Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin

The Nocturnal Community Relations Division is a team of people who specialize in solving cases involving the ominous occult creatures of the night unseen by ordinary humans. Young and unsuspecting Arata Miyako has been assigned to the Shinjuku Ward Office of the division, where he meets his fellow members Theo Himezuka and Kyouichi Sakaki.

On his first night, Arata finds himself on a mission where he discovers to his surprise that not only does every supernatural creature he once thought to be fictional actually exist, but also that he is the only human who can understand their non-human speech. Arata's surprises do not end there, as later that night, he meets a legendary creature called a Tengu that refers to him as the famous Heian-era exorcist, Abe no Seimei. Unfamiliar with the exorcist, Arata pays no mind and continues to work with his team, utilizing his unique ability to assist in the resolution of their cases.

Mistaken by many occult creatures as Abe no Seimei and quickly becoming notorious for his special ability during his work, Arata becomes curious of his origins and invests himself more into solving cases regarding occult creatures he encounters once he learns of a certain connection between himself and the exorcist. However, Arata will quickly find that dealing with supernatural creatures is not as simple as he thought, as danger begins to play a fundamental role in his everyday findings and his ability starts to present an unexpected issue.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Huehuecoyotl Main

Toki, Shunichi Japanese

Miyako, Arata Main

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

Himezuka, Theo Main

Irino, Miyu Japanese

Senda, Reiji Main

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Sakaki, Kyouichi Main

Maeno, Tomoaki Japanese

Maki Supporting

Miyashita, Eiji Japanese

Myouhouzan, Senjinbou Supporting

Chafurin Japanese

Rokuroubou Supporting

Sasaki, Toshiharu Japanese

Pixie Supporting

Kokido, Shiho Japanese

Yotsuya, Fudoubou Supporting

Kuroda, Takaya Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Tokumura, Kenichi Producer

Satomi, Tetsurou Producer

Arimizu, Soujirou Producer

Reviews

Jun 23, 2019

a1samurai

Recommended

It's shocking and disappointing that this anime is getting overlooked by so many people. Personally I blame the massive amount of coverage things with more money behind them are getting. Because this is a joint Funimation-Crunchyroll venture, thus it SHOULD have enough going for it to get as many views as possible. If they'd promote it.

So what is it and is it worth watching? I say absolutely. This show is basically what would happen if Men In Black and CLAMP's xxxHolic had a baby.

What it pulls off best is the art and sound most of all. It's VERY pretty to look at a ... lot of the time, the environments especially.
Most of the show takes place at night (go figure), and the people who animate and illustrate the world we're peaking into clearly knew how to work with that. The city looks amazing and there are a lot of gorgeous shots of the night sky from the Imperial Gardens.
The music is similar to Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, with a lot of jazz and jazz-adjacent pieces. As a matter of fact the aesthetic on a whole is comparable to that, even if the themes and characters are vastly different.

Writing is important to of course, and if you liked the curiosity and occult themes in xxxHolic (which is well worth watching as well) then you're sure to enjoy this.
It's hard to explain how good the overall narrative of the season is without spoiling things, but suffice to say there are some good twists and a surprising number of emotionally evocative moments.
This show is quite tonally diverse, with the first episode being moderately light and focusing on Miyako Arata (the protagonist)'s curiosity at what he's just gotten himself into, the second and third episodes continuing this but adding some darker turns before turning things on their head a bit for a more lighthearted fourth episode, which still has some pretty serious stakes.
That's a line Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin tends to balance on quite well. It keeps things relatively light but the stakes can be quite high or emotionally intense.
This ties in quite well with how Arata's demeanor is as well. There are numerous occasions where his dealings with Anothers (occult creatures derived from real world myth, they're what make this show like Men In Black, because the Midnight Occult Civil Service is dealing with supernaturals instead of aliens, but their relationship is similar) threaten his life and/or the lives of people he cares about.
In spite of often being present when his or other lives are being threatened, Arata tends to always keep a relatively level head, and errs on the diplomatic side, generally trying to find out what the Anothers want and how to give it to them without upsetting the social balance.
Thus we have a relatively light approach coupled with serious consequence and stakes. And balancing those things in a way that isn't jarring or cringe is quite a feat.

