Mieruko-chan – 02

「超見える」 (Chou Mieru?)
“She Totally Sees Them”

Mieruko-chan’s second episode establishes what exactly Miko has to contend with on a regular basis as she comes across a number of nasty cursed spirits. But while it sets up a pattern of Miko being fed up with dodging landmine after landmine, it also fleshes out her personality and shows us that she can see far more than merely the scariest ghouls.

It is sobering to see why Miko brings it upon herself to stay as close as she can to Hana. Although she is constantly fed up with the ghosts she sees and acts sassy around Hana, she does value her good friend and the company she gives her.

Mainly, it brings some semblance of normalcy to her life as Hana is the one human she has a deep enough connection with that it helps her forget at times that she can see ghosts. It might end up backfiring for her to let her guard down, but when one ghost after another is ready to scare her at any point in time, it’s sobering that Hana can make her feel miles away from her worries.

This episode also sets some of the ground rules for Miko’s ability to see ghosts. They might not be ready to show us exactly what happens if a ghost is able to make Miko acknowledge them, but it does reassure us that Miko is definitely not looking to stir that hornet’s nest. Because of her disdain for having to even deal with them in the first place, the show’s comedy is darker in the sense that Miko is consistently pissed, if not frightened, that right when she thinks the coast is clear, a monstrous spirit will pop up out of the blue.

At the same time, her ability to see normal ghosts grants her the opportunity to make some meaningful gestures to help satiate some of the kinder spirits she comes across. When Miko notices that a bald man is surrounded by ghost cats, Miko is able to appease the spirits of his cats and his late wife by gifting him a stray cat that was surrounded by cursed spirits.

There is also a clearer indication of the spirits representing positive and negative energy with the differences between the spirits that hovered the bald man and the orange-haired boy. The storm might not veer exactly in the direction of Miko doing favors for kinder ghosts, it would be neat to see if they ever get around to giving Miko more interactions with ghosts that don’t look like mangled ghouls.