#ghosts analysis

The farmer’s ghost

We find back the Godmother in her retirement in the countryside, but even as she flees from the city she can’t escape the ghosts. But this time we have yet again another “positive” ghost, a farmer friend of hers she knew back then. He first manifests under a perfectly normal appearance, until someone points out the Godmother is speaking to empty air, at which point he reveals his ghostly nature - but not by turning into a distorted monster. Rather by just growing a white aura around him (which proves he is a “good” ghost, unlike the dark auras of the negative ghots) and by having his eyes and mouth filled with pure darkness. 

However this ghost doesn’t mind in the least being spotted - in fact he actively talks with the Godmother and seeks her help, asking her for one last favor to help his grieving family, after which he disappears. This is the first time since Miko’s father that we actually see a ghost have full, complex sentences and be able to hold a conversation with someone - and it is no surprise that those two were positive, benevolent ghosts. It seems the more ready to leave this Earth or the more benevolent the spirit is, the more they stay like their human self (unlike the monstrous, one-word repeating, corrupted evil ghosts - though this should be nuanced. As we saw with the ghost of the old lady’s husband, some ghosts can still look creepy and repeating one word over and over again, while still being benevolent spirits ready to leave this Earth. Maybe the longer a spirit stays in the world of the living the more “worn out” it becomes, resulting in the loss of speech and a degradation of the physical appearance? 

The theater ghost

This ghost haunts a cinema-theater. At first Miko just thinks he is a rude man that stands in the middle of the audience as the movie begins... until long slimy tendrils pop out of his head, each one with an eyeball on top. And when he finally shows his face, it is to reveal it is warped with numerous enormous crying/slimy eyes. This ghost turns out to be an “obsessive” ghost - but not as “serious” as other ghosts we saw before. His main obsession is apparently to hunt down audience members who try to record movies illegally. He manifests at the beginning of the movie’s screening, his eyes look around for potential culprit, and when he finds someone all of his eyes are stuck on this person, repeating “FOUND YOU - If you are found recording this movie, you will be taken to hell and back” (basically mixing together the official announcement of the theater’s staff and creepy religious afterlife threats), over and over again. 

We also get to see what the ghost does to the person it “found” illegally filming the movie. At first, when it gets close to them, it manages to make their phone battery die (aka, breaking the recording device - again we see the idea of ghosts being able to mess with electricity and technology), and then it stalks the person... and just causes it a nasty headache. Nothing more than we see of.

But this is further proof that the ghosts of the Mieruko-chan world can actually influence the health of the living. We already knew they could feed off people’s bright auras and strong life-force (such as in the case of Hana), and we knew that some evil ghosts could cause weak or small lifeforms to easily fall sick or die (Zen’s mother had such a corrupting influence all the cats he brought hom die). But now we also see that an angry ghost can literally just cause you a headache by putting its hand on your shoulder or standing next to you for too long. 

As an additional point, I’d like to highlight that the eyes are a big and recurring motif in the manga. The same way there is a whole aesthetic centered around the mouth and eating when it comes to the ghosts, eyes are also very prominent. The two main “ghostly features” are twisted/broken mouths, and monstrous eyes (either bloated, blood-shot or completely missing). This ghost is the epitomy of “eye horror”, and of course it all ties up to the very concept of the manga : Miko can see ghosts, the same way the ghosts can see her, but she has to not let them understand she can see them - because actively seeing them can be a death sentence. (Plus there is also the whole thing about how normal people can’t see anything and are blind to the supernatural world ; while the “ghost-viewers” have different levels of powers, resulting in some weak mediums seeing just small ghosts while someone as strong as Miko can see ALL the ghosts). 

The two-headed ghost

Oh boy... another one of the most nightmarish entities of this world. This ghost is seen randomly walking in the street. It is a chimera-like ghost, a great mix of limbs and heads and body parts - and we know that those types of ghosts are very powerful and dangerous, as they often tend to be the fusion or amalgamation of various spirits (such as the cannibal ghost, or the ghost from the tunnel). This ghost is noticeable for having two heads, as if it was two people fused in one - one head is female, wearing a mask, the other is male. We do not get to see the male head, as it is facing backwards, and the rest of the ghost’s body seems to be female: it has an incredible number of female legs wearing high-heels, its tattered dress is covered in worn-out bras... In fact, the male head seems to be almost tied up to the woman, as we see her twisted body is wrapped up in ropes. Other disturbing parts of the ghost include her fingers, which are not really fingers but very long and very thin... things out of a Salad Fingers nightmare.

