Mieruko-Chan is a anime that has been on my watchlist for a few years now. It is one i put off for the longest time but after now seeing it i'm neither disappointed nor amused.

The anime presents itself as a horror on the surface, but it's an example of how you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. That is due to the attempt at horror being rather poor indeed. The horror elements are so very tame, making me confused whether it should be classed within the horror genre to begin with. Despite this i do like the design of the creatures and believe it to stand out as a strong point amid mediocrity. The monsters can be frequently visually intriguing but is let down by both their frequency and actions. I also find the movies attempt at comedy to be utterly mediocre at the very best of times. So even as a more comedic horror it still falls flat for me.

That being said, for me the most significant issue here is the anime's pacing. The narrative bombards you with "scare" after "scare" with almost no downtime. This constant barrage detracts from the overall viewing as it prevents any meaningful tension from building. The first episode is the sole exception, with a more suspenseful approach showing you how the rest of the series could have been. This is made very obvious by the fact it is by far the only good episode of the entire anime.

The story has an interesting idea around a girl who can see scary creatures others cannot. However, if the show focused less on constantly showcasing flashy creatures and more on developing it's plot and characters it would have been far more engaging. I believe the worst part of the narrative is the fact that the (as already mentioned) good monster designs go to waste as the story surrounding them is so very lacklustre it's rather sad.

The lead character is quite engaging throughout the early part of the show. That being said the more the anime goes on you find out there is almost no character development throughout the entire runtime. Her surrounding cast is absolutely fine earlier on (but like her) get boring towards the end of the show. Also the anime teases an interesting villain, only to mishandle and butcher the character to the highest degree. This detracts significantly from the overall narrative they were trying to tell, making one wonder if the show would have been better off if that character didn't exist.

Very briefly i would like to mention how the opening theme is one of which i did not like. It doesn't set the right tone for the show and feels rather out of place.

Overall, the anime has a promising premise and some well-designed creatures, but is damaged by a poor pace and inconsistent character development.

Final Score - 4/10