Three down, one to go…
We’re five episodes in, and I’ve found pretty much no downsides with Miira no Kaikata. It’s not smashing convention and re-inventing the anime medium in a shocking display of sheer brilliance or anything, but it’s not putting a foot wrong. All of the characters are likeable, the mythical beasts are utterly adorable, there’s minimal reliance on tropes and stereotypes, and the humor is gently quirky without ever descending into mean-spiritedness. If you feel nothing for this show, you must have a stone-cold heart indeed.
There’s a definite reptilian theme to this episode, starting with the surprisingly lifelike capsule toy lizards Suzuki-kun shows off to Sora and Tazuki at school. Turns out Motegi-san is deathly afraid of lizards, though she’s not at all afraid of bugs (even cockroaches, which are scary as hell) – I can’t help but notice there’s a giant lizard decoration on her house, which can’t be a coincidence. Mii-kun, however, takes to the lizard toy immediately – he dedicates himself to carefully wrapping it in bandages. I suppose being from Egypt he’d be quite accustomed to lizards for company.
Our third mythical beast joins the cast (we’ve seen him before, though), and given that he’s(?) a dragon, Motegi panics a bit when she discovers him at her house. Panic would be an understatement, actually – she practically wrecks the place trying (let’s be honest) to kill it. But Sora shows up just in the nick of time (though Mii-kun would argue considerably past the nick) and mediates a peaceful settlement. This dragon, as it happens (and because this is Miira no Kaikata) is a kind-hearted little fellow who’s more worried about Motegi-chan having wracked herself fleeing him that any damage he might have taken himself.
I think we all see where this is going, and I can’t see anyone minding if they’ve stuck with the series this far. Motegi adopts the dragon and names it Isao (I suspect there’s a pun or cultural gag there, but I’m not getting it) and she joins Sora and Mii for a little party at his house, to which Tazuki and Conny are also invited. Mii-kun and Isao bond immediately (not surprising, as both are irresistible) but it’s when Tazuki arrives that the real drama occurs, because as we know, he and Isao have a shared history. Also, Kaede emerges from her coffin (yes, it’s hers now) and squees over Sora having invited a girl over (the dragon and oni child, she hardly bats an eye over).
It you were going to limit a series to two qualities to try and win an audience over with, you could do worse than “cute” and “funny” – and Miira no Kaikata has both in spades. There’s a bigger story here, certainly – a darker side to this hidden world of magical creatures, and Sora hints at it. There are lots of interesting questions, too, such as whether folks like Tazuki and Motegi (and the blond kid who’s destined to be this group’s Ringo) are chosen by baby beasts because of their connection to Sora specifically. Mostly, though, this series is just about watching the nice kids and amusingly kawaii beasties hang out and frolic, and feeling warm inside while having some laughs. And truly, in bringing us that Miira no Kaikata is doing a hell of a service.
