WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 12 of Mieruko-chan, "The Girl Who Sees, Mieruko-chan," now streaming on Funimation.
Mieruko-chan has been one of the Fall 2021 anime season’s biggest sleeper hits, winning viewers over with its lovable cast and absurdist comedy. However, the story has much more to offer than some laughs here and there. Mieruko-chan has set up some interesting narrative threads throughout its inaugural season, and while some loose ends have been tied up in these 12 episodes, viewers were ultimately left with more questions than answers after the finale.
Episode 12 touches on three main plot points that will likely be a major part of Mieruko-chan's second season should it receive one. The first picks up where Zen’s story last left off. Finally free of his mother's spirit, Zen is able to accept and move on from his past traumas, exorcising the spirits of the cats haunting him in the process.
With his hang-ups left behind and Miko arranging for him to adopt the cat he saved, Zen's life looks to be heading in the right direction. Events take an interesting turn when he manages to track down the cat assailant, knocking him out with a taser. To complicate matters, Zen seems to have taken things into his own hands, as the police are shown putting up missing person posters looking for the man shortly after.
Back in the countryside, Mitsue (aka Godmother) seems to have comfortably adjusted to a more earnest life with her family. Her peaceful days are interrupted when she receives a photograph of Miko and Hanna at a shrine from an anonymous sender. What this means going forward remains to be seen, but it serves as a good way of getting the veteran psychic back into the fold.
With everything seemingly okay for the time being, Miko thinks of bringing the shrine spirits an offering as thanks for their protection. However, a foreboding dream showing the initially protective spirit devouring her makes Miko second-guess the gesture. This could just be her overly cautious approach toward spirits manifesting itself, but might also end up being a bad omen of events to come if and when Mieruko-chan continues.
Miko’s life seems to have calmed down a bit following the Zen incident, with the various lingering ghosts not phasing her as often as before as she adjusts to her new reality. Despite seeming like they were done with her, the shrine spirits are shown tailing Miko and her friends, though the reason why is unclear.
Episode 12 of Mieruko-chan leaves a lot of plot points open for a second season. Despite letting go of some baggage, Zen still seems to be hiding some dark intent that might come full circle with the cat assailant. Godmother getting the picture of Miko and Hanna might suggest something more sinister awaiting the series’ heroines, and though viewers still don’t know how Miko got her powers, this could very well be reveal some details.
The same can be said for the shrine spirits, who look to have taken an interest in Miko and her wellbeing. Though none of these plot points provide concrete answers, they set up some interesting questions that should have fans hopeful for a second season of Mieruko-chan.
