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EP. REVIEW: Mieruko-chan


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lhernan02



Joined: 12 Jun 2005
Posts: 194
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:02 pm Reply with quote
Great to see someone following this one, based on the reviews I might pick it up again.

I dropped it after the required 3rd ep because the long form jokes did not pay off enough (the only one that I found really funny was the punch line of the molester one) and the fanservice was annoying. Per the comments above, fanservice for its own sake does not add anything. I like fanservice as much as the next guy, but it has to work (e.g. Najica Blitz Tactics, Cross Ange, and in the case of horror all the slasher films from the 80s (I can't think of an anime that does horror and pervasive fanservice right)). In this case it is everywhere, but it doesn't do anything (the molester joke, where fanservice would have worked, was almost chaste) other than take your eye/mind away from the horror/suspense. And finally, it is not titilating (not that fanservice has to be, in anime (outside of hentai), it is more often used for humor than titilation) it is just there again, and again, and again. The only thing I can say positively in this case is that the animation around it is top notch.
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DoZ



Joined: 25 Oct 2021
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 9:52 pm Reply with quote
Why is that EVERY SINGLE TIME that people criticize(often times for good reason, though not always) fan service, it draws in the dregs of the Fandom to desperately defend its honor and inclusion even when said inclusion is frankly unnecessary or legitimately gross, fucked up, and creepy?
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vampiyan



Joined: 25 Oct 2021
Posts: 64
PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 11:55 pm Reply with quote
DoZ wrote:
Why is that EVERY SINGLE TIME that people criticize(often times for good reason, though not always) fan service, it draws in the dregs of the Fandom to desperately defend its honor and inclusion even when said inclusion is frankly unnecessary or legitimately gross, fucked up, and creepy?


People like their fanservice. I guess this is the kind of attitude that came for American media already and anime fans don't want those kinds of people in their hobby to do the same. if fanservice really upsets people that much, there's plenty of American stuff that had all the interesting and non-conformist bits squeezed out of them that they'd probably enjoy much better. I hear a lot of old horror franchises are being altered these days to remove problematic content and be more inclusive, so that'd probably be something more interesting to them if they're looking for something spooky this season.
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09jcg



Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 522
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:51 pm Reply with quote
I think everyone needs to come to terms with the fact that Mieruko chan is an ecchi fanservice horror anime. It is what it is, and having read the manga I don't even think it's that out of place with the source material. Horror and fansevice have lonnnnng gone hand and hand. Thats something I think people forget; it reminds me of horror shlock like Halloween, I know what you did last summer, scream, final destination, etc.
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whiskeyii



Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 2242
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:15 pm Reply with quote
If you read the previous page, you'll actually notice quite a few people who enjoy ecchi shows mentioning that while they enjoy fanservice, they don't enjoy it here, and I think the problem is execution. In shows like High School DxD, the fanservice *adds* to the over-the-top nature of the show. But here, the fanservice is interrupting the horror--it's less Scream and more Scary Movie. Though I do think this series does eventually manage to find it's footing.
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Zoneflare



Joined: 11 Mar 2015
Posts: 521
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 1:48 pm Reply with quote
I loved the bath tub scene because it was an obvious reference to the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie.
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jenthehen



Joined: 23 Dec 2008
Posts: 835
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:15 pm Reply with quote
It’s weird, but I guess makes sense with our puritanical roots, that people get so angry and/or befuddled that anyone would like sex.
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09jcg



Joined: 19 Sep 2006
Posts: 522
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 2:43 pm Reply with quote
whiskeyii wrote:
If you read the previous page, you'll actually notice quite a few people who enjoy ecchi shows mentioning that while they enjoy fanservice, they don't enjoy it here, and I think the problem is execution. In shows like High School DxD, the fanservice *adds* to the over-the-top nature of the show. But here, the fanservice is interrupting the horror--it's less Scream and more Scary Movie. Though I do think this series does eventually manage to find it's footing.
I think the execution is perfectly fine. If this was trying to be a serious horror along the lines of The Ring then sure. It's not though, its always leaned hard into the comedic aspect of it and the fanservice plays well into it. Scenes like the prayer beads constantly exploading comes off as comedic, not serious. While not nearly as extreme as High School DxD, I would argue that it is far closer to that end of the spectrum than a movie like Seven. If Mieruko-chan is trying to convey true dread then I think its absolutely failing at that both as a manga and as an anime because I never got that vibe from it; and for what its worth I don't think it was ever TRYING to be that.

To be clear, I don't really MIND one way or the other if the fanservice is in it or not. I just disagree that it's out of place or poorly done and I think its unfortunate that it gets dinged in reviews as a result.
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Florete



Joined: 21 Jan 2018
Posts: 363
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:13 pm Reply with quote
Review: *Has literally one sentence warning about the existence of some fanservice.*
Comments: "And I took that personally."
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Yttrbio
Subscriber



Joined: 09 Jun 2011
Posts: 3649
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:39 pm Reply with quote
You're the one making this personal, now.