And the mask. The mask she wears. When she does remove it, it is to reveal a stretching mouth from which a grotesque baby-like creature gets out like some sort of horrible worm. Now the overall design feels a lot like the ghost of a woman stuck in something tied to female abuse or bad female relationships... I mean you’ve got a female ghost wearing symbols of feminity (high heel shoes or bras) but in a very wrong and disturbing way (the bras are worn outside a tattered dress, the shoes are on many feet that keep scrambling everywhere), while being bound to a faceless, immobile “man” that seems to be more of a burden than anything. I am getting some strong Silent Hill vibes here, there is a disturbing eroticism, an underlying abusive comment: is it the ghost of an abused woman? The second head inside her mouth, the baby-like worm, is even more disturbing : it makes a full “family” by having a woman, a man and a baby, stuck together in one grotesque spirit... Is it a ghost born from the destruction of an entire family? Did the woman killed her husband and child and now wears them on her spirit? Or was the woman killed by an abusive husband she managed to “absorb” back in her? And the child-like spirits... it gets out of her mouth. Was she pregnant, is it the disturbed ghost of her baby? Or is it someting else entirely? Is she a prostitute with an unwanted baby and the man that forced her into selling her body, or the victim of a rape? The overall imagery is very distressing and evokes all sorts of images and ideas of family abuse, death of pregnant women, sexual abuse and other feminicide. 

Some also evoked this ghost’s similarity to the famous Kuchisake-onna, the slit-mouthed woman, as a female evil spirit, related to the beauty of women as perceived by men, embodying a male/female conflict, and hiding behind her mask an horrible mouth (the long fingers maybe even evoking the huge scissors the Kuchisake is supposed to have). Given the Kuchisake onna’s story is one of a murderous jealous husband and of an unfaithful wife, it does feed into everything I said above.

The cashier ghost

This ghost haunts the Dawson’s convenience shop and has quite a freaky appearance - the distortion of proportions manifesting notably in very long hands and a very long neck (usually, in Japan, whenever something has a long neck, it is bad news). We see yet again new variations of the ghostly facial distortions (uneven eyes, no nose, lips torn to reveal the jaw structure). Interestingly the hair defies gravity by spreading around the ghost’s head like a dark halo.

The ghost stays next to the actual cashier of the convenience store, and has itself a cashier uniform (there is even a name tag where we see a bit of its original name). The ghost notably keeps acting like a regular cashier, asking the clients for the money of their purchase - BUT it actually asks for prices that do not correspond to the actual ones, a hint that the ghost comes from a much different time period than today. This ghost also proves that some of the dead spirits will simply repeat their usual existence or jobs again and again - it was previously hinted with ghosts who were dominated by the main obsessions and drives of their life (such as the lustful woman ghost haunting the man she was in love with), but here we see that a job can be enough of an “anchor” for the ghost to haunt its workplace or repeat its usual tasks again and again after death. 

We also see very clearly here the fact that ghosts usually are surrounded by a black aura. Before we had seen something looking like black goo, ink-like blood-like, dripping and floating around the ghosts - but here we can see it can take more of a smoky shape. 

Now, here is the really interesting part... With this ghost, we have the confirmation that the designs of those entities were not just thrown randomly around by the mangaka. There is a signification and a meaning, that you only get if you know about Japanese culture or history. The interpretation I will present you with actually comes from the TV Tropes and Idioms website, so I thank them because else I would have never know that. Here it is: you might notice that the ghost has several holes in the throat. Of course a ghost with holes in the body evokes someone who died through gunshot (an impression reinforced by how the face looks like torn or beaten up, designed to evoke something violent). That, coupled with the difference of price between what Miko actually buys and what the ghost asks, has led to some people theorizing that the ghost died in the 90s, back when Japan was under a heavy economic recession and knew an increase in crime rates. So basically, this ghost is probably the one of a previous cashier who was robbed - and the theft turned wrong, probably with the thief killing the cashier. 

The garbage ghost

Apparently, a ghost Miko sees regularly (every morning) in the trash area in front of her house, is a disturbing male ghost - a deformed torso with a distorted smile and empty eyes, covered in spotted/splotches marks, and whose body is wrapped in some sort of black plastic ; surrounded by two limbs that stick out of garbage bags around him/it. 

