Before it dives into the depths of its unrequited love story, If I Could Reach You continues to take its time with a second volume where Uta takes a back seat to those around her, perhaps inspiring an imperfect conclusion to her own romance. Even if this volume doesnt hit the highs of the series debut and I have misgivings about its handling of Miyabi, glimpses into Kaorus own troubles help establish her as a protagonist worth following in the story to come. tMnR also continues to show remarkable technical ability in their debut series. I just hope that this is the end of the storys first act, and the next volume gets to the heart of this unrequited love.

If you would like to try out If I Could Reach You, you can read the first chapter for free on Kodansha USA's website.

The monster girl sub-genre may owe its recent popularity to more sexually suggestive and visually eccentric titles, but I'm loving how this resurgence is already being met with such creative growth and diversity of which this series is more than a noteworthy example. While Monster Musume is known for eccentric designs like Miia's snake tail and Suu's slime body, Interviews with Monster Girls‘ demis thus far (bar Machi) wouldn't even be recognisable as monster girls at first glance which as mentioned earlier, is this series' greatest strength. For a manga so concerned with the supernatural, Interviews with Monster Girls is awfully human.

In its third volume, If I Could Reach You returns to form with an intimate window into the swirling doubts of a caring woman realising that her family is on the cusp of falling apart. Following Kaoru as she discovers these feelings is an engrossing, bittersweet experience that joins what I know of Uta, to make me excited yet anxious about whats to come. If I Could Reach You has reached the end of its prologue, not with a melodramatic explosion but with a maturity that leaves me hopeful for the rough waters were about to sail into.