When one thinks of mummies they likely imagine something scary/creepy and in the context of fiction dangerous and bad. For me the first thing that comes to mind is what youd see in something like The Mummy. This anime brings to light something that I doubt anyone has ever even considered: keeping a mummy as a pet. Or better yet a mummy being adorable overwhelmingly so. https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1021291413838770189/1062515667422683156/miikunvibe.gif While I dont hate or dislike SoL anime they arent usually at the top of my list when it comes to what I prioritize watching. As someone with ADHD slower more relaxed shows tend to be a challenge to keep me engaged. But this one had my attention from start to finish. It didnt have much of a story or interesting characters. But none of that mattered. This is the type of show you watch to heal your soul and unwind. And it did just that for me. Story/WorldBuilding As I mentioned before there isnt much of a story. The mummy Miikun gets introduced within the first few minutes. Then its basically just SoL centered around him and Sora and the rest of the cast as they get introduced across the anime. Okay theres a bit more to it than that. https://files.catbox.moe/eudhbd.gif One big theme throughout this show is how each of the characters have some sort of personal/internal problem. And for whatever reason they cross paths with a specific youkai or in Soras case a mummy that by sheer coincidence so happen to be the catalyst for the solution. I will admit on paper and thinking back on it this sounds pretty cheesy/cheap. Maybe it is. But the way it was executed was just perfect at least for me. There was a good flow and pacing to all this and it also didnt eat up the entire 12 episodes about half or so. https://files.catbox.moe/78u8m2.gif The show does quickly explain how supernatural beings exist all over the world and how Sora is somehow able to see them. And how his father who I guess is an adventurer/explorer of some sort often sends him gifts that turn out to be supernatural in one way or another. But nothing else really gets explained/explored beyond that. This didnt bother me too much but if youre one that needs to have a detailed explanation for everything that never happens. Characters While I didnt find the characters all that interesting they were still fine. A majority of the development went to Sora and his friend Tazuki. I liked their relationship and how it grew throughout the season. Its worth mentioning that there is absolutely no romance or even fanservice in this. So if youre one who wants any of that stuff then youll be disappointed. https://files.catbox.moe/9d9j5c.gif Dont let this scene fool you Sora later says he wants her to be his sister. The rest of the cast was alright but just didnt receive close to as much attention. Regardless I liked everyone. Especially Kaede. Apparently shes actually Soras aunt and not his sister. That blew my mind once I realized that. https://files.catbox.moe/dhwotj.gif Kaede choosing to sleep in the coffin Miikun came in gets me every time. Art/Animation I thought the art looked pretty good. Everyone had a distinct design and I just liked all the colors used. The art style felt strangely familiar to something else Ive seen before but I couldnt put my finger on what exactly. If someone knows of something similar please let me know. But yeah I didnt find any issues with how anything looked. I think my opinion would be the same with the animation. Everything looked good to me. 8bit gets a thumbs up from me. https://files.catbox.moe/krdkd2.gif In this anime there are a lot of interactions and scenes involving the various youkai and mummy. They dont actually ever talk but despite this they are able to perfectly encapsulate emotion through the use of various animations a common one being flowerlike shapes that spin around their heads. I think that this in tandem with the sound used for their voices was just excellent. I also dont think Ive ever seen this done before in an anime either so it was interesting to see. Audio/OST I loved the OP and ED for this. Most of the time I wouldnt skip either. Aside from just being good songs I just think that they fit the vibe of the show really well. Additionally the OST was also perfect. I was surprised to see that Kenichirou Suehiro I loved his work in Re:Zero and Goblin Slayer was the man behind all the wonderful music. No complaints here. The rest of the audio was splendid too. There are a few scenes with rain and the ambience from that was just perfect. So this all gets full marks from me. https://files.catbox.moe/29zl1d.gif As I mentioned earlier the animation did a great job at conveying emotion. But it couldnt have been complete without the superb sound effects and talent of the VA who voiced the different creatures. Ai Kayano apparently voiced Miikun Conny and Kaede and she was amazing for all of them. Not surprised given how talented she is. All the other VA were great as well. Conclusion https://files.catbox.moe/xp059m.gif I think its pretty clear what my thoughts on this show are. Just go check it out. Its nice and comfy. While it is a shame that it never got a second season it does end at a good place. And the manga is apparently still ongoing and Im sure by now its well beyond what got adapted here. So if you liked this Id check that out too. I havent yet but I probably will at some point. I came really close to giving this a 10/10. However I try to reserve a perfect score for my absolute favorites. While this anime did check a lot of the right boxes for me I just dont see it making that list. That being said its near perfect in my opinion. I give How to Keep a Mummy a 9/10.