Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Mieruko-chan Episode 6 Review – Quick Summary
In Mieruko-chan Episode 6, “She Sees Real Crazy Ones,” Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa were walking home from school in broad daylight. Should be a safe activity, right? Well, not for Miko! In front of them, Miko saw a ghost more hideous than any she had seen before. And it seemed to be attracted to Hana! As usual, Miko was faced with the problem of trying to evade the hideous apparition while not letting it know she can see it. What will she do this time? And how much more of this can Miko take?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Mieruko-chan Episode 6
Well, at least we now know where all the calories are going! Capture from the Funimation stream.
Well, at least we know where all of Hana’s calories are going! And it’s not just to her breasts, which is what Miko suggested a few episodes ago.
Hana got up late on what seemed to be Saturday morning. She hauled herself out of bed and sat down to eat her breakfast. Her breakfast consisted of a huge stack of pancakes with enough syrup to spill down the sides and fill the plate. Where does Hana store all those calories? After all, we’ve seen her eat her body weight in sweets on pretty much a daily basis!
Her mom looked over and said (05:00), “Is that going to be enough for you, Hana?”
I thought this quote, taken by itself, was hilarious. That plate would be enough for me, and I’m about twice Hana’s size! It was only later, around 07:11, when we saw that when Hana eats sweets, her spiritual corona glows even more brightly. So that’s where all of her calories are going! She converts it to spiritual heat! What a cool little detail!
Best in Show Moment for Mieruko-chan Episode 6
Now, that’s how you depict a spiritual encounter! Capture from the Funimation stream.
Setup: Answers Generate New Questions
Hana’s Amazing Sense of Style
Can I just say again how much I like Hana’s sense of personal style? She dresses like she’s going to a party and she wants to invite the world to go with her. I suppose that’s the fashion equivalent of her positive energy aura.
And that huge spirit using Hana as its personal grill was hilariously terrifying. By that, I mean I laughed so I wouldn’t have to think of how horrible that was! Dang!
At first I thought, “Oh, great, another pervert ghost.” Then… Let’s just say I did not expect to feel sorry for those little ghosts — but I did! Capture from the Funimation stream.
We’ve wondered: Are the ghosts dangerous to living people? Is Miko’s fear valid of what the apparitions will do to her if they know she can see them? Or is she being afraid for nothing? Well, we didn’t get the answer to that question this week. But we have more proof that the ghosts can be dangerous at least to each other. First we saw Hana as a portable grill. The result of the larger ghost eating the smaller was that the larger grew stronger and more terrifying. That was part of the setup for my favorite scene.
But there’s another aspect. Now, you know I try to be honest with y’all. Most of the time, I succeed. There are times, though, when I hold back out of fear that I’ll needlessly offend someone. Which is a way of saying I’m about to say something that might come across the wrong way. So, please keep in mind that I am not in any way trying to be disrespectful in what I’m about to say.
It has to do with theology.
Disclaimer!
No, seriously, I do not intend to insult any of you. Well, maybe a few of you. Let me explain.
If you find certain religious icons or imagery comforting, then not only do I not want to insult you. I’d like to support you. The world’s dangerous, and it can take a toll on people. If you have found something that helps you through the day and that doesn’t hurt anyone else? I’m honestly happy for you.
However.
If you’re one of those people who crafts images to make people easier to manipulate? If you mislead people, especially with faith-based images? Then, by all means, please do feel free to be insulted. Because I’m not cool with that.
It the difference between offering comfort and inflicting a debilitating mental dependency.
It’s with that thought in mind that I present what might be a little closer to how I really think about the world than you might be prepared to accept. I’m really curious to hear your reaction!
Even “Good” Supernatural Beings are Still Supernatural
You may know that I have a degree in Theology. Now, there’s a problem with education, and it’s that once you know something, you can’t really unknow it. Especially if it’s something terrible and unsettling. One of the things I’ve learned about the supernatural beings, even ones in the Scriptures of the three major world religions (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam), is that you can’t call angels or other supernatural beings cute and cuddly.
I don’t have any idea why those artists from the Renaissance decided to make angels look like well-fed babies with wings. That’s not how they’re described anywhere in the Scriptures. In fact, the original description is of beings possessing terrifying power and sanity-challenging beauty. One didn’t encounter an angel and simply walk away from the experience. The meeting left a deep impression. One might say a psychological scar.
Want to know what it looks like to fight a supernatural being? Well, I can’t show you that. But this is as close to accurate as I can imagine. So far, at least! Capture from the Funimation stream.
You might have heard about the throw-down between Jacob and an angel. Jacob didn’t encounter a little Cupid with wings and an arrow. He encountered a powerful, determined being with power. Something Other. Something not at all human. Something that almost broke him.
That’s the correct way to depict a supernatural being. Not as Josh Groban with a robe and beard — a depiction I affectionately call Caucasian Jesus. Which is so historically inaccurate as to be flat out offensive to anyone who’s studied the period. No, I’m talking about a post Resurrection encounter when Peter didn’t even recognize his old friend.
The Supernatural is Supra-Natural
Though if those images comfort you, please ignore what I just said. I’ve always preferred to know the truth, even if it’s terrifying or uncomfortable. But I wouldn’t wish it on anyone!
What I’m trying to say is that the supernatural is terrifying. It challenges one’s sanity. Saying it’s alien doesn’t cover it. Words don’t describe it. Supernatural beings are beyond us
I am delighted at how well this episode captured such a supernatural moment!
Miko felt desperate. The enormous and terrifying ghost that haunted Hana not only wasn’t going away. It obviously had been growing larger and more terrifying by the hour. So Miko tried something different: She asked Hana to tag along to visit a shrine.
