How to keep a mummy

Episode 4

Just in time for Setsubun (February 3), the Japanese holiday for kicking oni out of the house and welcoming good luck in instead, comes a very oni-centric episode of How to keep a mummy. Our resident curmudgeon Tazuki is the star of the show as he joins his pal Sora in adopting an unusual new pet. But the real meat of the episode is a series of revelations about the world these characters live in, indicating that mythological creatures aren't so rare here after all.

Tazuki doesn't warm up to others easily. So when a pint-sized child oni follows him home, he reluctantly insists it can only stay for one night. Tazuki grumbles about the oni he can't get rid of, but Sora and the audience know better—he actually can't resist its cuteness. It's pretty much a given that Conny (a blend of ko for kodomo, the Japanese word for “child,” and oni) is going to be a recurring character. Tazuki insists that Conny is dumb, but this little oni can play tag, make sushi, and respond to anything that pleases him with a thumbs up.

Tazuki also graduated from being a one-note character this episode when he revealed his dragon-related trauma. We don't know exactly what happened, but the sheer size of his scar goes far to explain why Tazuki might not warm up to an oni right away, even if it is tiny now. It's cute how this supposedly dumb oni points out a matching scar to show why they're meant to be. Tazuki may insist that he doesn't want to help, but all we've seen is how he can never resist helping Sora or his sister with homework, and now he's secretly being a big softie about his new pet.

What's definitely odd at first is how Tazuki's little sister (who is as much of a tsundere as her big brother) is completely unfazed by a child oni gobbling her snacks. She just wants to know if Tazuki is going to keep it, no other questions asked. I was similarly amazed when Sora's Aunt Kaede was unimpressed with a tiny mummy sharing her home. Now we've got some new hints about the world How to keep a mummy takes place in that explain why some people might not be surprised. We know that mythical creatures are rare enough that Sora needs to hide Mii-kun from Motegi at school and that an unnamed classmate thinks a photo of a baby dragon must have been Photoshopped. But we also know that some people don't seem shocked at all. Apparently, as kid Sora explained to kid Tazuki, these creatures maintain a sort of whisper network about which humans are safe to reveal themselves to. Most people don't see them. But for people like Sora, Kaede, Tazuki and his sister, these creatures aren't a big surprise.

Most of this episode of How to keep a mummy is full of adorable, insubstantial fluff. But now I'm additionally interested in its world-building aspect. Every week I veer further from my initial decision not to question this bizarre scenario. As the show continues to tease more about the world in which it takes place, it leaves me hungry for more information.

Rating: B

How to keep a mummy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.