Kensho Ono
Hiiragi Yatsuse (voice)
Overview
A shy teenage boy's inability to say no is tested when a headstrong girl drags him on a mystical journey amid summer snow to find her missing mom.
Cast
12 people
Reviews
6 min readThe Demon in the Details
I’ve seen this trick before. A shy, withdrawn teenager—let’s call him Hiiragi—meets a force of nature in human (or near-human) form. She drags him out of his shell, they bicker, they bond, and somewhere along the way, the world tilts just enough to let magic in.
It’s A Whisker Away meets Spirited Away with a dash of Suzume’s road-trip energy. The formula is comforting, familiar. But comfort isn’t the same as depth, and My Oni Girl, Tomotaka Shibayama’s first solo feature, spends most of its 112 minutes walking that line—sometimes gracefully, sometimes with all the subtlety of a teenager slamming a door.
The film opens with Hiiragi, a high schooler so averse to conflict that he’d rather agree to carry a stranger’s groceries than risk saying no. His voice, soft and hesitant, belongs to Kensho Ono, an actor usually heard in more assertive roles (Demon Slayer’s Zenitsu, Jujutsu Kaisen’s Yuji). Here, Ono’s performance is all swallowed words and nervous tics, the kind of vocal fry that makes you lean in just to catch what he’s not saying.
It’s a choice that works, until it doesn’t. Hiiragi’s passivity isn’t just a character trait; it’s a narrative anchor, and the film struggles to keep its momentum when its protagonist is so determinedly inert.
Enter Tsumugi, the titular oni girl, voiced by Miyu Tomita with a mix of ferocity and vulnerability that cuts through Hiiragi’s silence like a knife. She’s the kind of character who could carry a film on her own—impulsive, loud, unafraid to demand what she wants. When she bursts into Hiiragi’s life, dragging him into a quest to find her missing mother amid a surreal summer snowfall, the film finally finds its footing.
Their dynamic is the heart of My Oni Girl, a push-and-pull that’s equal parts buddy comedy and reluctant romance. But the film’s biggest flaw isn’t its pacing or its occasionally jumbled lore—it’s that it never quite decides what kind of story it wants to be.
Shibayama has said that My Oni Girl is a message to his younger self, a story about the fear of vulnerability and the cost of “reading the air”—the Japanese concept of conforming to unspoken social expectations. It’s a worthy theme, and one that resonates in a world where so many of us perform versions of ourselves online. But the film’s execution feels like it’s trying to juggle too many ideas at once.
Is this a coming-of-age story? A fantasy adventure? A meditation on loneliness?
The answer, frustratingly, is all of the above, and none of them fully.
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsBehind the Scenes of My Oni Girl: A Studio Colorido Fantasy with a Twist
My Oni Girl (2024) is the latest animated fantasy from Studio Colorido, blending supernatural intrigue with the emotional turbulence of high school life. Directed by Tomotaka Shibayama—known for his work on A Whisker Away—the film follows Hiiragi Yatsuse, a painfully shy teen whose world flips when he crosses paths with Tsumugi, an oni (demon) girl on a mission in the human realm. latestnetflix.com's view is that but beyond its vibrant visuals and folklore-inspired premise, what’s the story behind the film’s creation?
A Director’s Passion Project
Shibayama not only helmed My Oni Girl but also co-wrote the screenplay with Yuko Kakihara, a frequent collaborator whose credits include The Night Beyond the Tricornered Window. The film’s original Japanese title, Suki demo Kirai na Amanojaku (lit. "The Demon I Both Love and Hate"), hints at its central conflict: a push-and-pull dynamic between the leads, rooted in both affection and frustration 
. While the evidence doesn’t detail Shibayama’s personal connection to the story, his past films (A Whisker Away, Penguin Highway) often explore themes of identity and transformation—suggesting My Oni Girl may be another deeply personal work.
Casting the Oni and the Outcast
The voice cast is a mix of rising stars and industry veterans. Kensho Ono (Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen) voices Hiiragi, the introverted protagonist, while Miyu Tomita (The Rising of the Shield Hero, Horimiya) brings Tsumugi, the oni girl, to life. Their chemistry is likely pivotal, given the film’s focus on an unconventional bond 
.
Supporting roles include Noriko Hidaka (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Satsuki Yukino (Bleach), adding gravitas to the ensemble. Notably, Shintaro Asanuma (Durarara!!) voices Ryuji, a character whose role remains under wraps but is positioned as a key player in the human world’s side of the story . The lack of behind-the-scenes interviews or recording anecdotes leaves fans speculating about how the cast approached their roles—did Tomita improvise Tsumugi’s fiery personality, or did Ono lean into Hiiragi’s quiet intensity?
Studio Colorido’s Signature Style
Produced by Studio Colorido and Twin Engine, My Oni Girl continues the studio’s tradition of visually lush, emotionally driven animation. Known for films like Burn the Witch and A Whisker Away, Colorido often blends whimsical character designs with darker thematic undertones. The evidence doesn’t confirm specific animation techniques used in My Oni Girl, but the studio’s past work suggests a mix of hand-drawn fluidity and digital enhancements to bring the oni’s supernatural world to life .
One unanswered question: How much of the film’s folklore was adapted from traditional Japanese myths versus original creations? The oni archetype is well-trodden in anime, but Shibayama’s script may have added fresh twists—though the snippets don’t reveal specifics.
What’s Missing?
For all its potential, My Oni Girl’s behind-the-scenes coverage is surprisingly thin. There’s no word on:
- Production challenges: Did the pandemic or budget constraints impact the film’s development?
- Inspirations: Did Shibayama draw from specific myths, or was Tsumugi’s character entirely original?
- Reception: Early screenings or festival buzz aren’t mentioned in the available evidence.
Rumors (unconfirmed) suggest the film may have had a longer production cycle than expected, given Studio Colorido’s packed slate in recent years. But without official statements, this remains speculative.
The Bottom Line
My Oni Girl is shaping up to be a standout in Studio Colorido’s catalog—a fantasy adventure with heart, humor, and a dash of demonic mischief. With a strong voice cast and Shibayama’s proven track record, the film could resonate with fans of supernatural coming-of-age stories. But until more details emerge, the real magic of My Oni Girl remains in its mystery.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.