Mieruko-chan

Episode 6

In the same way that unfolding a piece of origami reveals a hidden and complicated network of creases, so too has it been interesting to watch Mieruko-chan gradually unveil the layers behind its core joke. Both comedy and horror are in large part reliant on the element of surprise, which runs counter to the ambitions of longer-form storytelling. The more time we spend with something, the less likely we are to find it as scary, or as funny, as we did in the beginning. It's impressive, then, that we're halfway through the season, yet Mieruko-chan still finds ways to catch me off guard.

The first half of the episode follows the series' familiar paranormal pattern, with the added wrinkle that Hana, not Miko, takes center stage. Like the Godmother revealed a few weeks ago, while Hana is blissfully unaware of the horrors that lurk around every street corner, she happens to possess an unusually strong aura that both attracts and repels the ghouls. I enjoy the implication that her bottomless appetite for sweets is a consequence of the energy this aura requires, although it's a bit of a chicken or the egg situation. Does she stuff melonpan into her gullet because her aura needs it, or does she have a strong aura because she wolfs down stacks of pancakes on the regular? Maybe exorcists need to worry less about holy water and start frequenting patisseries instead.

Per usual, there's not much going on in Hana's head, which makes this section feel like it drags more than it needs to. Hana's a good and bubbly counterbalance for Miko, but on her own, she doesn't quite have what it takes to sustain the show's whimsical sense of the macabre. That's not to say this part is a total bore, though. I love that the demon of the day uses her as a glorified walking grill, frying up bite-sized morsels of tiny naked men on the ample aura exuded by her equally ample bosom. It's a good bit! It's just not as fun watching her get spooked by a haunted house when she can't actually respond to any of the spectral squatters phasing through the woodwork. But far be it from me to besmirch the name of this large dog rescuer.

Once Hana meets back up with Miko in the second half, Mieruko-chan assumes its usual M.O. of ghastly subterfuge. Having had no luck with prayer beads, Miko turns to a dilapidated shrine as her next potential savior, but she gets a little more paranormal pep than she bargained her 500 yen for. Hana's mirthful ignorance is played up to great comedic effect here, with her prancing through a Ghib—sorry, Mibli-inspired wonderland while Miko looks on in awe at a titanic clash ripped out of the third act of one of their movies. We've seen Miko's visions take many forms: the lingering regrets and affections of passed-on loved ones, the harmless mischief-makers who flit about the edges of our vision, and the intimidating (and usually stinky) monsters looking for a human to torment. This, however, is her first encounter with the spark of something divine.

Miko is the most unsettled we've ever seen her as she watches the Top 10 Anime Battle unfold in the incorporeal flesh right in front of her eyes. Maybe it's not the most scared she's been, but it's definitely the most freaked out. It's new territory for her and for Mieruko-chan in general, and the adaption does an admirable job ramping up the production values to sell both the weight of the action and the spiritual weight of this brush with the shrine's patron deities. In short, it's really freaking cool. This silly gag series does a better job of illustrating the brimstone and radiance of the divine than some anime whose bread and butter are superpowered ghost fights. Granted, my perspective is undoubtedly colored by Mieruko-chan's element of surprise. I wasn't primed for its ghoul goofs to evolve into these more serious and spiritual textures. But this is also consistent with an adaptation that has frequently gone above and beyond the run of the mill.

The giant spirit leaves Miko with its cryptic parting message, and I'm just as confused about it as she is. It's good, however, that Mieruko-chan now has a handful of dangling plot threads that it can follow as it transitions into more serial-style storytelling. While Mieruko-chan began with a unique—if basic—horror-comedy premise, I like and respect all the ways it has evolved into something with some genuine heft behind its characters and scenarios.

Rating:

Mieruko-chan is currently streaming on Funimation.

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