I think what the visual means to evoke here is pretty clear: someone who was murdered, dismembered and whose body parts were hidden in garbage bags to be incinerated discreetly. This ghost allows us to conclude that quiet a lot of the ghosts in Mieruko-chan’s world seem to become ghosts due to their violent death (which is a true element of real-life ghost folklore). There was the cashier ghost mentionned previously, maybe the victim of a robbery, and two possible suicides as well (the crooked-neck ghost and the obsessive “I love you” ghost, who possibly drowned herself). Clearly violent death and earthly obsessions/attachments are two keys to become a ghost. And similarly the first ghost we ever saw had its torso ripped open, also indicating a violent death. 

The horse ghost (plus the SPOILERS ghost)

Two ghosts for the price of one... BIG SPOILERS ALERT for the first major twist of the manga.

The first ghost is the most disturbing one, the horse-ghost. A creature with a horse-like body, but human traits forced onto it (human hands instead of hooves ; a human face instead of a horse’s). In fact we can clearly see the mish-mash of the two bodies at the level of the ears: there are horse ears right behind the human ears (and they are not even aligned). Once again we find facial deformations that we have previously seen with other ghosts (such as the enormous, bulging out eyes, or the very long teeth). The animalistic traits aren’t just in the appearance but also in the behavior: this ghost only repeats the words other people say, like a parrot, and he is mostly obsessed about food - licking Miko’s breakfast and going crazy about her pudding. So... what is this thing? The ghost of a horse? (After all we know that cats can have ghosts). But then why are there human traits? Is it a devolved human ghost? Or maybe a mix of a horse and a man in one ghost? (More about the mix of ghosts later). 

I also thought about the “yokai” theory I brought up with the little old men, because a lot of yokais in Japanese folklore are basically animals with a human face (like those dogs or fishes with human faces) - though I could not find any yokai that is a horse with a human face. 

As for the second ghosts (SPOILERS ALERT) but it is Miko’s own dad. 

And this ghost... leaves us with a LOT of questions. What does this ghost proves? It proves that some ghosts can appear as regular people, normal people with no creepiness or difformities, and that they can act like regular people to the point of being mistaken for one (even making full, complex sentences). This does bring the question: why then are other ghosts deformed like that? Is it because they are of a different nature ; or is it a question of perception? As in Miko perceives her dad’s ghost as normal being she is connected to him and he also is connected to her, and they had a loving relationship, while she sees the other ghosts as monstrous because she has no link whatsoever with them. 

There is also the fact that the dad’ ghost is surrounded by little spheres of white light/a white aura, very similar to the ghosts of the cats seen around the “thug-like” man. It might hint at the fact that there are rather two types of ghosts - negative and positive ones. However the question of perception is also brought up upon realizing that the dad’s ghost seems to have a good relationship (or neutral one) with the horse-ghost. The horse-ghost is constantly wrapped around or near the dad’s ghost ; the dad ghost is aware of the horse ghost presence but does not have any horror or hostility towards it ; and he just berates it as if it was a pet or another normal-looking creature when the horse tries to have the pudding Miko offered to her dad. 

Given we do not see the dad again, it is safe to assume that Miko’s offering and prayers to her dad, to settle the “pudding fight”, were enough for him to move on, having settled his last unfinished business... or maybe he is still around watching over his family, like the ghosts of the two cats (and of the deceased wife) around the “thuggish man”. 

And it occurs to me that we will probably never find out his name at all. There just might never be a canon answer to this one. 

Sitcoms are full of permanently teased and withheld information, and if that running gag goes on long enough, any reveal would be disappointing. The glorious not-knowing is the joy, because the answer could be anything. 

Like, think about all those hinted-at stories that sitcoms never explore. What on earth happened on that fateful fishing trip with Uncle Bryn in Gavin & Stacey? Just what is the ‘special stuff’ that causes all those nosebleeds in League of Gentlemen? Why was the money resting in Father Ted’s account? 

Or how about the trope of the invisible character – named but unseen. We never actually get to meet Maris in Frasier. Or the formidable Mrs Mainwaring in Dad’s Army. Or Beverley Macker in The Royle Family – yet just the mention of her name will cause conflict between Dave and Denise. Marsha’s hellcat daughter Amber in Spaced only streaks across the screen ever so briefly. (“Stop walking in front of the telly, your tights are strobing” is still one of my favourite line deliveries in anything.) The ridiculous mythology just builds and builds over time, until no human actor could do this impossible character justice. They can’t be revealed. That’s the joke.

I’m not talking about ‘stuff we don’t know’. (I have so many questions about Fleabag’s backstory!) I mean missing information that’s regularly dangled in front of the audience as ‘stuff we are deliberately not telling you.’ It’s all about the tease. It’s kind of like a MacGuffin, in that the question is fascinating but the answer is not really the point. Why would any competent comedy writer chuck away a rewarding recurring gag? Especially if that gag is a lovely part of the show’s world?

