Tomotaka Shibayama’s movie, My Oni Girl, is now available to stream on Netflix, and this Japanese fantasy movie is as breezy as a movie can get. The premise, main characters, subplots, and other elements of My Oni Girl are easy to follow, and it is the kind of movie you can let play in the background, albeit, that does take the exceptional factor away from it.
Nevertheless, the movie might not have you glued to the streaming platform from start to finish but it gets the job done in terms of entertainment, and especially in terms of how beautiful and fresh looks, despite the slightly dull and dark themes within the storyline.
In this review, we will dive a little deeper into My Oni Girl, which will help you decide whether you want to stream it or skip it.
Hiiragi and Tsumugi’s Unique Search in My Oni Girl
The two main protagonists of My Oni Girl are Hiiragi and Tsumugi, and while Tsumugi has characteristics that are bound to make her more interesting, our favorite character in this latest Japanese movie is Hiiragi.
This character has been average his whole life, he is a people-pleaser, and frankly, an extremely relatable character for the viewers who will be tuning in to stream My Oni Girl.
Hiiragi’s character undoubtedly elevates the movie, which frankly, might have worked better as a series, and here’s why. Hiirage and Tsumugi cross paths and their lives change in ways they wouldn’t have imagined. Hiiragi joins Tsumugi, who is an oni (this Japanese term translates to a demon in Englis), in search of her mother, who had disappeared from her hometown.
The storyline of My Oni Girl is simple with several hurdles that the main characters have to face, and at the same time, they also hitchhike their way through the streets, meeting new people, picking up odd jobs, and much more. All this in the span of one movie feels like too much and too little, all at the same time.
My Oni Girl as a movie doesn’t give enough time for the endless number of side characters and subplots to develop, which leaves it feeling a little undercooked as a whole. Although the bond between Hiiragi and Tsumugi is unmatched and incredibly entertaining and heartwarming, it isn’t enough for My Oni Girl to compare to say a Studio Ghibli movie.
However, despite the shortfalls that are scattered throughout My Oni Girl, the movie does an impressive job with the colors and animation, which is also one of the best parts of the movie, and something everyone can look forward to.
Conclusion
My Oni Girl might not be the best Japanese movie out there, but it gets the job done and is visually extremely appealing. Do let us know in the comments what you think about this movie!