How to keep a mummy

Episode 12

How to keep a mummy is a show that does one thing really well: perfectly portraying the cute critters at the center of the story. When it goes beyond that appeal, it falters. The first ten minutes of this episode had a completely different mood than I've come to expect from this cutesy, low-key, slice of supernatural life. But after that tonal shift subsides, “Always Together” is as heart-meltingly adorable as I could ask for, with the entire ensemble cast sharing a good time together. This is where the show shines, not in worldbuilding or action/adventure. The ordinary life of these adorably captivating characters is plenty interesting to watch.

In this episode, Sora has to put his life on the line for Mii-kun. He climbs a slippery cliff beside a waterfall and gets in a scuffle with a thieving rare animal collector. When the collector suggests that Sora is only trying to retrieve Mii-kun for the money, an enraged Sora retorts, “Mii-kun is my precious family!” Sora is no action hero and it's weird to see him play one. If the purpose of this action sequence is to show that Sora would risk his life for Mii-kun, we already know he would. (Heck, I might even undergo physical harm for Mii-kun.) This arc sets up Sora's abandonment issues stemming from his dad's long departure,and his subsequent refusal to make plans too far in the future just in case his friends abandon him too, but it's hard to see why losing Mii-kun to a cartoonish villain flips this switch in his brain.

The whole thing wraps up when the Land God hosting the festival decides to give the collector a butt-kicking. This begs the question, if the Land God has omnipotent power over the whole mountain, wouldn't he have known exactly where the collector was the whole time and caught him trespassing long before he had a chance to even kidnap Mii-kun? (Of course, it's dangerous to ask questions like this about an anime that relies on supernatural aspects, or the whole thing will unravel like Mii-kun's wrappings.) Another uncomfortable moment occurs when the Land God prescribes “100 lashes and burning,” and it's not a joke. I get that the collector is not a good guy, but are they really going to light him on fire?

After that, I'm able to forget about the scent of burning flesh presumably wafting offscreen because the tone switches right back to cute antics with magical animals. The Land God has conveniently gifted our protagonist with everything he needs to create a mini-festival for the pets. Later, as a newly secure Sora shares his intention to celebrate every summer with his friends forever, and the ensemble cast lists activities they'd love to participate in, I'm sad for the first time that How to keep a mummy is ending here. If it didn't turn into an action adventure, but instead a highlight reel of the cast visiting the beach, going camping, perhaps even a hot springs episode, I'd be totally into that. The last scene, where Sora and Mii-kun eat breakfast together and do laundry, it's the perfect level of activity for this healing show.

How to keep a mummy ends on a sunny and hopeful note. The characters are clearly going to live happily ever after, owners and pets alike. The pets may be fictional, but the moments these human characters share with their companions are so genuinely warm that it almost feels real. I didn't always like the direction the show took, but it still contained some of the cutest moments of the winter anime season.

Rating: B

How to keep a mummy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.