My Oni Girl is an anime fantasy film directed by Tomotaka Shibayama, now streaming on Netflix.
The story follows Yatsuse Hiiragi, a first-year high school student who cannot refuse requests, striving to be liked by everyone around him, yet perpetually failing and friendless.
His life takes a mystical turn one summer day when, amidst an unseasonal snowfall, he encounters Tsumugi, a demon girl on a quest to find her mother in the human world.
Warning: This article contains heavy spoilers
Plot summary
In the tranquil setting of a quaint Japanese town, we meet Hiiragi Yatsuse, a first-year high school student who is as agreeable as they come.
Hiiragi is the type of person who simply cannot refuse requests, driven by an almost pathological desire to be liked and accepted by his peers.
Yet, despite his best efforts, he is perennially unlucky and friendless.
His world, characterized by his tireless yet fruitless attempts to please others, is upended one summer day when, quite inexplicably, it begins to snow.
On his way to school, the unseasonal snowfall piques Hiiragi’s curiosity, but his day proceeds with the same routine of mishaps and unnoticed efforts to fit in.
One evening, an act of kindness marks a turning point in his mundane existence.
Hiiragi helps a girl, Tsumugi, trying to pay for her bus ticket, a seemingly simple gesture that leads to an unexpected friendship.
As they walk together and Tsumugi joins Hiiragi for dinner, an unforeseen storm forces her to stay the night.
That evening, familial tensions flare as Hiiragi argues with his father, who insists that he leave school to pursue private tutoring.
In a fit of anger, Hiiragi retreats to his room, and it is then that mysterious wisps of white smoke begin to emanate from his body.
An astral demonic figure materializes, attacking him, but Tsumugi intervenes just in time.
She reveals that they must flee, and in their escape, a startling truth comes to light: Tsumugi is an oni, a demon from Japanese folklore, hailing from an oni settlement known as the Hidden Village.
Tsumugi’s quest is deeply personal — she is searching for her mother, who vanished when Tsumugi was just a child.
As another plume of white smoke escapes Hiiragi, Tsumugi identifies them as mini oni, tiny demons that leak from individuals who suppress their emotions.
In a moment of shared recognition, Hiiragi realizes that the locket Tsumugi wears is from the Hie shrine, the very place where her mother promised to go when she left.
Despite his initial reluctance, Hiiragi agrees to help her on her journey.
Their odyssey is fraught with challenges.
Along the way, Tsumugi educates Hiiragi on the nature of oni — how the more like an oni one becomes, the more visible oni are to them, and how repressed emotions can transform humans into oni over time.
Their trek takes them to a series of encounters that test their resolve and friendship.
They are given a lift by siblings Ryuji and Mio, who are mobile vendors.
Despite Tsumugi’s impatience to move on, Hiiragi insists on helping the siblings out of gratitude.
In a heartwarming yet harrowing sequence, Tsumugi detects mini oni emanating from Mio.
Through a candid conversation, the siblings unburden themselves, leading to another inexplicable snowfall.
Hiiragi spots two monstrous figures akin to the one that attacked him, realizing that these creatures are responsible for the snow.
The ensuing attack leaves Tsumugi unconscious by a stream, and Hiiragi carries her to a nearby hot-springs inn, where he works to earn their stay until she recovers.
Tsumugi’s dreams are haunted by memories of her mother, but she eventually awakens.
Meanwhile, Hiiragi contacts his mother, assuring her of his safety.
Their journey resumes, but not without confrontation — Hiiragi’s father tracks him to the inn, but they evade him.
Ending explained:
Snow gods
As they progress, an artwork in a café catches Tsumugi’s eye, depicting the Hidden Village.
She recounts a legend about the snow gods that conceal the village under perpetual snow.
Tsumugi is sure that the creatures that attacked them are the same gods.
However, she did not know that they ate oni.
The kind café owner treats them to tea and gifts them an umbrella for their travels.
A promise is extracted from Hiiragi — to confront his father and express his true feelings once their journey concludes.
Another attack by a snow god forces a hasty retreat, but they finally reach the Hie shrine, where surprisingly, Tsumugi’s father awaits.
He shatters her hopes, revealing that her mother is not there and withholding further information.
An argument ensues between Hiiragi and Tsumugi, leading to a torrent of mini oni from Hiiragi, which attracts a snow god.
Hiiragi’s fate
As fate would have it, Hiiragi’s father arrives, just in time to witness his son being consumed by the snow god.
Inside the creature, Hiiragi experiences a surreal vision of Tsumugi’s mother and, through sheer will, vanquishes the god, falling into the Hidden Village in the process.
Here, he discovers that he now bears a horn — he has become an oni.
Tsumugi and her father, alerted by the village’s residents, make their way to Hiiragi.
Finding Oni island
In a pivotal moment, the village chief reveals the existence of a hidden island within the village, home to a sacred mask that controls the snow gods.
Destroying the mask would end the snow gods’ reign but also expose the village.
Tsumugi is determined to save her people, even at the cost of their secrecy.
She locks Hiiragi in a pantry to prevent him from following her, but her plan is foiled when he expresses his newfound resolve over the village’s intercom system.
The villagers rally to his cause.
Reunions
Separated by another attack, Tsumugi reaches the island and the shrine, only to be pulled into an astral realm upon touching the mask.
There, she relives her mother’s sacrifice, who put on the mask years ago and vanished inside the shrine to appease the gods.
She also understands that her mother’s decision to let go of her captivity out of loneliness and despair led to the snow gods’ wrath.
Tsumugi’s resolve crystallizes as she sees her mother’s memories.
She awakens to find Hiiragi by her side, returned to human form.
Her mother, now free, brings an end to the snowfall and the gods’ attacks.
The journey culminates in Hiiragi’s return home.
He reconciles with his father, forging genuine friendships and building a healthier life.
In a touching epilogue, Hiiragi and Tsumugi reunite.
He returns her locket, and as Tsumugi finally opens up about her feelings, the screen fades to black, leaving their future shimmering with promise.
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