My third review of this series. It's basically your standard foodie/power hungry Isekai. Not bad. I don't feel isekai readers will care too much so long as the story is decent. It's all power fantasy and random episodic plots no matter which isekai you read. Yes, this guy is a monster, as the title says, but it doesn't deviate too much from the harem/power fantasy norms. Rou's troupe is somewhat related to his control abilities but they pretty much all genuinely respect him too.
One unique part is the family unit closest to Rou acts like an actual family. It's not just lovers giving hearts and kissing at random while sparkles and roses float around. No, they have actual discussions about family problems, whether they want kids, witty banter, etc. I've literally never seen that in any other isekai, so, major plus.
However, my review will still focus on a major issue with this novel adaptation.
It starts off faithful to the novel. Regardless of what you think of the novel's themes, in my book, a manga that veers off and does its own thing is problematic. And that's precisely what the Reincarnation: Monster manga adaptation does.
Let's just say what it is: Rou does a lot of rape stuff. Yeah, that doesn't happen in the novel. In the novel he is instead abhorred by the actions of the other goblins and does not partake. He does, however, admit this is the rule of this world and therefore he cannot interfere.
Those with power make the rules. At that point in the novel, he does not have power, so it makes complete sense. This is shown by the fact he never rapes nor allows rape in his troupe later in the novel (at least in the 600 odd chapters I read.) He stuck to his moral principles and I can respect that from both the character and author.
So, why does the manga do this? Who the hell knows. What I do know is the Mankaga must've gotten a smack upside the head, because, well, the manga is now once again faithful to the novel. So faithful in fact that it's reproducing small details that tended to be overlooked at the beginning of this serialization. So, if you can stomach or skip the early parts, then by chapter 50-60 the story is back on track and better than ever. For that I can still commend this work.