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Episode 2 ended with Shiori visiting Hinako’s house and inviting her to the summer festival.Episode 3 finally reveals the painful past behind Hinako’s wish to die. Here are my thoughts on Episode 3, with some Japanese cultural context added in.
You can watch Episode 3 here:
This Monster Wants to Eat Me Episode 3
This Monster Wants to Eat Me Episode 3 review
Episode 3 begins with Hinako and Shiori already walking through the festival together.As Shiori gently takes her hand and guides her through the crowd, Hinako doesn’t know how to react to that unexpected kindness. But midway through the festival, memories of going there with her family surface, and the pain becomes too much. She jerks her hand away and runs off. When fireworks explode overhead, Hinako remembers the burning car—her parents and brother still inside—being swallowed by the sea. The memory triggers hyperventilation.
Shiori eventually finds Hinako curled up on the shrine staircase. Hinako tells her that she will never become “delicious,” and that whenever Shiori treats her kindly, she begins to doubt whether Shiori truly intends to eat her. Shiori replies, “You truly don’t understand anything,” extending her yokai claws. Blood splatters for a moment—but Shiori didn’t attack her. Instead, she had shielded Hinako with her arm from a yokai that was about to devour her.
The two sit together on the steps and begin to talk. Shiori asks Hinako, “Why do you want to die so badly?”From the way Hinako didn’t resist back in Episode 1, Shiori sensed she might be longing for death. Hinako then shares her past for the first time: during her first family trip, her parents and brother died when their burning car sank into the ocean, leaving her as the sole survivor. She tells Shiori she heard a voice saying, “Hinako, you must survive,” and ever since, she has believed she must not die—no matter how much she wished she could. She has been searching for something—or someone—who could end her life for her.
Shiori tells Hinako to live each day in good health. And when the day comes that Hinako no longer wants to die—when she truly wishes to keep living—Shiori promises she will devour her completely. Hinako, in her heart, vows to keep living so that Shiori can eat her someday.
Later, as Hinako and Shiori return to the festival and explore the stalls, Miko spots them. Neither of them notices.
The next day, Miko casually asks Hinako, “Oh, speaking of, did you see the fireworks?”
Hinako panics, thinking she might have been caught. She dodges the question, and Miko doesn’t push further.
Hinako later asks Shiori to keep their festival outing secret. She explains that Miko has always treated her kindly—both before and after the accident—without pity or awkwardness. Soon after, a yokai appears at school, and Shiori confronts it. Miko sees this exact moment.
And that’s where Episode 3 ends.
Thoughts & Analysis
Among the festival foods, Shiori buys Hinako Ringo-ame, saying she thought Hinako would like it since everyone else had one. Ringo-ame is a whole apple coated in candy—a classic treat at Japanese festivals. It also appeared in the OP, which I discussed in a previous analysis. Perhaps the opening was foreshadowing this festival scene.
Related: “This Monster Wants to Eat Me” OP Explained: Visual Symbolism and Foreshadowing
Another notable detail is the sign for “Tokyo cakes.”
In Japan, baby castella—bite-sized festival sponge cakes—are standard summer festival snacks. But for some reason, in This Monster Wants to Eat Me, which takes place in Ehime Prefecture, these are called Tokyo cakes. When Shiori says, “The Tokyo cakes stall is open,” Hinako replies, “Like baby castellas, I suppose.”
However, most foreign viewers probably have no idea what baby castella is, so this exchange may have confused many.
As for the line Hinako heard during the accident—“Hinako, you must survive.”
The translation doesn’t fully express the nuance of the original Japanese.
“You must survive” has a strong tone of command, obligation, or instruction. But the Japanese contains a heartfelt wish—a desperate plea for Hinako alone to live on. Phrases like:
“Hinako… please, live.”
“Hinako… you’re the one who has to survive.”
capture the emotional nuance more faithfully, at least in my view.
This episode’s story corresponds to Volume 2 of the manga.If you’re interested in seeing how the original version depicts these scenes, check out the English edition here:
This Monster Wants to Eat Me, Vol. 2
If you’d like to revisit how the story begins, you can read my Episode 2 summary and analysis here:
“This Monster Wants to Eat Me” Episode 2 Summary & Analysis
you can read my Episode 4 summary and analysis here:
