Mieruko-chan – 09

「見たことある」 (Mita Koto Aru)
“Things She’s Seen Before”

This week’s Mieruko-chan offers some positive reinforcement to Miko as she’s given an effective way to vent out her frustration for being followed around by ghosts. Although she still has to contend with the new teacher Zen Tohno’s creepiness, having a space where she can shout and yell to her own liking proved to be a nice, healthy outlet for her to be able to take on the world.

YULIA’S AFTERNOONS

There weren’t as many hefty details going on in this episode given that they want to tease out the extent of Tohno’s connection to the occult, but it still gave us some adorable moments with Yulia. Once Miko invited her to eat with Hana and subsequently accepted her into their friend group during lunches after spotting her trying to eat in the bathroom, it helped to bridge the gap between the two.

In fact, they had quite a good time bonding when they went inside the haunted house. Yulia’s lack of understanding of Miko’s daily routine might have led her to believe that she and Hana realized they’d make for a good ghost-busting duo, but there is only so much she’d be able to understand when she’s kept in the dark about the really scary ghosts that mull about the city.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT HAUNTED HOUSES

The best part of the episode was, hands-down, the moment we finally get to see Miko having fun. I wasn’t sure if she’d catch on to haunted houses being a cathartic place to unwind because screaming is customary, but I’m glad that she caught on so quickly. It was heart-warming and funny to see how ecstatic she got from happily screaming at the scare actors while her two friends were downright terrified.

I am curious though what it means for the ghosts she does interact with. Miko used the haunted house as a way to deliver a pointed message telling off all the ghosts that have been messing with her since the start. While the ghost in the house is a little shocked about being told off, it felt like a nice way to have Miko get so much of her burdens and anxiety off of her chest. She’s been dealing with so much throughout the season that it’s a relief that she at least could have her time in the sun with haunted houses suddenly becoming a fun hobby for her to vent from the real-life horror show she has to live in on a daily basis.