This Monster Wants To Eat Me now gives us a new mystery for Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie”. This time, it’s a mystery revolving around Hinako’s best friend: Miko Yashiro. And based on the events of this episode, the plot twist is that she is definitely not who she appears to be.

This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie”: Details in Brief

This Monster Wants To Eat Me NA key art
The drama and horror now reaches Miko too.

This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie” is the fourth episode (you can read my review of Ep. 1 (and others) and Ep. 2-3 here) of this supernatural dark urban fantasy and horror yuri anime series. Said anime is the anime adaptation of the manga of the same name by Sai Naekawa.

Studio Lings (Tachibanakan to Lie Angle, Yuri is My Job!) is the animation studio behind this anime. Naoyuki Kuzuya is the chief director of the anime, with Yūsuke Suzuki as the director, Mitsutaka Hirota as the writer, and Keiji Inai as the composer.

Synopsis

I do believe that Hinako is about to get some more trauma.

Alas, This Monster Wants To Eat Me is an ongoing anime. In fact, Ep. 4 only just made its debut on October 23, 2025 exclusively on Crunchyroll. So for all those who haven’t seen this anime yet, here’s the synopsis for Ep. 4 directly from Crunchyroll below:

“Unexpected revelations happen when Miko stumbles upon Shiori in the middle of a kill.”

This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie”: The Good

This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 "An Ephemeral Tie" end card illustration by Harutsugu Nadaka
An interesting twist to an established character is always a good thing. End card illustration by Harutsugu Nadaka.

It’s pretty clear that the story of This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie” is the best part of this episode. Specifically in regards to Miko Yashiro (voiced by Fairouz Ai (JP)). The revelation in this episode that she is most definitely not who she appears to be throws everything about her relationship with Hinako (voiced by Reina Ueda (JP)) into doubt. Given that we now know that Miko is some sort of three-tailed kitsune, it seriously raises the question of whether Miko has the same intentions towards Hinako as Shiori (voiced by Yui Ishikawa (JP)), i.e. she wants to eat Hinako as well.

If Miko does want to devour her too, then she is going about it in a way just as odd as Shiori. Befriending your prey over a period of years and protecting her from any danger seems to me like it’s going above and beyond wanting to simply eat her at her peak the way Shiori professes to want to do. It makes me seriously doubt if Miko actually wants to eat Hinako, even from the start. Was Miko just simply trying to blend in with humans in order to live more or less peacefully among them? Is her friendship/romance with Hinako genuine then? Alas, all these are just speculations for now until we get to see what actually happens in the next episode.

But before we get there, we have to talk about the superb animation from Studio Lings. We see that quality in both the light and fluffy scenes in things like the delicious-looking cake, and then in the horror like the aftermath of Shiori’s kill and the reveal of Miko’s true form. All those combine to form an absolutely delicious yuri-ful episode that portends some ominous and dramatic things in the next.

This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie”: The Bad

This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 "An Ephemeral Tie" screenshot 1
Whether it’s good or bad for Miko and Hinako remains to be seen though.

Alas, my only complaint here is that This Monster Wants To Eat Me Ep. 4 “An Ephemeral Tie” ended on a cliffhanger. It’s an almost literal cliffhanger too given that Hinako and Shiori are cornered at the end of a dock with steep cliff-like sides. It’s really making me hunger for the next episode of this soggy yuri anime.

Aside from that though, if you’re looking for an action-packed episode, this ain’t it. This entire episode is basically the build-up to the action that will likely be in the next episode, and is thus more of a slice of life comedy and drama show. Especially at the end where the anime delves more into Miko’s past with Hinako. If you want action, then you might want to check out Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Kaiju No. 8, DDDD, DAN DA DAN, Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online II, Zenshu, Blue Box, Solo Leveling, Black Butler, Nyaight of the Living Cat, May I Ask for One Final Thing?, and/or Spy x Family. Alternately, if you want more slow-paced anime, then you might want to watch Senpai is an Otokonoko, Apocalypse Hotel, Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, and/or My Dress-Up Darling.

What did you think of this week’s episode of This Monster Wants To Eat Me? Tell us your thoughts in the comments section below.

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