“My Oni Girl” (Suki demo Kirai na Amanojaku) is a new anime fantasy film now streaming on Netflix. It revolves around a shy and reserved high school student who meets an oni girl and decides to help her find her mother. The film paints an endearing coming-of-age journey of these young kids, who learn to grow out of their fears and insecurities. It is a heartfelt, imaginative, and colorful film. Written by Tomotaka Shibayama & Yuko Kakihara, it combines fantastical elements of similar anime from recent times, like Makoto Shinkai’s “Suzume.”
Spoilers Ahead
My Oni Girl (Suki demo Kirai na Amanojaku, 2024) Plot Summary & Movie Synopsis
Directed by Tomotaka Shibayama, “My Oni Girl” is a Japanese-language animated fantasy film that follows a high school student who helps an oni (demon) girl on her quest in the human world to find her mother. The story explores the differences in their personalities and how their mutual journey changes them for the better. Miyu Tomita and Kensho Ono lend their voice to the central characters.
What happens in ‘My Oni Girl’?
“My Oni Girl” opens with an introduction to its lead character, Yatsuse Hiiragi. He is a first-year high school student, a daydreamer, and a people pleaser. Since he struggles to refuse any request, his classmates often take advantage of him. We see him willingly offer his homework for others to copy. He can’t say no to the gym-cleaning responsibilities that his peers force him to do. Later, a female classmate asks him to join her for a local fair. She wants him to come as her boyfriend. But by the end of it, she realizes that her friends don’t believe she and Hiiragi are a couple.
The girl thinks Hiiragi couldn’t pretend well because he has never had a girlfriend. He gets hurt by her words but doesn’t respond to her. On his way home, he notices a bus stopped on the road. A girl was delaying other passengers’ further journey. So, Hiiragi suddenly thinks he should go help her. Instead of accepting his help, she decides to walk out. But right after, this girl, Tsumugi, asks him if she can stay at his place for the night. He agrees. Hiiragi’s family doesn’t mind that either. His mother prepares a meal for everyone, and they enjoy it together.
Hiiragi’s Family Life
At night, Hiiragi’s father tells him about a personal tutor he has assigned for Hiiragi’s studies. The father doesn’t ask Hiiragi about his wishes and forces this onto him. So, Hiiragi gets upset since he wants to attend a summer camp. But he fears to talk back to his father. Tsumugi notices that. Later that night, while he is studying, a creature appears in his room and scares him.
Tsumugi senses this and rushes to help him. She notices that his room is freezing. Inside, she notices Hiiragi caught in the creature’s arms. Tsumugi rescues Hiiragi and tells him to run out with her. Soon after, he notices a horn on her face. Tsumugi explains it is there because she is an oni. Hiiragi notices the horn because he is leaking some tense mini-onis due to his fears. It means he is slowly turning into an oni.
Tsumugi & Hiiragi’s Journey
Tsumugi explains that she left her hidden village to find her mother, who ran away when she was little. Hiiragi returns a Goodluck charm she left in his room. He recalls seeing it at a shrine. So, Tsumugi asks him to guide her to the same shrine because she doesn’t know her way around the human world. After a bit of thought, he agrees to help her. She reveals that she was born an oni. Along the way, she decides to hitchhike. A couple, Ryuji and Mio, offer them a ride in their van. They are going to sell their old clothes.
While they work, Tsumugi notices Ryuji and Mio avoiding eye contact and being distant. So, Tsumugi confronts Mio and asks her to share the truth. Mio reveals that Ryuji is her older brother. Right after, he tells Ryuji some things she had been hiding from him out of fear. While that happens, snow starts falling in the town. Hiiragi notices the creature from his room – a snow god attacking Tsumugi. So, he runs to protect her. Unfortunately, the creature hurts Tsumugi. Hiiragi finds her lying in the middle of the woods. He carries her to a nearby hotel and asks for help.
Hiiragi’s Help
Hiiragi doesn’t have any money to offer for Tsumugi’s medication or their stay. So, he requests the proprietor to offer his assistance in exchange. The proprietor allows it. Subsequently, Hiiragi works on any chore expected of him. A few days later, Tsumugi wakes up from her deep sleep. Hiiragi calls his family to tell them that he is fine. His father learns about his present location. But by the time he reaches the hotel, Hiiragi leaves with recovered Tsumugi. Soon after, the kids find a café and meet its owner. He offers them cups of herbal tea and talks about his years of travel with his late wife. It inspires them to explore more in their lives.
Shortly after, Hiiragi and Tsumugi leave the café for their further journey. She shares her wish to return to her father after her quest. Tsumugi also wants Hiiragi to be honest with his father about what he wants. To relieve his stress, she gives him the Goodluck charm. After escaping another capture from the snow god, Tsumugi finds her father, Izuru, at the shrine. Izuru knows something about her mother but doesn’t tell her. So, she gets upset and runs away. Hiiragi follows her. He wants her to give her father another chance. But it turns into an argument, and they part ways.
My Oni Girl (Suki demo Kirai na Amanojaku, 2024) Movie Ending Explained:
After Hiiragi and Tsumugi part ways, Hiiragi’s father notices Hiiragi. But before they can meet, Hiiragi suddenly disappears. Tsumugi reconnects with her father to learn that snow gods have come into the human world. Then, they hear about Hiiragi’s disappearance and concede that the snow god captured Hiiragi. Meanwhile, the snow god flies away. Once Hiiragi gets out of the snow god’s body, he develops a horn similar to Tsumugi. Other oni beings notice Hiiragi and take him to their elders. Meanwhile, on his way to find Hiiragi, Izuru gets locked behind bars. So, Tsumugi goes to find Hiiragi alone.
An old, female oni tells Hiiragi why they want to protect their hidden village stay hidden. Tsumugi decides to take the necessary steps to protect the oni beings. Hiiragi realizes that Tsumugi plans to go to Oni island. But Tsumugi locks Hiiragi inside a pantry for his protection. After she leaves, Hiiragi starts calling for help. By then, Izuru had escaped from his slammer. He hears Hiiragi’s passionate plea to help Tsumugi’s quest. Izuru realizes Hiiragi’s earnest intentions and brings him outside. Other oni beings offer him help and protection.
Does Tsumugi find her mother?
The onis help Hiiragi find Tsumugi. While they drive through the snow, Tsumugi walks through a strange land against the formidable force of snow gods. Through a mystifying structure, she walks toward a house. Inside, she finds a mask and touches it. Right after, she enters a magical realist realm that brings back her memories. She recalls the responsibility laid upon her mother’s shoulders. In that in-between world, Tsumugi sees her mother after years of distance. Through their conversation, she realizes that she shouldn’t have burdened herself with negative emotions.
Tsumugi also acknowledges how helpful Hiiragi had been in her journey. He never made her feel alone as she often felt before. So, she appreciates his selfless support. While she stays back with her parents, Hiiragi walks out of their hidden world to find his father. He returns home to his family and learns to grow out of his fears, thanks to Tsumugi’s good luck charm. Later on, they meet each other in the human world and confess their feelings for one another.
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