Five children have been injured on the swings at Hanamugi Kindergarten this past week alone, some of them complaining about being pushed. And Kaya-chan always seems to be nearby…When it happens again, Kaya-chan shows her cards and stands guard in front of the swing, forbidding anyone else to have a turn. This is not the first time the stubborn girl has behaved meanly towards her classmates. In fact, it happens so often that the teachers assigned to her burn out in no time and are constantly having to be replaced. The latest victim is Chie-sensei, who tries to persuade Kaya-chan not to go around saying “no” to everyone all the time. That is, until she sees something when Kaya-chan gets on that swing: A giant monster not of this world, hungering to consume the children! She’s just imagining things, right? But when it happens again, this time with a stack of haunted books, Chie-sensei begins to realize that there’s something special about Kaya-chan… If only the girl would use her words and explain what on Earth (or out of it) is going on!
Action horror adventure set in a kindergarten, you say? Bring it on! Who knew such an odd mashup of genres could work so perfectly! Before seeing this, I would never have considered the phrase “wholesome horror” to be anything other than an oxymoron, but that’s basically what we’re getting with Kaya-chan. She’s the embodiment of innocent as a dove and wise as a serpent, and the gap between her understanding and her ability to articulate what she knows is utterly endearing, while her determination to press on and war against spiritual darkness even if it earns her rejection and reprimand (due to misunderstanding) is compelling. She’s a great little MC! In the running for Best Girl of the season, for sure, especially with that range of expressions! The animation is really lively, and manages to bring both the horror and the humor in equal measure; I found myself laughing out loud (like, actually), and cheering both for Kaya-chan and Chie-sensei when she finally got it. The two sides are balanced really well, especially visually. I haven’t spoiled it here, but there’s also a setup for a really deep emotional arc here in this episode, such that it strikes me that we could have something with the profundity and courageous storytelling of Takopi’s Original Sin here, albeit with less agony. The title is right: Kaya-chan isn’t scary; she’s my new hero! I can’t wait for the next episode!
Kaya-chan isn’t Scary is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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