It’s not overstating the case to say that watching Muhyo to Rouji is a real wayback machine for me.  Not only does it take me back to reading the manga in a far away time and place, but to another era in anime.  This series feels very anachronistic, in (for me) a good way.  Some less charitable souls might call it “dated”, but I don’t think it merits the negative connotations that accompany that term.  It just happens to be something of a style and narrative structure we don’t see too much anymore.  In much the way isekai adaptations and CGDCT shows are the bulk of an anime schedule these days, series like Muhyo to Roujī no Mahouritsu Soudan Jimusho once were, in decades past.

With only 12 episodes to cover 18 volumes, it’s pretty safe to assume Deen is going to cherry pick some of the more important pieces of the manga.  This week we’re introduced to the two of the most important members of the supporting cast, starting with Satou Kenji (Amasaki Kouhei, playing a very different character here than in Hi Score Girl).  Kenji is a bozu who’s quite the skeptic when it comes to ghosts – enough so that he breaks Muhyo & Rouji’s sign after he sees the flyer Rouji has printed to try and drum up some business.

Kenji also stages a test of courage for a couple of friends, but it’s one which ends up blowing his skepticism to pieces (dammit – never remove the seal, kids!).  Funny timing on this, me having just spend much of last night roaming the largest cemetery in Japan but not feeling at all spooked.  Kenji is actually a rather important catalyst at this early stage on the story – in addition to himself he’s the bridge to the next supporting cast member, and he also slaps the nickname on Muhyo & Rouji that will rather stick – onion and bean sprout.

That other new character is Takenouchi Nana (Nomizu Iori), whose ghost photos the newly enthusiastic Kenjo brings to the office for the heroes to look over.  Yes, they’re real – and there’s quite a sad story behind them.  Again, this is a series that isn’t averse to going dark and the tale of Nana and her father certainly does that – failure, violence, untimely death after estrangement between father and daughter – it’s a bleak one.  Once again we see Muhyo appear to rather callous but in fact actually be taking the compassionate route (he’s basically tsundere towards the universe), but what’s interesting here is that we see him make a mistake – and what the penalty is for an executor for doing so.

There are a couple of other characters once more teased here (with very recognizable voices) but just how much of them we’re going to see in this short run is an open question.  The canon plot in Muhyo to Rouji is actually a rather good one, but in one cour it might be too much for the anime to take on seriously – regrettably, a focus on the mystery of the week plots is the safer route.  Those are good too, mostly, but there’s really only half of what this series is.  Kondo Nobuhiro is certainly an experienced director – maybe (hopefully) he can surprise me and find a way to give us a sense of the whole rather than just some of the parts.