The Morose Mononokean II

Episode 4

The Morose Mononokean II might have found the perfect combination of cuteness and pathos in episode 4. It's a pretty simple story: our old friend Yahiko meets a yokai even more childish than him, Kinako. They bond and enjoy playing together, but they know they're on borrowed time because Kinako will eventually need to be exorcised. That happens sooner than expected when she overexerts herself trying to transform and almost disappears. But neither of them want her to leave, and most of the episode is spent trying to convince her it's the right thing to do—even though we know Yahiko can't go with her. It's a nice little breather between two plot episodes, and an adorable reminder of why this show is so special.

This show has featured a ton of cute yokai, but Kinako just might be the cutest so far. She looks like the supernatural version of a Yorkshire terrier. It's easy to see why Yahiko gets so attached to her. What puzzled me is why she got so close to him so quickly. We're introduced to Kinako with her being terrified of this big fox monster who keeps joking about eating her, but after the OP, they're suddenly best friends. I would've liked to see more of how that happened, but I guess that's not really necessary to establishing this story. It's simple and cute, and so is its central character. If Yahiko is like a kid, Kinako is like a pet. All she wants to do is play, and she can't understand why the playtime ever has to stop. So of course someone as playful as Yahiko would warm up to her fast.

Unfortunately, he ends up pushing her too hard in playtime. The first time she sees him transform into his human self, Kinako gets scared and growls at Yahiko. Once she learns what happened, and after he teases her about her limited powers, Kinako quickly wants to do the same. But she can't muster up the strength to shapeshift more than just her ears, turning them into fox ears like Yahiko's. (This also makes her look even more like a Yorkie.) When she tries, she starts to disappear and can't even muster up the strength to move on her own. That's a problem, because while she's transparent, even Abeno can't move her. Luckily, she heals up after eating some leaves, but it's clear that the time has come for Kinako to leave and rest up in the Underworld.

The rest of the episode involves both Yahiko and Kinako acting like stubborn kids about her inevitable departure. Kinako is loud and willful, insisting that she refuses to leave without Yahiko coming with her, because she doesn't want to stop playing with him. When she finds out that he can't leave the mundane world, she stubbornly insists on staying longer. Meanwhile, Yahiko doesn't want to face his feelings, even insisting that Kinako be exorcised as quickly as possible so as to not have to dwell on this painful situation.

Ashiya shows his compassion this week, which is what makes him such an asset to Abeno. He suggests that Kinako have one more day to play with Yahiko, since maybe that will make the parting easier. Abeno reluctantly agrees to the compromise, which seems to work from Kinako's end. When the time comes to depart, Yahiko is still reluctant to say goodbye back to her, due to his feelings of regret regarding the situation. He wants to continue to play with her, but it's more important that she not disappear. Yahiko is struggling with learning to put others' needs and desires before his own, as well as his own selfish desire not to appear too broken up about all this. Luckily, Ashiya tells him off for his pride and gets him to say goodbye, in the episode's most heartwarming scene.

It's hard to say too much about this episode, which excels in its simplicity. It's a short and sweet story that reminds us to take pleasure in our time with those we care about while we still have it. What makes it shine is the way that it excels at juggling so many emotions. It's sad once you learn about Kinako's predicament and her eventual separation from her favorite playmate. Yet like other sadder episodes of this series, it never quite lets go of that "healing" element. Watching Kinako play along with Yahiko brings joy to your heart, even if you're smiling through the tears.

I hope this isn't the last we see of cute little Kinako. Given The Morose Mononokean II's tendency to bring back tertiary characters (which arguably this episode is an example of, given Yahiko and Okina's roles in the previous season), I have a feeling she'll be back someday. Either way, I appreciated this little jolt of joy and sadness in between the more worldbuilding-focused episodes that have dominated The Morose Mononokean II so far. It proves how many different moods this series can pull off, while still keeping its chin up. Now I feel ready to take on the Underworld again and whatever is going on with Fuzzy next week.

Rating: A-

The Morose Mononokean II is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rose is a Ph.D. student in musicology, who recently released a book about the music of Cowboy Bebop. You can also follow her on Twitter.