Mieruko-chan is a story about Miko, a highschool girl who is suddenly able to see ghosts, but rather than running and screaming at every sight of the ghosts, she stands firm and pretends to not notice them. The reason is simple; once the ghost realizes that Miko can see them, they will try to take over her body. So she grits her teeth and puts on a straight face while holding back her tears. The result is an anime with a unique blend of horror and comedy. It is a refreshing approach to the familiar horror genre,but make no mistake, there are proper jump scares and frightening moments in Mieruko-chan. In between the smiles and giggles, you'll find yourself squirming when you see all of these grotesque ghosts. Here are five of the scariest ones in the series!
Contains Spoilers!
5. Bus Stop Ghost (Episode 1)
This is the very first ghost that Miko can see. She never saw a ghost before in her life prior to this one but on one rainy evening, under the cover of a bus stop, her life changes forever. She is texting her friend Hana at the time when her phone suddenly shows a twisted image of herself. And that's when she notices a hulking existence standing beside her.
With his sharp teeth gnawing at his boney fingers, the ghost asks Miko whether she sees him or not. "Can you see me?", he says over and over again. Miko instinctively tenses up and keeps her gaze forward, pretending she doesn't see him until finally the ghost slowly walks away and vanishes into thin air.
4. The Dining Room Beast (Episode 4)
It is morning and Miko is ready to join her family for breakfast. But what she sees dominating the room is a large beast-like ghost. The ghost crouches behind her father with its left arm extended in front of Miko's mother while its right arm rests behind her brother’s back.
When Miko slowly sits at the other end of the table, the beast stretches out its neck and brings its head just inches in front of Miko’s face. Its mouth opens wide exposing its thorn-like teeth with drool dripping onto Miko's plate. Unable to stand it any longer, Miko rushes to get her bag and go to school but not before she pays respect to her father and finally enlightens us to the true nature of her dad.
3. Hana and The Shrine (Episode 6)
Hana is Miko's best friend, she is an energetic girl that likes to eat snacks. Unbeknownst to both of them, Hana is brimming with a blinding life force that inevitably attracts every ghost around her. One afternoon, both girls plan to watch a movie together, but when Hana arrives, Miko sees a huge ghost with long hair and saw-like teeth clinging close to Hana and sapping her life force.
No matter where they go, the towering ghost follows. Worried about her best friend's well-being, Miko asks Hana to visit an old local shrine that she finds on the net. Once they get there, Miko desperately prays for the Gods to banish the ghost and she promises to do whatever they want in return.
And that is when two little shrine maidens with distorted faces and elongated fingers appear. They claw, punch, and shoot light beams at the ghost to no avail until finally a colossal fox-like beast emerges from the ground and devours the ghost whole. This all happens while Hana is busy taking selfies and Miko can do nothing but cower in fear.
2. The Train Slayer (Episode 8)
When Miko is going home on the evening train with her little brother, they sit near the door at the end of the row of seats and the train is rather full of passengers sitting beside Miko. Suddenly, a hooded ghost shows up carrying what appears to be a big axe, its face wrapped tightly in worn-out bandages, but Miko can clearly see his bloodshot eyes and sinister smile.
The ghost starts to wildly swing its axe at every passenger, each slash goes through their body without them even realizing it. The ghost seems to be looking for something, so he begins to systematically swing at every passenger sitting in the same row as Miko. He swings furiously until he finally stops at a lady who sits right beside Miko. Apparently, there's a ghost living inside that lady. The hooded ghost then rips the squirming ghost apart and puts it into his big sack, and then proceeds to swing his giant axe into Miko's head.
1. Teacher and His Cat (Episode 10 & 11)
There's a man who has numerous ghosts of cats writhing around him. He first encountered Miko and Hana back in the third episode of the anime, asking for a cat that the girls found on the street. As it turns out, the man is called Zen and he is Miko and Hana's new teacher. But now that she gets a closer look at him, Miko finally notices the giant female ghost with long hair that also follows Zen around. The ghost has a spider-like body and usually hides beneath his shadow and only comes out whenever a woman talks to or simply looks at Zen.
One time during a study session, Zen asked Miko to read a passage in the book which causes the ghost to let out a piercing scream at Miko and the more Zen talks to Miko, the more violent the ghost becomes. As Miko reads the first sentence, the ghost's twisted face and bulging eyes are just inches from Miko while her long limbs and sharp nails are ready to tear Miko apart.
Final Thoughts
Mieruko-chan is a rare story that can make you laugh and feel scared at the same time. There are tons of scary ghosts that you can find in every episode of this anime. From the ghost of a child that hides underneath a blanket to a severed head in a locker room, there are plenty of traumatic moments to go around. These five stand out not only because they are super scary, but also because they represent pivotal moments in the series.
But what about you? Do you have a ghost in Mieruko-chan that leaves a big impression on you? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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