After reading 29 chapters, I've had an enjoyable reading experience so far. After leaving the manga scene for about a year, I was instantly drawn to this series and glad I picked it up. From day one I was sucked into the story, and by day two I was annoyed that I had to wait for the next update the following month.
Re: Monster appeals to the rpg gamer genre. The concept of the manga has been seen in several other series: the protagonist dies in another life and reincarnated in another. The story dives into the daily events of his new life in a world that he strives to make use of to the best of his ability. Although the concept is not original, the author of this manga does a notable job in bringing something new to the table that I personally have not seen in detail yet. The series introduces a thorough ranking system. Simply put, if a certain character reaches a certain level cap he or she can choose to rank up to the next class. Not only is this system intriguing, but also helps move the story at a steady pace.
Every manga, no matter how good it is, has some kind of flaws. The amount of detail that Re: Monster puts on a page can seem somewhat overwhelming to those who tend to glance over the smaller details. However, that is something insignificant compared to the main problem I find with this series.
It is right for this series to have the mature tag as there will be several panels that may not seem appropriate for a younger audience. The major fallacy that lies in the manga is rooted in the sexual encounters with the lower class of the mangaka's created society. In this society, there are slaves. The problem isn't about slavery itself, but how they are treated in a particular manner. These individuals are drugged and eventually give in to their oppressors. The main character tells his followers that when these drug-induced individuals "consent," it is okay to interact with them for pleasure. The issue in this is that this author's perception of consent is horrifically distorted. Understandably it is a work of fiction, but the message that it emits to readers is that it is okay to have a sexual encounter with someone who is in an intoxicated state.
I will undoubtedly continue to follow the series. The good qualities of Re:Monster undoubtedly outweighs the bad. However, it is worth pointing out the conflict that arises between what is socially acceptable in the story and what is acceptable in reality. Readers like myself can be internally conflicted between this very issue. Therefore, the addressing of it helps ease this conflict and hopefully allows us to continue the incredible experience that this series provides to readers.