Characters! There's a dude who looks like a chick, they mention it once in the first episode with a joke and then move on, it's only a big deal if you make it a big deal, because the show and the people in the show certainly don't, and as a character his androgynous appearance barely even registers when you couple it with his voice. This guy's the resident occult expert/nerd/scientist for the Nocturnal Relations Division.
Arata's only other non-boss co-worker at the Shinjuku Ward Office is a former host for what I assume is a karaoke bar, he has his own arc which is kinda a B story wile the A story of each episode goes on, I think it gets enough attention to be interesting without detracting from the really interesting and mostly episodic plots. And it is itself a good arc, and it makes you see both Arata's colleagues as more than just meat sacks with voices.
The effeminate one doesn't get an arc or much character development at all, but that feeds into what they are as a character, which is a professional with an avid interest in the lore which relates to their job. If this character was also given an arc and pRoBlEms the show wouldn't feel as tightly written as it is.
Arata also has a best friend who probably wants to be more than that, but the show doesn't dwell on this very much, but it does involve her somewhat in the plot on occasion. Though once again not in such a way as to feel overbearing.
Some of the other characters would be spoilers but there are a couple of Anothers who hang out with Arata/live in his house.

Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin is an excellent anime.
It's compelling (I recommend watching the first 4 episodes in one sitting to get the full range of tone that the show has), expands on itself at a decent pace to not be overwhelming, pretentious or otherwise daunting, and if you like occult things from both Japanese and other cultures, you'll enjoy seeing who pops up over the season.
The finale especially I will say was great. It showed just how much mythology the writer/s of the source material are aware of, because the Another in that episode was O B S C U R E but amazingly well executed.

Absolutely give at least a few episodes of this a watch. Also the dub isn't bad. They mispronounce a couple of words but the quality of the voice acting overall is pretty good. As I said I watched 7 episodes with it, now 8, and I'll probably keep going with that just because it's cool to see how they spin things. I think I also prefer the Anothers voices in English, though it's hard to pin down why.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by a1samurai (4)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jun 23, 2019

KANLen09

Mixed Feelings

With the abysmal number of people watching this series, it's SOOO easy to forget that this anime ever existed in the eyes of potent men, at least it was for me anyways. I really also find it hard to understand why this series GOT a green light, because, more than the manga (translated) adaptation that doesn't exist (as of this review and probably forever), I hardly doubt that even the Japanese people watching this would be happy about this.

However and anywho, the crux to this series is about a new working-adult recruit called Miyako Arata. He is assigned to the Nighttime Regional Relations Department squad ... in Shinjuku, of which, each of Tokyo's 23 wards has departments like this, founded to mitigate paranormal and occult-related events. Unbeknownst to anyone, Arata's special skill is the Ears of Sand, which translates to the understanding of non-human speech, and through mythical Yokai creatures, many say that Arata is the Heian-era exorcist, Abe no Seimei, resurrected in spirit.

And that's the story overall, because we only get to watch and listen Arata's special skills as one that we wished to have if we could have a superpower of sorts. Plus, his interaction with the Shinjuku crew and the never-ending groups of Yokai that revere the Seimei spirit into reconciliation, just like a Yokai councilor. Needless to say, you can easily pass by the episodes with a nap, as it doesn't really try to engage with the audience well with its overarching episodic story lines.

The character count doesn't pay too well-off either. Seo Himezuka and Kyouichi Sakaki, the 2-man crew that has been in the job more than Arata doesn't strike off as redundant or useful (depending on their help to Miyako), but foremostly being assistants to helping solve daily crimes that involve Yokai, and often the 3-man crew are able to get by nicely. Even through the progression in this series of Arata meeting the mischievous Aztec god Huehuecoyotl and working together with misunderstanding colleagues from the various wards, and Sakaki saving his family member, that "meh" experience stays stagnant, as if there isn't any story nor character development to try to take advantage of to establish a base to the anime. Nein, I say.

