Mieruko-chan

After seeing the news that Mieruko-chan was getting an anime adaptation, I read the synopsis and skimmed the manga to see what was the deal and what to expect from it. I thought the best thing about the manga was the art, specifically how the monsters were drawn and the contrast with the scenarios, I wondered how the anime would do justice to it and I didn't expect it to be as good as the manga. After watching it, I know that this is indeed the case, the anime failed to bring the most important thing from the original story and that is my biggest complain about this anime. It's not the case that the art for the anime and the monsters is bad, but it can only do so much. That doesn't mean the show is not enjoyable though as it has many other things going for it. Mieruko-chan is about a girl with the ability to see monsters and her struggles to pretend she doesn't them. That pretty much sums up the story of the anime, there are many different situations but it's always she coming across a monster and trying to avoid it, some of them are interesting and other are really boring and repetitive. At least you can say that it never strays from its premise. I don't think this anime was made to be scary, as it's so lighthearted and focused on the comedy for the most time, so if anything, the horror parts are comical due to the contrast. There are some touching scenes like the granny that didn't know the combination to open a safe, the one about Miko's father and the pregnant teacher. All of those scenes took me by surprise and showed the potential of the anime. There are a lot of fanservice scenes as well, specially in the first episodes, which a lot of people have been complaining about. I don't think it's that bad, and they don't prevent me from enjoying the anime, but that's different for each person I guess. And some of them are actually important to the plot like the bath scene that was used to show more of Miko and her otouto relationship and was a wholesome moment. Miko is the only main character in the show, and the only that has much depth. She has an unmistakable design, marked specially by her yellow eyes and somber expression. Hana is Miko's airhead friend that likes do eat a lot, that's her character and there are jokes about this that are repeated over and over until the end of the anime. There are some explanation about her gluttony, but I couldn't really bring myself to care for her character and it was not interesting at all for me. Yuria was a nice addition as she is really funny, has some background and added to the plot. Another character that deserves mention is Zen, his arc was the best part of the story for me. He was an interesting and mysterious character from the start, got a really good background story and not only had a good development himself but was important for the development of Miko and the plot. The art is a strong point for this anime, it's really beautiful and the art for the monster is good as well. But, as I said in the beginning of this review, it doesn't really do justice to the manga. In the manga, there's a lot of attention to the details in the monsters' design, making for a lot of memorable panels, while in the anime, they are a lot more simple, which is expected. Regarding the sound, the OST was skillfully used and important to help bringing the feelings for many suspenseful or emotional scenes. The opening and ending are both sung by Miko's voice actress Amamiya Sora and they are both catchy songs with many elements of the story added to the lyrics, which was a nice feature. The voice actor were just the right choice for the characters the voiced here. Ten-chan gives a voice to Miko similar to Akame from Akame ga Kill, which makes sense since the characters are similar. Ayaneru for a cute character like Yuria was the perfect choice. And finally, Nakamura Yuuichi bringing his famous voice to the sensei was remarkable as well. Mieruko-chan was an entertaining anime for the most part, it had ups and downs with uneventful episodes and other memorable ones, but it never got really bad and was still enjoyable overall. I don't consider this show anything exceptional though, as it was not able to convey the most remarkable aspects of its source material.

"Mieruko-chan? More like, MIDruko-chan" There's a certain scene in episode 9 where a character eats yakisoba bread with chocolate chips, then complains that it doesn't work, as the different flavors overpower each other. Mieruko-chan is that bread. The anime tries to mix horror, ecchi, comedy, slice-of-life, a bit of action, a bit of drama and heartfelt moments. Some of them work well on their own... but their flavors overpower one another. So, in the end, Mieruko-chan never reaches the full potential of them. Outside of a few jumpscares, it isn't really that good of horror, likely because of the worse art quality from the anime when compared to the manga: That level of detail and artstyle contrast is needed for that, and you can't do that on most anime. Granted, when the anime did break an artstyle norm was by giving some of the creatures a generic effect green breath, which doesn't work well with their general black theme. Passione is a studio known for it's ecchi anime, but the ecchi scenes here are just... whatever? The actions scenes, though rare, are fine, you can see that they saved stuff for them. Mieruko-chan's main gimmick gets tiring REALLY fast: At some point you just can't care anymore for variations of Miko trying not not to react to the apparitions, in large part because the story never convinces us to fear them: Quite the opposite, we are repeatedly shown that they can't affect people outside of... breaking beads, making you feel a bit down or hungry (Also giving you nightmares in Miko's case). Normally I would've dropped something like this really fast, but... a certain scene at the end of episode 2 made me keep thinking about it. I won't spoil it, but it's a scene that shows that the story could use it's "Miko sees spirits" mechanic outside of just it's main gimmick. Such scenes throughout the anime are it's saving grace, and it could be recommended by them alone, as well as having a solid last arc I felt it really built well throughout the series. Granted: Yakisoba bread with chocolate chips. For every aspect of it you liked, you can find an anime or manga that goes fully on it: You liked the aspect of Miko trying to live a normal life despite seeing and feelings things other's can't? You might enjoy Saya no Uta You liked the action scenes against such creatures? You might enjoy Jujutsu Kaisen or Mob Psycho 100 Liked the heartfelt moments with such mechanic? Might like Shigofumi or Shinigami no Ballad Liked the idea of her still trying to live a normal life and having friendships despite all that? Might enjoy Alien 9 Jack-of-all-trades, master of none.

