Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary Volume 1 – 20 Question Manga Review

What is this? It’s like an anime except it’s not moving? It’s called a manga; it’s the book version a lot of anime’s are based off!

Oh? So I imagine just as with book to movie adaptations there’s a lot of people saying “oh but the manga was better than the anime”? Haha, probably, but that’s not really what we’re here to discuss. Mostly I’ll be featuring manga that hasn’t yet gotten an anime adaptation, I figured that’s more fun anyway…

Yeah I guess so. So what’s the manga (heh that’s so weird to say!) It’s Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary Volume 1.

So big! Her eye, I mean…

Nurse? Monster? Is this perhaps about monster girls? Maaaaybeee…

You really have a thing for monster girls don’t you? I have my reasons!

Sure sure, let’s not go down that dark avenue and instead focus on the matter at hand, what’s it about? Nurse Hitomi is busty one eyed school nurse, who with the aid of her spriggan assistant helps the monster students of her high school deal with the various issues that come about from their burgeoning “monster” traits, which like puberty seem to be manifesting in their mid teenage years.

Probably good advice, even if it’s strangely put.

So it’s a slice of life manga? I guess so! The closest thing I can compare it to is ‘Interviews With Monster Girls’ a fantastic anime that I’ve yet to review on the site, but it’s a show that’s less about situation as it is more about character and relationships, while still ostensibly being a ‘slice of life’. Except, unlike ‘Interviews With Monster Girls’ in Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary there’s a clear divide between the faculty life and the student life, in some ways its more mature in that respect because there’s whole chapters that are set away from the school and are focused on her social and romantic life.

But? Well it might be all about the adult teachers but it is very immature and inappropriate at times.

Oh boy…

Sounds right up your alley! Quiet you.

So what do you mean exactly by ‘immature?’ I mean some of Nurse Hitomi’s advice to her students is the kind of thing you’d see in an issue of Penthouse magazine. It’s half genuinely sincere and half sitcom shenanigans.

Is that a detriment to the series? Not yet, I imagine it’s going to get more serious as it goes along, the adult characters all have various flaws which make them a lot more interesting than expected, and that’s in addition to the various monster traits.

*insert Wookie noise*

So who are the other characters? Well of the faculty there’s Moji, who’s basically Chewbacca except he speaks perfect English (Japanese?). Then there’s Tatara who is four-armed cigarette smoking “cool” dude, who Hitomi has had a crush on since they were kids but it’s unreturned because he’s into loli.

And he’s a teacher?! Yeah but I don’t think the book’s going to go there, I think it’s just used as an excuse to have the ‘will they/won’t they’ dynamic between him and Hitomi.

He’s a bit of a douche to be honest but I’m sure they’ll work to soften his character in future volumes.

Fair enough, I guess… So how’s an average issue go? Well I’ve read 2 volumes so far and have bought the 7 that are currently available, so I can confirm that each book after the first volume see’s Nurse Hitomi and her assistant see three different monster students, help them through their various monster related hang-ups and interspersed with some chapters about her social life.

The first book is different then? Well she see’s 5 different monster students in volume one, they are kind of like self contained stories, and depending on the student they can varying tones which makes for a very entertaining read. The first volume sees Hitomi dealing with a girl with a 300cm long tongue, a zombie girl who’s prone to misplacing body parts, a very tall girl, a very small girl and an invisible girl. The story with the invisible girl is particularly touching.

The five monster students featured in volume one.

Interesting, so it’s got some depth to it too. I did already say that, it’s almost like you don’t believe me.

Well when it comes to monster girls it’s hard to know if there’s not bias in your review. Of course there’s bias! I mean it’s not like this manga is a must read for everyone but if you’re into this kind of thing, well… you’re probably already reading it.

She’s fine, really. It happens all the time!

So your recommendation is for people who’ve probably already read it… great first manga review! This is sure to catch on! Shut up, I’m still working out all the kinks.

Oh I know all too well about your “kinks”. Hey! Leave the witty wordplay to me!

Right. So what’s the final verdict on Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary Volume 1? It’s cute, it’s sexy, it’s funny, it’s charming, it’s got an art-style I adore and if you’re a fan of monster girl related manga and haven’t already checked it out then your missing a quality read. For everyone else, you might enjoy the messages about body positivity and equality that come with Nurse Hitomi’s advice to her monster students but honestly the book knows its niche and plays to it well. Take my temperature Hitomi-chan, I’m running a fever! 90 out of 100.

 

***This is my first 20 Question Manga Review! I hoped you enjoyed it, it was a lot more work than the anime reviews (though it’s certainly quicker to read a single manga than watch a whole season of an anime!) If you have any feedback or suggestions let me know and whether your interested this to continue!***

20 Question Weekly Review Week Ending 25th February 2018

It’s been another week, huh? Yep. Time sure flies when you’re IMPATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE SPRING 2018 ANIME SEASON!

Yikes! What’s got you so wound up? There’s just so much good stuff coming out in April, I can’t wait!

