#1 Secret Monster Girls
Asahi Kuromine is a stand-up guy, but he can’t keep a secret to save his life. Bluffing, lying, even just keeping his damn mouth shut, he can’t do any of it. This becomes a problem one fateful afternoon, when Asahi decides to confess his feelings for the mysterious Youko Shiragami. As he barges into the classroom where she usually stays until dusk, Asahi catches Youko with her fangs and wings out, surrounded by tiny little bats. She is a vampire and nobody is allowed to find out about that.
Asahi promises to keep her secret, though this is easier said than done. He is still an open book and people take immediate notice when a wuss like him suddenly starts hanging out with a pretty girl like Youko. Even worse, Asahi soon finds out—entirely against his will—that Youko is not the only person at his school with a supernatural secret to keep.
My Monster Secret quickly develops into a monster girl-style comedy series with some light harem to it. Asahi gets himself tied up in the precarious situations of all these girls, many of whom begin to have feelings for him as the story develops. And though vampires are an obvious choice, the other monster girl species aren’t quite as obvious. Even if you’re a monster girl connoisseur, My Monster Secret will still have some great surprises in store for you.
#2 Crazy characters
My Monster Secret is the kind of anime that prefers experimenting with existing, well-known tropes over trying to reinvent the wheel. To this end, many of the characters feel like familiar archetypes with all the hand-brakes taken off.
Nagisa Aizawa is a strict class president type who even claims the authority to lecture the teachers when she feels that they are underperforming. A good thing, perhaps, because the homeroom teacher Ms. Koumoto is constantly one perceived slight away from breaking out into unchained violence.
The head of the school newspaper, meanwhile, will stoop to any lows to get her stories; she is the self-dubbed Queen of Evil and loves nothing more than to expose the secrets and gossip of her fellow students, no matter how private. Then there is the transfer student Shiho, who claims to be the biggest slut around and is utterly determined to prove it.
Put together, this cast has a surprising amount of synergy with each other. The wussy, milquetoast nature of Asahi anchors the more eccentric characters somewhat and gives them a target to unleash the worst of their behavior at. This leads to a lot of great (slapstick) comedy and the occasional fanservice.
The characters also have more to offer than just crazy shenanigans. My Monster Secret doesn’t pull of any amazing feats of characterization, but it gives the cast enough depth to carry the show through its 13 episodes.
#3 Tragically friendzoned
In his shocked state after discovering Youko’s secret, Asahi plain forgets to actually confess to her. He stammers out some sappy line about becoming friends instead, causing instant confusion all-around.
Asahi still very much has a crush on Youko, but feels too awkward to bring it up now. And because a year prior Asahi was turned down by class president Nagisa, Youko believes she could do him a favor by helping those two get closer instead.
It’s all one big misunderstanding and attempting to clear this all up is a driving motivation throughout the story. It’s a source for much hilarity, though at the same time it’s nice seeing Youko and Asahi slowly grow closer together. Especially because it’s unclear whether Youko is genuinely oblivious to Asahi’s true feelings or trying to avoid having to confront him, and risk changing their friendship as a result.
More anime & manga like this
Interviews With Monster Girls: School life with monster girls in it.
Monster Musume: Default monster girl recommendation.
Kininaru Mori-san: Supernatural romance with unexpected demi-humans.
