Ion Hidaka is a young girl who’s been enlisted to join the Tamers Committee. Well, not by her own volition: she actually hates monsters. And monsters, from ones that look like dinosaurs to one that’s like a chameleon, roam her world. But she:
A) showed up late for school so everything was decided before she could protest;
B) apparently also has “a knack” for caring for monsters.
So she’s there, and with the help of fellow rookie tamer Sora Misumaru, Tamer Committee Chair Tsukiko Miyama, and Tsukiko’s best friend Kotomi Justine Kagurazaka, Ion will learn to be either more frightened of them or enjoy caring for them.
Monster Tamer Girls, which is being translated by Amber Tamosaitis (Citrus, orange, Dreamin’ Sun) and lettered by Lorina Mapa (Fushigi Yugi, Arata The Legend), is a cute girls tame large, small, and in-between monsters manga. The setting kind of reminded me of A Giant Spider and Me, but not quite. It’s established that monsters appeared and was a significant detriment to the world, but it was discovered that there were girls who could tame them and thus, the threat was averted. Now we’re in a time where a school’s been established to help girls take care of monsters. Ion happens to be a Tamer with great potential.
She just has to not get in her own way though by being afraid of them.
For all of Monster Tamer Girls‘ fairly simple storyline, it is worthwhile to read. The character interactions, from how Ion acts to Tsukiko’s seemingly icy — but ultimately stubborn — actions, help flesh out the variety of stories that appear in Volume 1. We get a very brief backstory on Ion, but after character introductions, we jump right in. The type of stories that are drawn range from taking care of a monster to returning one back to its area to even attempting to subdue one that’s a bit wild. That, alongside reading how these girls have fun as they understand each other, makes each chapter feel fresh.
The humor isn’t in your face, but in this manga it’s just done naturally. A very good example is when one of the tamed monsters, tasked with having to move another monster that’s napping away from the school building, just decides to nap with the monster. It’s not always crazy funny, but it puts a smile on my face. It’s that type of comedy, the artwork, and how these characters interact that pushes Monster Tamer Girls as a very pleasant read. So if you’re in need of something to read and relax with, come check out this manga. Maybe you’ll think of a certain Pokemon scene when you happen to read this though…