Kaibutsu Oujo

Kaibutsu Oujo (Monster Princess) is a manga centered around a character named Hiro, who after dying is brought back to life by a Monster Princess named Liliane. Hiro's primary role as a servant is to protect "Hime," but due to his weakness, he can only serve as a shield for Liliane. The royal family includes various intriguing characters like a werewolf, a vampire, an android human, and Hiro's sister Sawawa. Liliane must fight her siblings for the throne in what resembles a survival game.

Similar to its anime counterpart, each chapter presents different events or situations that depict the struggles of Liliane's royal life with Hiro as her servant. Although this isn't a romance manga, the main character Hiro attempts to bridge the gap between master and servant with Hime, resulting in numerous adorable moments between them akin to romantic scenes fans desire.

I appreciate this manga for its rich array of characters, clever female protagonist, survival elements, special moments, and a touch of ecchi comedy. Characters like Sawawa and Sylvia, especially the Onee-san types, captivated me; Sawawa is my favorite Onee-san in this series. This manga has been a fulfilling read for me.

This anime revolves around Princess Hime and her entourage as they confront various supernatural occurrences. Among her followers are the proud werewolf Riza, the mischievous vampire Reiri, the android Flandre who can only say "hooba," her enthusiastic younger sister Sherwood, and her blood-servant Hiro. Hime is known for her cold demeanor but possesses a commanding presence and sharp intellect. Riza takes pride in her strength and has a penchant for battle, while Reiri enjoys playing tricks and prefers to avoid hard work. Despite their species being natural enemies, Riza and Reiri manage to get along surprisingly well. Flandre belongs to an overpowered android series, whereas Sherwood is deeply committed to their family's noble duty of tracking supernatural wildlife.

However, the story's central character, Hiro, is somewhat underwhelming. Although technically the protagonist, his role is minimal. As a blood warrior resurrected by Hime's royal blood, he gains immortality and the ability to sense danger to Hime, but otherwise remains a regular human. His contributions mainly involve taking hits for Hime, which is crucial yet unexciting. Moreover, his personality lacks depth or development, making him a flat character. The manga is occasionally categorized as having harem or romance elements, but there’s little evidence of this beyond fleeting moments of interest from the female characters towards Hiro.

The manga follows a structure of short stories, usually confined to a single chapter, showcasing different supernatural incidents involving Hime. These episodes typically feature mysterious phenomena or battles against supernatural beings. However, it doesn't delve deeply into mysteries or action sequences. The solutions to mysteries often introduce new supernatural elements relevant only to that particular story, and fight scenes lack complexity, sometimes skipping the climax altogether. This approach emphasizes horror and mystery atmospheres effectively, but the repetitive nature eventually makes the reading experience dull when consumed in large volumes.

Most of Hime's adventures have little connection to an overarching plot centered on a struggle for the throne and secrets about Hime's family background. While some aspects were intriguing, the storytelling was poor and the ending felt rushed and unresolved. The pacing issues exacerbated this, with significant plot advancements squeezed into a few chapters amidst numerous unrelated ones. A sequel might address these shortcomings, but this series left much to be desired in its conclusion.

The artwork presents a mixed bag. The quality is generally good, though early chapters show rough edges. Environments and monsters are well-designed, contributing significantly to the atmosphere. However, character designs feel bland for the setting, and their portrayal lacks the visual impact needed to stand out. Attempts to make them look cool mostly focus on Hime and become repetitive quickly.

Tl;dr: A manga featuring an engaging cast and strong atmospheric elements but weak in other areas.

