Migi & Dali

Episodes 7-9

Murder. Secret identities. An avant-garde mosquito costume. Welcome back to Migi & Dali, where we're in for another perfect juxtaposition of absurdity and horror. The twins have recently escaped the clutches of the Ichijo family, even more sure of their direct involvement in the death of their mother, Metry. However, Dali's cutthroat measures to bring the truth to light drive a wedge between the twins.

In part, it's necessary. The boys have existed as a singular entity for an extraordinary amount of time. Migi has occasionally flexed against Dali's planning and scheming in an attempt for autonomy. The first example was his romantic awakening, first in the arms of Shunpei's sister and later in his misguided romance with Sali. Dali managed to keep up the illusion and make a clean break, but when he dons his femme persona again, it reignites Migi's pursuit for independence.

While we could get into the mud about the details, what's most important about the Migi-Sali-Dali situation is that Migi justifiably interprets it as an act of betrayal. He was played for a fool despite his genuine feelings, and it whole scenario highlights that Dali is the mastermind behind enacting their revenge, whereas Migi has acclimated to their new parents, his new friend Shunpei, school, and the possibility of romance. Honestly, this is probably the healthier route than where Dali currently is, but this is anime, and we need to have answers.

Unfortunately, while these three episodes give us quite a few resolutions to the overall mystery, there are several aspects that are unaccounted for. After Dali-Sali's probing, Eiji realizes that the "ghost" his mother told him about was likely a real woman he pushed out his window on Christmas Eve night. We don't know why Metry was at Eiji's window, but the most likely conclusion is that Eiji is also her son. It wasn't confirmed that Migi and Dali are the Ichijo patriarch's sons, but it seems likely.

The next point of contention is that Eiji's mother, Reiko, tells him that there isn't a blonde-haired woman living in Origon Village. This seems like a stretch. Metry might have lived in a hidden room in the pantry, but she was the Ichijo housekeeper and was likely out and about in the house somewhat often. It's strange that Eiji wouldn't recognize her in that context when she came to his window and would snuff her out of his memory entirely. I'd believe that he forgot about her over time; not many of us have a lot of concrete memories from five years old, but he should have recognized her before pushing her.

Migi & Dali regularly employs "ability upgrades," mainly to Dali, whenever convenient. Like in episode six, where the twins were able to pull off a ghost sighting with props they didn't have access to, Dali has now deeply studied the art of hypnotism. It's not unfeasible, given that one twin has stayed at home while the other is away at school, but these sorts of developments would be more satisfying if they were built up without explanation to reveal the payoff later. Pulling the audience aside to say, "Well, actually, I read a bunch of hypnosis books when you weren't looking," is schlocky.

Regardless, it's through this contrivance that Eiji realizes the truth behind the Christmas "ghost" and this revelation threatens to tear the Ichijo and Sonoyama families apart. Migi goes full worm mode and shacks up at Shunpei's house, leaving Dali to reconcile with his choices and motivations. Initially prepared to go it alone, this culminates into a Halloween festival where Dali makes his debut as a very fashionable mosquito. Episode 8's biggest accomplishment is following through on the twins' separation and cementing Migi's resolve to be his own person. There's a great scene where Dali (as Hitori) is talking at Shunpei but to Migi while Migi hides in the closet. It's a stealth apology, but it's Shunpei's follow up when it affirms that Hitori should be true to himself that helps Migi realize what he really wants from life. Some of the conversation is weird, like Dali slapping Shunpei to have a reason to say he "didn't mean to hurt him" to apologize to Migi for the Sali situation; Shunpei just accepts the hit despite it coming from nowhere.

The boys are still split up when the Halloween Festival starts, although another switcheroo asks the audience to just accept that Hitori's parents wouldn't put two and two together when Migi is revealed to be one of the bird costumers at the same time that Dali is fully visible as a mosquito. Inconsistency aside, this is where Eiji makes his atonement and takes a pumpkin to the head in order to protect Migi from Dali's miscalculation. It's also the final event before Migi & Dali embraces its horror trappings once again.

We knew things weren't alright with Reiko when she infantilized Migi in her home. Episode nine reveals that Reiko is not the biological mother of either of her children, and she likely forcefully adopted them from their parents before running them out of Origon Village. It also appears she's been working overtime to keep any allusions to Eiji's accidental murder from surfacing if the push is what caused Metry's death. Reiko is just crazy enough that it's hard to say for sure if she was unaware of Metry's death or has a loose grasp on reality.

Eiji explains most of this to Migi-Sali after he visits him following his release from the hospital. The confrontation takes a dark turn when Reiko discovers Migi-Sali and Eiji in the attic with the diorama, and that's when all the tea is spilled. There's little room for levity, with the exception of a surprise appearance from housekeeper MVP, Micchan. After successfully escaping the Ichijo household, Migi heads home only to find that Reiko has drugged his parents and tied Dali to the bed upstairs. She does the same to Migi, and just as Dali is ready to sacrifice himself in order to save his brother, Micchan saves the day.

Episode seven and eight didn't refer back to Micchan, despite the show inferring that she was killed while exploring the attic. In another aside from the series, Micchan explains that she was buried alive but rescued by Karen before she suffocated. Again, this is another instance where, perhaps if the show had a higher episode count, I would have much rather seen this happen in real time instead of having the character explain it to the audience after the fact. Sadly, Micchan's polearm skills are short-lived as Reiko gives her the ax and scares off the twins with just enough time to frame them for murder.

Reiko is an interesting villain in her own right, although I have mixed feelings about the "evil infertile woman" trope rearing its head. This is only softened by the existence of Yōko Sonoyama, Migi and Dali's adoptive mother. She is the quintessential doting parent, and her shortcomings only serve to make her more endearing. Still, I'd be remiss not to acknowledge that there is a fictional shortcut for unhinged women with fertility problems in media, and the story's larger mystery devolving into "this woman couldn't have kids" is deflating. It adds more context to her interactions with Migi earlier in the series, but that this all could be a plot to protect her picture-perfect yet domineering family life is disappointing.

Undoubtedly, the series will likely wrap up with Eiji and Karen coming to Migi and Dali's aid against their Mommy Dearest to clear the boys of murder. What would surprise me the most is if their dad goes down with her.

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Migi & Dali is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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