#(mamono)

[ligbi]

Interspecies Reviewers Eyecatches

[easterndelights]

魔物 | 마물 Mamono (2025) | EP 1

[la-hannya]

Found its actual Japanese name spelling*

Aoyin or Ao Yin (獓狠)

JPN: Edit: it's actually Gōin (傲因)

Meaning "ruthless" in both languages

Is a legendary beast or yaoguai (yokai as they are referred to in Japan) from Chinese mythology. It is one of the mythical beasts featured in the Chinese classic text "Classic of Mountains and Seas" (山海经) as well as one of the ten fiercest beasts.

It is an ancient being, born in the netherworld, and is said to be on par with Qiong Qi (穷奇 qióng qí) also known as Kyuuki by the Japanese. It is shaped like an ox or bull with the exception of four horns and long straw-like hair.

Aoyin feasts on the flesh of living creatures and has a particular appetite for human flesh. It is said to live up in the mountains.

It is also said that Ao Yin enjoyed wreaking havoc in our world so much that powerful ancients (unclear which ones) had to banish Aoyin to Peng Lai Xian Island (蓬莱仙岛 péng lái xiān dǎo) using magic to imprison him in a space he is unable to leave.

[arcadebroke]

Jin x Cherry Coke 1997

[hotwaterandmilk]

Sometimes you come across a series that isn’t objectively great, but something about it still hooks you. Despite the flaws in the first two volumes (available in English from Tokyopop), I still found myself enjoying my time with the leads in this series.

Kusuri no Mamono no Kaiko Riyuu (My Contract With the Apothecary Monster) by Sakuraze Ayaka and Manmaru Ino

My Contract With the Apothecary Monster is an isekai manga starring Nea, an unassuming human from our world who accidentally stumbles into the magical land of Weem, a place where fairies roam and monsters form contracts with humans, granting wishes in exchange for years of their lifespan. Nea, a practical and headstrong Englishwoman, only wants to survive and enjoy life's little pleasures, yet she’s roped into becoming the “Songbearer” and entering a contract with a powerful, enigmatic monster named Dino.

Rather than demanding she sacrifice her lifespan as part of their contract, he longs for something else…

Despite the gorgeous art by Manmaru Ino, My Contract With the Apothecary Monster is a tough sell. Its premise feels familiar, especially for anyone who’s dipped a toe into the oversaturated world of isekai and light novel-based manga. The writing, originally by Sakuraze Ayaka, is extremely stilted and is one of the more obvious examples of novel-based manga regurgitating paragraphs without adding a whole lot to them. The result is a lot of telling and not nearly enough showing, particularly in the worldbuilding and among the side characters who struggle to leave any impression.

Nea and Dino, however, are the exceptions, and the main reason I'm still reading. Their dynamic is oddly compelling: Nea, grounded and blunt, has no fear of Dino initially because she doesn’t understand the stakes (and eventually because she does shy away from them).

Dino, meanwhile, is immensely powerful but submissive—literally. He’s a masochist who delights in Nea’s disregard for his fearsome reputation. She headbutts him, stomps his toes, sits on him, and generally treats him like a nuisance, and he adores her for it. Nea may not reciprocate in a D/S sense, but her no-nonsense attitude and total lack of reverence make her the only one capable of “controlling” him.

This twist on the dominant-monster trope is played mostly for laughs, but there’s an undercurrent of danger in Dino’s possessiveness, he could easily veer into yandere territory if things go awry. He’s a being with immense destructive potential, yet he’s fixated on the one woman who can handle him. It’s a fantasy that echoes certain billionaire romance tropes, albeit filtered through the lens of monster fiction and dark comedy.

Within these first two volumes (the third volume hits shelves in Japan next month) the plot around Nea and Dino’s assigned task, seeking the mysterious Grimmdoll Chain, has barely moved. There’s plenty of potential in a world like this which borrows from the fae and the idea of these two teaming up to go on missions, but the story spends more time explaining than exploring. That said, Nea and Dino remain engaging enough to keep me interested, for now, but the third volume really is going to need to give me something fresh to keep my interest going forward.

It’s frustrating when a series doesn’t live up to its potential. The art by Manmaru Ino is genuinely beautiful, full of delicate detail in the hair, costumes, and atmosphere that suit the fantasy setting perfectly. However, Sakuraze Ayaka's original writing is flat and even with Manmaru's attention to detail the writing lets things down. Katie Kimura’s translation in the Tokyopop release smooths out some of the stiffness found in the original Japanese (at least to my admittedly intermediate reading level), but overall the story suffers from being boxed in by the original text.

I'm not sure I could call this review a recommendation for My Contract With the Apothecary Monster per se. While it’s certainly amusing at times and the main duo has a fun, subversive dynamic, the worldbuilding and overarching plot have offered little to no real payoff. After two volumes, I expected more depth and momentum. Some sign that the story was building toward something beyond the quirky monster/human relationship.

The premise has potential, and it does play with familiar tropes, but the first two volumes don’t do enough to make the series feel like it’s going anywhere. Nea and Dino are great, but if they’re just going to drift through a static world that doesn't open itself to us, the charm won’t last. Which would be a real shame, because there’s a lot here to like — but right now, it amounts to a whole lot of nothing.

Fingers crossed for volume three to build on these initial volumes and make the next arc a truly memorable one.

