English Dub Review: Dekin no Mogura: The Earthbound Mole “The Mystery of the Mad Dog and the Red Panda”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Magi’s workplace becomes infested with spirits.

Our Take:
The show’s introduction to the Nekozuku exorcists wasn’t exactly as unique as other anime involving these ghost chasers.  Although I would admit their giant cat spirits were a nice touch, even if they weren’t enough to inject some excitement into its premise.  With this week’s episode, we get an actual taste of the Nekozukus’ capabilities compared to Mogura when the remaining spirits Shio left behind are invading the store where Magi works.  That would be the case if they actually have a lot to do.  However, what they’re dealing with is not just any other spirit they encountered previously.
Instead, it’s an animal spirit that seems to be a lot difficult to handle compared to human spirits, though Nagizuko’s cat familiar is quite an expert on finding hidden ghosts like the animal ones.
The animal spirit, in particular, is a red panda that passed away at a zoo before residing in Magi’s workplace.  The red panda also happens to be Yaeko’s favorite animal, which makes sense given its adorable nature; another reason is that it resembles Magi.  Fortunately, despite the red panda’s paralysis and levitation skills, the spirit grew fond of Magi and decided to bond with him instead of Yaeko.  Additionally, the episode reveals that Shio, the least favorite ally of the crew so far, may be a lot stronger than what we assumed, as she’s part of a bodybuilder family, which explains how she’s able to lift the store’s gate.  Unfortunately, her bodybuilding essence is also what drew the spirits to her.
While the episode provided some development for this “Considerate Mad Dog”, it didn’t immensely improve Shio’s likability regarding the show’s mediocre humor.  As for the overall plot, “The Mystery of the Mad Dog and the Red Panda” struggled to solve its own mystery as to why it isn’t as amusing as it intended to be.  But, at the very least, Magi gained himself a ghostly animal ally, which he might need to help his little brother with revering dolls.