My Little Monster has been at the top of the romance anime charts since its release in 2012. This one-cour anime series lasting 13 episodes adapts only 16 chapters of the 58-chapter manga, so the ending feels a little bit rushed, and the second season never came. Despite that, however, people praise its romantic development. And those who have seen only the first two episodes are probably baffled because the beginning of the show is filled with red flags.
The series seems to be a regular story of a girl taming the beast, believing that she can change him and make him more normal. To do that, his abnormality should be shown first. And Haru, the male lead of the series, appears not really abnormal; he's very badly socialized and, as we see in the first episodes, learns how to interact with people through crappy romance manga. He tries to woo Shizuku, the female lead, by using B-tier shoujo as a guide, but that doesn't work. Not only because it's B-tier shoujo, but because it's Shizuku: a cold, logical, not very emotional girl who is more focused on her studies than a boy she supposedly should tame.
But that's where things get interesting: the taming goes both ways. My Little Monster first and foremost is a wonderful story of how people change other people, and a romantic part is just a driving force for that. At its core, this show (manga, mostly, because the anime omitted a bit too much) explores the changes the people go through in the process of growing and establishing connections with others. Abrasive and poorly socialized Haru learns how boundaries work, learns how to care about others, how to consider their feelings, and not just act on his whim. Distant Shizuku learns about the work-life balance, about letting other people into her life, about her place in society and among her friends. They both tame each other without doing any actual active taming — they are just being themselves and willing to grow to accommodate each other and the world around them better.
To show this growth and contrast these first two episodes were made to be creepy and alarming. Was it necessary? No. Does it work in hindsight? Definitely.
This is a story about finding yourself with the help of another person, about becoming a better version of yourself, and how the love and support from someone significant helps you on this weird journey of self-discovery. That's why, despite the initial creepiness, this show stays on the top even after all these years.
Haru is a creep, but there's a reason for that.
My Little Monster has been at the top of the romance anime charts since its release in 2012. This one-cour anime series lasting 13 episodes adapts only 16 chapters of the 58-chapter manga, so the ending feels a little bit rushed, and the second season never came. Despite that, however, people praise its romantic development. And those who have seen only the first two episodes are probably baffled because the beginning of the show is filled with red flags.
The series seems to be a regular story of a girl taming the beast, believing that she can change him and make him more normal. To do that, his abnormality should be shown first. And Haru, the male lead of the series, appears not really abnormal; he's very badly socialized and, as we see in the first episodes, learns how to interact with people through crappy romance manga. He tries to woo Shizuku, the female lead, by using B-tier shoujo as a guide, but that doesn't work. Not only because it's B-tier shoujo, but because it's Shizuku: a cold, logical, not very emotional girl who is more focused on her studies than a boy she supposedly should tame.
But that's where things get interesting: the taming goes both ways. My Little Monster first and foremost is a wonderful story of how people change other people, and a romantic part is just a driving force for that. At its core, this show (manga, mostly, because the anime omitted a bit too much) explores the changes the people go through in the process of growing and establishing connections with others. Abrasive and poorly socialized Haru learns how boundaries work, learns how to care about others, how to consider their feelings, and not just act on his whim. Distant Shizuku learns about the work-life balance, about letting other people into her life, about her place in society and among her friends. They both tame each other without doing any actual active taming — they are just being themselves and willing to grow to accommodate each other and the world around them better.
To show this growth and contrast these first two episodes were made to be creepy and alarming. Was it necessary? No. Does it work in hindsight? Definitely.
This is a story about finding yourself with the help of another person, about becoming a better version of yourself, and how the love and support from someone significant helps you on this weird journey of self-discovery. That's why, despite the initial creepiness, this show stays on the top even after all these years.