I thought that episode 4's fanservice was much more appropriate than the earlier stuff. The use of nudity to highlight vulnerability is a very common horror trope.
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minamikaze



Joined: 20 Jan 2008
Posts: 213
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:00 pm Reply with quote
review wrote:
The bath scene feels especially disconcerting, and that's even if we ignore the return of the out-of-place fanservice.


I'm not going to argue about panty shots, but doesn't one of the most iconic horror movie scenes involve a woman disrobing and taking a shower?

Psycho shower scene - Official Universal Pictures YouTube Channel Link

The Shining also has a bathtub scene that includes full frontal nudity. It is obviously NSFW, so not posting it here.

I am definitely not saying anyone has to like them, but as others have already mentioned, nude, erotic and otherwise titillating scenes have been present in the horror genre for a long time.


Last edited by minamikaze on Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:06 pm; edited 7 times in total
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whiskeyii



Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 2242
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:12 pm Reply with quote
09jcg wrote:
I think the execution is perfectly fine. If this was trying to be a serious horror along the lines of The Ring then sure. It's not though, its always leaned hard into the comedic aspect of it and the fanservice plays well into it. Scenes like the prayer beads constantly exploading comes off as comedic, not serious. While not nearly as extreme as High School DxD, I would argue that it is far closer to that end of the spectrum than a movie like Seven. If Mieruko-chan is trying to convey true dread then I think its absolutely failing at that both as a manga and as an anime because I never got that vibe from it; and for what its worth I don't think it was ever TRYING to be that.

To be clear, I don't really MIND one way or the other if the fanservice is in it or not. I just disagree that it's out of place or poorly done and I think its unfortunate that it gets dinged in reviews as a result.


I also agree that this series is largely a comedy (like with the prayer beads), but I think certain scenes are trying to put you in Mieruko's shoes and convey a similar sense of dread. It's just odd that the show then chooses to deflate its own tension with poorly timed fanservice (that was the point with my Scary Movie comparison, as parody movies of its ilk tended to do the very same thing). But I do think this tends to be an issue largely with just the earlier stories in the series, so for me, I can chalk this up to the author experimenting with what does and doesn't work for this series.
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BonusStage



Joined: 24 Oct 2011
Posts: 307
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 4:48 pm Reply with quote
Florete wrote:
Review: *Has literally one sentence warning about the existence of some fanservice.*
Comments: "And I took that personally."


To be fair that sentence was also used as the byline for the front page which I have to imagine was intentional.
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Animegomaniac



Joined: 16 Feb 2012
Posts: 4070
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 6:12 pm Reply with quote
Zoneflare wrote:
I loved the bath tub scene because it was an obvious reference to the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie.


That was fine; I got the reference as it fit into the overall scheme of the show. I even snickered as her brother inadvertently caught an eyefull which further works along the concepts of seeing things you shouldn't see and whether or not you should react to them.

We're good because it's good. It crossed the line for me when Miko washed her brother's back while completely nude. She's done; She showered, she bathed. Unless she plans on getting in with him, she should be toweling off at that point.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 7:05 pm Reply with quote
I admit it, they got me with the Dad. Sad Loved the naked little coin collectors and the callback they got at the end.

I've been thinking this from the first episode, and the twist with her father made it seem more likely, but I can't help but feel there's something up with Hana. At first I thought maybe she was a ghost too, because other than the old psychic and the stalker girl (and I'm not even sure about her), no one seems to react to her presence, ever (maybe the guy in the park, but he was looking at the kitten (btw, lol at the implication that his facial scars are from cat claws)). The boys at the crosswalk you'd expect to turn to look at this cute, genki, busty girl bouncing across the street, but they ignore her. Even stalker girl hasn't directly looked at her. Is she always hungry because her food is a figment of her imagination? How did her phone get up on a shelf too high for her to reach? And how did she "drop" the rabbit in the alley? It was strapped to her back but it was already gone before she ran the gauntlet.

But she casts a shadow, and the school nurse definitely interacted with her (maybe she's more than she appears too?), so I dunno. She's clearly got angelic energies about her which apparently draws monsters, as well as physical substance (to pick up the cat, wear the beads, etc.). At any rate, she's both annoying and fascinating and worth keeping an eye on I think, because there's definitely something off about her. (manga readers, no comments please, even in spoiler tags. Let me maintain my delusions as they're the only thing keeping me interested in this)

Btw, I love that their teacher is very pregnant. It's such an unexpected detail, I wonder if that's going to be an issue later on with the ghouls attracted to the baby or something.
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