Story:
A bit peculiar, actually. The frequent time skips can be a bit confusing at times. Nonetheless, it was enjoyable. There might be some plot holes, but they didn't detract from the overall quality of the manga. It follows the typical shounen genre, yet its light and comedic atmosphere ensures you won't get bored.
Art:
It's decent. Occasionally, the panels are a bit perplexing, and character drawings aren't always clear (which sometimes leaves me wondering who they are, haha). But honestly, it's fine. I particularly liked how the female characters were illustrated more than the male ones (haha).
Character:
I appreciate Hiro's character development. He started as a lame dead boy fufu but unexpectedly became quite strong, hehe. Hime's mysterious aura (and her chainsaw antics are pretty hilarious) is also a hit. HAHA And then there's that vampire girl. Usually, I'm not fond of ecchi scenes, but she manages to pull them off well.
Enjoyment:
Terrific. Despite the confusion, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything ties up nicely by the end, so no worries there. However, I do wish the romance element had been emphasized more (as it's almost nonexistent XD), but oh well.
If you're on the lookout for a horror comedy manga (with top-notch comedy!) XD then this one's for you. There's an anime adaptation too (which is quite good). You'll definitely have a few laughs.
Ciao.

This manga is one that I grew to love over time. I thoroughly enjoyed the anime, and I believe only fans of this manga could appreciate its counterpart. As a devoted follower of this series, I can confidently say that the manga and anime are as different as two beverages in terms of story tone and character development.

STORY: The synopsis on the back of the first volume might not grab many readers. Volume 1 is somewhat flat, mainly introducing characters with a vague explanation of the plot. Most of the initial chapters revolve around Hiro, the male lead, struggling with life as a semi-immortal servant to an apparently heartless woman who torments him. This phase lasts only for the first volume but sets up what's to come beautifully. It significantly improves by volume 2, bringing new siblings into the Royal War along with other enemies and alliances. While it hasn't settled into a linear storyline yet, I appreciate the nods to classic horror movie monsters like werewolves, vampires, the headless horseman, and even the Loch Ness Monster.

ART: The character designs are incredibly detailed, especially Hime and Sherwood's dresses. Their outfits feature impressive shading and lighting, which look fantastic. This surprised me because I'm not a fan of the goth look, but Hime is quite attractive. The rest of the characters look good too, but don’t stand out as much as Hime. Riza, with her terrific abs, and Reiri, the vampire girl in a sailor fuku, offer some modest fan service. The monsters, violence, dark atmosphere, and shadowy backgrounds contrast well with the sometimes bright and whimsical feel of the anime episodes.

CHARACTER: I've already gushed about Hime in my anime review, so I'll focus on other aspects of the manga. One issue I had with the anime was changing Hiro from a Blood Warrior to a Royal Guard with the Flame of Life (though in retrospect, the "flame of life" makes sense). As a Blood Warrior, Hiro's bond with Hime intensifies, evident as he gradually grows to want to fight for and protect her. Early on, he’s just there to get kicked around, but hints suggest he could become more of a fighter. I’m intrigued to see where this goes.

Riza Wildman is my second favorite character, though she looks like a female clone of Kyo from Fruits Basket. She and Reiri have great chemistry as vampires and werewolves are bitter enemies. Sherwood is a fun little imp of a sister whom I wish appeared more in earlier chapters, but I still enjoy her appearances. Hime’s other siblings are introduced later but haven’t had much screen time yet; however, they will eventually shine. We’re only up to volume 7 here in the States.

ENJOYMENT: Once you get past the first volume, it’s fairly easy to enjoy this title. The early theme revolves around fighting a monster per chapter and watching Hime use her quirky array of weapons. Some dialogues are a bit rocky and conversations awkward. I’m unsure if it’s due to poor translation or how it was written. An overuse of ellipses can be jarring, but I’m being technical. The fights are well-drawn, and anticipating more character exposition and interactions with other siblings has kept me interested.

OVERALL: After a clumsy first volume, things get more interesting, improving with each chapter. The art significantly enhances, and the supernatural elements of the story and characters are unique and original. Hime alone is enough to keep me reading. While not a must-buy, if you're looking for a manga with a strong female lead or a good supernatural shonen title, you should definitely check it out.