The anime adaptation of "My Little Monster" has been confirmed for 2024, and the biggest appeal of this work is the unique worldview of this work, which is deepened by the story that progresses through the interaction between humans and monsters, and the appearance of various monsters. In particular, the worldview of this work was highly praised in the original work, and it can be said to be different and more tasteful than other works. Therefore, it can be said that the worldview is what is attracting the most attention as to whether it will be reproduced in the anime adaptation. Those who have not enjoyed the original work may find it strange, but the worldview of this work is so unique and important to this work. In this article, I would like to introduce the worldview, which is the biggest element of this work, to anime fans who have not read the original work. Why is the worldview of this work so attractive? I will introduce this point while digging into the various depictions of this work, so if you are interested in the worldview of this work, please check it out.
A somewhat mysterious worldview
The worldview of this work is one in which mysterious beings called yokai coexist with ordinary everyday life that could be found in any region. Although this work depicts peculiar beings that do not exist in reality, they are depicted as a world where they blend into everyday life as a matter of course, and with the exception of the sole lie that yokai exist, most of the work is composed of ordinary descriptions that are easy for readers to accept.
It depicts everyday life, but...
As a result, the story depicted in this work is basically all about ordinary events that can occur in everyday life. Yokai appear, and the work depicts battles between yokai and the conflicts that are unique to yokai, but surprisingly, yokai are close to humans, and the worries they face are the same as those that we humans sometimes worry about. Therefore, although they are depicted as yokai, they can also be perceived as humans with different appearances.
Yokai in the "ordinary"
As you can see, the yokai that appear in this work are familiar and easy to sympathize with. The yokai are, after all, coexisting in the ordinary everyday life that we normally live, and their presence does not cause our daily lives to change significantly. This is a big difference from "Pokémon" and "Yokai Watch", which have similar themes.
Exquisite balance
In this way, this work is a very well-balanced mix of fiction and non-fiction, allowing you to have the mysterious experience of observing the monsters that lurk in the everyday lives of our everyday lives. This exquisite sense of balance is the greatest appeal of this work's worldview, and it is an element worth noting in the anime version as well.
Settings that clear up all your little doubts
In this work, there are some things and settings that would never exist in the real world, but on the other hand, there are many scenes where you can see that the author has thought out those settings in detail. The settings are very detailed, and even a small scene can often be interesting if you think about it deeply, so please pay attention to these small settings.
The details of the setting can be seen from Buchio's hell of procedures
For example, the scene that I found interesting was when Buchio, who went from being an ordinary cat to a monster, had to go through various procedures as soon as he became a monster. It wasn't just about becoming a monster, but the moment a being with an awakened ego as a monster was born, the government procedures had to be completed. It was a surprisingly detailed scene, but I remember it being realistic and interesting.
Description that even the author, a law student, can agree with
I studied law as a law student, and the basic interpretation of the law is that only beings who have their own will and can express it can enter into contracts. For this reason, people with dementia cannot enter into contracts on their own, but in the same way, creatures other than monsters are in exactly the same state. That is why there are no regulations regarding legal procedures for them, but if they become monsters, they can speak human language and clearly express their will. Therefore, they can enter into contracts with humans by expressing their will.
A scene that shows deep thought has gone into the setting
If you end up in this state, you'll need to be issued identification just like a human. In this way, becoming a yokai also means being able to express your will. This kind of logic is something that a law student can come up with, but if a manga artist who doesn't usually deal with law came up with this setting, they probably wouldn't have thought about the worldview of this work in depth beforehand.
There are many scenes that are interesting when you look closely
This time, I introduced the depth of the setting of this work from the scene of Buchio's procedure, but there are many scenes that are interesting when you look closely like this. For those who study literature, there are scenes that are interesting from a literary perspective, and for those who study art, there are scenes that are interesting from an artistic perspective, so please enjoy this work while thinking deeply about your own field of expertise.
Heavy content
Though this work depicts the theme of everyday life, there are also many stories that occasionally depict serious themes, even while mainly depicting everyday life. When it comes to works of the everyday life genre, mundane depictions tend to be repeated, so they tend to become boring, but this work prevents readers from becoming bored by occasionally depicting stories with serious themes.
Questioning the nature of family
Among the many episodes that depict serious themes, the most common are those that question the nature of family. This is because many characters have special feelings for their families, such as a girl whose father suddenly disappears, a youkai who has complicated feelings about the place where she was born and raised, and a youkai who continues to want to give back to her precious family.
Problems in everyday life
Various questions and dissatisfaction with family are themes that arise in everyday life. Because this work is a slice-of-life story that depicts ordinary daily life, it is easy to depict themes that question the nature of family.
