It is possible to add a new element to an anime from a specific genre and succeed in giving a modern edge to the anime. Monster Musume no Iru Nichijou is a prime example of something like this succeeding at a level that I did not think would be possible. If Monster Musume, hypothetically speaking, did not have monster girls as the harem and it was just ordinary girls, I don't think it would've had as much of an impact. Unlike human girls, monster girls have abilities from their bodies and state of mind that can create all kinds of unique jokes and sexy situations that you wouldn't find in a typical harem show. This uniqueness is where Monster Musume has more going for it in its humor and story. New scenarios involving monstrous entities with tentacles, wings, and other strange things add something interesting that we aren't used to.
There is not much to say about the story other than that it involves a slightly exciting world of monsters being integrated into the human world. The only issue with it is that it does not explain it very intuitively to the point where I just nodded off halfway through. But from the way the show portrays itself as a silly harem/ecchi anime, it knows how ridiculous it is and runs with it. Even the title itself is translated as "Daily Life with a Monster Girl." This is what most ecchi/harem anime should strive for when developing a story of this nature.
I will briefly go through one by one of each character since this is, after all, a character-driven anime based on how good the girls and male protagonists are. There are a lot, so bear with me for a moment. Miia-chan, the lamia snake-like monster, is the best one out of the rest. Thanks to the sweet voice of Sora Amamiya, her caring and cute personality is infectious. Not to mention her "darling" catchphrase is one that I can't preface about how heart-inducing it is. Papi, the bird-like harpy monster, is the bootylicious loli of the group who has some pretty hilarious moments due to her childlike curiosity. Cerea, the centaur monster, is probably my least favorite, but she is still quite enjoyable with her humorous attempts at being noble and knightly to her master.
Suu, the humanoid-like water goo-ish monster, has a peculiar essence about her from how she interacts with the characters. Because she can't speak well to people at first, we see her grow up with everyone and start learning how to become an adult later in the show. Her morphing technique and almost drowning the protagonist with her own body are amusing. Meroune, the mermaid monster, does get a bad rep as being the worst girl, but I would have to disagree with that assessment. I've always enjoyed seeing her wanting to get married to the protagonist and her attempts at seducing quite alluring in more cases than one. Finally, Rachnera, the giant spider monster, is easily the 2nd best out of the bunch. This is primarily because of her entertaining sadism towards the characters, making her unique among the harem. One scene involving a dullahan and her is especially noteworthy, which I won't spoil for those who are not aware.
Our protagonist, Kimihito Kurusu, is surprisingly one of the show's highlights. His reckless and commanding attitude is a breath of fresh air compared to other harem protagonists who do not have the same level of bravery as females. His actions that involve helping the girls from being downtrodden in human society, particularly one scene involving him punching monster bigots so hard that they fly through the door, make him quite likable in this regard. He does have his dumb moments here and there, but in context to the situation, they fit well in a comedy scenario where he does not have much control over a bunch of monster girls that are entirely different from human girls. He is not an overly perverted protagonist who we would all root for, like Tomoki from Heaven's Lost Property or Youto in Hentai Ouji. Still, he manages to have a subtle sexual interest at the right time.
My only big issue with the cast is that we do not get to explore the supporting cast as much as we'd like. Sure, Sumisu has great moments involving the supervision of Kimihito's care for the girls, but I do not get the same feeling with the other characters. The MON (Monster of a Neuro) squad, in particular, has this problem. There might be one episode where Kimihito goes on a date with all of them, but other than that, it was hard for me actually to give them any thought compared to the main girls. They will explore them more in the 2nd season, and I hope that that is the case. One exception to the supporting cast is Lala, the dullahan monster, who has one of the most memorable moments involving her head and an independent body in the entire show. Again, no spoilers, but it's worth seeing Monster Musume for that alone.
From a technical standpoint, Monster Musume's art assets are pretty good from how shiny and colorful the character designs are. I also enjoy the funny character face reactions whenever something lewd, scary, or surprising happens every time they occur. The backgrounds, however, are not something to write at home about. It is quite plain and average to see on-screen most of the time. There is the issue of the OP/ED music. The OP is okay; I liked the chorus of the girls chanting "Monster! Monster!" at the beginning, but the rest just felt underwhelming. Same with the ED, although I tend to question how it fits the show's tone. I know it features the monster squad, which are the active characters of the anime, but it felt like an ED to an action anime overall, not a comedy/ecchi one.
I had read the Monster Musume manga a little before getting into this, so I expected much of what I got. And what I got was enough for me to say it was an entertaining harem that reminds me how harem shows can be incredibly enjoyable. You need to add a different spin to the genre, and Monster Musume proves that you can do that successfully. Is it a game-changing spin that will change it? Not at all. There's so much added to the genre, but so little for it to be anything but enjoyable escapism.
Grade: A-
