LogFAQs > #969058611

58. Mieruko-chan
https://myanimelist.net/anime/48483/Mieruko-chan
Fall 2021 (12 episodes)
My Score: 8/10, MAL Score: 7.45/10
Best Character: Yotsuya Miko

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stn29mdlKqA

Premise: Yotsuya Miko can see ghosts, which take the form of terrifying apparitions. No matter how frightened she gets, Miko struggles never to react and let the spirits know she can see them.

The Good: Mieruko-chan is a horror anime about the terrifying life of Miko, a girl who gains the ability to see ghosts one day. The spirits all have an awesome horror aesthetic. Many look genuinely frightening. Even if they were harmless, they arent the kind of thing youd want to have popping up around you all day. Miko doesnt know if theyre harmless, though. Miko doesnt know anything, and thats what I found most interesting about this anime. She decides the safest course is to never react to their presence, which is easier said than done. Its as if the ghosts can almost sense that she can see them, so they stalk closer and circle around, probing for a reaction. Miko is essentially living in a horror movie, all day every day, and she isnt allowed to flinch at any of the jump scares. I found that idea compelling and lots of fun to watch.

The Bad: There are a lot of blatant fanservice shots, especially early on. Mikos friend Hana gets plenty of suggestive angles. Im not against fanservice, but in a spooky story like this I feel like the sex appeal is out of place. I also wouldve liked some more concrete info about the setting, but I suppose its scarier that Miko never really learns anything.

Overall: Mieruko-chan never scared me personally, but it had an amazing horror aesthetic. I feel like horror anime are relatively rare compared to other genres, so this was a nice change of pace. More than anything, though, I sympathized with the terrifying life of poor Miko. It was always interesting to watch her navigate the haunted house her life had unwittingly become.

https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/user_image/9/8/0/AABz_zAAD1HM.png

CHARACTER: Yotsuya Miko (Mieruko-chan)
https://myanimelist.net/character/169393/Miko_Yotsuya
Voiced by: Amamiya Sora
TOP 100 RANK: 27th

SPOILERS FOR MIERUKO-CHAN

VIDEO LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsLQ5-kNPM4
(I dont know why some youtube clips edit out the pause between sentences. It isnt fun to watch, but this was the best video of this scene I could find)

That scene with Miko on the train is one of my favorites in Mieruko-chan. I mean, really, put yourself in her position. Shes sitting on a train when an axe-wielding ghost starts making its way up the car. It takes a swing at each person in line and it passes harmlessly through. Phew. Only how can she be sure itll pass through her too? These people cant see ghosts, after all. Miko can, and maybe whatever spiritual power she has makes her susceptible to damage. Maybe the axe will hurt her. Miko doesnt know anything about any of this. Still, she cant get out of the way, because then the ghost would know she can see it and who knows what would happen then. Miko just needs to sit there. She cant flinch, not even when the axe is coming down on her head. Even if she knew it was harmless, not reacting at all would still be almost impossible. Sadly, this is simply what her life has become. Miko has no choice except to put up with these terrifying apparitions and then go and buy a new pair of underwear afterwards.

It wouldve been nice of the anime went into a bit more detail about the rules of the world. Its never clear how much danger Miko is actually in. Still, Im also torn on that because its way scarier that she doesnt know anything. If Miko knew for sure that the ghosts were harmless, the whole tone of the story would shift. If she knew they could hurt her, one would expect her to barricade herself somewhere and never go outside. For me, a lot of the terror came from never quite knowing the rules. Maybe Miko was never in any danger, or maybe she only just barely escaped death countless times.

I also really liked the final arc of the anime, even if it didnt have much of a conclusion. Miko unwittingly makes a deal with the spirit of a temple to protect her from ghosts three times. One of those times was probably the scariest moment in the show. Miko is at a park when a normal-looking boy waves at her. She unthinkingly waves back. Then the boy stands frozen, smiling, staring at her because Miko just gave away that she can see it. The normal faade falls away in favor of yet another terrifying spirit. Miko is protected by the temple god, but even that deal she made probably has rules and costs she doesnt understand. I just found everything about the vague setting and Mikos constant torment fascinating. Imagine you could no longer even react to strangers because you have no way of knowing if theyre actually a ghost. Thats terrifying!