The Morose Mononokean

Characters

Hanae Ashiya (芦屋 花繪, Ashiya Hanae)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji Ashiya is a high school student who was possessed by a fuzzy demon as he is starting his first day of high school which made him extremely ill. He enlists the help of Abeno to exorcise the demon but ends up working for Abeno to pay off his debt. A crybaby but kind-hearted boy, he seems to hold a mysterious power that has yet to be revealed in the manga series.

Haruitsuki Abeno (安倍 晴齋, Abeno Haruitsuki)

Voiced by: Tomoaki Maeno A first year high school student in the same class as Ashiya. He is the current owner of the Mononokean and rumors around the demon world state he killed the original owner Aoi, though this is false. He can open up two portals a day to the underworld to exorcise demons, but this severely drains him of energy. He is usually shown sleeping in class. He has blond hair and because of his maturity most people are surprised he is a first year high school student. He believes that helping demons is more important than helping humans, as demons are lonely in the Human world where very few humans can see them and because he believes if humans are in trouble they can receive help easily, unlike demons. He is stern and short tempered and a bit rude particularly towards Ashiya but shows a kinder personality as the series progresses. He is polite to his customers. He has begun to loosen up as he becomes friends with Ashiya.

Zenko Fujiwara (藤原 禅子, Fujiwara Zenko)

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki A 15-year-old girl with a poker face born and raised in a temple. She believed her father wouldn't let her inherit the temple because she was a girl but Ashiya helps her realize it wasn't that but because her father wanted her to have other options and not feel forced to take over the temple. While she initially couldn't see demons, after Yahiko bites her she is able to see him and Fuzzy but has a harder time seeing other demons. She is good friends with Ashiya, Abeno and Yahiko.

Fuzzy (モジャモジャ, Moja Moja)

A small adorable fluffy white demon with small stubby legs, three tails, and purple eyes. He is very affectionate towards Ashiya, having been noticed by him and inadvertently cursed him by clinging to him, causing Ashiya to feel nauseous and become gravely ill. He was lonely in the mundane world where no one could see him so was happy to have Ashiya notice him. He has also been shown to be affectionate towards Abeno. He has been shown to be intelligent and will defend his friends if they are harmed.

Yahiko (ヤヒコ)

Voiced by: Ikue Ōtani A fox demon who was Abeno's friend since eight years ago and who kidnapped with him so that they could play with him for three days. He bit Zenko to get Abeno's attention by threatening to burn her arm off but he apologized and now has to serve in her temple for a year as punishment (though he mostly lounges around and does nothing). He is very childish and can turn himself into the form of a small boy and also likes sweets and Abeno (and gets along with Zenko) but does not like Ashiya.

Koura (コウラ, Kōra)

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa Koura is the demon who runs the Kiyakudo medicine shop in the Underworld with her assistant Shizuku. She has a fascination with humans' body parts as she says she can make great medicine with them. She is also friends with Abeno (who is a regular customer) and the Legislator. She is also extremely kind and loyal to her assistant Shizuku who is in love with her.

Shizuku (シズク)

Voiced by: Chinami Hashimoto The Legislator's little sister and also Koura's assistant in the medicine shop Kiyakudo which is located the Underworld. She is practicing her magic so mostly appears human but retains her newts tail. She is also in love with her master Koura and is a loyal and hardworking employee.

The Legislator (立法, Rippō)

Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe Rippou is one of the three heads of the Underworld (the other two being Justice and the Executive). He sets the rules of the Underworld and is the only one who has the authority to give the Master of the Mononkean Abeno direct orders which he must follow. If a Master of the Mononokean fails to follow an order/rule set by the Legislator he forfeits his position. He was once described by Abeno as a chain-smoking, sex maniac with a gambling problem. Rippou is also Shizuku's older brother who is apparently in love with her. He carries out his duties from his home on Newt Lake.

Manga

Kiri Wazawa launched the series in Square Enix's Gangan Online magazine in September 2013. The series is published digitally in English by Crunchyroll Manga.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced by Square Enix on 11 February 2016. The series is directed by Akira Iwanaga and written by Takao Yoshioka, with animation by the studio Pierrot Plus. Yasuharu Takanashi is composing the music. Character designs for the anime are provided by Atsuko Kageyama. The opening theme song is "Tomodachi Meter" (トモダチメートル, "Friend Meter"), performed by the duo The Super Ball, while the ending theme is "Tobira no Mukō" (扉の向こう, "On the Other Side of the Door") by Tomoaki Maeno and Yūki Kaji.

The series premiered on 28 June 2016, and it is broadcast on AT-X, Tokyo MX, Yomiuri TV, Chukyo TV, and BS11.