Girl With The Poker Face It is an interesting premise, but I don't know if it's meant to be a comedy or actually scary, because most of the time it feels like I'm supposed to laugh at what is happening. The first half of the show feels like the same joke over and over and over and, it does become tiring after a while. And how overly sexual everything is in the first episode is so funny. Luckily the show picks up halfway through and becomes way more entertaining. I will say I really enjoyed the main characters friendship with the bimbo character and a little pigtail grill character. The main characters composed demeanor beside the bimbo, brings the best forward. The character design looks good and horrifying ghost even more. Animation is not bad. The production is just all around really good. It's just a little entertaining show. It's good enough to watch.

I typically don't mind there's no season 2 for anime with low ratings/low quality - I'm not that invested in seeing how the story progresses. But this is not low quality, and alas, I am invested. Sigh. If there's one thing I truly despise about animation above all else, it is how some anime are just video promos for the manga, and after watching this, that's exactly what it feels like. A very good anime - easily a 9 in my book: great production value, nice monster designs, compelling characters (albeit not shown out enough - keep in mind there's no true character arc), and an intriguing concept, but alas, it gets nothing done in 12 episodes. You don't learn anything new about the MC situation - why does she suddenly see spirits? What happens if she does NOT ignore them? What's up with those fishy shrine gods? Forget any of that being answered. And, don't take me wrong, that's fine if you plan on reading the manga or are already a manga reader, but if you just want a self-conclusive anime, this show isn't for you. I heard they have no plans for a season 2, so if you are - like myself - the anime-only dud, you're gonna be utterly disappointed by the ending. If you still don't mind the fact it develops barely 1% of the overarching plot of the manga, and are fine with just going to read the wiki to see how it ends, then there's a lot to be enjoyed about this "comedy-horror" show. Personally, I find that to be one of the worst flaws of animation as it is today - lots of good products end up being shelved because they don't sell enough, while trash like Redo or Arifureta gets season after season, and all you're left with is the manga. Meh.

I haven't read the manga, so be aware that I'm going to speak as someone who only knows the facts narrated in the season aired in 2021. The premise of the story is the same as "The Sixth Sense", that is, the protagonist is a person who sees dead people all the time. The problem is that in the first episodes the ecchi is so frequent that it disrupts the atmosphere of tension that a horror scene requires. I have no problem with ecchi, (even the Monogatari franchise and Golden Boy are among my favorite animes) but this time it really harmed my immersion in the first episodes of the narrative. Fortunately, this improves as the plot progresses and things become more balanced, without close-ups of asses and breasts every 30 seconds hahaha. Furthermore, the impression I had was that the story goes in circles, always with the same repetitive conflicts. Whenever something interesting happens, most of the time, it ends up being left aside and has no continuity. I feel that Miko's abilities could have been used in a more interesting way, in the anime she takes a long time to try to take control of her powers and face the situation. In short, it's not a bad anime, it's just not exceptional. If you watch it casually, you will enjoy it because it is really interesting.

This is one of the more unique animes out there. The story and the choices of genres are pretty mixed up. Horror-comedy is a very less explored and even less mastered genre. Despite that, this anime did its job perfectly as a horror-comedy anime. The comedy felt a bit heavier than the horror part as every single 'horror scene' or 'jumpscare' felt the same, rinse and repeat. As the anime moved forward, it tried to explore its horror part more but just couldn't find a perfect balance between comedy and horror. This anime is a good start for developing a new mainstream genre but just has many flaws. The jokes fell a little flat and the horror isn't scary at all. It is more gross than scary. The story is really good and well planned. Interesting plot twists exist which help the viewer be invested in the anime. The worst part of the anime was that it was "ecchi". It really disheartened me that this anime took the way of ecchiness to advertise the anime while actually being a solid anime on its own. It was seriously un-needed as you can't be horny and scared at the same time. Characters had some very good personal growth and development with a realistic and reasonable pace which is very less seen in many stories. It's normally not given that much thought and suddenly due to one single thing, the MC changes to something completely new. It isn't the case here. From the start, we have a really good MC with some obvious flaws, which are slowly filled up throughout the course of the 12 episodes. Conclusion: Watch this anime if you are interested in a new type of genre

