Himemiko’s indescribably, unbelievably gorgeous “The Monster & The Ghost”

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The Monster & The Ghost by Himemiko

Japanese Title: Monster and Ghost
モンスターアンドゴースト

Himemiko’s twitter
Himemiko’s pixiv

There’s this huge store in Ikebukuro that’s floors and floors of anime and manga goods, even an exhibition space. Having moved to Tokyo recently, the first time I visited it isn’t that far back—so I very clearly remember the gorgeous artwork on the walls, advertising one particular BL manga that had recently released its first collected volume. I didn’t have time to stop and catch its name, but I did stare at the beautiful, realistic art, almost daydreaming every time I passed it by; then, I noticed that many other stores around Ikebukuro were advertising the exact same manga, so I knew it had to be a phenomenon in the making.  

When I saw a manga named “The Monster & the Ghost” in my work assignments, I let out a squeal of excitement at its cover, like, “OH! IT’S THAT MANGA!!!”

And I’m obviously not the only one who’s been entranced by this work since. Both Japan and overseas, people seem to be buzzing about this story—so, what is it about?

Paranormal slow-burn

The story opens with the gruesome scene of a high school student on the ground, his brains bashed out (but all the gore is masterfully covered by the electricity cables overhead, blurry, just as if they’re right in front of the reader’s camera lens). There’s a hint of a smile on his lips—and then, cut to the titular monster of the story, Tsubaki Koton, starting his first day in a new school. Huge in stature, sullen and aggressive, he terrorizes everyone around him with a single glance. But, what his classmates don’t see is that he’s being haunted by the ghost of Kabuto Yuuki, the pretty-faced high schooler killed in the very first page.

And so starts a story that, on the surface, is all about Tsubaki finding a way to show his genuine, kind heart, thanks to Kabuto’s encouragement—underlined by the ongoing mystery of how and why Kabuto lost his life.

As this is in the BL genre, it would be fair to address the matter of romance and warn that it’s a slow burn (so far), because the point of the story isn’t romance or sex. It’s about two people that are fundamentally misunderstood, one because he cannot be seen by humans, and one whose true self cannot be discerned beyond his frightening physical appearance—but they see each other, find each other, and help each other grow in the way each needs. Perhaps things do get more explicitly romantic later on—after all, the fact that they cannot touch each other has been pointed out—but even if they don’t, the sentiment is there.

Soon, other characters start joining the fray. For one, Tsubaki’s sordid past comes a-knocking; then, there’s an intriguing but shady character that’s interested in Tsubaki and his ghostly friend. And, of course, there’s the mystery surrounding Kabuto. Meaning, this is one of those dark, gritty stories that will lead you down a theory rabbit hole. Why did Kabuto die? How? Did he take his own life? Was he murdered? By whom? Why can he not move on to the afterlife? Is he even willing to move on? Why’s he bound to Tsubaki? DID TSUBAKI KILL HIM??? IS THAT IT??? I NEED THE ANSWEEEERS!!!😱😱😱

THE ART. LET ME RANT ABOUT THE ART!!!

Please indulge me for a second, as, from an illustrator’s standpoint, I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS BREATH-TAKING ART.

If you told me that Himemiko-sensei studied film direction in college, I’d believe you, because the paneling work—meaning, how each scene is presented through the panels—feels like a camera lens is following the characters. It’s not just the direction itself, as in, what’s chosen to be presented within each panel, at which timing, and from what angle—the way that figures blur according to the reader’s line of sight, the flares of sunlight making forms fade, the placement of characters within a panel—everything!! It reminds me of a series of film-making books that a professor in my university was suggesting as a way to learn great paneling, through studying film angles. “The Monster & The Ghost” showcases a plethora of film angles while also using effects that are only achievable in manga, such as the panel separation in the opening page of the first page, through the interwoven cables. The length of each individual chapter is also proof of the same aspect, as each page takes its time setting the mood, the setting, the placement of each character and element within the scene, each little motion and switch in their expressions that plays a role in the narrative, precisely as if followed by a director’s camera.

Another trait unique to manga that “The Monster & The Ghost” downright nails is the usage of sound effects. Adding sound effects had always been a chore for me in my own manga, and, let me tell you, my laziness on the matter is a deficit. Rather than an obligatory accessory, sound effects are a key visual feature of manga, and excellent mangaka know how to use them to their advantage, not just to convey sound, but to create a visual identity that’s explicitly their own. Think Furudate-sensei’s arrow-bearing sound effects in Haikyuu!! that point to the direction of the volleyball’s movement, or Horikoshi-sensei’s superhero comic-inspired sound effects in Boku no Hero Academia. And now, also think of Himemiko-sensei and their sound effects that blend into the scene, similar to a paper theater, with layers of the sound effect interweaving with the characters and other elements in the panel. Visually, it is STRIKING and accentuates the movement that goes with that sound perfectly.

About the art-style itself, I’m not sure how to find the words to talk about how beautiful it is, but I’ll try. Usually, realistic art-styles aren’t my cup of tea because the result often goes into “uncanny valley” territory for me—I never get that feeling from “The Monster & the Ghost” though. And that’s most likely because of three key elements:

• One, Tsubaki’s unrealistically pointy teeth which are part of the wider visual lexicon of anime and manga (think Matsuoka Rin in Free! or Soul Evans in Soul Eater or Alucard’s stylized fangs in Hellsing). Throwing such a “cartoonish” trait in such a hyper-realistic art-style helps not only in creating the effect of “manga” but also making Tsubaki’s character design memorable, special and instantly recognizable as one of our two protagonists.

• Two, the beta work. ‘Beta’, in this case, has nothing to do with omegaverse, but it refers to patches of black ink (in the above picture, Tsubaki’s hair and uniform would be part of beta, and, in this case, it’s broken up with tsuya/the glow on his strands of hair in the leftmost panel). Since manga is black and white, mangaka rely on a balance of screentones (the grey or decorative aspects), white space and beta, a.k.a. black, to create the desired, pleasant effect on the reader’s eyes.
• Now, three, add the fantastic line-art that knows when to be solid and gritty, when to be smooth and light, and all its various mark-making elements such as the hatching, cross-hatching, and so on, and you get the wonderful result of “The Monster & The Ghost”.

And, this is all without yet mentioning the show-stopping cover art for the individual chapters (the artwork at the very top of this article). The first time I saw it, I pretty much keeled over. It looks like a Renaissance or Pre-Raphaelite painting. There’s something reminiscent of the magical artwork of Ayami Kojima (the original artist of the Castlevania games). How can a single picture be so beautiful??? I don’t have the words. I can try to express just why the art in the manga itself is amazing and effective, but I’m speechless when it comes to that cover art. It’s just magic, that’s what it is.  

Thank you for putting up with my ranting. The potential for this to be one of the best BL I’ve ever read is right here, and I sure hope that others will enjoy it too! I’m personally hoping for one of those dubious happy endings, realistically bittersweet and meaningful and leaving you surrounded by heaps of crumpled Kleenex tissues—but please share your thoughts, opinions, theories, hopes for this story down in the comments or on Twitter!😍