The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls is a 4-volume, light-hearted horror/slice-of-life manga, written and illustrated by Suzu Akeko. A prolific manga creator, she has previously written and illustrated Nightmare Eater, Kori no Hanatori, and Wareware wa Uchuujin da!!, as well as worked as an artist on Inchiki Seijo to Iwareta node, Kuni wo Dete Nonbiri Kurasou to Omoimasu.
In a world of monsters where scaring and tormenting humans is a way of life, there is an academy for training these ghouls to be effective in their haunting, the prestigious Monstrum Girl’s School. The manga follows the girls of Class Z, who dream of graduating and becoming full-fledged monsters. However, their grades are the real horror show, and they must work hard to pass their classes and achieve their dreams.
One of the key driving forces of The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls is the incredible level of character variety. Featuring the likes of a ghoula, vampire, ghost, automaton, witch, devil, and Jiangshi; each character is vastly different in both easily-definable visual design and rambunctious personality. Additionally, each monster girl attains a duality of kawaii and monstrous in disposition rather than just a focus on cuteness. Although their ability to petrify may be limited, the efforts put forward certainly reinforce their ghastly nature—a stark reminder that no matter how cute these girls are, they are dangerous as well.
Those looking for a strong emphasis on unfettered horror may be somewhat disappointed. Although it does contain a number of scenes of grisly gore, the manga is certainly focused on the girl’s personalities and their personal growth, as well as their relationships with each other. So much so, that the manga’s overarching premise—a strong rivalry with their upper classmates in Class A—only begins to really take shape in the last chapter. Despite this, the precursory chapters still display a certain level of progression sprinkled in between the profound character and world-building.
Featuring some incredibly expressive artwork, The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls brings this world of spooks and scares to life spectacularly. The visual design of Monstrum Girls’ School presents a historic yet fantastical setting truly representative of the monstrous characters that reside there. Furthermore, each student expresses significant body language and facial expressions to convey emotion, seamlessly breathing life into every panel.
A captivating start to this darkly comedic, yet cutesy, slice-of-life manga, The Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls certainly sets the stage for the construction of an alluring premise. With its distinct character designs and expressive artwork, the manga is a congenial blend of the two genres into a cohesive kawaii package that left this reviewer wanting more.
*Affiliate Link
An Illustrated Guide to Monster Girls Volume 1 is available to purchase on Yen Press’ website here as well as on Amazon here*
More Manga Reviews
Every anime-inclined teen’s worst nightmare is to have their parents find their secret stash. Imagine that not only your parent finds some rather questionable content, but decides to write to… Pygmalion is a gory horror manga consisting of three volumes released in 2015 and concluding in 2017, written and illustrated by Chihiro Watanabe. Watanabe is known as the creator of… Theoretically, a vampire is one of the sexiest supernatural transformations you can have in fiction. You remain young, you become strong and agile, and nothing can kill you. However, Happiness… Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU is a 2-volume psychological horror manga written by Ryukishi07/7th Expansion and illustrated by Tomato Akase. Ryukishi07 is a Japanese author, artist, and representative of… Note: This review covers Volume 1 What This World is Made Of is a three-volume psychological action mystery manga, written and illustrated by legendary mangaka Shin Yamamoto. Having created a… Hello Spookies! Class is in session! I’m here to let you know about a little J-Horror project brought to you by Junji Ito and Junji Inagawa. A lot of you…
Honey Room’s Obscenity Trial and the Horrors of Scapegoating
Pygmalion (2015) Manga Review – It’s All Greek To Me
Happiness (2015) Manga Review: Life Sucks but Being a Vampire Sucks Even More
Higurashi: When They Cry – GOU: Volume 1 (2023) Manga Review – I Know Why The Cicadas Scream
What This World is Made Of Vol. 1 (2021) Manga Review – A Highly Kinetic Piece of Work
The Junji Ito Horror Project: Tales of Terror Retold
Hey there, I’m Jim and I’m located in London, UK. I am a Writer and Managing Director here at Grimoire of Horror. A lifelong love of horror and writing has led me down this rabbit hole, allowing me to meet many amazing people and experience some truly original artwork. I specialise in world cinema, manga/graphic novels, and video games but will sometime traverse into the unknown in search of adventure.