When this anime was airing, I thought I'd like to watch it, because it seemed interesting. I'm all into horror and fantasy, so the idea of this main girl seeing supernatural stuff seemed really entertaining. I'm a little late, but I'm still glad I watched this show. My review might contain spoilers, so please be aware of that. First episode - absolutely fantastic and terrifying. Even the very first scene (the one with the refrigerator) was creepy, and I looked away from the screen multiple times, cause I was expecting a jumpscare. Very well done. Second episode - umm... getting a little boring... the "I see weird things" got repetitive real fast, not gonna lie... but I'll keep watching... Third episode - okay, we're getting somewhere. It's better now. And so on. It got better and better and better. THANK GOD there was lore. I was afraid the whole thing is gonna be about Miko seeing the "ghosts things" in different situations. But what happened is what I really wasn't expecting. Other people see it too. People have auras. There are weird god things that helped Miko four times. Some ghosts aren't bad, just lost souls of the dead seeking help. Miko's dad is already gone. The teacher's story. That surprised me the most. I honestly thought he was a psychopath. Jokes on everyone, lmao, he was actually kind all along. And he's one of my favorite characters now. I honestly expected this anime to be a creepy dry repetitive slice of life with no drama. It was way better. I hope there will be a second season, because I'm really interested in watching more. The opening, as well - really unique. I love how it starts off and ends with Miko panicking and saying "stop, stop, stop already". It caught me off guard the first time I saw the opening. The ending is great as well. I liked the melody. Again, I hope there will be a second season because this anime was great. And I feel like the lore would deepen even more, making this even more incredible. I also want to know what the heck happened to the good gods - why were they mad? I want answers. Let's just all pray for a second season together. Let's offer sweet dangos to the gods of anime, so they give us more of this sweet story. Thank you.

Recommendation: My personal pick for the best of Fall 2021, Mieruko-chan is a mix of comedy, horror and heart that should not work on paper, but consistently upsets expectations and is a strong candidate for best anime of 2021. You are missing out if you skip this one. Story: Miko is a high school girl that can see ghosts all the time in her everyday life, but if they notice that she can see them, they'll attack her and she has no powers or way of fighting back, so she has to try to ignore them. This setup seems like it would get repetitive or boring after a couple of times, but I can assure you that they consistently find new ways to make her attempts to ignore them either funny or intense, depending on the situation. That balance between funny and scary is very hard to find for most and the series easily could have ended up a mess if it didn't have a firm grasp on the tone it's going for, but Mieruko-chan absolutely nails it, and is able to switch between them without the funny scenes detracting from the scary scenes and vice versa. And it really can be intense at times, as surprising as that sounds. A particular standout scene of Miko being trapped on a train car with a demonic looking ghost burying a spiritual axe in the heads of each passenger as he walks through the aisle had me literally white-knuckling the armrest of my chair. What would happen when he got to Miko? The others were unaffected, but would that be true for Miko since she can actually see it? How will she escape without the ghost realizing she can see it? The lack of information that both Miko and the viewer have fills that scene with an incredible amount of tension, and there are many others like it. It can be surprisingly emotional at times as well, I found the scene with Miko's dad in episode 4 and a later scene with Miko's pregnant teacher being haunted especially affecting, and it really adds an important extra layer to the series. That little bit of heart really goes a long way in making you care about Miko and wanting to see her be okay when things get intense. Audio: I didn't care much for the OP and ED, but the overall use of music and especially sound is good and does a nice job building tension during the spookier scenes. Amamiya Sora also does a very good job as Miko, in particular selling her fear very effectively via internal monologue without being able to scream or do any of the typical horror movie tricks, since the whole gimmick of the series is that she's pretending to be unaffected by the ghosts. Visual: Passione really delivered here. Some manga readers seemed disappointed with the designs of the ghosts, and the staff were self-admittedly limited a bit in what they could show on TV in terms of gore, but I thought they looked wonderfully grotesque, as someone who has not read the manga. They are very creative and look appropriately goofy or disturbing as the mood calls for, and their otherworldly movements and actions are very slickly animated. It's definitely one of the more visually inventive shows I've seen recently. The only thing I wasn't really fond of were the unnecessary fanservice shots of Miko's ass that felt out of place here, but thankfully there are only a few of them and they're mostly frontloaded at the start of the series. Characters: Miko is the POV character, and as mentioned above, she's a great character and you want to see her pull through all these situations that she's thrown into against her will. Of the 3 main characters, she was easily my favorite, though I also liked the misunderstanding-prone Yulia quite a bit as well, and seeing her cherish Miko and Hana's friendship after being an outcast for so long is really heartwarming. My main issue is with Hana, who is the only one of the 3 that seems more like a caricature than a character. She likes to eat, she has big boobs, and she's an airhead. That's basically all the character she has, and that's kind of disappointing given the depth that Miko and Yulia have. My biggest criticism of the series as a whole is that not enough is done to make her as interesting as the rest of the main cast.

