How often do you follow a series where people of different origins or species congregate, and somehow they are able to understand each other and speak the same language? It’s probably for convenience’s sake, as it would be too much of an unnecessary diversion to make a side plot of them overcoming the language barrier, on top of the main story. Here’s the thing though: What if that’s exactly what the main story is about? And that’s what Heterogenia Linguistico is.

Right off the bat, Heterogenia Linguistico already intrigued me with its manga cover. It is reminiscent of Dungeon Meshi, so I expected it to be in similar vein. It also made me a bit wary however, as I am not too fond of fantasy isekai, and this has similar initial premise of a man going into another world. And while it has some similarities with Dungeon Meshi regarding the fantastical setting filled with monsters (and that’s probably where it ends), Heterogenia Linguistico turned out to be such a delightful surprise.

We follow the protagonist, Hakaba, as he sets on a research journey as a substitute for his professor who couldn’t go due to a sudden accident. With the Netherworld as his destination, he is set to stay there for an entire year to do language and communication research. Specifically, about monsters. He was assigned a guide from the werewolves’ settlement, who turned out to be human-werewolf mix named Susuki. Apparently, she is the daughter of his professor and a werewolf from the settlement (which means his professor did it with a werewolf…? Hakaba pondered about it but set it aside as it is not the topic of his current research). It starts of easy enough, as some werewolves seem to understand human language but even then, he is still met with difficulties. After he tried to communicate with some of the werewolves for a bit and was met with ignorance, he found out that other than using language, werewolves use scent as their means of communication.

That’s one part of the manga that I found incredibly fascinating. As it turns out, not every monster species communicates verbally. Some species change their color to communicate. Some draw pattern to relay messages. Some communicate via body gestures, but even then, what we know as normal gestures in communication between humans are concepts that are alien to the monsters. So Hakaba really has a lot to decipher and learn. Despite the language barrier, all the monsters have one common goal in mind: coexistence.

Heterogenia Linguistico has a rather lighthearted presentation, with an art style to match. But there are also more serious moments like when Hakaba pondered about the monsters’ existence, and their perception in human society. After spending quite a while with them, Hakaba begins to think about the horrible misconception about monsters and the cruel discrimination they might face if they were to be put in society with the humans. I also appreciate the details the author put in regarding the difference in how each species communicate, like how werewolves and lizardfolks speak the same language but with different sounds, as they have stark anatomical differences.

If I had to write a flaw in the story, it would be that the journey feels rather aimless. Hakaba and Susuki traverse to one place to another, with seemingly no plan nor a destination in mind. It gives a slice-of-life like impression, which is no problem for me, although I would like to have something more concrete regarding the journey. There are also times where I feel like some concepts are not explained quite well, however, that might just me being a dummy.

In conclusion: Heterogenia Linguistico is a refreshing take on the fantasy genre. It has some clever points, but It is a light read that sometimes touches upon some complex fantasy societal issues. There are some flaws present but personally, I am enamored by its unique premise and presentation, that I would still wholeheartedly recommend it.