Yeah well you have to wait, so shut up and let’s talk about what you watched this week. The usual is the usual, I’m not going to bother to post every show I’m watching week by week, it just feels lazy, click here if you want a show by show run down of the newly airing anime I’m watching.

Fair enough, but any highlights from those shows? Indeed! Citrus Episode 8 was particularly good, probably the best episode yet in fact, so much drama, it feels like Cruel Intentions except if every character was female and also if it was actually good and not some trash 90’s movie.

Take that movie nobody cares about in this, the year 2018. What else? Ms. Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles Episode 8 was so good I blogged about it here. Slow Start Ep 8 was adorable as usual, even if they didn’t continue the juicy plot line they established in the very special episode 7. Pop Team Epic 8 was funny. Darling in the FranXX continued to be heavily flawed and borderline trash. The rest was just the rest for better or worse, mostly better.

Koizumi-san brought some boys to the proverbial table this week and the show was all the more interesting for it.

Cool. And any other shows you started watching? Of course! It’s a big wide world of anime and I’m trying to take it all in!

Heh, so do go on. I watched 8 episodes of Yuru Yuri! It’s phenomenally good, like I’m in awe of how likable they made literally every character on this show, its mind-boggling. Plus it’s just plain fun from beginning to end. And then there’s Vatican Miracle Examiner [SPOILERS FOR THIS SHOW FROM HERE TIL END OF NEXT QUESTION], which I watched 4 episodes of and can sum up with four simple words, ‘Hitler Semen Immaculate Conception’.

What? WHAT!? Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever reacted so animatedly to an anime before, it’s a wild ride and I can only imagine where they go from there considering we had literal Hitler in the first 4 episodes of this show!

Wild indeed, but wow, I await your full review. It’s kind of spoiled now, but whatever, I’ll probably still review it!

Is that it for anime? No, I started ‘A Sister’s All You Need’, continued with ‘Teekyu’ and embarked upon the tit-tastic third season of ‘High School DxD’.

Great, and on the manga front? I got a lot in the mail! eBay sales continue to fund my addiction!

In case it wasn’t apparent, I have a thing for monster girls.

Yep, that’s a lot. But what did you read this week? I read volume one of ‘There’s A Demon Lord on the Floor’ which is cute like Blend-S but super sexy like Yusibu, it’s pretty derivative, I could pretty much call out all the similarities to other manga and anime as I read it but I still enjoyed it a lot.

What else? Finally got around to ‘Bloom Into You’ volume 1, and I’m almost sorry I waited so long, it’s a yuri manga but where the protagonist isn’t really into her love interest and it’s dense and complex but still fun and interesting. But this week’s true MVP is ‘Murcielago’ Volume One, which is a super twisted, violent and sexual manga about a notorious female serial killer who becomes the Japanese government’s assassin, tasked with taking out other serial killers who threaten the piece. She’s also a lesbian and total pervert, and while I’m the first to admit the gore in this anime is off-putting, the characters are terrific, the storylines intriguing and the sex scenes are genuinely erotic. Expect a full review of this manga soon!

I can’t wait? Why the question mark?

No sure if can’t wait. Hmm.

Anything else you wanted to talk about? The 2^nd Annual Anime Awards aired over the weekend. I didn’t watch it because I assumed it would be cringe and I didn’t want to get angry at all the wrong decisions that’d be made, but turns out for the most part the anime community has really good taste and pretty much voted the way I did. Which was a pleasant surprise. Very happy that My Hero Academia, Made in Abyss and my personal favourite show of 2017 Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid got recognition!

Froppy was robbed! Total best girl. But Ochako is okay too I guess.

Cool. And something else? Yes, I’ve had Discord mentioned to me a couple of times and I’m considering it the only thing is and this is embarrassing to admit, but I’m not actually sure what it is, I know it’s something people use to talk with other people but is it like text or is it voice? Or both?

I don’t know, I just assumed it was like MSN Messenger. How old are you?

Don’t pretend like you didn’t have it too and had a totally edgy user name with xx’s either side of your name. You don’t know me!

Well this kinda went off the rails. How would you rate the week ending the 25^th of February 2018? Good, just good. Nothing particularly remarkable happened in the real world, anime was great; blogging was great but otherwise pretty ordinary. Thanks for reading!

20 Question Weekly Review Week Ending 11th February 2018

What’s this?! A new weekly feature of this website, exploring my previous weeks’ anime/manga related experiences. It’ll be posted every Monday and cover the previous week up until the Sunday (I’m posting this one late because I only got the idea to do this on Thursday). The blog will also contain some shout outs and personal thoughts because apparently people are kind and generous and actually want to know things about me *shy shuffle*

Okay, cool, I guess I can get into this? Do I get paid double for doing this job too? No.