Mieruko Chan anime is probably the 3rd anime of this season that I enjoy. The combination of horror and at some point with Ecchi is a great combination no matter what they say. I really like this anime and Miko probably becomes one of my favorite waifu and will always be. Story/Plot: 9/10 The plot was kind of great and I love it’s plot. There’s a lot of horror scenes and some good ecchi also but in the last episodes the plot evolves and became really great and I really love it. Art/Animation: 9/10 The animation was great also. Kudos to the Director of it for giving us godly tier camera angles. The animation exceeds my expectations and I really love it. The animation is also stunning. Character Design: 9/10 The character designs are great also especially Miko Yotsuya which I really like it’s character design. The Character Design is beautiful that makes you want to simp. Music/Sound Track: 8/10 The Music and Soundtrack is very good also. I love it also. The OST is impressive and the opening and ending song is banger. I really love the voice of the “Goddess VA” Sora Amamiya. Enjoyment: 9/10 I really enjoy it and I rank it as the 3rd anime that I really enjoy this season. The weekly wait is really worth it. I really enjoy it. Overall: 9/10 In conclusion, The Series is really great and I will aways give it 9/10. This series face some criticism like way many ecchi scenes but I find it as funny and really enjoy it. This anime fits us who is a Man of Culture. Truly I recommend to watch this series especially those who is Man of Culture. You will love it and never been disappointed.

The Great Miko Will Not Be Defeated! Mieruko-chan is thigh-tastic comedy horror series about a girl called Miko who can see spooky ghosts and the supernatural, but tries to ignore them without screaming, crying, getting found out by her friend Hana or family or literally pissing herself in case they attack her for noticing their presence. Well… for this anime adaptation I would say it’s a comedy-ecchi-horror series as there is certainly a lot more ecchi content than it’s manga counterpart to the despair of pitchfork wielding, white-knight weebs who scoff at the thought of seeing an anime thigh or tiddy in their anime. It strikes a nice balance between the three and it can go from silly too super intense to surprising emotional really easily which is impressive. Note however, how I didn’t say scary. Horror anime tend to miss when it comes to being scary and unfortunately Mieruko-chan is no exception. However, Mieruko-chan makes up for this by being really well directed and the scenes of Miko being pushed to her limits very intense. Compared to the manga the ghosts are a less detailed, but just giving them a voice and movement coupled with good sound design makes them threatening. I still prefer the manga personally, but the effort Passione has put in anime is not to be discredited. The very first ghost encounter, the text message scene was really well done and it sets the tone for the rest of the show. Speaking of studio Passione, they seem to be low-key one the most powerful studios in the business when it comes to ecchi. I love my ecchi when it’s good and Mieruko-chan has got some of the best ass, thighs and tiddy shots to make me chef kiss I’ve seen in a while. I am well aware that they’re probably using it to cover up the fact that they can’t make the anime as spooky as the manga, but at the same time the bath scene exists so… lets all calm down about the ecchi content. I don’t know if you’ve watched anime, but I can guarantee you there are more egregious ecchi scenes out there then in this show. I still really enjoyed Mireuko-chan regardless. It has an interesting plot, Miko, Hana and Yuria are all charming characters and although the ghosts leave a lot to be desired there is some excellent animation moments and flexes which I think make Mireuko-chan a must watch. Thank you for the food Passione. 8/10 Great.

Meiruko chan is a surprise and such a breath of fresh air, So much so that I decided to give this anime complete justice and write a complete review after having watched the entire show. So before I get started….. The Tags are fake this show is Comedy, ECCHI (heavy fanservice) ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) the studio made interspecies reviewers so you know they have done their homework Please do not skip it just because it has ECCHI, ecchi in this anime is not tasteless like sexual harassment so please dont let it bother your experience. Meiruko chan is A SOL(slice of life) comedy ecchi with cute girls doing cute stuff but wait it has one unique thing that makes it REALLY stand out ART Yes you heard me right I said ART the character design of all the supernatural shit is nothing short of freaking ART, I mean most of the ghosts are so well-drawn they seem straight out of jujutsu kaisen which has already got immense praise for its great art. As an SOL show it has a very good tendency of not taking itself too seriously there is no weird bad horrible stuff that the ghosts cause, and meiruko or Miko is not burdened with saving the world or some shit, the premise is simple meiruko is forced to see em and doesn't want to. This anime may actually solve the fear of ghosts for many people since it sets the atmosphere( predominantly using ECCHI ) in such a way that you would have a hard time actually being scared than laughing which is such a beautiful way to ward off that everlasting fear of the supernatural one may have built over the years. A lot of heartwarming moments do exist and a couple of them give a sort of character to the ghosts, like their regrets, attachments, or obsession with certain people, etc, this provides a newer and more interesting tangent which I hope will be explored later, since of one of the ghosts has the potential of being a very relevant character. A special mention for The OP which is such a banger that you'll at least listen to it 3 times without skipping (for various reasons ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ), it's just so perfect it has painful terrifying lyrics but delivered in such an upbeat cheerful way that you'd be charmed and weirded out at the same time. The art is an undebatable 9/10 (it goes to 69/10 many times), the story is nice and simple SOL so don't go looking for anything special, The Music and Voice acting is Top tier as well I know 9/10 feels unfair but honestly there isn't much fault in this anime except the lack of story and since the premise is very unique and interesting I believe meiruko chan is easily the best NEW anime of this season with ousama ranking being a close second. but it was an SOL, to begin with so cmon it's an easy 9/10 must-watch if you can handle ECCHI. A breath of fresh air, an original experience that is one of a kind, and what makes Anime as a whole interesting (the ability to make even the wackiest of settings interesting).

