Abe no Seimei and His Ears of Sand
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Mystery, Demons, Supernatural, Fantasy, Shoujo
- Airing Date : April 2019 – June 2019
- Producers : LIDENFILMS
Contains Spoilers
Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin (Midnight Occult Civil Servants) Introduction and Story
Arata Miyako thought he was just starting a normal job as a Shinjuku Ward Civil Servant. However, he quickly finds out on his first night out on the job with his coworkers Seo Himezuka and Kyouichi Sakaki that it’s not exactly the job he thinks it is. That night, a whole new world opens up to him as he discovers that he can see *and talk to* the supernatural beings called “Anothers.” However, he’s the only one who can actually talk to them!
As Arata gets pulled into dangerous and often hilarious situations with Anothers, he finds out that he has the “Ears of Sand,” an ability previously held by the sage Abe no Seimei. Since Abe no Seimei was the only one known with this ability and he apparently looks strikingly like him, Arata often gets mistaken for the sage. This helps him though, as he also gets immediate respect from Anothers. His ability is a double-edged sword though, as he can actually sympathize with Anothers no matter what horrible things they’ve done. This ends up causing trouble between him and the other civil servants working in Tokyo. The story follows not only Arata’s acceptance of his inheritance and growth as a person but also his unique ability to forge new alliances and relationships between humans and Anothers.
1. You Like the Occult.
One of the most attractive points about Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin is that it’s heavily focused on the occult from all over the world. Huehuecoyotl is not only the Aztec god of chaos, but also one of the main characters as well as Arata’s friend. While there are plenty of Japanese occult references, the show does a fantastic job of incorporating different types of supernatural beings from all sorts of mythology.
2. It Has a (Mildly) Realistic Storyline.
Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin is set in modern Japan with people who are generally ordinary. The only one with any sort of ability shown so far is Arata himself, so viewers can see both sides of the coin when discussions come up about how to deal with Anothers. Civil servants are just regular people who happen to be able to see the supernatural world, so they have to do what they can in order to smooth over relationships. It’s all very logical and viewers will definitely appreciate this aspect.
3. The Actors Make the Show.
To be honest, the fact that Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin is full of actors who are really into the show gives this anime the extra boost it needs. There are a lot of different situations ranging from funny to serious and the directors did a great job writing the script and giving good directions so the actors could hit this out of the park. Really, you won’t be able to forget Arata and Seo’s cute reactions to things!
1. There Isn’t a Solid Plot.
To be honest, we kept waiting for the main plot to show up, but it never really did. Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin either has episodic plots that sometimes are revisited later or has short multi-episode arcs like when Kyouichi is researching and rescuing his sister. However, the ending felt a bit “meh” because while it was interesting and helped define Arata’s growth as a whole, there wasn’t a true overarching goal to the show.
2. The Supporting Characters Can Be Annoying.
One thing you might not like is that Anothers have a specific kind of filter that’s used for their voices. It can be a bit grating. On top of that, Kohaku the Huehuecoyotl and the nekomata Yuki aren’t really super useful and are more often than not annoying with their childish antics.
3. The Anime’s Mostly Full of Hot Men.
The civil servants are mostly men, with maybe a couple of women thrown in there, but not too much is said about them. Therefore, there’s a *ton* of BL bait as the characters seem to be more like models than actual regular people. There are some questionable scenes between some of them in there, but nothing really goes too far. Of course, there’s Arata’s childhood friend, Izumi, who probably wants to be more than friends with him, but nothing ever develops.
Final Thoughts
As far as occult anime goes, this is definitely one to watch. While there might be some aspects of Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin that doesn’t suit everyone’s tastes, it’s well-done and absolutely deserves more than an episode or two before deciding if it’s for you or not. Don’t let the pretty boys fool you—this anime’s primary focus is on the occult and Arata being Abe no Seimei’s reincarnation, so you’ll have plenty of good supernatural-filled episodes to watch. If anything, it’ll hopefully get you interested in the occult if you weren’t before!
Author: Jessica
