Review: My Undead Yokai Girlfriend (2024, Prime)

I’d been doing a little reading on East Asian cultures recently, and what do you know? Amazon Prime just debuted this eight-episode Japanese series, which fit the bill neatly. I’ll try to avoid spoilers in my review, because I want you to dive right in and watch this. It’s a lot of fun.

First, let’s discuss the title. Mythology and folklore don’t usually oblige us with neat categories and scientific definitions. From my reading, “yokai” is something of a category title for various supernatural entities, and might be considered a very broad category. Looks like ghosts would fit under the term “yokai.” However there is nothing in this series that indicates that the titular girlfriend is “undead.” Well, other than the title. Perhaps it’s a poor translation or interpretation. (The Japanese title is Boku no Itoshii Youkai Girlfriend, which translates as My Dear Monster Girlfriend.)

Go ahead and translate this.

In fact, Princess Izuna-imiki is a kitsune, a fox-girl. How do I know that? Well, there are a couple of instances in the show where someone refers to her as a fox-girl. Also, I’ve seen a translation of the theme song. It’s very explicit there, along with references to a couple of notable legends about specific fox-girls. But that’s about as far as it goes. You won’t see fox ears or a tail (or nine) in this series.

Anyway, let’s get into specifics. Tadashi “Hachi” Inukai (played by Hayato Sano) is a nerdy college student in modern-day Kyoto. He’s likable enough, although a little over-the-top when it comes to things like comedic reaction shots. He and his best friend Tanuki are social outcasts. They’re taking a course in folklore, and they’re on an e-sports team. Wow.

Hachi is lonely, and as a result falls prey to an online catfishing prank — leading to even more ridicule from his peers than he already endures. His tormenters also refer to him as “Wetty,” because he perspires heavily when nervous (especially his palms). Well, as he later describes it, he hits rock-bottom. He’s lonely and miserable and tries casting a spell to “summon” a girlfriend. Nothing happens and so he assumes the spell was a failure.

First impressions are important.

Except while he’s walking on campus the next day he’s literally knocked off his feet by the appearance of a beautiful goth chick materializing in a puff of purple smoke.

They’re all princesses, aren’t they?

See? Hachi’s spell worked after all, summoning “Izzy” (as he’ll end up calling her). Izzy is played by Ai Yoshikawa. Although hampered by the limitations of her character, the actress manages to do a really good job of emoting. There are absolutely zero instances where you might be knocked out of the story by a sub-par moment. In fact, kudos to the whole cast.

Aren’t they a cute couple?

So it’s a little tough to proceed without spoilers. I mean sure, it’s called Yokai Girlfriend, but I’ve already revealed a number of things you don’t start out the first episode knowing.

Betcha wish I’d explain what’s happening here.

Suffice it to say that yes, Izzy becomes Hachi’s girlfriend. But there’s a whole lot that happens in those eight episodes. Swordfights, magic, bad guys, murder and mystery. The social shenanigans you’d expect from college students. Comedic hijinks and misunderstandings. Loyalty and betrayal. There’s even a cast member who I remember from another series, Japan’s long-running police show Aibou.

I am so totally not going to give you any hint what this is about!

What am I saying, that this is a brilliant, perfect show? Wasn’t there anything that I found a little iffy? Oh, you know me too well. Fine. Not always, but sometimes, the comedy got a little too over-the-top for my taste. Sue me. What else? I thought there were a couple of times where I was trying to trace the plot and finally ended up just shrugging. So could’ve been a little clearer in places.

Goth girl cleans up nice.

Due to my spoiler-free resolution I can’t go much further than expressing my occasional frustration when characters suffer from miscommunication. Seems to me that often characters rush off without really getting things straight first. Yes, I understand that the writers are using this as grist for their plot mill; I still find it frustrating.

So this is a romantic college-age comedy, with mythology and drama and magic and adventure and mystery. It’s in Japanese (duh) with subtitles. Eight episodes, about half an hour each. It’s clever and fun and you should watch it. Fortunately they’ve deliberately set it up so that there could easily be a second season. I hope that comes to pass.