This review is spoiler-free, so do not worry. As always, TL;DR at the bottom, so let's get right into it. -Story 8/10- The main plot of this show is how our main character Yotsuya Miko ignores creepy ghosts and ugly looking spirits. It sounds simple, but once you take a deeper look into it, it's not. One day, Miko suddenly started seeing creepy ghosts and now has to deal with them on daily basis everywhere she goes. How does she deal with them? By ignoring them. The plot may sound a little too simple for some viewers, but the storytelling is amazing. This show takes trivial matters and chores we do everyday, and makes them 10 times more interesting by adding ghosts to them; this is what makes this anime interesting to watch. -Art 9/10- The ghosts look very creepy. If you've seen or watched the trailer, chances are you might have seen one or two of them already. If you think they are bland, don't worry, because they do get worse over episodes. Animation is also very good. Although there are a few scenes where it looks choppy, you can just gloss over them. The girls look cute; Miko with her long eyelashes, Hana with her big chest, and Yuria with her short height. This show is full of cute girls and that is one of its selling points. -Sound 8/10- The sound of the ghosts are really creepy. Of course, this is thanks to the amazing performance of the voice actors/actresses. Amamiya Sora also does a good job here portraying Miko in different emotions; fear, anger, anxious, is about to bawl her eyes out and so on. When the cast was first announced, I thought someone like Hikasa Yoko would be a better fit, but turns out Amamiya Sora did a great job here. Props tp her. The other two voice actresses, Hondo Kaede as Yurikawa Hana and Sakura Ayane as Niguredou Yuria also do a great job acting as their characters respectively. All in all, no complaints whatsoever here. The music is also on point and deserves a lot of praise, too. -Character 8/10- Okay, the characters... they don't have a lot of depth; at least the main casts don't. In my opinion, the three girls have one trait each, so don't expect anything out of this world. The weird thing is, the side characters do. I won't say much because it might give away some things, but I can say the characters in this show are greatly written. -Enjoyment 10/10- Thank god I live where I can watch Mieruko-chan legally on YouTube. After a long week of work and classes, I get to sit down and watch Mieruko-chan to wash all the fatigue away. I will say this: watching anime is one of the few ways I do to release all the pent up stress and Mieruko-chan is the right anime for that. I'm always eager to find out what's going to happen in the next episode after finishing the previous one. The more I watch it, the more I want it and the cycle goes on. -Overall 9/10- All in all, this show exceeded my initial expectation. To be honest, I read the manga back then and dropped it, so when the adaptation was announced, I was pumped. This is definitely one of the best anime of 2021 for me, and I'm hoping they would do a second season. -TL;DR- A great show that has a great plot and storytelling with great characters combined with great animation which people can enjoy watching on bed before sleep. So, the million dollar question: is Mieruko-chan worth watching? The answer is most definitely yes.

Imma be honest I don't watch much horror anime. So maybe this is my fourth or fifth horror anime. However I was rather surprised on how the show was developing. This show is a perfect balance between serious and funny moments. With each episode you will get both heartwarming moments and heart racing ones. I can guarantee you this will be a fun experience. Story (7.5): The story is rather simple with a nice twist. Its of a girl who starts seeing spirits so she starts ignoring them which is hilarious. The plot seems simple because it is and it does not try to complicate itself, which I genuinely respect. The main experience is her day to day activity. Its a perfect slice of life with a horror touch. The first couple of episodes have unnecessary fan service but it is subdued in later episodes and now I look back that was a brilliant move to capture a lot of audience to be honest. Art (8): I have to say, the ghosts look damn scary ngl. I really love their design. And our girls look absolutely adorable. Some supernatural scenes are very well animated. So its above average level of art and animation. Sound (7.5): Sound design is pretty good. Soundtracks in the intense moments and all the bgms are very well. Not a big fan of the OP and ED, but its still pretty decent. Character (8): This show deals with a variety of characters, not just the main cast. Our main cast encounter with a lot of side characters and each individual back story is very well fleshed out. The development of Miko is pretty awesome along with the adorable side case Hana and Yuria. And btw Miko is precious, just saying. Enjoyment (8): So I enjoyed this show pretty much. Its not great though but deserves to be with high ups in terms of how slice of life genres go, coz its as much enjoyable as Komi-san which released along side this fall. So I whole heartedly recommend you guys to check out Mieruko chan if you are slice of life/mystery/horror fan or just looking for some popcorn fun.

