Of course, Shizuku’s decision between the two of them is an obvious one, but the point of Yamaken is less to serve as a legitimate alternate and more to be a foil for Haru, something that the story handles quite well. Yamaken and Haru treat Shizuku very differently, and it’s interesting how both seem like bizarre matches for Shizuku in theory but work well in practice.

I’ve always found the relationship between Shizuku and Haru/Yamaken to be an interesting dichotomy. On top of this, romantic rival Yamaken makes a reappearance when he tries for one final time to ‘take’ Shizuku for himself. Natsume’s distrust of boys and past loneliness both come into play in big ways, and Sasayan gets much more progress as we get to see more of what goes on behind the cheerful and friendly exterior he often exudes. While Haru and Shizuku have to sort out their own disconnect (and make no mistake, the resolution to this portion is absolutely fantastic), the continued progress between Natsume and Sasayan is a definite highlight to the volume. The facial expressions and the use of different tones and shades to accent emotions work to make what would otherwise be decent drama into a far more intense experience for readers. During the actual tense scenes, however, the character designs really feel like they come into their own.

Each member is visually striking in different ways that make it easy to attribute separate feelings to them. Both the male and female characters feel like they received equal attention from Robico both in aesthetic design and personality, and it is very easy to get emotionally invested in most of the cast because of this. The series is able to handle emotions so well because it handles the buildup and actual events so masterfully. I’m a big fan of dramatic scenes provided that they make sense, and My Little Monster has this in spades. This volume is full of emotional moments between characters, from Shizuku and Haru to Natsume and Sasayan.

My Little Monster, Vol. 1 by Robico