Thanks for visiting Anime Rants. The final episode of This Monster Wants to Eat Me was not as good as I had hoped. It was underwhelming in a few ways and only really satisfactory as the ending of a first season. This is rather depressing, since I doubt the show will do well enough for a second season. Let’s review what happened and go over a few notes.
Episode 13: Warmth on the Sea Floor
Episode Rating: 6/10
Miko and her friends were invited to stay at a hotsprings hotel in a nearby town as thanks for their help at the basketball training camp earlier in the year. Surprisingly, it wasn’t difficult to get Hinako to agree to go on the trip. She even smiled and said it would be fun. Shiori would be coming along as well. It was a daytrip date for the three of them. They would tour the town, sleep in a fancy inn with hotsprings, and return home the following day. They would also go shopping for souvenirs and jewelry. There was no mention of getting permission from Hinako’s aunt, which seemed like sloppy writing.
Though Shiori and Miko were constantly bickering, it still seemed like everyone was having fun. I think the dynamic between Shiori and Miko is classic and funny. Together, the trio looked around the town and had some cute and funny moments. One scene that I especially liked was when Shiori picked up a large bottle of sake in the store and said, “I know what I want.” Miko had to explain that they can’t buy alcohol when disguised as highschoolers. Throughout the trip, Shiori started to realize that Miko was also looking after her and trying to be mindful of her feelings.
After a meal and a bath in the fancy inn, Miko started craving icecream. This was probably a pretense and what she really wanted was for Shiori and Hinako to talk things out and process their emotions more. So, Miko asked Hinako and “Fish girl” to go buy some icecream from the nearby convenience store. Miko looked extra adorable in her pajama kimono, sprawled on the futon, melting in relaxation. I laughed when she said she had become one with the futon. Shiori shot a glare at Miko for setting up the situation, but she left with Hinako regardless. Miko wins again.
On the way back from the convenience store, Hinako and Shiori saw what looked like fireflies at first, slowly rising from a small, dark body of water on the side of the path. Hinako almost touched one before Shiori stopped her and said those “fireflies” were deceased human souls. They really did look beautiful and provided a unique background for the conversation that unfolded between the girls. Hinako now seemed to understand that the promise with Shiori was an extremely painful thing for the mermaid. She questioned why Shiori agreed to the pact at all.
Shiori said something rather cryptic – that she made the promise because she chose the Hinako of today over the Hinako of the past or the future. I think this was a convoluted way of saying “I love you for who you are.” We already know from her words to Miko that Shiori would do literally anything to keep Hinako alive a little longer. At one point, Shiori asked if Hinako had fun on the trip. Hinako replied that she was mostly acting light-hearted to please Miko and to hopefully be eaten by Shiori sooner. However, despite her disdain at the idea of enjoying herself, Hinako admitted that she did have a little bit of genuine fun. Admitting that to herself must have been hard.
Shiori gave Hinako a hairclip as a gift. It was the same set of hairclips that they looked at in the store earlier that day. Just as the conversation seemed to be over, Hinako grabbed Shiori’s hand of her own volition for the first time. She said she was sorry, and I believe she was being as genuine as she could. Hinako knew the promise was unfair and cruel to Shiori, and it hurt her to see the mermaid in emotional pain because she was a kind-hearted girl.
Nevertheless, the intense and intrusive suicidal ideation was still prominent in Hinako’s mind. To her, the cruel promise seemed like the ideal option. Hinako’s apology may have been empty in terms of fixing anything or making amends, but it reflected her sensitive nature. For her part, Shiori stated that she would never forgive Hinako, even long after she was dead. But she held on to Hinako and they walked back hand-in-hand. This scene reminded me that this show is still toxic yuri at the end of the day. I wish Hinako would get better, but I know from experience that healing suicidal ideation takes a long time. There was probably no good way to wrap up this story in one season.
The next day, Miko, Shiori, and Hinako headed home. Then we saw a few scenes of Hinako getting up and getting ready for school. Her voice-over lines during this final part were confusing to me. These were her lines. “Even if that prayer from my family was just an illusion… Even if I die in the depths of despair someday… Even if it was a promise that nobody wanted except for me… Nevertheless, just once more…” Then she pauses before saying, “No… never again. I will never make this promise, this wish.” What the hell does that mean? Sometimes the dialogue in this series is bad.
My best guess is that she meant that she would never make the promise with Shiori again because it was only necessary to do so once to have her future death assured. It was not a happy or hopeful statement. My general interpretation of the ending is that nothing was resolved, but that there is still hope for Hinako to improve. Of course, when she does, then Shiori will have to eat her and Miko would probably die trying to save her. Again, this is frustrating and depressing because the show probably won’t get a second season. I hope I’m wrong. I truly loved these characters, the romance, and the yokai fantasy elements. I need more.
Sadly, this is probably the end of This Monster Wants to Eat Me. The fact that it ended so poorly makes me think it deserves 7/10 overall more than 8/10. But I will decide when I write up my series review… whenever I get around to it. If you watched this series, let me know your thoughts. Sayonara until next time!
~Thanks for Reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
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