KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE

Episode 4

If you liked gyaru Misato, then get ready for scene Kaji. Seriously, that's all I could think about during the first scene of this week's Kaiju Girl Caramelise. Just as Rinko fits neatly into Misato's role and character, so too does Kotaro match Kaji beat for beat (albeit minus sharing the same voice actor). He's Rinko's old cryptid-hunting partner and paramour. He shows up unannounced and immediately starts flirting with her again, much to Rinko's consternation. He has a scruffy kind of swagger. He's a paternal figure to Kuroe. And he might be a double or triple agent working for the government. Plus, while this has nothing to do with Kaji, he spends half the episode professing his love for the genre with a generic “METAL” t-shirt, skull and all, and that is hilarious to me.

More seriously, Kotaro is the first real patriarchal figure introduced to Kuroe's story. While Minami is also a guy, he's functionally the object of Kuroe's desires, and the series has for the most part framed him with stereotypically feminine attributes. Kotaro, on the other hand, acts masculine from the get-go. He saunters confidently back into Rinko's life; he flirts with her and seems to enjoy flustering her; he sweeps Kuroe up into the metal festival without taking no for an answer from Rinko, and he starts policing Kuroe's relationship with Minami as soon as he picks up on it. That last example is archetypal dad behavior. It's controlling. It's patronizing. He doesn't trust Minami, but moreover, he doesn't trust Kuroe to handle herself. And while those fears aren't unfounded, it would be healthier for them to foster a dialogue instead of a lecture.

I like, too, that all of Kotaro's fears about Minami boil down to projection. Every warning about men he shouts to Kuroe is obviously behavior he himself is guilty of, and we can assume so based on his conduct around Rinko and his overall vibes. That's good character work on the series' behalf, and it works as subtextual commentary on the nature of most avenues of patriarchal control. Minami genuinely seems like a good egg, but men like Minami don't dictate the ways of the world. Guys like Kotaro do, and because they assume every other guy is like themselves, they govern in these suffocating and hypocritical ways. It is one of the foundational frustrations of the patriarchy, and I'll be interested to see how Kotaro's role in the story might continue to comment on that, or if his role will evolve into something else.

On the lovesick teen front, this episode feels like a retread of last week's Destinyland excursion, which is cause for some concern about the show's structure. Kaiju Girl requires a baseline suspension of disbelief for its core conceit to work, but that bar keeps raising every time Kuroe manages to partially or fully transform in broad daylight without Minami putting two and two together. My appreciation of this narrative is still rooted in the metaphorical rather than the literal, so this has yet to affect my enjoyment. However, I can understand this becoming more frustrating for other viewers, to the point where it might take them out of Kuroe and Minami's courtship. Now that they are officially dating, I hope we eventually see Minami learn the truth about Kuroe, because the conflict that would arise from that revelation will be crucial to their future as a couple. Kuroe cannot hide this part of herself from somebody she intends to be close and vulnerable to, and even if she could, I'd argue she shouldn't. Being a kaiju informs too many other facets of her life. It is literally too big to ignore.

As such, the kaiju portion of this episode is the most involved one yet, and I found it consistently entertaining as it flipped between comedy and drama. Embracing the metal ethos, Kuroe's favorite band Spree Killer (what a name) sees Harugon and doesn't stop thrashing until she thrashes the stage herself. Insert the devil horns gesture here. Minami's approach is more thoughtful, and Kuroe finally realizes she cannot deny that he authentically cares about her beast form, precisely because he does not know who Harugon is. That is simply a consequence of who Minami is. Manatsu's surprise interjection is nothing new but very funny. I love that monster pervert. And I like that Harugon's rampage ends with her reciprocating Minami's embrace at the front of stage. It's very sweet, even if Minami passes out afterwards.

However, Kuroe remains a prisoner to her low self-esteem, which manifests in achingly familiar ways. Overthinking her “good night” message to Minami is a perfect example. While there are jitters involved in the beginning of any romantic relationship (see Minami almost asking her out again before rethinking it as too forward), it really struck me that Kuroe feels like her crush on Minami amounts to an imposition on him. She buries her face in her pillow, fearing that she gave him the “ick.” I remember that feeling all too well. Heck, I still feel it sometimes! Despite Minami's obvious returns of affection, Kuroe cannot help but think of herself as gross, weird, and unworthy of anything beyond text-based pleasantries. She wants more, but she believes that is merely a sign of an original sin that she must atone for.

Speaking frankly, that is a mindset I need to unlearn myself. As someone who has also had an unhealthy relationship with my own body and identity for most of my life, most of my teenage crushes resulted in further self-loathing. Even my reciprocated relationships prompted a dissociation where I convinced myself that my partner liked the facade I put up, not the “real” me, whom they must never know. Needless to say, none of those relationships lasted very long. I'm in a much better place now after accepting my transness and embracing my true self. I know I can approach future relationships from a healthier starting point. But I also know I have a lot to work on yet. I have internalized transphobia. I have decades of bad coping mechanisms to disassemble. I still feel a pang of guilt when I notice my heart flutter over someone else. Likewise, Kuroe has a lot of runway in front of her when it comes to being honest with her new boyfriend and, more importantly, loving herself.

Rating:

Dub Notes:

I am happy to see the adaptation expand its reach with a dub, and I am also happy to report the dub is good. Front and center is Nia Celeste's performance as Kuroe. Conveniently, the premier calls for lots of emotional range out of our titular kaiju girl—bitterness, infatuation, sadness, anger, and more—and Celeste rises to the occasion each time. Her Kuroe feels like a frustrated misfit ripped out of her comfort zone, and she seems to understand how to vocalize the conflicted emotions that arise from that. Opposite her is Jacob Hopkins' Minami, who gives a relaxed and tender performance that fits the character. Meanwhile, I can hear Luci Christian having a lot of fun with Rinko's maternal quirks, and I checked out the second episode to verify that Megan Shipman makes Manatsu sound like a kaiju freak. I give the dub a thumbs up overall.

KAIJU GIRL CARAMELISE is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Sylvia is on Bluesky for all of your posting needs. She is a girl who likes kaiju. You can also catch her chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.