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A review by rereader33
Kaiju Girl Caramelise, Vol. 1 by Spica Aoki
5.0
I was so jazzed when I found this little gem, and it did not disappoint! I first heard about Aoki through her series The Beasts of Abigaile, and while that series has its flaws I genuinely love it. So you'll have to forgive me if I squee throughout this review because OH MY GOSH I LOVED THIS VOLUME!!
Let's start with the premise. Truthfully, this is not an original idea, but the fact that she turns into a kaiju specifically is what makes this awesome. I wasn't sure where the story was going in terms of her condition (was it going to be medical, magical, a curse?) and I'm sure there'll be a dramatic reveal later on, but for now I'm fine with what has been given to me so far.
Now, the characters. First off, I LOVE Kuroe! I love her design, love her spunk, love her facial expressions, everything! While I feel like her badass, I hate everyone attitude falls off towards the end, I'm pleasantly surprised by how adjusted she is to her condition in the beginning. I also love how she has trouble interacting with people and how others view her terribly, but she has no interest in getting to know others. Usually, someone in her position would be dying to make friends, but she straight up hates people. Again, this falls off towards the end, but she's only welcoming towards people who, honestly, force themselves into her life. And then we get to Minami and Manatsu.
Okay, I'm going to be lenient on Manatsu because she's basically a fanatic and it makes sense that she'd be so pushy towards Kuroe. Considering how much Manatsu loves kaiju and Kuroe lying about being a priestess to protect herself, it makes sense that Manatsu would want to be around Kuroe so much because Kuroe is offering her a chance to finally get what she wants. Minami, however, I have trouble accepting. Yes, he seems like a genuinely good guy and yes he is good towards Kuroe, but I find his butting into her life selfish for a different reason. From what I can glean, Minami wants everyone to like him and he knows Kuroe doesn't have any friends, so he tries to befriend her. I'm sure he has no malicious intent behind his actions, but trying to befriend someone because they seem lonely is selfish IF the person in question simply doesn't want friends. Yes guys, there are people out there who simply don't want to be bothered by people, and you just have to accept that. And while it's obvious that part of the reason why Kuroe is alone is because her condition seems to spike when her feelings get too strong, its pretty clear that she also just doesn't like people. That being the case, Minami barging into her life and, quite frankly, making it worse just so he can befriend her is incredibly selfish. Again, I don't think he's trying to be malicious, but I couldn't help feel that way towards his character. Maybe things will change later, who knows.
Anyway, I still loved this volume and am dying to see where this story goes. I highly recommend it and her other series, if you're interested!
Let's start with the premise. Truthfully, this is not an original idea, but the fact that she turns into a kaiju specifically is what makes this awesome. I wasn't sure where the story was going in terms of her condition (was it going to be medical, magical, a curse?) and I'm sure there'll be a dramatic reveal later on, but for now I'm fine with what has been given to me so far.
Now, the characters. First off, I LOVE Kuroe! I love her design, love her spunk, love her facial expressions, everything! While I feel like her badass, I hate everyone attitude falls off towards the end, I'm pleasantly surprised by how adjusted she is to her condition in the beginning. I also love how she has trouble interacting with people and how others view her terribly, but she has no interest in getting to know others. Usually, someone in her position would be dying to make friends, but she straight up hates people. Again, this falls off towards the end, but she's only welcoming towards people who, honestly, force themselves into her life. And then we get to Minami and Manatsu.
Okay, I'm going to be lenient on Manatsu because she's basically a fanatic and it makes sense that she'd be so pushy towards Kuroe. Considering how much Manatsu loves kaiju and Kuroe lying about being a priestess to protect herself, it makes sense that Manatsu would want to be around Kuroe so much because Kuroe is offering her a chance to finally get what she wants. Minami, however, I have trouble accepting. Yes, he seems like a genuinely good guy and yes he is good towards Kuroe, but I find his butting into her life selfish for a different reason. From what I can glean, Minami wants everyone to like him and he knows Kuroe doesn't have any friends, so he tries to befriend her. I'm sure he has no malicious intent behind his actions, but trying to befriend someone because they seem lonely is selfish IF the person in question simply doesn't want friends. Yes guys, there are people out there who simply don't want to be bothered by people, and you just have to accept that. And while it's obvious that part of the reason why Kuroe is alone is because her condition seems to spike when her feelings get too strong, its pretty clear that she also just doesn't like people. That being the case, Minami barging into her life and, quite frankly, making it worse just so he can befriend her is incredibly selfish. Again, I don't think he's trying to be malicious, but I couldn't help feel that way towards his character. Maybe things will change later, who knows.
Anyway, I still loved this volume and am dying to see where this story goes. I highly recommend it and her other series, if you're interested!