Back in May I finally managed to get some anime reviews up for you to read....and them seemingly managed to never get anymore back on the blog. Luckily, it’s Halloween, and there’s all sorts of tricks & treats. Today’s review is most definitely a treat, and it just happened to end fairly recently. This series shares much with the famous Monster Musume: fun fantasy, great fanservice, and lots of cute monster girls. However, it also happens to be different in some aspects also. How different you may ask? Well, light a candle in case any beasties try to sneak up on you, have some candy nearby, and read my review for Monster Girl Doctor. Boo!
Story/Setup
Taken from Crunchyroll:
“Welcome to the town of Lindworm, where humans and monsters coexist and rookie doctor Glenn carries out some…risqué medical examinations! Whether probing deep into the gills of a mermaid, suturing the thigh of a flesh golem, helping a harpy lay an egg, or palpating each and every scale of a dragon… No matter how different their looks, bodies, and properties, Glenn devotes his all to saving them—and, in the process, winds up in some pretty dangerous liaisons…? But don’t worry—it’s all just a part of his medical exams!”
Okay....that’s actually not the whole story. In years pass there was a war between the forces of humanity and the monster races, and this went on for quite some time. However peace from both sides was declared, as the cause of the war was lost to history. The city of Lindworm was formed as one of the unions between monsters & humans, and it the process became one of the most powerful of it’s kind. Glenn Litbeit, a doctor who specializes in treating the various monster people, along with his Lamia assistant Saphentite Neikes (Who is best girl, btw). Like it says above, he runs into all sorts of monster women and interesting adventures.....and it’s all fun.
(I should point out that I’m only looking at the show’s story specifically. I’ve never read the book series, and the translations of the manga have been rather slow & not completed at this time.)
Animation
Monster Girl Doctor has some pleasant animation. One thing I especially like about it is that we see some of the more monstrous specials moving around, and it doesn’t look half bad! Even not taking that into account, MGD’s world looks nice. There’s a great usage of color, the architecture was well done, and still shots & everything else is nice (Aside from 1 moment from the 1st episode). The animation may not look like it comes from a modern series, but once you see things move around a little, you’ll realize it.
Voice Acting
Despite not having a physical release in the states, Monster Girl Doctor has both an English dub & original Japanese. I’m not that familiar with the dub, but from what little of it I have heard I enjoyed. The original Japanese voice work is great, and they’re all suited to the characters that they were given with. Unlike most other shows, the voice acting of the secondary characters seems to be on par with the primary cast. There is an exception or two, but apart from them the voice work is top notch.
Characters
The characters of Monster Girl Doctor are great...but at the sametime something is missing. Like I said above I’ve never read the book series, so I don’t know how they are in that, and I only have a limited understanding of how some of them work in the manga. On top of that, the anime cut out certain aspects & scenes of the characters. Weakening them, if you will. For example, you never get into the flesh golem’s origin story for the most part, and you never see her interact with the mermaid after a fight she has aside from a glance the two give each other. Despite that issue, I like virtually everybody in this show! Whereas the girls in Monster Musume seem to be at odds with one another at times, the cast in Monster Girl Doctor get along rather swimmingly with each other. There is a scuffle or two, but for the most part everybody seems to get along with one another nicely. Doctor Glenn is very reminiscent of Kimihito from MM, and while he’s just as kind & caring as the previously mentioned character, he’s far more in control of his emotions, and due to his profession is quite.....professional. About the only flaw that he has is that he’s rather oblivious to the feelings of the girls around him (Apart from maybe Sapphee), although given the style of show MGD is, it’s not surprising either.
I should briefly mention the shocking lack of fan-service in Monster Girl Doctor. Much as I enjoyed how over the top and numerous the fan-service scenes were in MM, I can also appreciate when it is used & it’s timing. In most episodes there is 2 moments of fan-service, and even then that’s not always the case. Again, I love it when breasts, panty shots, and jiggle moments occur, but it’s nice to watch a show that knows how & when to use that stuff.
Availability & Pricing
At this moment in time, Monster Girl Doctor has just finished airing, and despite it’s English dub, there hasn’t been any signs of a release (Unless I’m missing it). Given that the plague is still abundant, it may be some time before a physical collection is released. If you’re curious about giving it a watch, then click on the link below:
https://www.crunchyroll.com/monster-girl-doctor
Overall Impression & Rating
Monster Girl Doctor is just a load of fun. Sure, it’s not as over the top or fan-servicey as Monster Musume is, and it does borrow some elements of that series, but there are far more differences than there are similarities. Though it may not be the second season to MM that hordes of people asked for, it’s more than worthy of being a great spiritual successor. If you like Monster Musume, but want a less fan-servicey & mildly more mature experience, then go visit the doctor & see what he says.
Monster Girl Doctor gets an 8 out of 10.
So that concludes my review of Monster Girl Doctor. A fun little series with fun characters, it’s sure to hold the attention of anyone who likes monster girl shows. With that out of the way, it’s time to go by to my look at Paradise Lost, so join me next week as I examine the band’s time in the 2000s. See you then!
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