Mieruko-chan is a pretty fun addition to the list of supernatural anime out on the market. It blends elements of horror, comedy, ecchi, slice-of-life and cute girls doing cute things. The upbeat opening that ends with what sounds like a woman in a horror movie should say everything about the kind of series viewers can expect. All of these things go together to make a disturbing yet somehow still lighthearted show.
As fortune would have it, Mieruko-chan isn't the only anime like this. Anime characters deal with supernatural threats all the time, including yokai, evil spirits, demons, monsters and whatever else goes bump in the night. Supernatural anime come in many different forms, and as such, there are plenty that blend lighthearted humor with grotesque horror. Anyone looking for more of what they get out of Mieruko-chan will likely find it in titles like these.
Hell Teacher Nube (1996-1997)
Hell Teacher Nube works well for anyone who's looking for a supernatural series with that classic anime feel. The series follows Nueno Meisuke, also known as Nube, and his class of students at Domori Elementary. The students are regularly haunted by various yokai. It's up to Nube to use a combination of spiritual items, his powerful Demon Hand and simple reasoning to ward off the malevolent spirits and protect his students.
This series has many of the things that make Mieruko-chan great. It's primarily comedic, has a fairly creepy horror element and even indulges in ecchi fanservice. There’s also something cathartic about seeing spirits actually get dealt with for anyone who feels bad for poor Miko getting harassed by her own evil spirits all the time. To top things off, both shows have surprisingly tender moments to ease the tension and make everything feel fine, even if only for a moment.
Ghost Stories (2000-2001)
This series also handles supernatural and slice-of-life elements well. Ghost Stories follows Satsuki and Keiichi Miyanoshita and their friends as they deal with paranormal phenomena throughout their school and town. Luckily, Satsuki's deceased mother, who has dealt with the spirits behind these phenomena in the past, left behind a journal with notes on all the spirits and how to stop them; the show feels a bit like Gravity Falls in this regard. The series' moderate horror elements make it ideal for anyone who can't get enough of the monstrosities of Mieruko-chan.
In English, this series is definitely more hilarious than horrifying, which also makes it perfect for Mieruko-chan fans. Apparently, ADV was given free rein to do whatever they wanted with the script as long as characters kept their names. As a result, the entire dub is full of ridiculous dialogue and material not found in any other dub.
Neuro: Supernatural Detective (2007-2008)
Anyone who finds the villains in Assassination Classroom creepy-looking should check out Matsui Yusei's classic occult mystery manga. Nogami Neuro is a mystery-devouring demon with an insatiable appetite. After solving all the mysteries of the demon world, he travels to the human world to solve and eat mysteries there. He finds himself a human partner to take credit for his detective work, choosing Katsuragi Yako, who's something of a kindred spirit; not only does she have a healthy appetite, but she also wants to solve the mystery of her father's murder.
Many of the episodes play out in a similar fashion. The detectives take on a mystery, Neuro uses his demonic equipment to solve the mystery, then he eats the demonic culprit and by extension, the mystery itself. The anime starts off morbidly lighthearted, though it gets a little darker once the plot starts progressing. It's formulaic but creepily amusing.
Rosario + Vampire (2008)
Anyone who enjoys the cute girl aspect of Mieruko-chan might also like Rosario + Vampire. This harem series follows the exploits of the human Tsukune Aono as he attends Yokai Academy, a high school for monsters. While there, he draws the attention of several cute girls, partly because of his looks but also because of his delicious human scent. It becomes Tsukune's goal to not only survive this school but also all the women who are after him.
This series mirrors Mieruko-chan in several ways. The horror element, while there, isn't necessarily scary. The comedy can range from moderately humorous to downright hilarious. The fanservice is ubiquitous and excessive; there are a ridiculous number of panty shots in the series, which feeds more into the comedy aspect. All the girls have unique personalities that bounce off one another in entertaining ways. These two series' fandoms are bound to overlap.
GeGeGe no Kitaro (1968-???)
GeGeGe no Kitaro is a timeless classic among supernatural anime. Kitaro, a surviving member of the Ghost Tribe, regularly interacts with and fights yokai. He is joined by Medama-Oyaji, Neko-Musume, Nezumi-Otoko and several other miscellaneous yokai on supernatural adventures between the yokai and human worlds.
This anime could be called the forefather of modern supernatural anime, as it's primarily responsible for popularizing yokai in modern Japanese pop culture. It also popularized the idea of dealing with spirits like monsters of the week. If it weren't for GeGeGe no Kitaro, supernatural anime like Yokai Watch or Digimon Ghost Game, or indeed anything previously mentioned here, may have never existed.
There are several places to start GeGeGe no Kitaro. Between 1968 and 2018, there have been at least six major anime adaptions of the series released. They're all long-running series, so any anime-watchers thinking of checking it out should be ready for a long-term commitment.
