In Mieruko-chan, when Miko is suddenly able to see spirits around her, she deals with it the best way she can: by ignoring them altogether.
Comedy horror isn’t all that common in anime, despite the popularity of both genres. Mieruko-chan by Studio Passione introduces viewers to terrifying spirits, but the new anime is laugh-out-loud with fear.
Based on the manga of the same name, Mieruko-chan tells the daily life of Miko Yotsua, an ordinary student who seems rather unremarkable at first – until she suddenly gains the ability to see ghosts. At first Miko begins to notice vague paranormal phenomena but doesn’t seem to mind. Much of Episode 1’s time is spent staging her first face-to-face meeting, which results in pretty good results.
Miko’s abilities first began to take shape while she was waiting at the bus stop. There, she encounters the ghost of an old woman horribly disfigured. The sight came as a shock to Miko, who had a reasonable response when faced with something so terrible. Instead of screaming in horror or acknowledging the ghost in front of her, Miko used the option, ignoring it until it disappeared.
This is where most of Mieruko-chan’s humor originates, as Miko tries her best to ignore some of the unthinkable scary scenes that haunt her. Miko’s inner self dealing with any ghosts that approach her while donning a stoic exterior makes for some stellar comedies. Her voice actor did a great job of selling off each scene, and one can’t help but feel sorry for Miko while appreciating the humor in her situation.
Returning home, Miko encounters two more ghosts. A person appeared in her bathroom, looking at Miko through the bathroom mirror. Once again Miko decided to act indifferent to them, although it took a while for this to leave her alone.
This causes Miko to chase away the ghosts that are haunting her, and so she sprinkles some salt around her room in hopes of banishing them. Of course, this failed. Miko goes to bed but is greeted by another horrifying sight when she lifts the blanket and finds a ghost clinging to her body. When Miko sees another ghost at school, she has to tearfully admit that something is wrong.
Mieruko-chan seems to be a fairly straightforward comedy, with poor Miko at the helm of all the jokes. While there’s no explanation yet for Miko’s new ability, the series will most likely delve into that later. For now, viewers can count on this anime to bring good laughs to its gloomy protagonist.