Mieruko-chan

Story: Miko Yotsuya (Nanoka Hara) and Hana Yurikawa (Rinka Kumada) are best friends and classmates. As class representatives, they are currently tasked with deciding which attraction their class will present at the upcoming school festival. However, Miko suddenly begins seeing ghosts. Online advice is contradictory, but the general consensus seems to be that it is best to simply ignore them. She manages this reasonably well until she spots a hand clinging to her friend Hana’s clothes — a hand that refuses to disappear. Meanwhile, Hana is constantly eating, while her uncanny knack for luck — which had previously always secured her the winning ticket in draws — plunges the class into misfortune; they had originally wanted to organize a dance performance, but there were too many applicants, and Hana drew the losing ticket in the lottery. Akio Gondo (Coki Yamashita) can also see ghosts, as can his "apprentice" Yuria Niguredo (Naenano); they soon realize that Miko, like them, perceives the dead. Miko, denies this, though, and continues to ignore the spirits around her. She also manages to get rid of the creepy hand by taking Hana to a shrine. Yet, after her pregnant teacher gives birth and substitute teacher Zen Tono (Taiga Kyomoto) takes over the class, Miko realizes that her teacher is being haunted by an incredibly powerful spirit, one against which she stands little chance on her own.

Review: I always enjoy checking out genre mashups that take a few risks. A girl who suddenly gains the ability to see ghosts might not sound particularly original, but the prospect of blending horror and comedy piqued my curiosity. This is especially true given that one would usually expect some form of romance mixed in, an element "Mieruko-chan" (based on the webcomic by Tomoki Izumi) notably eschews. However, since the story is set in a high school, one does anticipate a few standard tropes, such as a school festival, an eccentric new teacher, and so on. The problem isn't that we actually get these things, but rather that the execution is so underwhelming. Consequently, you spend most of your time in front of the screen wondering if anything is actually going to happen. The disappointing answer is a resounding no. The best part is the epilogue, which offers at least one or two (well, actually just one) surprises. The rest is entirely forgettable.

The story takes plenty of time to shed light on the relationship between Miko and Hana, yet it forgets to actually flip the light switch on. We learn nothing about the pair; there are merely a few brief scenes involving Miko’s family. To make matters worse, these feel arbitrarily inserted, and it is only at the end that we discover why they were included in the film at all. Everything else comes across as incredibly lackluster. It isn’t as if a big cast list crowded out the two girls, or at least Miko, the protagonist. Then there are Akio and Yuria, the actual ghost hunters; Yuria emerges as the most interesting personality, perhaps because she handles being ostracized by classmates for her ability to see spirits with surprising self-confidence. Worst of all is Zen, the enigmatic teacher; he is so painfully shy and lacking in confidence that it is hard to believe the story’s premise that he actually became a teacher.

"Mieruko-chan" doesn't score points with its characters, then; the chemistry between the two girls, in particular, leaves much to be desired. Yuria actually makes a better duo with Miko, but unfortunately, the two simply don't spend that much screen time together. It’s hard to attribute this to poor acting, either; everything in that department seems solid enough, with nothing standing out negatively. So, does the fault lie with the director? This is precisely where I nearly fell off my chair; ultimately, I was glad I hadn't known beforehand who directed the film, or my disappointment would likely have been far greater. The director is Yoshihiro Nakamura — a man who not only crafted a fine thriller in "The Snow White Murder Case" but also directed "Fish Story", which was one of my personal hidden gems back in the day. Consequently, his latest work can only be described as a case of taking several steps backward — at a full run.

Throughout "Mieruko-chan", I kept wondering if perhaps I was expecting too much from the film; yet the problem isn't simply that nothing happens for long stretches. Rather, the movie fails to work as a comedy, since almost nothing here is actually funny, nor does it manage to gain any traction as a horror flick, not even for a minute. There are a few shots reminiscent of horror, and the inclusion of Shinto elements holds a certain appeal, but these aspects are woven into the story with such misplaced seriousness that one can only shake one's head. These scenes do not effectively counterpoint the otherwise cheerful tone and warm atmosphere; instead, the horror elements feel like a jarring, alien presence that leaves the viewer baffled. It would have been far wiser not to take itself so seriously in those moments. Consequently, "Mieruko-chan" suffers from a massive identity crisis that makes its 98-minute runtime feel interminably long.

I also have issues with the special effects. While I understand the direction the director was aiming for — presumably to pay homage to the source material by keeping the ghosts' style rather peculiar — the end result looks very cheap. The ghosts themselves resemble cardboard cutouts; they appear blurry and grotesque, though unfortunately in an unintentionally funny way, and the film even violates its own established rules regarding how ghosts are depicted. When the pace finally picks up after an hour and the plot moves beyond the school festival, the whole thing feels half-baked and tedious. The finale is the prime example of this; the director demonstrates absolutely no knack for effectively executing what should have been a logically grounded anticlimax. By the end, you’re just relieved it’s over. Then comes the epilogue, featuring a twist that actually works quite well, only for it to be spoiled by a few subsequent, idiotic twists that were completely unnecessary. "Mieruko-chan" has some nice visuals, and the cast, especially Naenano, can sometimes carry scenes with their charisma, but beyond that, there is nothing here to justify investing over 90 minutes of your life.

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