WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Mieruko-chan, "Yep, She Sees Them," now streaming on Funimation.
Mieruko-chan’s formula hasn’t really changed all that much since its first episode, with Miko’s frequent run-ins with the occult serving as the life-blood of the show. While it gets to be repetitive at times, the various spirits -- alongside Miko’s desperate attempts to ignore them -- are what give this unique horror-comedy anime its charm. Episode 4 briefly changes things up, however, focusing a little more on Miko’s home life and introducing some much-needed depth to the stone-faced protagonist.
Having to constantly deal with ghosts wherever she goes has understandably started to affect Miko’s personality. She’s justifiably paranoid whenever she enters a room, be it at home, in school, or anywhere else in between. The people around her don’t seem to have picked up on this yet, save for Miko's younger brother, Kyousuke.
Not all that much is known about Kyousuke, but it seems as though he and his sister are relatively close, spending some of their free time watching TV together. When some of his classmates give him the idea that Miko’s strange behavior is the result of her getting a boyfriend, Kyousuke sets out to check up on his older sister.
Worried that Miko is in a bad relationship, Kyousuke follows her around after school. Despite his good intentions, however, Mieruko-chan viewers know he can’t really do anything for her. It doesn’t help that tailing Miko only deepens his initial misunderstanding. The situation eventually plays itself out, with Kyousuke happily concluding that his sister hasn’t yet started dating.
All seems well in the Yotsuya household -- until Miko notices an incredibly large and terrifying ghost at the breakfast table. The ghastly specter scares her away and sends her right to the house's front door. Before leaving, Miko takes a moment to visit a funeral alter -- revealed as her father’s.
Mr. Yotsuya has always lacked any sort of presence in every scene he’s appeared in, and Episode 4's new revelation explains why. A year before his death, Miko and her father fought over the latter eating a special seasonal pudding. Before they could apologize to each other, Mr. Yotsuya died in a traffic accident.
It seems as though Miko has been aware of her father’s presence the same as any other ghost. Like the rest, she ignores her father’s spirit but finally makes peace with him by offering some of the seasonal pudding at his altar. The gesture puts her father’s spirit at ease, giving Miko some much-needed closure as well.
For a show that is typically one-note, Mieruko-chan did a great job of adding some emotional depth with Episode 4. There was always something strange with how Mr. Yotsuya fit in with the other cast members. The twist was handled well from the beginning and really fleshes out Miko’s family situation. After causing her so much grief, it’s great to see Miko’s powers doing her some good for a change.
