Migi & Dali

Episode 5

This episode of Migi & Dali leans heavily into absurdity, balancing between aghast guffaws and twisted shock. It also asks the audience to accept several outlandish leaps of logic to orchestrate its big reveals.

The episode opens with a dinner party at the Ichijō home celebrating Hitori's recent test results. That's the cover story, but the truth is Eiji caught a glimpse of the button the boys wear around their necks. This culminates in an accusation of theft after Eiji successfully backs Migi into a corner. The only way to ensure the twins' identities remain a secret is to fess up to stealing it. Of course, neither Migi nor Dali stole the button; it's a keepsake from their mother that they found in her clutched hand at the time of her death. However, this confirms that the button originated from Eiji's childhood pajamas, and it's very likely their mother and the boys lived in the Ichijō home before her death.

We've known that things in Origon Village are strange, and there's a not-so-subtle commentary that these are wealthy people who can indulge in this weirdness due to money and social expectations. That's the only reason I can muster up after we watch Migi get strip-searched at dinner for a button in front of his doting, albeit bungling parents. The narrative twist we're expected to accept is that his parents would allow the Ichijōs to take custody of Hitori to instill proper values in him over the theft of a button.

Presumably, the Ichijos know that the button is connected to the death of Migi and Dali's mother. Or they just like torturing kids. Migi is kept in a hidden room inside the pantry, stripped down to his underwear, and fed dog food by Eiji to coerce a confession. Later, he's shown infantized, which is, I don't know, a lot? It's hard to gauge if the staff were going for a sort of "what-the-fuck" silly sort of deal or if this is supposed to invoke paraphilic infantilism. It was a little hard to watch Migi break down when he realized he was in the same room he lived in with his mother, just for Ichijō matriarch to step in and put a bottle in his mouth. Her comments suggest she's fulfilling something for herself in all of this.

Migi is characterized as the less emotionally stalwart of the twins, so it was impressive to see him hold his own even though he's literally being held captive. This also allows Dali to forge a new alliance with Micchan when she arrives to clean the Ichijo house. Micchan is a messy, nosy bitch, and I love her for it. The pair make short work of snooping throughout the house and discovering a hidden diorama of the entire neighborhood with matching dolls.

There aren't enough pieces to make solid conjecturers about the Ichijō family outside of being weird and abusive and their definitive involvement in Migi & Dali's early life. The twins are in over the heads. They likely always were, but they're too young to know that. The series continues to be an adequately animated mystery, but its biggest boon is being unlike anything else by a wide margin. Its tone will likely alienate some viewers, who will find it just too odd, but its one of my favorites this season, warts and all.

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Migi & Dali is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.