Nothing beats great Mieruko-chan, but sometimes we only get very good. That’s fine though! This one is still a spooky good time and features some changes that have kind of been a while coming.
Michiru joining the cast with her wild tentacles (that sounds worse than it is, I swear) is a fun broadening of the core group. She and Hana have the strangest bond and I just love it. Her bizarre energy definitely adds to the usual creepy antics.
Most of Michiru’s purpose seems to be adding some extra weird imagery and also throwing some yuri bait into the equation now and then. It’s basically the only real reminder of where the series started, and very minimal, so hardly egregious.
This volume also gives some focus to poor Yuria, who has to deal with a former classmate who wasn’t particularly kind to her. The ending of this one is fun, but it’s a little predictable in a series that thrives on being anything but.
The best chapter is, honestly, the first one. It focuses on Miko and her brother and features both a terrifying threat, plus a welcome return of Miko’s father. This one shows how clever Miko can be when she’s pressed and that’s always welcome, since many times she’s merely been a passive observer.
I’m not sold on the new ongoing story arc, but it’s also true that this series tends to end its big narratives well. As such, it might just need more time to cook. It wasn’t grabbing me this time though; a bit too obvious.
There’s also a callback to a monster that showed up previously in the series and it wasn’t as great the second time around. It was a bit unclear how the ending resolved as well, which was really unfortunate (I think the perspective lets it down).
So, not quite perfect. Still, it’s got everything you love in the series, just a couple added lumps in the gravy. It’ll hopefully really pay off the set-up next time; the last chapter was kind of dull until the cliffhanger, so that might be part of my dissatisfaction.
4 stars - an easy recommend, even with a few flaws. This is never less than readable, but it’s definitely had stronger volumes.