Unfortunately, this was pretty disappointing. Personally, I thought the synopsis was very intriguing. Having just finished it a few minutes ago, it wasn't /really/ worth it. Right off the bat, the excessive fanservice almost put me off immediately, but I decided to continue because I don't like dropping any form of media without seeing it through to the end. It was a little slow to start, but as the episodes continued it did get better. There was... some development of the characters, but they definitely could've used a little more. The pace definitely picked up towards the end of the season (the last four or five episodes, specifically), but when a season is only 12 episodes long, there needs to be more excitement in the initial episodes. Some highlights, though: the ghost designs were great. Just looking at the cover art, I was excited to see what the ghosts would look like, and there was no disappointment in that department. There seemed to be a good variety of ghosts, too; not just one ghost with slightly different variations. None of them were particularly scary, but they looked good. The intro/outro music also went pretty hard; rarely did I skip those. I think the slow build up, lack of funny moments (IMO), and lack of true horror (at least personally) are all contributing to my low rating. It did have potential, but it didn't really follow through.

Not as "horror" as you would expect. It has its spooky moments, but don't expect to be terrified. Has many "look at this characters big jiggly boobs" moments so keep that in mind too. Overall a fun watch with a surprising amount of feel good moments. The premise of "girl sees spooky thing and tries not to react" does run a little dry quite quickly, but the way she navigates through different scenarios and her growth through it is quite well done. Not sure if I would say the reactions are always realistic or even relatable, but maybe she is just a stronger person than I 😂

"Mieruko-chan" has an interesting premise and likeable characters however over the course of the 12 episodes there is a lack of development for both. The show plays to the typical slice-of-life style, following the main characters through their daily lives, but it doesn't become too menial or redundant. The horror elements are handled well and are even a little spooky at times. There were even a few times where an unexpected twist was done and it actually surprised me. They were really well done and it shows the thought that was put into the stories for those episodes. However, this is definitely not an anime for everyone. The first three episodes use waaaaay too much "fan service". If I wasn't so curious to see where the plot was going to go I would have dropped this at episode one. I can forgive a lot but when the camera angle ruins the immersion it's upsetting. The same can be said for unnecessary nudity. Couple this with the overall story never really going anywhere and you get an anime that feels rather empty. All in all, "Mieruko-chan" is animated well and has mini-arcs that can keep some viewers interested, even if out of curiosity to see how Miko-chan handles the next obstacle. But I think it fails to deliver on the overall premise and leaves the viewer with multiple questions and very few answers. If you're looking for a greater story, this isn't the anime for you.

It's rare when I give shows 10 across the board. Meiruko Chan is one of these cases. And honestly, I wrote this because I just really wanted to express how much I liked this series so others would give it a shot. I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to give Mieruko-chan a chance. Mainly because it looked like a comedy about a girl haunted by spirits, which didn't seem all that funny. Now, yes it is that, but it expanded in ways I didn't expect. Mieruko-chan had me both laughing and tearing up within 5 minutes of each other, while simultaneously dragging me into the overarching plot effortlessly. It's a series where significant moments will undoubtedly stay with me which is a benchmark of a good series, otherwise it would just be forgettable. The show is pretty straight forward in its concept: a girl is suddenly thrust into the world of the paranormal, but out of crippling fear does everything in her power to just ignore it. What entails are situations that are hilarious, heartbreaking, terrifying, AND heartwarming as the main protagonist Miko Yotsuya just tries to be a normal student. I know... it sounds boring and possibly overdone, but I really believe this plot is so far from anything else I've seen that it is an original concept in the truest sense. One of the unique aspects to this series was Miko's personality. She really carries this series in ways that a lot of other main characters aren't even capable of. It's been awhile since I've seen a show, like this, have a main character with so much depth. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, considering her main personality trait seems to be not showing any emotion at all, but it's because of her circumstances that she is like this rather than that being her actual feelings. This "lack of emotion" is additionally the comedic element, along with the side characters' lack of awareness, so if her depth doesn't draw you in then her lack of depth will at least be humorous to you. The supporting characters aren't anything particularly special but I will say each situation felt unpredictable, and I suppose it's all of the show's elements that achieve this. What really drew me in and made me appreciate Mieruko-chan wasn't necessarily the comedy, horror, or characters. The series does something unique in how it delivers a particular situation. I suppose it's all the elements that help it along, but even in the first episode when the initial ghost is introduced... I had no clue what was going on and especially didn't expect any of the reactions I got. Miko's ability to maintain blank facade while one of the most terrifying of creatures is square in her face not only made me laugh but had me equally nervous and concerned for Miko as well. As I continued through the series, I began to question if my perception of shows plot was even accurate. It really is a testament to how original the show is and how much fun I was having seeing everything break down. But scenes where the plot takes a 180' turn occur every episode, and, without spoiling too much, some of my personal favorites were when a situation would completely stray from the initial direction it was going. The lack of a clear plot is what ended up being the most entertaining part of an episode. An example would be anytime Miko's father is present. The dialogue while they're having breakfast broke my heart as Miko is suffering from exhaustion and is trying to communicate with her family all while a terrifying ghost inhabits her home. We believe she is going to just go to school and go about her day as she has previously but then she decides to stay home and we end up learning some critical information that I had no clue was coming. It's little bobs and weaves in Miko's actions that keep you on your toes while also keeping everything fresh and fun. With every horrifying scenario is an equivalently touching moment or hilarious faux pas. I am not going to be able to do a good job breaking this series down in a few paragraphs but hopefully I conveyed a little about what appealed to me. The show itself is a little dark and slightly depressing, but the random bright and heartwarming moments sprinkled in completely subverted my expectations. I literally teared up at times for various causes, whether it be something sentimental to Miko or that she's having an emotional breakdown. I truly felt so much empathy for this character in every sense of the word, I felt for her whether she was happy or scared. To me that's the sign of good writing and animation. Mieruko-chan was a pleasant surprise to say the least and if it seems like something up your alley, you should give it a chance. Again, even if you don't experience the same emotional connection as me, I'm certain you will at the very least be on your toes and/or will find a few scenes humorous.

