Mysterious Disappearances (Season One) – Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi

Sumireko Ogawa published her first book when she was just a child. Many years later, she still hasn’t been able to publish her second. Then, she came across a mysterious book that somehow transformed her into a little girl once more!

Mysterious Disappearances (Season One) – Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi

What did you watch?

When I was picking the shows I was planning on watching from the Spring 2024 lineup, this one jumped out at me because the synopsis mentioned “Sumireko Ogaya, a busty bookstore clerk, who wanted to become a novelist.” I wanted to know what relevance her being busty had to do with the story so I added it. I’m also a big fan of supernatural mystery stories such as Overside Picnic, Mieruko-chan, and Tsugumomo, so this seemed like it would be a perfect fit for me, busty bookstore clerk or not. Anyhow, I dived in determined to find out if Sumireko could become a novelist, busty or otherwise!

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What happened?

Sumireko Ogawa was considered a child prodigy when she published her first book as a child. Now, she’s twenty-eight years old and has been unable to follow up with her second book. As such, she works in a bookstore, hoping to find the spark that leads to her next novel. Her colleague, Ren Adashino claims to be her biggest fan and is determined to read her next book, however, he’s also got his eye on her despite her being a little bit older than him. One day, the owner of the bookstore brings a book to Sumireko that had been reverse shoplifted into their store. Sumireko took the book home. She read a passage from the book as she drank a can of beer to celebrate her birthday. Then, something strange happened. She was mysteriously transformed into a child once more.

After not showing up at work, Ren decided to go and check on her and found her in this new state. You’d think he would be shocked, but he knew exactly what had happened. You see, Ren is an expert in the occult and spends his time searching for strange objects that he trades at a mysterious secret train station in order to take his sister on a trip back to her home. He tells Sumireko that she needs to undo the transformation by reading another passage or her body with fall apart. Reluctantly, she agrees, but even after Ren has taken the book away, she is able to change her age at will because she memorised the passage. Sumireko has finally found the inspiration to write again and she’s not about to give it up. Maybe, it will come in useful as Ren investigates more mysterious occurrences.

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What did you think?

I watched this immediately after watching Kaiju No. 8 in twenty-four hours because I wanted something that I would take a little slower. I love a good supernatural mystery and this certainly seemed to be mysterious enough to warrant my attention. Well, I watched four episodes a night and ploughed my way straight through this one too. I loved this series enough that I’ve already ordered the first volume of the manga. There was a great mix of stories and mystical figures and objects from numerous cultures. I recognised many of them from my experience with other supernatural mysteries so that was exciting. I also really liked the main characters. The big twist was quite unexpected but also made a lot of sense, and the ending was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed this series and would recommend it to anyone who likes this sort of show.

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What was your favourite moment?

The part of the story that really made my skin crawl was when Ren’s little sister, Oto was sleeping at her teacher’s apartment. She heard the door knocking and when she looked there was no one there. However, by opening the door, she had made herself the target of a strange being that would make her disappear. Soon after, they learn that there is someone else looking for this mysterious invisible person. Shizuku Hayami’s friend had vanished not long after answering the door to find no one there. Ren and Sumireko tried to solve the mystery by cross-referencing myths and legends.

Eventually, they worked out that Shizuku’s friend had likely been killed by the spirit and was now searching for someone to replace her. Amazingly, Shizuku locked everyone else in a room and went out to face her old friend. She was prepared to die if it meant that the only person who ever cared for her would be able to pass on to the afterlife. It was an incredibly touching moment, but the scenes that came before sent shivers down my spine. It was brilliantly creepy.

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What was your least favourite moment?

I said that the ending was particularly good and the twist was also just as good, however, it could have done with a little more foreshadowing. Basically, we learned that Oto and her brother Ren had survived the atomic bomb attacks that ended World War 2 but died of starvation soon after. On her way to the afterlife, Oto got scared and somehow created a version of her brother, meaning that Ren was not her real brother. They then got stranded in the future, our present where the fake Ren attempted to get her back to where her real brother was waiting for her. Knowing that was the fate of many children in that era still haunts me, so this was quite a gut punch. There were small clues throughout, but I feel like they only really became apparent after the reveal.

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Who was your favourite character?

Sumireko was a great protagonist and her ability to adjust her age as she saw fit was a great skill. It allowed her to go into all sorts of different situations and environments without arousing suspicion which was perfect for solving these mysteries. I also loved that she was visited by a spirit that loved to read when she was a child. Hon-Hime had a supernatural bookstore full of everything you could ever read and she helped Sumireko realise how to express herself and then likely gave her the push to write her first book. I loved how this was pivotal for the ending as it was the fake Ren’s unfinished business – not having read Sumireko’s next book that allowed him to come back after he sacrificed himself to send Oto back. She also had great chemistry with Ren.

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Who was your least favourite character?

I’m not sure that I would single out anyone as my least favourite character. If anyone, I’d probably say Nodoka, Oto’s friend who wanted to be an idol but her parents were doctors and expected her to continue in their footsteps. Her story was fascinating though as it gave birth to a digital Tsukumogami which was a wonderful concept. I loved how it took these myths and legends that spanned different cultures and refined them to fit with a modern time.

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Would you like some more?

Well, I’ve already ordered volume one of the manga and plan on seeing where that leads me. I would definitely watch another season, although I wonder if it would have the same impact given how much I enjoyed the ending. Of course, I will always be on the lookout for more shows like this as there’s just something deliciously exciting about creepy stories that prey on our basic fears. Feel free to give me some recommendations for any similar shows in the comments.

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What have you learned?

I love it when a story takes an idea and adapts it for a modern audience. One of the best things about this concept is that it can be done over and over again as long as the take is new and interesting. I’ve seen it done with Shakespeare’s stories and many other classic works of fiction. How many Dracula retellings have there been? What about Frankenstein? I think you get the drift. Putting new spins on good stories doesn’t always result in a new good story, but it certainly can do.

If that’s not your thing, you can always try making one of your characters busty… It had absolutely no relevance to the story, but I’m not ashamed to say that it caught my eye and made me want to see what was going on. After all, the hardest thing is often getting people to try something new. Make them curious and it gets a little easier.

Series Information

English Title	Mysterious Disappearances
Japanese Title	Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi
Genres	Ecchi, Mystery, Supernatural

Anime

Season	Season One
Released	Spring 2024
Animation Studios	Zero-G
Episodes	12

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