The Creature I Picked up and Raised Wasn’t Quite What I Thought It Was (Web Manga Review)
拾って隠れて育てた生き物が思ってたのと違った
Hirotte Kakurete Sodateta Ikimono ga Omotteta no to Chigatta
The Creature I Picked Up, Hid, and Raised was Different From What I Expected (Literal Translation)

One of the neat things about following so many Japanese artists and manga-ka on Twitter-X is that they will sometimes introduce me to something new and interesting. Such was the case with Kurotama-sensei’s long-titled, tiny web series, The Creature I Picked up and Raised Wasn’t Quite What I Thought It Was.

The Story, in Brief (SPOILERS!)

The plot of The Creature I Picked up and Raised Wasn’t Quite What I Thought It Was covers quite a few years in only a few pages. A young, elementary school girl finds some kind of injured, black creature. She thinks it might be a cat. Since her parents don’t allow pets, the girl sneaks it home to treat it. The creature doesn’t eat or drink normal food. Instead, it eats the girl’s hair strands.

Eventually, the creature heals and learns to talk. The girl names the alien creature Kyu-chan. Thanks to Japanese TV, the male creature begins to address his savior as Ojou (young lady). As thanks for the kindness shown to him, the alien creature protects Ojou, and subsequently Earth. Years later, he even puts his life on the line when his fellow aliens (big trash) attack him for betraying them.

Ojou then helps restore Kyu-chan back to health, and the two apparently live happily ever after.

An Odd Love Story

There are only eight chapters in The Creature I Picked up and Raised Wasn’t Quite What I Thought It Was. Each chapter only has 2-3 pages in it. One page takes place in the past and one page takes place in the present. Thus in the past, we see Ojou go from a little girl to adulthood. Likewise, we see the alien creature go from a little, black blob with cat-like ears to a black humanoid with three or four arms (hard to tell).

The love story can seem to be weird, but it a weird sort of way, it is kind of sweet. After all, the love Ojou has for Kyu-chan is that of a human and her pet. When Kyu-chan grows up and has an adult form, the bond they have grows as well. While Kurotama-sensei doesn’t spell out a lot, it is clear that Kyu-chan’s race is insanely powerful. And yet he won’t kill a human, even when one stalked Ojou. And then Kyu-chan prevents members of his own race from harming humans by killing them. So Kyu-chan’s love for Ojou comes off as pure.

Since Kyu-chan can shape-shift, does Ojou’s love for Kyu-chan shift? Probably. Is it a romantic love? Possibly. Kurotama-sensei doesn’t spell this out. I suppose the audience is supposed to decide for themselves. And I’m okay with that.

Final Thoughts and Conclusion

In the end, The Creature I Picked up and Raised Wasn’t Quite What I Thought It Was is a short but interesting series. There’s a certain, odd charm to the series. Considering its very short status, it is worth the read. And you can find Kurotama-sensei on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/krtmgpl

Update: Well, as seems common, Kurotama-sensei does some “extra” stuff on Fanbox. 😅