If you expect character development, go look for another anime. There's no real story to speak of, no growth, no development, no epic adventure. Nothing is really explained, and at the end neither you nor the characters have learned anything meaningful... but the concept is interesting, and if you think watching a girl try to ignore ghosts for 12 episodes long is a thing you might enjoy, go for it. It's kinda like Azumangah Daioh, only with ghosts, and without the humor... Girls going about eating cake.. going to school.. and eating more cake. They eat cake every day, and frankly it's a bit concerning. Is that really all that's on a Japanese teenage girl's mind?! Oh and aside from the cake eating, there's of course ghosts there. The art looks stunning. The ghosts look very interesting and have a proper otherworldly feel to them. Some of the more 'active' scenes look really good, but all of those do not involve the MC directly. She just stands there... All in all, even with the setting being what it is, it still manages to be a very bland and boring anime. Side note: This anime has a female MC, and I usually tend to steer clear from those. Not because I hate women, but because they tend to lean heavy into the female perspective. But in this show there's no romance, no acting all cute for the boy she likes, no swooning after bishounen, no BL idolization, none of that rubbish that makes me drop shows.. so at least I have to give it props for that. If only the show wasn't so damn boring... :(

First, a pun. Mieru or “見える” means to appear or be in sight. Our protagonist’s name is Miko. Therefore, the name of the show ‘Mieruko-chan’ is in reference to the fact that Miko can see the terrifying things that appear before her. Fun, right? Ok now to the scary stuff. Story: Miko was a relatively normal girl. With her best friend Hana, she led a relatively normal school life until the moment she gained the ability to see all of the dead spirits that haunt society. Without knowing how or why she’s able to see them, she quickly learns that there’s something that she absolutely must not do: acknowledge the fact that she can see. Because surely something bad will happen if she does. So, what happens when the ghosts do know that she can see them? Well the show doesn’t explain that, but it does a helluva good job at suspense and walking that fine line of fear that makes you think that something bad is going to happen to Miko. Mieruko-chan is a show that’s built entirely on its gimmick. That gimmick being a variety of slice-of-life school situations that quickly devolve into horror scenarios in which Miko desperately tries to avoid or ignore the vengeful dead. Which is something that’s easier said than done given the fact that Miko’s fight or flight response triggers in almost every second of the anime on account of the horrifying things that she encounters in her day to day life. Now, is that all for Mieruko-chan? Surprisingly no, as a lot of these seemingly repetitive episodic stories are bolstered by smaller character arcs or stories that pertain to the supernatural dead. The lore of the vengeful dead is an interesting concept that the show touches on in a variety of different ways. Ranging from how the dead interact to one another, how they react to things or objects meant to interact with them, or how their character in life impacts them when they’re dead. These parts of the show I think is where the meat of the show lies. As while the random horror portions hold the lion’s share of screentime, the more meaningful and intimate parts of the story where characters have connections to the dead stuck by me more as memorable story bites that stood out in the show. In all though, the story of Mieruko-chan, while repetitive, holds my praise for being surprisingly varied in its execution and storytelling. The only criticism I’d give is the lack of answers as to what would happen if the ghosts did know that she could see them, as well as a lackluster ending that didn’t really add very much beyond a ‘read the manga’ ending as its lack of answers and cliffhanger ending didn’t really leave me feeling too satisfied with it. But it doesn’t bog the experience down enough for me to give this show a thumbs down. Characters: Miko as our titular Mieruko-chan is a ball of nerves with a good heart. There’s surprisingly little characterization with Miko as a person, given how most of the show is just her screaming internally from the fear that she’s accrued from seeing the dead. But with what little that we do know of her, we get a character who tries to do right by both the living and dead, using her abilities to try and avoid all potential dangers that might threaten her or her friends. All whilst trying really hard to make sure that the ghosts don’t know that she can see them. Which for the story is great, but for her character, does very little. Then there’s Hana and Yulia, her two friends who largely act as the secondary characters in a ghost situation that Miko wants to protect them from. Hana in particular gets the bulk of this ‘protection’, as her gluttonous nature and uncanny ability to attract the ghosts brings more trouble