As I officially take Mieruko-chan off the bubble (very brave I know – four episodes left), I have to give credit where it’s due.  Some manga readers assured me that yes, the series does get better – and they were right.  I wish the fanservice (much more accentuated in the anime) would go away, since it’s clear the show can’t execute it with any style or restraint.  But the rest of it has been a fairly steady upward slope since the premiere, as the story unspools and its complexities (which are not inconsiderable) reveal themselves.

My take is that the scenes between Miko and Kyousuke are the best part of Mieruko-chan, certainly miles ahead of the Hana/Yulia stuff in terms of character development.  I have a soft spot for this dynamic, being a youngest myself with two much older (6 and 8 years) sisters.  That helps me spot authenticity when this kind of relationship is portrayed, and I see it here.  In a funny way this show reminds me a bit of Soremachi, and that’s one reason why – but in addition to the sibling dynamic there’s something common in the vibe of both series.

The shopping trip (obvious paid plug by Village Vanguard) was great, even with the crass panty shot.  These sibling moments aren’t burdened with the tropey expectations of the school stuff and it makes a big difference.  Kyousuke is kind of a goofball but in a nice way, and it’s clear that he and Miko share a very close bond.  The “assistant” in the changing booth wasn’t that scary, honestly, but when Kyousuke and Miko got on the train (the Tozai Line – I made that journey countless times when I lived in Tokyo) things got really intense.  Kyousuke falls asleep, and I liked the fact that Miko was amused rather than annoyed.  But that’s when things got weird…

So just what was the deal with the spirit on the subway?  My first thought was “Grim Reaper”, especially with that “wrong one” business.  But it seemed to me that in the end he was… helping?  In any event it seemed to yank a spirit out that was possessing the woman next to Miko.  This was all very intense, as it proceeded down the line towards Miko and she tried not to freak out.  She managed to avoid it (at least Kyousuke never got targeted) but at the cost of a rather embarrassing moment.

After that we got a short interlude at school, where Miko and Hana’s homeroom teacher is about to begin her maternity leave.  I wasn’t sure where this bit was headed but I liked the unexpected turn it took (this series does well with those).  Mostly this is a sharp reminder of how Miko just never gets a break from all this – it’s in her face all the time, forcing her to make decisions no one should have to make.  The way Mieruko-chan communicates Miko’s growing paranoia – makes us feel what she’s feeling as if we were in her shoes (or panties) – is one of its strongest elements.

We’ll see how things go with the return of the cat-killer (Toono Zen by name) – as the substitute homeroom teacher, no less.  I don’t especially like arcs depicting violence against cats, but I can’t deny the potential for drama here.  I did quite like the outro, which counterbalanced psycho by bringing us back to the scary-looking dude who lost two cats to Toono.  The wrinkle here is that he apparently lost his wife too – you really have to feel for this dude.  I wonder if the “don’t judge a book by its cover” angle with these two reflects a broader perspective in Mieruko-chan, and applies to the things Miko sees as well.