[ohposhers]

The way you literally influenced me 😭 just ordered the shadow holding Mountain Dew shirt

THATS AMAZING LMAOOOOOOOOO THE DISEASE IS SPREADING

WHEN YOU GET IT YOU GOTTA ADD ONTO THIS POST WITH A PICTURE OF IT HAHAHA https://www.tumblr.com/ohposhers/766750851978182656?source=share

[boymagicalgirl]

Mamono Hunter Youko (1990)

[nakamorijuan]

🤒

[mono-recom]

Sinful Nun Pays Penitence To The Serpent

[segacity]

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[easterndelights]

Shiono Akihisa as Minamoto Iteya in 魔物 | 마물 (2025)

[la-hannya]

Adorable vector art of Amanozako and Shigeru's illustration of her.

Whether she's portrayed as beastly, a pretty ogress or something in between. I like to think she can wiggle those ears like anime elf girls.

Amanozako (天逆毎)

Alternatively: アマノザコ

Korean: 아마노자코 (Amanojako)

Traditional Chinese: 天逆每 (Tiān nì měi)

"Heaven Opposing Everything"

Amanozako like a Kijo (Female Oni, Ogress) or even amanojaku ⤴️

A rebellious yokai goddess that originated when her father the kami Susanoo let his own ferocious spirit and rage build up inside him (his aramitama) until he vomited her out. She is said to have a beastly face, a crooked long nose, pointed ears, sharp fangs and tusks so strong they can break even the strongest blades.

Amanozako is known to go against conformity and does the opposite of what is expected in society and social norms. She is said to be picky, and will go into an atrocious rage if she does not get what she wants, or if things do not go according to her way. When in this state, she can hurl even the most powerful gods distances of over one thousand villages in a single throw. Her wrath can't be easily stopped.

Stories of Amanozako were being told long before history began being recorded. It is said that she is the ancestor deity of all yokai who share her personality and disobedience. Some of these yokai include most notably the tengu, as well as amanojaku.

While she's said to be ancestor of many yokai her only child that has been named, thus far is Amanosaku. Which, due to her obstinate behavior, she brought into being all on her own. He is Amanozako's spawn, and is said to be just as terrible and disobedient as she is. Apparently, Amanosaku drove all 8 million gods in heaven mad, and because of this, Amanosaku was made the ruler of every malevolent or troublesome kami.

In terms of her godly abilities, other than what has been mentioned, the legends and stories say that Amanozako is a trickster, of sorts. She can peer into people's hearts and likes to possess the hearts of humans and manipulate their emotions and personalities. She's been also said to be able to fly for thousands of miles. It's also assumed she posseses all the powers of a demon goddess of her stature, and powers like her descendants including transformation (変化, へんげ, "Henge").

Amanozako holds titles like Hime (princess), tengu kami, metengu and possibly even of Queen due to what she is among yokai. As Susanoo's daughter she has many relatives including her aunt the sun goddess Amaterasu, her uncle the moon god Tsukuyomi, her brother Yashimajinumi (八島士奴美神 – Mighty Master Ruling Eightfold Isles) who was the original ancestor of many earthly kami and later humans as well like his aunt Amaterasu. Another notable relative mention is Izanami, her grandmother who later on went to rule Yomi and like her granddaughter, she was also one of the progenitors of Yōkai, birthing demon gods like Raijin and Fujin, thus making them also uncles to Amanozako.

While normally looking similar to a tengu, she's also been depicted like an ogress in various media.

Amanozako as seen in Touhou media ⤵️

Amanozako as seen in Shin Megami tensei

Original depiction of Amanozako

Amanozako as a regular tengu, like a karasu tengu and a guhin Tengu (dog tengu).

It's been fun studying yokai for my story.

[housespecialfriedrice]

Shion & Shuna's Fan Club

[arcadebroke]

Kazuya x Diet Dr Pepper 2002

[majokkoradio]

"Good Day & Good Day" - Mamono Hunter Yohko - BGM

[arkus-rhapsode]

Manga Recommendation: Soara and the House of Monsters

So with the popularity of fantasy series that are actually pretty hard fantasy and not just isekai fantasy in manga and anime recently. Particularly, series like Dungeon Meshi, Frieren, and Witch Hat Atelier, I wanted to personally spotlight a lesser known series in that same high fantasy genre that gave me a similar vibe. Soara and the House of Monsters

So the premise: Soara is an orphan who was raised to do battle in a war between man and monsters, but never got the opportunity to before peace was declared. Without a purpose in life, she meets a dwarf, Kirik, who builds homes for monsters. Displaying the gorgeous/imaginative art of the series.

Each "arc," if you want to call it that, often involves Soara and Kirik's party coming across a stereotypical fantasy race and their often run down or depressing lair where they can live. Kirik resolving to then build that creature their dream home. This is because monster have been motivated to steal from humans because what they desire is a home. Comfortable accommodations instead of the squalor they're trapped in. Through building these homes, Kirik makes a place where they can be happy and avoid trying to take from humans.

Now if that sounds a little like discussing how people are inclined to do bad things when society may not allow them to have a comfortable place in life, that's because it is. Despite its comedic tone, a key component of the series is Soara herself coming the grips with the prejudice that was instilled into her as someone raised to fight against monsters. But also her own hang ups of not having a home to call her own.

While I won't say it pushes the envelop of fantasy manga like the artistic tour de force of Witch Hat Atelier or the melancholic beauty of Frieren, it's still a creative fantasy series with likable characters with some great art. Following a compelling protagonist as she both has her comedic moments, badass moments, and moments of decoupling the prejudices that were instilled into her. Soara and the House of Monsters is a great little series.

First volume has already been translated officially, so you can pick it up from any book store or site.