Rai: Kuroe is back in another issue of Kaiju Girl Caramelise, but instead of more Harugon appearances and Godzilla references, this volume focused more on lovey dovey stuff, self-confidence, makeup, and…gorillas.
Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
At the end of volume 2, Minami officially asks Kuroe to be his girlfriend. The newest volume picks up where the last one left off with Kuroe and Minami trying to figure out the whole girlfriend/boyfriend thing. All while Kuroe is still hiding the fact she is a kaiju, the very one terrorizing Tokyo.
Kuroe doesn’t want anyone else finding out about their relationship since Minami is so popular and she, on the other hand, is an outcast. Despite her efforts, everyone figures it out and Kuroe faces some backlash. But it isn’t all bad. Through the rumors, she ends up making a new friend named Rairi, a girl who is a makeup guru. However, it turns out that underneath all that makeup, Rairi looks like a “gorilla” and used to get picked on in middle school.
Despite her past, Rairi is looking forward and trying to better herself. This encourages Kuroe to be more confident herself and to hate her kaiju side a little less. Most of the volume revolves around Kuroe and Rairi’s budding friendship. Although I love a lot of kaiju-induced chaos, it was nice to see more character development on Kuroe’s part. It’s kind of hard to show her development when she’s constantly going full-on Godzilla. With her new determination, we get to see Kuroe be a little more social and self-assured; she is even a tiny bit more forward with Minami-kin when it came to romance.
In terms of art, it has improved since the first volume. It was always great, don’t get me wrong. But Aoki Spica seems to have found the perfect balance of sparkly shoujo eyes and flowery backgrounds mixed with kaiju-inspired moments. There was more of contrast before but now it just blends. Kuroe is the CEO of The Greatest Facial Expressions Ever. I laughed every time she reacted to something, especially since she looks like a monster. Rairi’s faces while she is in “gorilla” mode are pretty funny too – they’re meant to make you do a double take. The difference between Rairi’s real form and makeup-covered form is glaring, adding to the humor.
Even so, I found myself surprisingly enjoying this volume less than the previous one. It could be because I have only about 10% interest in makeup or I am biased towards the kaiju-related stuff. It also be that Rairi, as much as I liked her, kind of reinforced her own “gorilla” stereotypes. She would yell “Ooounga!” or do other ape-like things. It was very exaggerated and meant to be funny (which it was), but I don’t know, it seemed deprecating at times. And it kind of made the more sentimental aspects and life lessons go out the window. Then again, this is a really silly manga, so it’s not supposed to be taken too seriously any way.
This volume may have not been as strong as the previous one, but Kaiju Girl Caramelise continues to be a fun and heartfelt series. The overall lesson is to love and accept yourself no matter what, just with a little kaiju-ness added in. If you want to read something silly and sweet yet unique, this is a series worth checking out.
Rai’s rating: 3.5 out of 5
Krystallina: Hey, Japan, what are you doing?! You have, what, a million isekai manga out there, and you don’t have room this series?! Where else are you going to see a Godzilla-lookalike fall in love?!
Well, fortunately, Twitter came to the rescue thanks to Aoki’s editor’s suggestion. But this series is too unique — and too good — to let go so soon.
Arata has officially asked Kuroe out, and the memory means that her transformations are flaring up more frequently. But it’s Kuroe herself who is getting all the attention now that they’re dating, and she’s not mentally prepared for the gossip the new school term is bound to bring. I was concerned the story would turn into Kuroe wanting to keep their relationship a secret for the long term — or rejecting Arata outright. Fortunately, thanks to some accidental encouragement from Arata’s sister, Kuroe takes the next step to expand her world.
That world includes meeting a classmate named Raimu, nicknamed Rairi. If I was concerned about Kuroe pushing Arata away, I was downright worried that Rairi would be one of those secret schemers that romance manga. Bright, cute, and, uh, her introduction made quite an impact. Literally. So she checked off all boxes, but fortunately, she’s just awesome. Manatsu is awesome in a different sense due to her hilarious Harugon obsession. Rairi is awesome as a person and a character. She’s popular on social media with all her makeup tips, and she doesn’t approach Kuroe with any ulterior motives. But that doesn’t mean Rairi doesn’t have her own secret!
Rairi, as it turns out, uses makeup a little — ok, a LOT — more than you would expect. And just as how Kuroe’s transformations are an analog to puberty, Rairi’s story examines the pressure of appearance.
This can be a tricky issue to cover, and manga tends to approach it with, “Hey, just put on foundation and lipstick, and you too can transform into a hottie with a new life!” Kaiju Girl Caramelise‘s farce-like plot means we get an exaggerated after-makeover transformation, but Rairi, out of her own free will, shows her true face to Kuroe so that she can share her story with the pessimistic heroine. She’s still a teen who makes what I would consider to be a dumb decision, but Rairi is both likable and relatable. Kuroe is inspired enough to stick her neck tail out for her new friend, and I’m looking forward to their friendship developing.
Of course, the romance is progressing too. There’s still some room for debate as to how clued in Arata is, but got to give the guy credit for being devoted. Kuroe also takes the initiative, but that was more of a way to help Rairi than a decision to get closer to Arata. Still, small steps.
But what’s not small is my fondness for this series — especially Rairi. More Rairi please!
Krystallina’s rating: 5 out of 5