Mysterious Disappearances (AKA Kaii to Otome to Kamikakushi) is a 2024 anime based on the manga by Nujima. It’s a unique anime following Sumireko Ogawa, a 30-year-old published author. She loves mysteries and all things occult. After Sumireko encounters a magic book that turns her into a child again, she will need help from her weird younger coworker, Ren, to get back to normal. Sumireko wanders who Ren really is and how he knows so much about the supernatural. Please join me for a brief review of Mysterious Disappearances.
Story
Score: 6/10
Mostly, the story is about Sumireko and Ren getting involved in supernatural mysteries. The overarching plot is the mystery of Ren and his sister Oto. I think it was brilliant to have a main character who is an adult with artistic passions. In my opinion, the plot concept is solid, with a lot of room for interesting mysteries. There are several mystery arcs within the story lasting a couple of episodes each. Some arcs were better than others, as one would expect from any anime.
I would probably give the story category 7/10 if not for a few small issues. The transitions between story arcs are not very smooth. Also, the world-building wasn’t great. The narrative also has a strong emphasis on sexuality and sexual jokes, which can get annoying at times. It can also get gross when the sexual lens is applied to Oto, a preteen child. Because of problems like that, the best score I can give for story is 6/10.
Visuals
Score: 7/10
The peculiar art style was one of the most distinct elements of this anime. I don’t always love heavily stylized anime, but in this case, the art was appealing to me. Mysterious Disappearances features some fan-service and focuses heavily on Sumireko’s bodacious body. I don’t have a problem with this because she’s an adult and a fictional character who can’t be hurt by thirsting. I find big women very attractive, even in 2D, so I appreciated the “service.”
In general, the visuals do a good job creating the creepy, urban atmosphere of the series. The colors in this anime are often distinct and neon. It helps with the supernatural, otherworldly feel. The character designs are excellent. I especially love Sumireko’s appearance and sense of fashion. The creatures and spirits that occasionally appear look a bit bizarre but also cool. The best example would be the cat girl, Suzu. All in all, the visuals were good.
Audio
Score: 8/10
The songs and sounds were great in Mysterious Disappearances. The composers were Yukio Kondou and Kayou Konishi. Though perfectly adequate, the instrumental music didn’t leave much of an impression on me. However, the songs were different. The opening song was “Hazard Symbol” by Yuyu and the ending was “Akaku Somete Shinzou” (“Dye My Heart Red”) by Nonoka Oobuchi. I enjoy both songs immensely. Both have interesting female singers and memorable melodies. I prefer the ending slightly since I like the jazzy, swingy vibes.
The voice-acting was further proof that Mysterious Disappearances deserves a high score for audio. Fairouz Ai is a relatively fresh new seiyuu, but she’s already experienced from big roles like Jolyn Kujo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Part 6) and Power (Chainsaw Man). I loved her as Sumireko Ogawa. It was also a treat to hear Daiki Yamashita as Ren Adashino. He is most famous for voicing Midoriya/Deku in My Hero Academia. A few other notable VAs appeared here and there, including Yui Horie and Rie Takahashi. With talent like this, Mysterious Disappearances sounds amazing!
Characters
Score: 7/10
This show did relatively well with its characters. Sumireko is an extremely unusual main character for an anime, which for me is a big win. I like variety. The industry is dominated by male leads, and most are teenagers. Sumireko, on the other hand, is a 30-year-old woman. She’s also easy for me to relate to due to her nerdiness and laidback attitude. I have a lot in common with Sumireko, so the character truly appealed to me.
Ren was a decent secondary main character as well, though I wish he didn’t talk like a horny 40-year-old man. He’s a responsible and caring young man at heart, but his goofiness and sexual attraction to Sumireko was often the center of attention. It made Ren annoying. Ren’s sister Oto was an uncomfortable character due to her weird jealousy over her brother. Despite not liking half the main characters, I found some of the supporting characters interesting. I think 7/10 is a fair score for characters.
Personal Enjoyment
Score: 6/10
My enjoyment may seem low, but there were definitely still some elements of Mysterious Disappearances that I loved. The main issue that kept me from getting more enjoyment was the incessant sexualization of characters. All the characters talk like horny old men. Despite these issues, there were still at least three solidly good points to enjoy about Mysterious Disappearances. I’ll go over them now.
First, the character of Sumireko was great. I love her attitude most of the time and I love how there’s a main anime character in my demographic. (I’m nonbinary, but very straight-passing, so I look like a woman.) Secondly, I absolutely loved the 8th episode where Sumireko visits a mysterious and magical bookstore. That episode was so good! I even wrote an article about it: Sumireko’s Formative Experience.
Thirdly and finally, I enjoyed the mystery with Yorumun the VTuber character. I’ve never before seen a series do a horror/mystery where a VTube character comes to life. It was interesting how she got to meet “the person inside,” Mikamo. I loved the moment where Yorumun kissed Mikamo, even if it was pretty much just fanservice. I thought it was a sweet way to wrap up those two characters.
Overall Score
Score: 6.8/10.0 “Fine”
The overall score is the average of the five scores for the categories previously discussed. Most of the anime I watch and review falls somewhere in the 7s or 8s, but Mysterious Disappearances isn’t that great overall. I do think it deserves some attention, however, from people who like adult female characters, unusual visual styles, and occult/supernatural events in an atmospheric urban setting. That’s all for today, so Sayonara until next time!
~Thanks for reading~
Written by 7Mononoke at Anime Rants
Anime Rants 
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