Summary

Welcome to the Monster Detective Agency!

In a quiet rural village, livestock has been dying off in a strange manner. Inugami, a detective of the occult, is summoned from Tokyo to solve the mystery. He meets a boy scorned by the villagers, who call him Dorotabo after a yokai that dwells in the muddy fields. Inugami soon learns that there is more to the boy than meets the eye…and vice-versa.

The first chapter starts off with a couple of young boys living in the country excited to hear someone from Tokyo has visited their small town. Contrast to their lively, pristine condition, there is another younger boy who is working in a field, covered in dirt. We then see an older man who proclaims himself as a detective. He briefly learns about the strange happenings in the small town.

Apparently, a bunch of animals keep turning up dead with no further explanation. He decides to stay at the local inn ran by the lady and her younger son. However, Inugami, we learn the man’s name, is much more interested in the other boy. Inugami swiftly requests Dorotabo to become his personal attendant, much to the chagrin of Yatchan, the inn keeper’s son. A lot of chaos ensues and the seeds of jealousy are planted.

After Inugami and Dorotabo seem to bond, an event happens causing everything to change. We finally learn the cause of the dead animals and jump into a little background history of who, or what, Dorotabo really is. It’s revealed he is half kemono, something like a ghoul. In order to help him, they fake his death and Inugami takes him back to Tokyo.

Afterward, in the second chapter, Kabane, the boy’s real name, starts working for Inugami at his detective agency. He will also help him look for his parents, who Kabane at first believed abandoned him. Inugami on the other hand believes different due to his necklace which is known as a ‘life stone’. It helps to control his thirst as a kemono. Before either of them gets to rest, Inugami informs him of a consultation they must attend.

A family is being plagued by these bugs in their home, which seem to swarm anything that enters the room with the other victims. Kabane goes into the room and is unaffected, being able to save the family. Later, it’s revealed the bugs, or sanchiru, tend to feed on guilt. This causes one of the elder sons to reveal how his younger brother stole a pair of shoes for their mother and suddenly became enshrouded in the bugs. With their first job down, Inugami takes Kabane back to their headquarters.

Finally, in the third chapter we get to meet the other members of the agency, Shiki and Akira. To say their introduction was a mess would be an understatement. Shiki is already on guard after Inugami gives him some of his clothing to wear. Akira managed to be a friendly face until Kabane mistook him as a girl due to his more effeminate nature. While the three struggle to get along, we get to see a little more of Kabane’s personality, or lack thereof. It’s never mentioned but it’s clear he didn’t have much of a happy childhood as he is not familiar with most modern culture or items. For example, it was his first time seeing or eating Pizza.

He also doesn’t feel much when being injured, as shown as when Shiki tries to play a trick on him with his spiderweb ability or when he fills the bath with his thread and causes Kabane to get stuck. This also causes him to tear off his own arm in order to get free. Shiki then realizes that he doesn’t mind getting hurt in order to come to a solution. Inugami scolds Shiki for this, since Akira manages to get trapped, and sends him to accompany Kabane to meet a lady named O-Inarisan.

Characters

Kusaka Kabane
Inugami Kohachi
Tademaru Shiki
Iwakiyamayukisatoshironanogojuurokushi Akira

Kusaka Kabane – Main character, one of the bestest boys. He’s half human, half ghoul. Kabane joins the agency in order to find his parents. Very blunt and seemingly clueless about a lot of things.

Inugami Kohachi – The owner of the Inugami Detective agency. He’s half human, half tanuki or Bakedanuki. First time he revealed his true self to Kabane he showed him his ~~butt~~ tail.

Tademaru Shiki – Half human, half arachne if you couldn’t tell from the webbing design on his jacket and white hair. Your typical tsundere because what would a good shonen be without one?

Iwakiyamayukisatoshironanogojuurokushi Akira – Yes, that is his real name which translates to Akira the fifty-sixth child of Shirona of the Snow Village in Mount Iwaki. He is a BOY. Has a very bubbly personality and can control snow and ice.

My Thoughts

I REALLY LOVE THIS MANGA/ANIME. So, I discovered the show first and then decided to jump into the manga. Mainly since there’s only 12 episodes and I had a lot of unanswered questions. The story gives me a little bit of Tokyo Ghoul vibes but not as dark…not yet at least. This volume was perfectly short and to the point. We were given a plot, main characters, conflict within a matter of chapters. I’m also a fan of series where there’s an underlying story but other mini stories happening as well.

Almost like a situational tv series where there’s a new story each episode but there’s still the main character’s issues. Kabane is definitely another anime child of mine. My poor boy has been through the mud, literally, and even though his stoic presence is cool you can’t help but feel upset for him. You can feel the underdog story oozing.

Conclusion

Kemono Jihen is not only an underrated anime but manga as well! I’ll recommend the show to anyone who will listen and it seems the manga is a great way to feed your soul of the show’s absence. While there’s only three chapters and a short bonus story, it’s everything you need to really make a decision if you’ll continue or not. At first glance, it has a typical Shonen feel but there’s something underneath the surface yet to be seen. I have high hopes for this series and I pray there will be a second season.

🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙

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