Mayonaka no Occult Koumuin (Midnight Occult Civil Servants) follows Miyako Arata who has been assigned to the Shinjuku Ward Office's Nighttime Regional Relations Department. These departments have been established to mitigate the supernatural and occult events happening in the 23 wards throughout Japan. Soon, Arata discovers that he may have a connection to the Heian era exorcist, Abe no Seimei.
The manga this show was adapted from was written by mangaka Youko Tamotsu and was produced by Liden Films, who are known for their production of other shows such as The Heroic Tale of Arslan, Miss Monochrome: The Animation, and Berserk.
Based on the reviews posted by viewers on Crunchyroll and MyAnimeList, the show was well received overall. However, the writing art were criticized as being flat or stale.
Upon watching the show myself, I have to say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. The art style didn't bother me all that much and, in my opinion, it was better than a lot of anime that get released. I will admit the the writing is flat, and so makes the characters themselves seem flat.
That being said, in spite of the writing, what really got me about this show was the myriad of mythology that was embedded in every episode. As a lover of mythology from all parts of the world, it was refreshing to see an anime so explicit in its usage of these mythological characters and creatures. The way these entities have embedded themselves in the world is interesting in and of itself.
Overall, I will rate this show a 7.5/10. Even though I liked the premise of the show and the mythological references the show contains, the writing is subpar and the characters feel lifeless and stale. So, watch it if you're a lover of myths and legends, but not if you're looking for a fantastic story or intriguing characters.
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