So for that reason, I bet he will always be just the Captain, at least until the very end. I know there’s a lot of theories about him hiding behind his military identity and how shedding that is part of his character growth, etc. The emotional and dramatic DNA of this show is so genuine, so heartfelt, that it’s easy to forget that – and I mean this with all the love in the world, Cap – it’s a sitcom. But the Idiots know what they’re doing and I reckon they’re going to string out this joke as long as possible. If that means we get to hypothesise about his name ad infinitum – what a gift.

Can all the ghosts see themselves in mirrors, then? And the living can’t see the reflections just as they can’t see the ghosts? (S’pose that makes it easier for filming, one less thing to CGI out.)

What does this mean for the Captain mirror theory? Is his relationship with mirrors/reflections not as special as we had theorised? I still love the idea that Cap might show up in mirrors the way Fanny does in photos, but that seems increasingly unlikely to be canon, because you’d think Mike would have mentioned it by now.

In conclusion: it’s 2.30am and I’m still pondering how fictional ghosts might interact with mirrors. Good day to you, sir.

Super-niche but never mind. I was watching ASMR to help me sleep and then I got the idea to write this, so damn you insomnia, you win again. Headcanon daftness coming up.

LADY B: Instinctively revolted by the whole concept of ASMR, finds it cringey and most indecent. Disapproves of most of the content creators - “A LADY does not expose herself to the world that way!” - and male ASMRtists make her come over all peculiar. Will grudgingly accept 1. old school towel-folding tutorials and 2. this specific GentleWhispering one about dining etiquette and which fork to use when. 

KITTY: Adores any of kind of personal attention role play, satisfying her craving for connection and intimacy. Loves close-up smiling and eye contact - she finds the illusion of being seen rather delicious after centuries of invisibility. Forms intense attachments to her favourite creators and considers them true friends. She watches to calm down and relax, does not actually experience euphoric paresthesia (lovely brain tingles).

CAPTAIN: Claims that as a man of action, all that relaxation nonsense is of no interest to him. Actually finds lots of the sensory triggers unbearably irritating and like Fanny he is unnerved that some of it is apparently a bit sexy. Then he discovers male-voiced informational videos, is shocked to find he gets intense tingles (“good lord”) and is enthralled. Cue three-hour marathons of TheFrenchWhisperer murmuring deeply about the history of Roman warfare.* 

ROBIN: Really is a man of action, can’t be bothered with sitting down to watch it. However he quite enjoys mukbang ASMR, not so much for the eating noises but because he appreciates the beautiful sight of a huge spread of food. Especially if it’s bum and chips.

MARY: We’ve all seen her reaction to Rice Krispies, “They sounds like tiny people!” She’s definitely into tapping and crinkling sounds. Also likes cooking videos, especially those cute ones where people make miniature food using dolls house utensils. 

JULIAN: Initially interested because of the pretty ladies, quickly becomes bored when he realises they’re not going to take their tops off. His interest is briefly piqued when Robin mentions he can show him videos of people eating bum, but these turn out not to be as stimulating as Julian had hoped.

THOMAS: Initially interested because of the pretty ladies, quickly becomes fascinated and a bit obsessive. Like Kitty, he finds ASMR helps him to feel less lonely, and he forms intense crushes on his faves. It’s lucky he can’t type because he would write embarrassing odes to his favourite creators in the comments and get quietly blocked by everyone.

HUMPHREY: Mesmerised by visual stimuli such as finger fluttering and hand movements. (Imagine getting scalp tingles if all you are is a head. Wow.)

PAT: There’s evidence ASMR doesn’t appeal so much to extroverts, and Pat is a bit too gregarious to really get it. However, we all know he enjoys a good TED Talk and is a persistent joiner-inner. So he might ask to sit next to Cap while he watches his informational videos. He would be permitted to do this as long as he kept his lips zipped. Cap feels vulnerable when he’s experiencing tingles - it’s a slight loss of control - so the fact that he’d allow Pat to join him is proof of their close intimacy.

PLAGUE VILLAGERS: Unboxing videos. They are pretty chill themselves (wouldn’t we all feel soothed by Nigel offering us a calming glass of milk) and wish they could make their own videos describing how to fix the old boiler. But even if they could show up on a recording, it would have to be voiceover-only because their faces are distinctly un-relaxing to behold. Jemima knows lots of playground tracing rhymes but unfortunately has an unerring ability to make them creepy. Poor Jemima.

No! I’ve had enough! I’m going to the shed to drink a Watneys. I’m not.