Delivery: No, You Really Don’t Want to Participate in Spiritual Warfare
She and Hana made an offering. While Hana prayed for “yummy treats,” Hana prayed (14:51), “Please, do something about the thing that’s haunting Hana… Just save Hana from this curse. And me, too, if you can…” Miko’s living in terror, yet she still prays for her friend first. How awesome is that?
Slowly opening her eyes, she hoped for the miracle — that the shrine responding to her prayer. She got good news and bad news. First, the good news: The shrine had responded. Now, the bad news:
The shrine had responded.
What followed was one of the most accurate and breath-taking depictions of spiritual combat that I have ever seen. I say this as someone who has studied Western theology. The two little shrine maidens (?) took on the huge ghost. They made progress, but in the end, the monster consumed them.
That’s it! That’s how even a “good” spiritual being would look. Beautiful, savage — Other. No cute little Cupid with wings here! Capture from the Funimation stream.
And then their master arrived.
Miko had to pretend not to see the spiritual slaughter. Their master wrecked the ghost in a show of lighting and raw power. Miko’s voice actor, Sora Amamiya, turned in yet another emotionally wonderful performance. Miko had to watch that horrific battle, even as Hana took a selfie of the two of them. And then the monster apparition — a deity, maybe? — brought its two little shrine maidens back to life. It placed its hand over Miko’s head, and it said (20:36), “Three times.”
Miko had no more idea of what it meant than I did. But that’s the way real spiritual encounters go. Those beings aren’t us. They aren’t nice or cute or considerate. They are Other. These creatures have their own agendas. And when our worlds touch? Well, you get moments like my favorite from this episode!
What did you think of the little ghost trapped in display case at Patisserie GRIZZLY? What were your favorite moments in the episode? Please feel free to let me know in the comments!
Mieruko-chan Episode 6 Review: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Mieruko-chan – Episode 6 discussion
- RABUJOI: Mieruko-chan – 06 – Aw, No…Hana!
- Random Curiosity: Mieruko-chan – 06
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Mieruko-chan Episode 1: Can You See Them?
- Mieruko-chan Episode 2: She Can Totally See Them
- Mieruko-chan Episode 3: She Still Sees Them
- Mieruko-chan Episode 4: Yep, She Sees Them
- Mieruko-chan Episode 5: She Sees Them, Too
- Mieruko-chan Episode 6: She Sees Real Crazy Ones
- Mieruko-chan Episode 7: Did You See That?
- Mieruko-chan Episode 8: The Things She Sees
- Mieruko-chan Episode 9: Things She’s Seen Before
- Mieruko-chan Episode 10: Don’t Look
- Mieruko-chan Episode 11: She Looks
- Mieruko-chan Episode 12: The Girl Who Sees, Mieruko-Chan
i wouldnt think much about the potrayal of the good spirits if it wasnt for this post but now i have another reason to appreciate this series. i think the idea of it is really solid and i like watching the mc. and hearing her voice actress who i might have to add to my anilist favorites.
Miko’s voice actress, Sora Amamiya, is doing a fantastic job!
I like the idea of the show, too. I’m still not sure if the ghost/apparitions can hurt humans or not, and I’m having fun trying to figure it out!
And seriously, I just love how this show portrays the supernatural. Glad you’re enjoying it, too!
at least physically they probably cant since people were in situations where they should’ve felt them being on them but didnt react to it
That was my thinking, too, but I’ve heard rumors that there are some schools of thought in Japan that if you acknowledge you can see a ghost, that grants them the power to harm you.
This is something close:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onry%C5%8D
I can’t find any references to that rumor, so maybe I misheard. But the doubt is certainly in Miko’s mind!
that would make perfect sense since miko tries everything possible to not let them know she sees them, while that ghost that realized they can see it started an attack on them
There are many things which range from adorable to awe-inspiring to look at, but it is foolish to forget how dangerous they can be. Lions, for instance, with their beautiful strength and adorable cubs and nonchalant willingness to eat you. Or frozen fields under a full moon, quite dazzling and quite deadly to be out in the middle of for too long. Or the shining sun itself, which *will* damage your eyes to look straight at for too long, even as it warms and nourishes the world. Dealing with supernatural entities is a bit like that. These are beings of power, either great and terrible or just plain terrible, and being in their presence can be like staring at the sun, but with your entire soul.
I like that train of thought! I think it well illustrates the point!
Thank you! 🙂
That was surely a beautifully illustrated episode!
But I would imagine that if you saw ghoulish creatures over and over and realized that if you ignored them they couldn’t hurt you, eventually you’d stop recoiling in horror quite so much. Can’t keep administering stimulation over and over and expect to remain just as sensitive to it.
We’ve seen several examples of ghosts/spirits who weren’t at all evil. My interpretation of that monster chomping on ghosts walking into its maw? It is a good guy, sending ghosts who resolved their problems off to the afterlife. It is only the ones who can’t/won’t resolve their issues that go insane and become evil.
“Can’t keep administering stimulation over and over and expect to remain just as sensitive to it.”
It would be subject to the law of diminishing returns, wouldn’t it? Mieruko-chan has avoided that by amping up the ghosts. But sooner or later, it’ll have to start answer some questions, like can the ghosts really hurt them?
And I honestly think the show will deliver!
“It is a good guy, sending ghosts who resolved their problems off to the afterlife. It is only the ones who can’t/won’t resolve their issues that go insane and become evil.”
I like that idea! Just because it looks terrifying doesn’t mean it is. I mean, just look at this episode. I also like the idea of the ones with lingering issues being the ones that turn evil.
And I still can’t get over just how beautiful this episode looked. I haven’t thought about the theological ideas I mentioned in the post for years! It took something like this to remind me.