxic yuri was slightly jarring. It’s not a dealbreaker though. In fact, I tend to love toxic and doomed yuri if the character psychology is interesting.

If you were hoping for an uplifting or healing experience, I doubt this is the anime you want. For me, on the other hand, the idea of a dark and psychological shoujo ai sounds enticing. With that point out of the way, let’s review the pilot episode.

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Episode 1: A Girl Who Seeks Death Waits for the Sea

Episode Rating: 10/10

The episode begins with Hinako, a gloomy highschool girl, waking up and going to school alone. She texted with her aunt (who is probably her guardian), but otherwise, she has no family. Hinako’s parents and brother all tragically died somehow. On her way to school in the seaside town, Hinako paused at a bridge over the water. She thought she saw something in the water, but before she could tell what it was, a pretty girl in white dress appeared and grabbed Hinako’s hand, warning her not to fall.

Hinako had a strange sensation that the girl in front of her was like the sea. She had deep blue eyes like a dark ocean. Interestingly enough, the strange girl said she was worried Hinako would have thrown herself off the bridge on purpose. Hinako denied this sharply and walked away. At school, she met up with her best friend, Miko. This spirited girl had been suffering from a cold for a while, but it didn’t stop her from fretting over Hinako. Miko was very protective of her friend, who was always spacing out.

While waiting for Miko to finish some activities after school, Hinako wandered around the campus. As she approached a channel of seawater, something bizarre happened. A monstrous being appeared with many arms and tentacles made of dark hair. The creature dragged Hinako into the water and tried to eat her. Though surprised about her sudden impending death, Hinako didn’t try to fight. She accepted her fate. But next thing Hinako knew, she was safe in the arms of the girl from earlier.

After setting Hinako gently down, the strange girl faced off with the monster, calling it an Iso-Onna (a type of yokai). Referring to herself as mermaid, she suddenly appeared to have silvery scales like a fish and dangerously sharp claws. The mermaid proceeded to tear the Iso-Onna into bloody shreds. When it was done, she returned to Hinako, covered in blood. Then we had the iconic moment where she takes Hinako’s hand, introduces herself as Shiori, and says, “I’ve come to eat you.”

Shiori doesn’t eat Hinako right away because she believes Hinako will be tastier when she’s more mature. After that utterly chilling explanation, Shiori vanished. The whole time, Hinako seemed frozen in shock, but it’s hard to say she was scared. It’s more like she was quietly thrilled. We can be sure, at this point, that Hinako isn’t just accepting of a sudden death, but also actively wanting to die. When Shiori transferred into her school the next day, Hinako smiled back, thinking that this mermaid could grant her dark wish.

Wow. This episode was magnificent. I’m hooked already. Shiori is fascinating and mysterious, and Miko is adorable, but Hinako is the character I most understand. Speaking as someone who dealt with consistent suicidal ideation for four years straight, I often love anime characters who also suffer with depression and suicidal tendencies. A great example is Chise Hatori from The Ancient Magus’ Bride. Anyway, long story short, I’m already invested in Hinako as a character.

Now, let me mention a few other thoughts I had. First and foremost, I loved the artistic depiction of Hinako’s psychological dissociation at school. As Miko and her friends chatter, Hinako “zones out” and suddenly, the classroom appears to be underwater. Sound becomes distorted, time seems to slow, and sea creatures begin to appear. What a beautiful way to show derealization and restate the theme of the ocean at the same time! I am no stranger to dissociation, having experienced it in many forms for many years. So this anime wins extra points with me for including it in a creative way.

Though the style may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I was impressed with the visuals at several points in this episode. And speaking of visuals, I was also relieved that there wasn’t any fan-service or sexualization of the highschool girls. So far, so good. The character writing seems great. I’m not crazy about the opening or ending songs, but perhaps I’ll grow to like them more with time and better understanding of the lyrics.

I thought I had more to express, but that’s all I can think of clearly today. To put it simply, though it’s darker than I expected, This Monster Wants To Eat Me had an extremely strong, well-executed pilot episode. See ya next time.

~Thanks for reading~

Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants

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Tag: This Monster Wants to Eat Me