English Dub Review: Midnight Occult Civil Servants “Old Coyote and the Garden of Falling Stars”

Chaos god is out on a stroll.

Overview:

Kohaku drags Miyako out on a walk.

Our Take:

This is a rather peaceful episode, even if not much happens plot-wise. It’s more of a slice of life than anything.

Miyako is confirmed to be a distant descendant of Seimei, something that should have probably been confirmed in an earlier episode, but okay, we figured that one out. We also realize that his ears of sand the bureau views as a double-edged sword, as Miyako seems to becoming more sympathetic to the plights of the Anothers. When you’re able to hear them and understand what they’re saying, their methods and problems aren’t just babble, but something that can be comprehended. In a dinner post last week’s incident, Miyako reveals that he felt sorry for both Azazel and the girl he tried to resurrect, seeing the incident as a tragedy.

This is an interesting tidbit, as this is an example of being told something and not shown it. Based off how Miyako reacted last week, I was under the impression that he was put off and terrified of the Anothers. He always seems reluctant and unhappy that he’s the unintentional bridge between worlds, acting more troubled and exasperated that he’s being forced into it. Sure, he doesn’t need to be giddy about it, but he always seems disgruntled. Sympathy isn’t something he’s been very good at putting across, but I guess now we have vocal confirmation that he does somewhat care.

Miyako this week is heckled by Kohaku into coming along on a walk, one which has unintended consequences. Since Kohaku is a disaster god, all the regular Anothers become frightened and agitated by his presence. Of course, Kohaku seems to not care, or is none the wiser. He wants to explore the city, and in doing so, runs into one of Seimei’s Yatagarasus. The Yatagarasu leads the group to Seimei’s private garden, which is partially hidden on a nearby bridge.

It’s a pretty low-key episode that’s mostly about Kohaku. Kohaku as we see, is still fairly fond of Seimei, as Seimei had given him a place to be. He is equally fond of Miyako for that very reason, as Miyako is his only living link to a man he once cared for. Kohaku dematerialized when nobody was there to make contact with him so Miyako is truly his only link to the living world. As much of a trickster figure as Kohaku is, it makes sense why he’d want to stick around.