Pfft, fine. So what new anime did you watch last week? Well… a lot to be honest, this ‘Winter’ season has been pretty damn good for slice of life. Which is, I’m sure most of you are aware, is my favourite genre. Of last week’s newly aired anime I watched episode 6 of: A Place Further Than The Universe, Citrus, Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san, Marchen Madchen, Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles, Pop Team Epic, Slow Start, Yuru Camp. And episode 5 of: Dagashi Kashi 2, Darling in the FranXX and Mitsuboshi Colors.

It was just a button! Silly Hana.

That’s a lot! Pfft, that’s nothing. There’s some people who watch every new anime. That’ll be me one day, hopefully.

What’s stopping you? Crippling depression. Not enough hours in the day. And, um, personal stuff…

Personal stuff? Spill! Well, I turned 30 on the 9^th. It’s weird because I simultaneously don’t feel 30 and also feel like a hundred million years old.

Big deal. People are having birthday’s every day. Oh and my grandmother died two days later.

Woah, this took a turn for the dark, sorry for your loss and all but maybe not ambush the good people who bothered to read this with such things? Hey, you wanted me to spill!

So, what’s your verdict on all those shows you’re currently watching? And succinctly please we don’t have all day… Hmm, okay. All of it is really good (I mean otherwise I wouldn’t still be watching, right?) I usually don’t release preliminary scores and I don’t make a decision on the score out of 100 like I have for my reviews until completing an anime. But I will for the sake of these weekly blogs give a score out of five stars for the series as it currently stands, so bare in mind these scores could change by the end of the season.
A Place Further Than The Universe ★★★★★
Slow Start ★★★★1/2
Citrus ★★★★1/2
Mitsuboshi Colors ★★★★1/2
Yuru Camp ★★★★1/2
Miss Koizumi Loves Ramen Noodles ★★★★
Dagashi Kashi 2 ★★★★
Karakai Jouzu no Takagi-san ★★★★
Marchen Madchen ★★★★
Darling in the FranXX ★★★1/2
Pop Team Epic ★★★

Even Japanese girls don’t like durian! Hard to believe when they still like natto.

Cool, any other non-new anime you’ve started/continued watching last week? Up to episode 10 of Haikyuu!! It’s not really my thing but I certainly see the appeal, there will be a review of it up once I’m done with it, be rest assured of that. Also finished Made in Abyss.

Oh yeah? How’s that show? Remember when I mentioned the ‘crippling depression’ above? Yeah, that show’s partially to blame…

Huh, that powerful then? *slow nod*

And I see we’re talking about manga now? That’s like anime except book, yeah? Sure… “anime except book” let’s go with that…

Shuddup. So what are you reading? Well I’ve bought quite a lot, but last week I read Volume 1 of ‘A Certain Scientific Railgun’ and Volume 1 of ‘Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary’.

An irl photo! All the manga I received last week.

Verdict? Well, ‘A Certain Scientific Railgun’ has its charms, its more focused on world building than I expected (which is good!) but at the expense of character development (which is bad). I can see me continuing with it even if I find it hard to tell the difference between the two main girls, which is a big problem as far as I’m concerned. But ‘Nurse Hitomi’s Monster Infirmary’ omg, I LOVE it! It reminds me a lot of ‘Interviews With Monster Girls’ which I’ve only seen the anime, but loved a lot, except Nurse Hitomi has a lot more cheeky comedy and innuendo, plus the characters are all so unique and interesting. I instantly bought the other 6 volumes on [popular book website] and will read them with glee once they arrive!

Well this was all very nice, but what if I have more questions for you, beyond the allotted 20? Then wait ‘til next week you impatient bastard.

AHAHA! (I was meaning what if the readers have more question, don’t go alienating them already!) Oh, um sure if you have any questions just come and add me on twitter.com/Cactus_Matt I’m the kind of person who always has twitter open so unless I’m asleep chances are you’ll get a quick reply! Or comment below, either way works!

Anything else you want to add? Of course, I’m only new to the blogging scene but already I’ve been overwhelmed by the kindness of the wordpress anime blogging community. Specifically I want to shout out Irina @drunkenanimeblog, who was there from my fourth day on the site and kept liking my content and thus spurring me on despite very few views. Then came @raistlin0903 who reblogged me and still comments like a persistent cheerleader! And @chizurue who championed me on twitter loudly!

But wait; didn’t the last two people only start to do those things the week after the week ending the 11^th? Ah… well yeah, but this is the first blog of this type so credit where credit’s due and all that… I just wanted to thank some people is all… Plus there’s way more people before and after the aforementioned that deserve a shoutout, I’m just still trying to get to grips with this whole thing…

Fair enough. How would you rate the week ending 11^th of February 2018? An emotional roller coaster, as much as that is a cliché, I don’t think I’ve ever felt such dizzying highs and worrisome lows. Nevertheless, I am out the other side and thinking of the future and can’t wait to see what comes next for this blog, for anime and manga and for my life.

Well that was the first of my 20 Question Weekly Reviews! Let me know what you think, what should be changed, what else should be discussed? Also, don’t worry, the normal 20 Question Anime Reviews will still come out daily, these will not interrupt the regularly scheduled reviews! Thanks for reading!