Creative Staff:
Story and Art: Tomoki Izumi
Translation/Adaptation: Leighann Harvey
Lettering: Alexis Eckerman
What They Say
There’s a new kid on the block! Or more of, in Miko’s class. In the seat behind Miko. Supposedly, she’s this drop-dead gorgeous model, but…Miko can’t see her face past the tentacles. Like, at all. But she has an actual body, unlike the ghosts, so… just what is she?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It’s best to remember when reading these types of books that light always exists at the end of the tunnel. The sins and the regrets of yesterday aren’t easy to forget but there has to be an end to them. Mieruko, Rom, and Mitsue’s battle in the mountains continue to a fiery conclusion. It feels adequately satisfying considering all that happens to it. It would have played out better if Rom and Mitsue’s history had been further expanded upon. The past wasn’t kind to them and that past needed to be shown more of. We only get blips of how these two came to be in the supernatural world. They can move forward and we understand why but it needs a bit more of a push to be more significant.
There is no rest for the weary. There is no chance that Mieruko will ever get a chance at happiness. She is bound for eternal punishment for no fault of her own. With one case solved, there is always going to be a new one on the horizon. But this new case drives the stake higher than they have ever been. A new ghost appears at Mieruko’s school but this one has something that no other ghost has had before. She has a physical body and other students see a gorgeous female. But of course, Mieruko sees things differently and she sees an octopus-like ghost. She has a bit of a temper and it looks like she aint afraid to maim the other high schoolers. This is a great next obstacle for Mieruko. She has been able to keep the natural and supernatural world separate but this new supernatural being is forcing the two to interact. And add the high school aspects, can she ever regain any normalcy?
One thing that I’m always dazzled by in every volume is the art in Mieruko-Chan. It’s the one thing that can make or break a horror series. And it’s constantly one of the things that it’s always succeeding volume after volume. The supernatural horror has to be depicted grotesquely. At every turn, whenever Mieruko gets dragged into that world, the designs of the ghosts are out of this world. You can feel the freight that Meiroko is billing quite clearly.
In Summary:
Mieruko’s life is a heck of a ride to experience but you can only say that if you’re Mieruko. She only gets one second of relief and then she is thrown back into the hellfires that is her daily life. You want her to succeed but just can’t help to turn away from the trainwreck that is her life. The newest supernatural trainwreck in her life is coming in wheels hot and is bound to create boundless excitement as she sticks herself firmly in Mieruko’s daily life.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: April 18, 2023
MSRP: $13.00 US/ $ 17.00 CAN
