【Anime Adaptation Confirmed!】 Before the girl who longed for the end appeared...... a man-eating mermaid. Yuri × Fantasy × Exquisite Mystery! Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi!

Hello! Today, we’d like to introduce you to a deeply moving mystery-fantasy manga, Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi.
Nicknamed “Watatabe.” At first glance, many might be drawn in by its yuri-flavored title and cover, but the truth is, this work is far deeper, more ephemeral, and even tinged with a bit of madness.

The story is set in a seaside town that carries a somewhat lonely atmosphere.
The protagonist, Hinako, is a high school girl who lives in a daze, burdened by the emotional scars of losing her family in a past accident. Her daily life is suffocating, like being submerged at the bottom of the sea—devoid of both attachment to life and any hope.

Before her suddenly appears a mysterious girl named Shiori.
With eyes like the sea, her first words are:

“I’ve come to eat you.”

Though Shiori is a creature akin to a youkai, she approaches Hinako in the form of a beautiful high school girl.
Her sole objective is to “eat Hinako.” However, that won’t happen immediately. Until Hinako “ripens deliciously,” Shiori will protect her from other youkai and raise her as her exclusive prey.

“A girl who longs to die” and “a being who wants to eat her”—this relationship is exquisitely distorted and beautiful.

Hinako, too, tries to find the endpoint of her life through being devoured.
This seemingly win-win (or is it?) yet unstable relationship gives the entire story a unique sense of tension.

While this manga does carry the “yuri” label, in volume one, it leans more towards themes like “the crossing of souls” or “the clash of existences” rather than conventional romantic yuri.

Does Hinako truly only wish to be eaten?
And with the addition of Hinako’s childhood friend Miko, a complex dynamic reminiscent of a love triangle begins to form.

The beauty of the artwork is also a major draw of this series.
Gentle linework and delicate expression renderings. Hinako’s eyes that seem to have given up on everything, and Shiori’s eyes that see her as prey, give the series a depth that sets it apart from typical “pretty girl” manga.

In this world wrapped in a moist, subdued atmosphere, the past and truth are gradually, slowly unveiled.
The more you read, the more you're drawn in—and even after finishing, the lingering aftertaste remains. It's that kind of work.

*Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi* is a one-of-a-kind fantasy that portrays madness lurking in beauty and despair drifting within kindness.
You can’t help but keep turning the pages, eager to know the fate of Hinako, Shiori, and those around them.

A TV anime is scheduled to air in October 2025, so it’s a great time to start keeping an eye on it.

If you’re looking for a memorable work or enjoy stories that delve into the darkness of the heart, this manga is for you.