{"id":765,"date":"2014-02-19T14:29:37","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T19:29:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/?p=765"},"modified":"2014-02-19T14:29:37","modified_gmt":"2014-02-19T19:29:37","slug":"the-strange-success-of-monster-musume","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/the-strange-success-of-monster-musume\/","title":{"rendered":"The Strange Success of Monster Musume"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the US, manga bestseller lists are typically the exclusive territory of major franchises like Attack on Titan<\/i> and Naruto<\/i>.\u00a0 A new volume from a less popular series is a big success if it makes the top ten for a week or two before the heavy hitters reclaim their spots.\u00a0 A niche title is hardly expected to make the list at all, let alone hold down a top spot for multiple weeks like the first two volumes of Monster Musume<\/i> have done.\u00a0 It seems like publisher Seven Seas<\/a> has a surprise hit on its hands, but how is a harem comedy featuring half-human mythical monsters managing to punch so far above its weight?<\/p>\n

\"MMCovers\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Lamias and harpies and centaurs, oh my.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s not incredibly difficult to understand Monster Musume<\/i>\u2019s initial popularity.\u00a0 Even today, novelty is a key part of manga\u2019s appeal in the US.\u00a0 A reader who buys a Japanese graphic novel over more conventional domestic offerings is frequently looking for \u201csomething different,\u201d but manga isn\u2019t immune to getting stuck in a rut.\u00a0 A series that shamelessly jumps the proverbial shark will naturally attract attention simply by shouting louder than the competition.\u00a0 Monster Musume<\/i> accomplishes this by taking the time-tested harem comedy setup and swapping out the usual female cast for centaurs, harpies, and other mythical beings.\u00a0 This extra level of absurdity makes it strange enough to garner both attention and impulse buys as readers find themselves too intrigued to say no.<\/p>\n

What this explanation fails to account for is the success of the second volume in the series.\u00a0 Weirdness can sell one book, but subsequent releases will only fly off the shelves if the content is good enough to turn curious readers into fans.\u00a0 The cover art on the front and sales pitch on the back made volume one a success, but it\u2019s the pages in between that sold volume two.<\/p>\n

\"MMCharts\"<\/a><\/p>\n

New York Times\u00a0bestseller lists from the premiere weeks for volumes one and two. Both remained in the top ten for at least four weeks.<\/em><\/p>\n

To address the elephant in the room, Monster Musume<\/i> does indeed rely heavily on sex appeal.\u00a0 The series\u2019 female cast members appear explicitly topless on a regular basis (as in EVERY SINGLE CHAPTER OF VOLUME ONE), and aren\u2019t exactly modestly dressed the rest of the time.\u00a0 All the expected boob jokes are made at one point or another, and the series seems to revel in its own raunchiness.\u00a0 As easy as it may be to write off a series so focused on fan service, the truth is that it sells books just as well as anything else.<\/p>\n

Coupled with this dedication for snake-girl cleavage is a self-deprecating sense of humor.\u00a0 Monster Musume<\/i> is well aware of its own absurdity, and is at its best when it mocks itself.\u00a0 Puns on the characters\u2019 animal natures abound (\u201chold your horses,\u201d \u201cfor the birds,\u201d etc.).\u00a0 The usual selection of awkward situations and character humor is present and accounted for, but it\u2019s the series\u2019 willingness to call attention to its quirks that most frequently hits the mark.<\/p>\n

Hidden beneath all this sound and fury is a surprisingly coherent theme of embracing diversity.\u00a0 Anyone who judges the mythical characters in Monster Musume<\/i> based on appearance is portrayed as an obnoxious buffoon in need of a swift blow to the head.\u00a0 The series\u2019 human protagonist has a nice speech at the end of volume one about how the monster girls shouldn\u2019t feel compelled to change their personalities in order to fit in.\u00a0 Sure, it\u2019s the kind of corny lesson you\u2019d expect from a Saturday morning cartoon, but it says something about the series\u2019 perspective.\u00a0 Behind the tails, hooves, and wings are real characters that aren\u2019t just there to be gawked at for their strangeness.\u00a0 It may look like a circus sideshow, but Monster Musume<\/i> isn\u2019t without a heart.<\/p>\n

Even if, like me, you aren\u2019t quite in love with Monster Musume<\/i>, there\u2019s still reason to celebrate its sales success.\u00a0 It\u2019s easy enough for American companies to be overly cautious with their manga licenses and ignore quirky gems in favor of guaranteed sellers.\u00a0 Seven Seas took a chance with this title, and a positive outcome will be a point in favor of taking other risks down the road.\u00a0 After all, what manga fan doesn\u2019t enjoy seeing something new and original hit the shelves in the US?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Monster Musume\u00a0is available from Right Stuf<\/a> and Amazon<\/a>\"\".
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Kawaii Overthink is written by Paul Jensen. You can follow his ramblings about anime on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/address>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the US, manga bestseller lists are typically the exclusive territory of major franchises like Attack on Titan and Naruto.\u00a0 A new volume from a less popular series is a big success if it makes the top ten for a week or two before the heavy hitters reclaim their spots.\u00a0 A niche title is hardly [Read more…]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=765"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":771,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/765\/revisions\/771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/sharkpuppet.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}