than it scares off. Yulia plays largely the same role, but swaps a gluttonous nature for having similar (but substantially weaker) abilities to Miko, as well knowledge and an interest for the occult. The show doesn’t really go into too much detail into who they are beyond these traits, as most of who they are is done in relation to Miko given how her interactions with these two make up a large portion of the show due to every outside activity they do ending up as a ghost situation. Then there’s the ghost themselves. Truely, a terrifying group of individuals of all shapes, sizes, and priorities. The ghosts themselves are characters within their own right on account of how much worldbuilding they do to move the show along. The worldbuilding is surprisingly dense in a series that’s otherwise just a slice of life show, as interactions with the living and how the dead interact with each other create some really wild and crazy scenarios that bolster the show into becoming something that’s surprisingly unique. True, a lot of the lore isn’t that well explained and relies a lot on inference, but I’m sure down the line when they decide to do a season 2, they’ll explain everything about how these dead people work in great detail. Right? Right. Aside from a few notable exceptions, side characters are mostly made or presented in relation to the dead beings that surround them with the Godmother and Zen being the most notable ones of the bunch as their lives have been directly impacted by the vengeful deceased. They have about as much character total as our three main girls too, but that’s necessarily a bad thing given how this show prioritizes tone and presentation/interaction a lot more than the depth of the characters that it presents. Aesthetics: Passione after Interspecies Reviewers kind of did a 180 with Mieruko as they went from lewd to terrifying in pretty much a blink of an eye. For the most part, the visuals are generally crisp and the characters look on-point to their manga counterparts, with Miko herself looking properly tired given all of the shit she has to see on a daily basis. But more than that, I have to give a hand to the folks who did the scene framing of the first episode and handled the design and animation work for all of the dead people that litters this show. From an art perspective, Mieruko-chan is a show that does NOT hold back on what it wants to present. At times, the show is a lot scarier than it has any right to be, and the dead folk from the oil drum ghost to the shrine creature create airs of terror that’s just unsettling to look at. All made better because the animation focuses so much attention on how these things move, function, and just…scream to the outside world. Past episode one, it’s mostly just unsettling, but the fact that the show manages to pull off that uneasiness consistently is a thing to behold. What isn’t great however is the show’s surprising amount of fanservice. Hana, being amply gifted, is the subject of a lot of…choice shots that I’m not really a fan of cause it doesn’t really add anything of value. Thankfully the fanservice lessens as time goes on, but for the frames that they do show up in, I’m not really a fan of it unless it shows moments of vulnerability like a ghost just showing up in the bath creepily. Normally I don’t really like seiyuu songs because it feels more like a marketing ploy instead of a genuinely good song that I would want to listen to outside of the show’s watch. Amamiya Sora’s “Mienaikara ne?!” is an exception if only because Amamiya Sora’s singing is genuinely good, and her portrayal as Miko within the song really speaks to the overall tone of the show, as she’s just a girl trying to live her life, but is bogged down by the terror of seeing what’s around her. By contrast, “Mita na? Mitayo ne?? Miteruyo ne???” (god that’s a lot of question marks) feels skippable. I know I just said that Amamiya Sora’s singing is good, but in this case, I don’t really care for the ED because it’s kind of a generic poppy song with random screaming in the middle of it. So it kind of throws me off and gives a really awkward and inconsistent air to it that I’m not that much of a fan of. Final Thoughts: I hope at some point this show gets greenlit for a second season because it reall…

I wanted to like this anime more but it has left me feeling a little deflated. I can tell you Junji Itoh would only appreciate the body horror of the ghosts since they're in such likeness to his art but that is it. The animation is really good, the music isn't so bad either. They are a huge shining point for this anime actually. However the story really falls behind in keeping you drawn in and is a bit all over the place. If anything it is the curiosity of how it would play out is what kept me watching. The guardians were also a curious point as well but it didn't save the story by any means. I love a good horror, a psychological and outside the box thinking anime that keeps me guessing and enthralled. All this was is a slice of life mixed with a dash of Junji Itoh and a pinch of fan service. It was okay but nothing more. I'm pretty sure I won't bother with season 2 unfortunately