Miko is a normal high school girl who has found her life turned upside down by the sudden ability to see spirits. Despite being terrified by what she sees, she does her best to not acknowledge the spirits so they leave her alone.
Horror and comedy is hard to do, and I respect the shit out of them for trying. If you are looking for more anime recommendations like Mieruko-chan, then head on down below.
Anime Like Mieruko-chan
For Fans of Horror Comedies
Dorohedoro
Hole is a disorderly district where death and mutilation are common. The residents of Hole are the dregs of society and the test subjects of the magic users that live separate from it. Residents are constantly tested on or just murdered by these mages. In Hole is Kaiman, a man with a head cursed to be that of a lizard, but with an immunity to magic. He spends his time set on hunting down these magic users in one small bit of justice for the people that live in Hole.
Both series are horror comedies that do this neat thing where they make horrific situations seem normal and even comical. Aside from that, they run quite different plots, but often they hook you with their lovable characters.
Sankarea
After his cat gets run over, Chihiro is convinced that he can make a potion to resurrect him. On his task to do so, he meets a wealthy girl from his school who comes to an abandon spot to yell in a well about her troubles every day. The two bond and she encourages him to continue his resurrection potion creation. Eventually, he succeeds after adding poisonous hydrangea leaves. Sanka, however, doesn’t know it has worked, and decided to kill herself with what should be a poisonous potion. Suddenly, Chihiro has a beautiful zombie on his hands.
Like Mieruko-chan is a horror slice of life sort of comedy, Sankarea is a horror romance where things teeter between cute and somewhat worrying. Both series also, strangely enough, struggle to go anywhere with plot so it ends up just being a lot of slice of life moments.
Dusk Maiden of Amnesia
For 60 years, the Seikyou Private Academy has been haunted by a ghost known as Yuuko, a young woman that died in the basement. With no memory of her life, the ghost founds the Paranormal Investigation Club to find answers.
Most obviously, Mieruko-chan and Dusk Maiden of Amnesia are about ghosts and the main character being haunted by them. However, while Mieruko-chan covers horrific and terrifying ghosts, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia has a ghost that is cute and occasionally helpful.
For Fans of People Who Can See Spirits
Natsume’s Book of Friends
For as long as he can remember, Takashi Natsume has been chased by spirits, but recently he discovered that the reason was because his deceased grandmother had passed on to him her “Book of Friends,” a book containing all the spirits she had brought under her control. Now Natsume realizes that these spirits haunt him in hopes of gaining freedom. With few friends, no loving home, and constantly hunted by malicious spirits, Natsume looks for a place where he belongs.
Both series feature characters who can see spirits while the rest of the world cannot. While Mieruko-chan is about avoiding these scary spirits, Natsume’s Book of Friends features less terrifying creatures and a main character who helps them. They provide a similar delve into the spirit world, but a much different set up.
Ghost Hound
In the small village of Suiten, three boys with traumatic pasts learn how to let their souls travel in between the world they know and the mysterious Unseen World. The Unseen World is one of ghosts. However, the three boys aren’t the only things coming and going from this world. Ghosts are now also beginning to pass into the real world as well.
Both series are about characters interacting with the spirit world, but Ghost Hound follows a rather interesting plot. While Mieruko-chan doesn’t go very far with its plot, Ghost Hound gets pretty in-depth and keeps a fairly dark and melancholic tone.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
Hanako is said to be a ghost that occupies the third stall of the third floor girls’ bathroom in the old building. When summoned, she is said to grant any wish. Nene, an occult lover with dreams of romance, summons Hanako, only to find out that this traditionally girl ghost is a boy!
Much like Mieruko-chan, Toilet-Bound Hanako-chan is a show that combines somewhat scary ghosts with cute characters. Toilet-Bound Hanako-chan has a plot it explores and can be a little more action heavy, but it is quite the unique experience when it comes to ghost shows like Mieruko was.
Re-Kan
Hibiki Amami is a regular high school girl, except that she can see spirits. However, instead of being afraid, she often befriends these ghosts, helping them with their problems. In return, the ghosts often end up helping her do various tasks. While her friends accept that she has this power, Narumi Inoue, a girl terrified of ghosts, refuses to acknowledge it. However, even she, like Amami’s other friends, agree to help the ghosts with their issues too.
Re-Kan is Meiruko-chan, but more wholesome. Both anime follow girls that can see ghosts as well as having an element of trying to be willfully ignorant of them. Furthermore, both Meiruko-chan and Re-Kan often threaten to become ecchi, but never quite get graphic with it.
For Fans of Ecchi Horror
Gleipnir
One morning, Shuichi Kagaya woke up as a monster. Complete with brute strength, a strong sense of smell, and big fluffy paws, he struggles to hold onto his humanity. Soon he meets a sadistic girl named Claire Aoki by saving her life. She holds his secret over her head and forces him to help her look for her sister that has also turned into a monster.
If all that ecchi in Mieruko-chan, interjecting itself into the horror, was for you, then Gleipnir was probably for you too. Both shows take scary-adjacent premises and then put a lot of ecchi moments right in there to break up the atmosphere.
Rosario+Vampire
Due to his bad grades, Tsukune Aono was unable to get into any good high schools. However, at the last minute, he was accepted to Youkai Academy. Unfortunately for him, it is a high school for werewolves, vampires, and other monsters. With the help of a vampire and some other new girl friends that take a liking to him, Tsukune tries to hide his human status from his classmates.
Both of these series take scary situations, and make them humorous with jokes and lewd moments. However, Rosario+Vampire does take that further by being a harem show and occasionally having moments of action.
High School of the Dead
It happened suddenly. The dead rose and threw Japan into chaos. In the high school of Takashi Kimuro, the situation forced him to kill his bitten best friend and protect the man’s girlfriend, Rei. As they narrowly escape the school with a few others, they find the real survival just beginning.
If Mieruko-chan aroused your interest in horror anime with a decent bit of ecchi in it, then High School of the Dead will raise your mast up to even greater heights. There is no other anime series that mixes horror and sex like it does.
Do you have more anime recommendations like Mieruko-chan? Let fans know in the comments section below.