Easy-to-relate-to themes
Although it is a mysterious world where youkai appear, the serious themes depicted in this work are ones that even we can sympathize with, so please pay attention to these themes.
The persuasive power of this everyday story
As such, this work is very well-balanced, both as a story about everyday life and as a family story that questions the theme of family. This work makes full use of the persuasive power of this everyday story, so please pay attention to the well-balanced story development in this area.
Depth as a Yokai Story
The appeal of this work's world is not just in its everyday life and family scenes. There is also depth as a Yokai story that focuses on the many Yokai that appear in this work. From here, I would like to introduce the depth of the settings of the Yokai depicted in this work and the influence they have on the world view of this work.
The depth of the setting that separates gods and monsters
What is particularly noteworthy is that this work depicts two mysterious beings with different attributes: gods and monsters. In ancient Japanese thought, there are two types of existence: the eight million gods who are the objects of worship in everyday life, and other monsters. These can be considered to be the same thing, or they can be seen as completely different things depending on the situation, and this work beautifully reflects the complex sensibilities of Japanese thought.
A setting of monsters based on magical thought
The setting of the monsters that appear in this work is also interesting. In this work, it is explained that monsters cannot exist without some special meaning. In fact, the setting of these monsters is based on the ancient magical thought of Japan. Basically, in Japanese magical thought, humans exist as the main actors, and it was believed that the strong wishes and sinful thoughts of these humans are reflected in the creation of monsters.
Ancient human subjective theory of monsters
In other words, it is the idea that beliefs are embodied, and the fact that monsters need meaning is precisely because it adopts ancient human subjective theory of monsters, which says that monsters cannot exist unless humans give them meaning.
It's interesting to see minor monsters and urban legends
In addition, this work will depict many fascinating monsters and urban legends. Most of the monsters actually appear in Japanese folklore, so if you enjoy this work, you can say that you will learn quite a lot. In addition, some online urban legends such as "Kisaragi Station" appear, and it touches on some pretty nerdy places, so I think it's very enjoyable.
It's even more interesting if you're familiar with Japanese culture
Looking at the settings of the various yokai, you'll find that there are many interesting settings hidden within for fans of Japanese culture. By gaining a deeper understanding of the Japanese way of thinking about gods and yokai, you can enjoy the world view of this work even more deeply, so please try to enjoy this work from the perspective of Japanese culture as well.
A work that can be enjoyed by both hardcore otaku and those who want to enjoy it frankly
While this work mainly depicts ordinary everyday scenes, there are detailed settings hidden within those scenes, and if you think deeply about it, you can enjoy a more profound world. This work is recommended for both hardcore otaku and those who want to enjoy it frankly, so please enjoy this work from various angles.
Enjoyable for both legal geeks and Japanese culture geeks
I myself was able to enjoy the setting of this work from a legal perspective, and as I mentioned in the latter half of the article, I think that people who are familiar with Japanese culture will also be able to deeply enjoy the setting of yokai in this work. There are very few works that can entertain so many people in such a wide range of genres, so it's definitely worth checking out.
Content that even those who want to enjoy it frankly can enjoy
Basically, manga works are absolutely necessary for people who want to enjoy it frankly. The number of people who enjoy it at its core is overwhelmingly small, and many of the people who spend money on this work are people who enjoy it frankly. If you think about it like that, it is important that this work is a work that can be enjoyed frankly as a basic premise, and on top of that, the appeal of this work is that it can be enjoyed by people who want to enjoy it at its core.
A little bit of everyday life, a little bit of emotion
The story of this work is not the type that draws you in with its overwhelming immersion and makes you feel emotions you have never experienced before. It is a work that depicts everyday life, but also reminds you of the small emotional upheavals we have experienced somewhere. It is a work that delivers a little bit of everyday life and a little bit of emotion, and although it is light, it is a work that is characterized by its deep flavor that makes you want to savor it again and again.
Summary
What did you think? This time, we have briefly introduced the unique world view that will be depicted in this work "My Neighbor is a Monster" and the appeal of that world view. As mentioned in the article, this is a light story, but the setting is deep enough that you will notice something new as you read it over and over again, and because it deals with everyday life, it contains themes that provide clues to solving the dissatisfaction and worries we have in our lives. I believe that the anime version will also fully depict this fascinating worldview, so whether you want to enjoy it from a core perspective or not, please feel free to enjoy this work. This work is interesting enough even if you watch it with the attitude of "for now, let's have some fun," so please give it a listen at least.
