Pass The Monster Meat Milady is Cooking Up a Delicious Anime Confection

A manga about food is a surefire way to leave one hungry enough for the juicy details regarding its creation. Surely, the first ten minutes of Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! has served up a simmering stew of fantasy romance and weird eats, influenced just as much by the recipes of a bizarro Emeril Lagasse as it is classic fairy tales. To satiate our appetite, ANN sat down with Pass the Monster Meat, Milady!'s manga creator Chika Mizube and Melphiera voice actor Kanna Nakamura to get the inside scoop.

What are the unique challenges of adapting a light novel to manga?

Chika Mizube: It might be a little bit different, but I feel that one of the parts that requires careful thought is taking the sections that are explained in monologue in the original light novel, and breaking them down into something easier to read, in a way that suits the age group of the manga readers.

Creativity is at the heart of cooking. How does this series capture that idea and play with it?

MIZUBE:The concept of eating monster meat is surreal, so [while creating the manga] I use my imagination and make references to existing dishes to make things look like authentic dishes.

What's the strangest food you've ever eaten? Is there something you'd never eat?

MIZUBE: Actually, when it comes to strange dishes, I'm not adventurous, and so I don't try anything unusual. But yesterday, though it wasn't a strange food or anything, it was the first time I've ever had a kebab, and I would love to eat it again.

Kanna Nakamura: The strangest thing I've ever eaten was grilled frog. And I think that the restaurant didn't do a good job in preparing it, as the frog was very greasy. I wouldn't eat it again.

How would you describe the relationship between the two main characters? How does it relate to their foodie activities?

MIZUBE: Actually, when I adapted the story into the manga, I emphasized the romance a bit more. However, in my mind, I think they are not very like romantic couples but more like cooking partners. When I portray them cooking together, it's somewhere between messing around and simply having fun together—I wanted it to feel like the image of fun companions sharing the same experience.

NAKAMURA: I applied for Melphiera in the audition, and actually, she was the character I resonated with. This was for three reasons: 1) she likes to eat, 2) she loves to cook, and 3) she loves to research what she loves and put in a little bit of effort. In that sense, she's close to me. It didn't feel like I had prepared much; I simply poured my true feelings and emotions into it.

How did you capture Melphiera's personality in your vocal performance?

NAKAMURA: As you can see, Mephi eats monster meat. I'm not going to give a spoiler here, but later in the story, the reasoning why she eats monster meat is explained. And from that background, I can understand that she's a pretty tidy, organized, and determined person. At the same time, she has the aspects of an otaku, like someone who obsesses about what they love to do. So I try to have a good balance between being an organized person and being an otaku.

A lot of people in the story find Melphiera's love of “weird” food and her knowledge of how to prepare it off-putting. Do you think that attitude about preparing your own food, possibly including butchering it, is something that carries over to the real world? Why is that?

MIZUBE: I like cooking, and although I haven't learned to properly butcher meat or clean fish yet, I'd like to give it a try in the future.

Are there any monster designs you're especially proud or fond of?

MIZUBE: Royal moodle. The monster was delivered to Melphiera in a near-death state, but its appearance had something that made people feel a kind of pity or sympathy, so I think that's what was charming about that monster.

Is there a dish that Melphiera eats that you think would be especially delicious?

NAKAMURA: As Mizube-sensei said, it was the royal moodle. The process of how it was carried into Melphiera's place and also why it looks tasty are well explained in the anime. So while playing the role, I was thinking about the tastiest meat I've ever had.

How would you rate your own cooking ability? Do you have a specialty that you're known for making for friends or family?

NAKAMURA: My cooking level is difficult to measure as I do it pretty roughly. But if I were given a number up to 100, I'd give my cooking a 70. The one dish I make a lot for my family is curry with other spices. I just search what I have in the house, and think about how to incorporate those ingredients.

In a later volume of the manga, Melphiera adopts a monster. Does this blur the lines between her love of monster meat and her willingness to have one as a pet? What does it say about her growth as a character?

MIZUBE: Melphiera loves to eat everything. However, the country prohibits people from eating Tenro, the monster she adopts as a pet. So that's the only reason she makes Tenro a pet.

Do you think that Melphiera is practicing ecological sustainability? Is there any way she could convince other people of that?

MIZUBE: Yes, I think so.

The Pass the Monster Meat, Milady! manga is available in English from Kodansha Comics. An anime series by Asahi Production and director Mutsumi Takeda premiered on October 2 and streams on Crunchyroll.