“My Oni Girl” Available on Netflix in 2024, is Fair but Not Outstanding

“My Oni Girl” (Japanese title: 好きでも嫌いなあまのじゃく), an animated film produced by STUDIO COLORIDO, is now available on Netflix. STUDIO COLORIDO has a collaboration agreement with Netflix, and their previous work was the somewhat unique “Drifting Home.” This film premiered in Japan on May 24 and is now exclusively available on Netflix worldwide.

“My Oni Girl” Movie Details

• Duration: The movie is listed as 114 minutes on Wikipedia, but in our region on Netflix, it shows as 1 hour 44 minutes, approximately 104 minutes.
• Director: Tomotaka Shibayama, a former Ghibli animator, known for “A Whisker Away” (泣きたい私は猫をかぶる).
• Opening Song: The OP “噓じゃない” and the insert song “Blues in the Closet” are performed by ZUTOMAYO, with vocals by ACAね. The MV version is already released and sounds great.
• Main Voice Actors: Kensho Ono and Miyu Tomita, who has seen a sharp rise in popularity in recent years.
• Ratings: On MyAnimeList, the film has a rating of 7.04, while on IMDb, it has a rating of 6.1. This suggests that the film appeals more to anime enthusiasts but has a somewhat rough portrayal of the oni (demon) characters.

Story Synopsis

The story follows Hiiragi, a high school student who always tries to please others to avoid being disliked. One summer, he fails to fulfill someone’s request and encounters Tsumugi, an oni girl searching for her mother. Unlike Hiiragi, Tsumugi does whatever she wants without caring about others’ opinions.

Review

The film falls into the recent trend of modern Japanese fantasy, similar to “Your Name,” featuring popular elements like trains, train stations, summer festivals, students, small towns, villages, fireworks, and shrines. The production quality is visibly high, with both dynamic and static scenes well-executed.

The story is typical: an ordinary, kind-hearted boy meets a magical girl, and they embark on an adventure. The film includes elements of Japanese warmth and occasional meddling. While the adventure and action parts are well done, they are not outstanding, and the pacing is a bit slow but acceptable.

Character Development

Hiiragi, the protagonist, learns to prioritize his feelings and express himself honestly through his interactions with Tsumugi. The journey in the first half, where the main characters meet various supporting characters, is quite enjoyable, despite some forced elements. The overall atmosphere is decent, thanks to the excellent production quality.

Issues

However, the story starts to lose control in the latter half when they enter the oni village. The portrayal of oni is weak, and the story lacks originality and depth. While the production quality remains high, the overall execution is incomplete, reducing the film’s overall appeal.

Conclusion

“My Oni Girl” is a visually well-made film with a complete character arc for the protagonist, but the overall execution falls short, making it less engaging. Despite its shortcomings, it is worth a watch, especially for anime enthusiasts.

Final Thoughts

The film is fair but not outstanding. If you have a Netflix subscription, it’s worth checking out to form your own opinion. The production quality is commendable, but the story and character development could have been better.

“My Oni Girl” Poster