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In Episode 5, we learn more about Hinako and Miko’s relationship, their past, and the truth behind Miko’s identity. I also want to talk about the “nine-tailed fox,” one of the most famous yokai in Japanese folklore. From the perspective of a Japanese viewer, I’ll break down the cultural background behind the episode while revisiting Episode 5 of This Monster Wants to Eat Me.
This Monster Wants to Eat Me Episode 5 review
Episode 5 opens with a flashback between Hinako and Miko. Shortly after the accident—before Hinako’s injuries had fully healed—Miko appears to walk her to elementary school. In this scene, we also learn that Hinako has an aunt. Despite believing Miko had always been her friend, Hinako begins to worry that maybe Miko was never truly her friend to begin with.
Meanwhile, the battle between Miko in her fox-yokai form and Shiori continues as they fight over Hinako. Hinako runs toward them to stop the battle, which interrupts the fight—but she injures her hand in the process. The moment Miko sees Hinako’s blood, her predatory instincts surge uncontrollably. To suppress this impulse, she forces herself to revert from her fox form back into a human.
Miko tells Hinako, “I have to protect you—for Daichi, Yuri, and Mutsuki too.” Those names belong to Hinako’s parents and older brother, who were killed in the accident. Miko was actually the goddess known as Okitsune-sama, enshrined at the small wayside shrine the family visited to pray for a safe trip. However, despite their prayers, the family still ended up in a fatal accident, with Hinako as the sole survivor.
Because Hinako was the only one who lived, Shiori tells Miko that she must not have had any divine power at all. Worried that Miko’s predatory urges make her dangerous, Shiori tries to kill her. Hinako stops her. Even if Miko had been hiding her fox-yokai nature all this time, she had always supported Hinako—that much was true. Hinako tells Miko that, in that case, they can call each other friends.
Just when it seems like their friendship is about to be reaffirmed, Miko transforms back into her fox form. She opens her mouth toward Hinako—about to eat her—and the episode jumps into the ending.
After the ending, we get a bonus segment. The topic this time is how yokai change their appearance. Hinako asks Shiori why she chose her current form. Shiori replies that this form is popular with people of all ages. She even offers to change if Hinako wants her to, and asks what form Hinako would prefer. Hinako says the current appearance is fine—mainly because the transformation process into another form was far too grotesque for her to watch.
Thoughts & Analysis
Episode 5 was surprising because of the reveal about Miko’s true nature. Back in Episode 2, Miko was eating a “kitsune udon–flavored ice cream,” which now seems like intentional foreshadowing that she was a fox yokai. Kitsune udon is a noodle dish topped with fried tofu, and in Japanese folklore, foxes are said to love fried tofu.
Related: “This Monster Wants to Eat Me” Episode 2 Summary & Analysis
Among Japanese yokai, the nine-tailed fox is especially famous. If you count carefully, Miko actually has six tails. In Japanese mythology, the more tails a fox yokai has, the higher its rank. With six tails, Miko isn’t at the level of a full nine-tailed fox, but she’s still quite powerful. If you look closely at Miko’s fox form, she’s quite thin—implying she hasn’t eaten humans at all. Despite her appearance, her gentle “It’s not safe, stay there” when speaking to Hinako really reflects her inner kindness.
There’s a scene where Miko receives an onigiri from a little girl. The rice ball is round, which is an important detail. Modern onigiri are often triangular and wrapped with seaweed, but historically, round-shaped rice balls were the norm. Seaweed used to be expensive, so older-style onigiri usually didn’t have it—just like the one shown in the episode. It only appears for a moment, but it’s a nice touch that accurately reflects the historical background.
Interestingly, in Volume 3 of the manga, this same onigiri is drawn as a triangular one—so that difference is worth noting too.
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