In a show like this, it is eventually going to be compared to “Monster Girls”, since you are dealing with similar creatures, but in a different manner, and it is those differences that make “Interviews with Monster Girls” (“Demi-chan wa Kataritai”, “Demi Wants to Talk”) potentially less effective than the former.

We are at Shibasaki High School and possibly three (actually, four) monster girls are all here. Overseeing them is Tetsuo Takahashi, that big lug at the end. He is a biology teacher and he is fascinated by these demis and wants to learn more about them. And who are our ladies? Right to left:

Kyōko Machi, a shy dullahan. Yes, her head can come free of the body (although they are sometimes headless). And a flame does come out of the neck.

Hikari Takanashi, a very vivacious vampire. Blood packs from the government keep her from nipping at her fellow students.

Yuki Kusakabe, a withdrawn snow woman. Because she fears hurting others, she keeps to herself.

That teacher at the other end, Sakie Satō, is a succubus. She strives not to seduce men by her presence, so wears very unsexy clothing. Doesn’t always work.

The shocked girl behind them is Himari Takanashi, Hikari’s twin sister, who is normal but tries to make Hikari be more regular. Good luck with that!

The series follows the polite interviews that Tetsuo has with them, to understand their physical nature and how the ladies all try to fit in to a society that is slowly coming around to an understanding of them. So, where does the problem lie? Or lay?

The teens basically have the same caliber of troubles that any other teen have: Does he like me? Should I go out on a date with him? Does this uniform make my butt look fat? Is my butt fat? Are they out of melon bread again? Although we go into the myths and legends behind these monsters, we break no new ground. Look, can a myth be factually incorrect? Can you add something to the archetype and point it in another direction? Is the Society of Factual Myths going to raise a hue and cry over it? Where are the guy demi-humans?

I would have liked to have seen more of their home life and what their parents and other siblings think of them. Would Yuki have felt better if she went to a school in Hokkaido? Could a private school have aided Kyoko in overcoming her uncertainties? Could the military use a vampire that is a daywalker?

And Sakie is the saddest of them all. She feels that she cannot have a relationship with a man (despite her crush on Tetsuo), as she cannot determine if they honestly love her or if it is her charms making it so. We do get a better feel for how she lives her life, but it is one of mere existence and a conscious effort not to get involved.

This was a series fraught with ideas as to how to tell these tales, but it kind of sat there. Yes, you did have experiments with certain aspects of their life to see how it can be made easier, but a false crisis near the end put a damper on things. To its behest, we certainly were not bedeviled with the rampant fan service that overloaded on “Monster Girls”, as the succubus does keep it under wraps, for the most part. OK, all bets are off when they go to the pool to enjoy themselves, but you knew that episode was on the list.

It’s just that I didn’t feel any kind of knowledge or awareness was achieved, more like acceptance from the rest of the school. And in that instance, they are no different than an otaku, a jock or a fashion plate. And where do they go from here? What are the potential employment opportunities for these ladies? Also, are they the only three (four?) monster girls in ALL of Tokyo? And why hasn’t there been some kind of effort to bring the other two dullahans in the world together to exchange notes and pleasantries and clothing (girls still do that, right?)

It also lacks an edge to make it more poignant or meaningful. Seriously, this show is not intrinsically different than “The Adventures of the Going Home Club”. I would have liked to have seen a real crisis, like some boy accusing Hikari of attacking him or two girls accidentally got frozen by Yuki in a fit of panic. Isn’t there anti-monster sentiment about? Something, anything. Again, not a bad series overall, but both light and thin. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           7 (The ladies are really cutie-pies)
Plot                  7 (Good idea with weak execution)
Pacing              7 (Moves along consistently)
Effectiveness   7 (Need more of the back story/mythology)
Conclusion       6 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service      2 (A similar show would be “Okamisan”)

Overall            7 (Survey says: tepid)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. How can he resist me?