Liden Films' art and animation is getting much worse, but thankfully it doesn't detract from the watching experience that is this and last season's Mahou Shoujo Tokushusen Asuka, which is plenty fine for its target demographics. Trying to play on the available budget offered is a good advantage, but if this is all it has to offer, I would still gladly watch it.

Musicality-wise, Evan Call is back to do the music for this series, and I can only really say it's one of the more mellow music soundtracks (as opposed to Violet Evergarden), but more action-y type of music. Both the OP and ED, performed by the characters themselves (Arata for the OP and Huehuecoyotl for the ED) fit the premise for the occult-feelings of the anime to a T. Not the greatest sounding, but not bad either.

Overall, this anime just reeks stagnancy for me. All the while I try to watch this with an open mind that it will eventually get better, it instead went onto an entirely different route that hopes the aesthetics will somehow make up the difference in viewership. And it honestly never did.
And I'm finally done watching this show, on with the OVAs later in the year!

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by KANLen09 (655)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jul 24, 2019

AnimeObasan

Not Recommended

I'd be interested in reading the source material that this hot garbage came from. This show was the poor man's Natsume Yuujinchou, completely lacking in all emotion and quality all around.
*Sound: terrible. Every time the "Anothers" speak, it's in this weird double voice that makes them exceedingly difficult to listen to. Plus they speak so closely to human nuances that the whole point of the anime is thrown off.
*Art: Although the art style is a bit different from typical stuff, the way flying characters just hover with no movement to hair and no realistic movement bothers me. It also bothers me that when ... a character is looking "thoughtful," they just stare. There is no soul in ANY of the characters' eyes.
*Story: I like the idea. Dude has an ability that allows him to communicate with spirits, but they're not friendly ghosts (except that most love him anyway). He helps people by communicating where they can't, and has a tie to them thanks to an ancestor whom everyone mistakes him for. Sound familiar? It's already been done, and done SO much better!
*Character: So the Ears of Sand main character can hear "Anothers." You have a former host, an androgynous scientist, a tech guy? with no personality, and a whole slew of one dimensional single shot characters. I suppose if the anime stretched multiple seasons they might get development like in Natsume, but as it stands they're awful. Then there's the fact that the "Anothers" are supposed to be so far removed from human understanding that we just can't get along, but by the end of the first few episodes the main character has an Another cat living with him and acting like a cat as well as a supposedly terrifying trickster god from Aztec culture.
*Enjoyment: None. I kept waiting for it to pick a theme that wasn't so heavy handed, but it's really all there is.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by AnimeObasan (51)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

~EYES~

by GonXalo

45 Entries · 31 Restacks

A female-targeted anime with a male protagonist

by RobertBobert

48 Entries · 79 Restacks

Anime that translators & interpreters may relate to

by mircalla_6

7 Entries · 35 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for June

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for June Week 1: June 2 - 8 Anime Releases Aria the Origination (incl. Aria the OVA: Arietta and Aria the Avve...read more

Jun 2, 2020 8:32 AM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (5 comments)

Spring 2019 Simulcast List [Update 4/28]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of anime acquired for simulcast release during the Spring 2019 season. Anime series licensed for home video rel...read more

Apr 2, 2019 10:31 AM by Snow | Discuss (77 comments)

	Poll: Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin Episode 12 Discussion Stark700 - Jun 23, 2019	42 replies	by shrimpfan92 »» Oct 3, 6:51 PM
	Why is this so obscure and underrated? KanekiKen523 - Jul 2, 2022	5 replies	by aoixneko »» Jul 19, 11:12 PM
	Poll: Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin Episode 9 Discussion Stark700 - Jun 2, 2019	31 replies	by Dimah85 »» Oct 5, 2021 10:56 AM
	Poll: Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin Episode 5 Discussion Stark700 - May 5, 2019	29 replies	by Strikefreedom117 »» Jun 23, 2020 4:13 AM
	Poll: Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin Episode 11 Discussion Stark700 - Jun 16, 2019	28 replies	by Unkrowned »» Nov 29, 2019 2:58 PM

In Numbers: The Best and Worst Anime of Spring 2019

Scores, members, favorites — everything you need to know about who won and lost Spring 2019.

by Shymander

73,893 views