A new anime, "Midori: The Girl in the Freak Show," should be on your watchlist.

 Midori: The Girl in the Freak Show – A Shock to the System

 Basic Info

• Title: Midori: The Girl in the Freak Show (Japanese: 地下幻燈劇画 少女椿 / Chika Gentō Gekiga: Shōjo Tsubaki)

• Year: 1992 Letterboxd+2Anime Planet+2

• Format: A single‑episode feature (about 50 minutes)

• Based on: The manga Mr. Arashi’s Amazing Freak Show (1984) by Suehiro Maruo.

• Director/animation: Hiroshi Harada (who reportedly worked essentially alone on much of it).

 What It’s About

The story follows a young girl named Midori, who sells flowers to support her ill mother. After her mother’s death, Midori is drawn into a traveling circus/freak‑show troupe under false promises of aid. But the freak‑show isn’t glamorous: she’s exploited, abused, trapped in a world of grotesquery and cruelty.

Into this tormented world enters a dwarf magician, Masamitsu, whose act and obsession with Midori shift the power dynamic—but the result is still deeply unsettling, as the circus life and its monsters (literal and figurative) consume her identity and hope.

The film leans into horror, surrealism, sexual violence, deformity, and exploitation—making it one of the most extreme anime experiments ever. As one commentator put it:

“Midori is definitely worth tracking down. It’s not an easy viewing – and it does have a relentlessly bleak ending.”

 Style & Production Notes

• Because Harada struggled to find backing (given the extreme subject matter), he ended up financing much of it himself and spent around five years animating it largely on his own.

• The animation style is unconventional: limited movement, a lot of held frames, panning/zooming over still images or cel art. The aesthetic fosters a kind of haunted, storybook‑nightmare feel. Lady Lazarus+1

• Visually, the film draws from the “ero‑guro” (erotic‑grotesque) tradition—Maruo’s work is a major reference in that genre—and expresses decay, deformity, fetish, and innocence corrupted.

 Why It’s Not For Everyone

• Extreme violence, child exploitation, and sexual abuse are at its core. One guide spells this out directly:

“The film is banned because it includes sexual and psychological abuse and violence towards children.” ComingSoon

• Many viewers report being deeply disturbed:

“It left a deep impression on me… very surreal.” Reddit
“This film is so over the top … even banned in Japan.”

• The narrative is often secondary to the shock, atmosphere, and imagery. Some reviews note that the story suffers from its own ambition and gore.

 Why It’s Worthwatching (If You Dare)

• It’s unique. There is no mainstream anime quite like this. For fans of experimental or underground animation, this is a powerful example of how far the medium can go.

• Its historical/underground significance: it carries a kind of “lost film” mythos, banned, hard to find, and controversial. That adds to the cult appeal.

• Artistic ambition despite limitations: one man’s vision executed under extreme constraints—something is inspiring (if terrifying) in that.

• It explores themes rarely addressed in anime: child commodification, deformity, abuse, desperation, identity—not in a “validated trauma” way but in raw, unfiltered form.

 Watchlist Recommendation

If you're going to add Midori to your watchlist, here are a few prep notes for yourself and readers:

• Viewer discretion advised: The content is graphic and disturbing. Not a casual watch.

• Mood/setting: Best watched in a calm state, not when wanting something light. Be prepared for discomfort.

• Expect more mood than plot‐clarity: The narrative isn’t conventional. Don’t expect a neat resolution or feel‐good ending.

• Important caveat: Availability is limited in many regions; some versions may be censored. The full “uncut” version is hard to access legally. Lady Lazarus+1

• Aftercare: Given its intensity, take a break after watching. Maybe follow with something lighter to decompress.

 Final Thoughts

Midori: The Girl in the Freak Show isn’t just “one of the weird anime” — it’s an affront, a challenge, a piece of art (for some) and exploitation cinema (to many). If you're blogging about anime and want to cover the uncomfortable, the underground, the works that test the boundaries of what “anime” can do, this film deserves mention.