English Dub Review: Dekin no Mogura: The Earthbound Mole “Trigger”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Magi’s younger brother is disturbed to discover his friend’s family doting on an old child’s doll.

1. Our Take:
   The ghost-busting gang has gained an unexpected spiritual ally in the form of a red panda.  Unfortunately, despite the power it possesses, the red panda is put to the side for the crew’s latest spirit-hunting endeavor.  This week’s episode continues where the previous one left off, with Mogura experiencing a little family reunion between Magi and his younger brother, Umiharu.  However, the brothers were far from good terms with each other, as Umiharu tends to be innocently ignorant with his poor choice of words, though they do share the ability to see spirits.
   Because of this ability, Umiharu encounters the ghost of a child while visiting his friend, Mia, and her family, who seemed to be a bit too affectionate with their creepy-as-hell doll.  Unsurprisingly, the doll happens to be cursed by the ghost child, who’s later revealed to be Mia’s older sister, Mya, who died in an accident when she was young, leaving her parents devastated.  Although it’s understandable for a parent to feel distraught over a child’s death, seeing that Mia’s parents were saddened that they lost Mya’s “pretty face” makes them look pathetic compared to others.  The problem arises further when Mya’s spirit vows revenge against Mia’s uncle for making her sister’s life miserable.
   “Trigger” may not have triggered my current mindset towards the series in a lukewarm light, but with the characters encountering the pretty yet vicious spirit, that could change later on.  The reason is the arc’s introduction to the siblings, notably Magi’s brother and Mia’s sister.  The strained relationship between the Magi brothers didn’t seem to provide much progress in their development yet.  However, the sisters’ dilemma provided a slight boost in the mini-arc’s narrative regarding Mia’s self-esteem and jealousy towards Mya’s beauty, hence her attempts to appear sexy through her photos.  With the show lacking much hilarity and interest in its humor and plot, the sibling dynamics could be what it needs to inject my interest in its concept.