Dhruv Sharma
‘My Little Monster’ is quite a short anime with close to 13 episodes, each being about 24 minutes long. I usually enjoy anime that keep it short and simple because watching long-running anime is quite an investment. And that’s the best part about these 13-episode anime; even if the show ends up being subpar, you still don’t regret it because you haven’t wasted too much time on it. But then there are times when some anime use their brief runtime in such a weird way you almost forget that you only went through a 13-episode season. ‘My Little Monster’ is one of those few anime that go so deep that even the 24-minute episodes feel like they’re close to 50 minutes long. Calling it slow-paced wouldn’t be right; “plot dense” would be the right term for it. But plot density may not always be a good thing.
Most shoujo anime setups have one protagonist who is this socially awkward teenager outcast by everyone else and then there is the other lead character who’s more popular and outgoing. ‘My Little Monster’ breaks this genre stereotype and brings two main characters who are both ostracized by other students because of their “special” behaviors. And though the characters offered here are quite different from most other anime, the story that follows is more or less the same except for one major thing — instead of focusing on way too many awkward moments between the protagonists and showing how they try to approach each other, the anime takes a more no B.S route towards things. The love confession is right at the beginning of the show and that is something that will catch you by surprise. This is when the actual story unfolds and then the comic awkwardness begins.
But apart from all the uniqueness that it offers, there is one major issue in the anime and that is the amount of sexism that has been portrayed very casually. The main character is depicted as a psychopath who goes to the farthest extents of blackmail and abuse to get the girl he wants. Though the anime has some enjoyable moments, such things cannot be ignored and bring in to light the need for being aware of what we’re watching. There is a clear hint of domestic violence right at the beginning of the show and anyone who is even slightly aware of it will have a hard time getting through it initially.
However, in the end, it comes down to the difference in cultures. What may be acceptable in one part of the world may not be so in another part of the world. From the comedy side of things, I think it’s not bad at all and anyone who has the slightest interest in it should go ahead and watch it. But for me personally, while it did show a lot of potential, it just screwed things up with the offensive representations of the characters. I hope that if given a second chance, ‘My Little Monster’ will be able to come out as a better anime without portraying the “you’re a delinquent, so I’ll fix you up” theme.
My Little Monster Season 2 Release Date: When Will it Premiere?
‘My Little Monster’ season 1 was released on October 2, 2012 and ended on December 25, 2012 with a total of 13 episodes. The first season came to an end with a major cliffhanger that creates the perfect setup for a new season but that does not necessarily mean that there will be a season 2. Many anime series just abruptly come to an end, leaving behind many loose ends just to force the viewers to read the manga. An OVA of the anime was released on August 12, 2013 but this OVA has no connections with the series and is set in a completely alternate universe.
For the sake of the whole comedy theme of the show that made most of us laugh out loud, I feel ‘My Little Monster’ deserves a second season. Though there have been no official announcements yet from the studio’s end, we hope that there will be one soon. Our best guess is that ‘My Little Monster’ season 2 release date could fall sometime in 2021 or 2022. We will update this section as soon as we hear more.
My Little Monster English Dub:
You can watch ‘My Little Monster’ Season 1 on Crunchyroll.
My Little Monster Plot:
Shizuku Mizutani is a very studious high-school kid who cares about nothing but her grades. She despises all her classmates and is apathetic towards everything around her. Then comes Haru Yoshida, a rebellious trouble maker who stopped attending lectures because of some feud he had earlier gotten into. They’re both poles apart when it comes to most aspects. But there’s one thing they have in common — both of them are clueless about human nature and have no idea how one makes new friends.
One fine day, Haru suddenly approaches Shizuku and tells her that he’s into her. This comes off as a surprise to Shizuku because it’s the first time she has ever met him. While Haru seems very confident about his choice, Shizuku shows some resistance and confusion towards the guy’s confession. Both of them are new to relationships, so what unfolds is an awkward romance story where the two of them start off as friends and face each other’s flaws. Soon they realize (especially Shizuku) that there is a lot more to the other person than the evident flaws. She does start developing feelings for him as well, but because of her lack of experience with all of this, she fails to express it in the best way possible. A complex relationship unfolds and the two go on a journey to explore the complications that it has to offer.
My Little Monster Characters:
Shizuku Mizutani
Shizuku is an average high-school girl who has long brown hair that she often keeps tied up behind her ears into two twin ponytails and allows a fringe to rest down her forehead. She has beautiful brown eyes and if she wasn’t so much of a misfit, she would’ve had a lot of admirers. Shizuku depends on nobody and firmly believes that growth only comes to those who believe in solving their own problems. She often seems emotionally withdrawn and only cares about getting good grades so that she can one day be like her hardworking mother. In the past, there was an incident where the class pet of her batch had died. While everyone else was mourning its death, Shizuku asked the teacher if she could be excused so that she could go home and do her homework. It was after this incident when everyone started calling her “Dry Ice” for her coldness towards pretty much everything.
Haru’s initial confession really confuses her and she is unable to understand how she should react to it. She seems very doubtful about the whole thing because of Haru’s reputation in school. However, she later starts realizing that he is not really a bad person and soon starts to develop feelings for him. Though their love story is never too direct, deep down, Shizuku becomes extremely sure about what she feels for Haru.
Haru Yoshida
Haru is a high-school teenager who attends the same school and grade as Shizuku. Before the events of the anime, Haru was suspended from the school for having an argument with some upperclassmen but by the time the anime starts, his suspensions had already ended. Even then, being the rebellious and twisted teen that he is, he skips all of his lectures. Haru is quite a good looking guy with a really cool hairstyle and also has lean muscular physique but because of his intimidating methods, he is often labeled as the school “monster”.
Initially, Haru appears to a very violent and hot-tempered character, but as the show progresses, his true nature is revealed and it turns out that he is actually quite innocent and naive towards everything around him. A past event in middle school had left him traumatized and since then, he has had some issues with socializing. But even then, for some strange reason, he is not at all awkward around Shizuku. When it comes to academics, Haru is extremely smart and even without studying, he is easily able to top his class. He is very protective about the people he really cares for, but this becomes a little extreme at times and he turns into a passive aggressive monster.
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