Translated by AI

"As many of you know, Chiikawa has recently become wildly popular in Japan and Taiwan. Among its characters, the most controversial one—Momonga (Komomo)—is actually my favorite.

As I collected more and more Momonga goods, people around me started saying, “That’s like a cult.” I even saw extreme comments like, “Anyone who likes Momonga should see a psychiatrist.”

But in truth, everything has its reasons. Today, I want to explore appearance anxiety and self-centered psychological patterns through both Momonga and my own experiences.

The main reasons why Momonga is disliked are:

1. Being selfish

2. Occupying someone else’s body

But this “selfishness” is nothing more than simple desires: Wanting to eat delicious food, wanting attention, wanting to be told “You’re cute.”

As for the “occupying another’s body” part, the soul inside Momonga now is actually that of a terrifying monster. The original Momonga’s soul was mysteriously swapped out.

I can’t fully explain the complicated relationship between Momonga and this monster (Daikyo), but maybe Daikyo actually dislikes the Chiikawa creatures, which is why he keeps craving tasty food. Maybe he was once feared for his appearance and rejected by others.

Yet, toward those he truly recognizes as friends, he shows no malice at all.

Momonga’s existence reminds me of a passage from Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood:

“What I want is simply indulgence. Complete indulgence. For example, if I say right now that I want strawberry shortcake, you drop everything, rush out, buy it, and come back panting: ‘Here, Midori, strawberry shortcake.’ And then I say: ‘Nah, I don’t want it anymore,’ and throw it out the window. That’s the kind of thing I’m after.”

Momonga just wants to be completely indulged, to confirm that he is loved.

I too once struggled with deep insecurity about my looks. I cried in front of the mirror many times, trembled while doing makeup, unable to breathe from worrying if a part of me wasn’t good enough. I would put on makeup, wipe it off, and repeat endlessly.

There was a time when I believed appearance was everything— that I didn’t need talent or inner qualities, as long as I was cute or beautiful.

But now, I don’t dislike my bare face. I see that past obsession not as wasted time, but as a desperate way of surviving. If I could meet my past self, I would tell her: “Take it slow. You are truly beautiful, with or without makeup. I love you for no reason at all—that is the purest proof of my love.”

And so, when I came to know Momonga, all I wanted was to give this little one everything he desires. Not because of his appearance, but because he reminded me of the insecure version of myself who cared so much about these things.

Whether Momonga or Daikyo—baby or monster— he is, above all, worthy of love."