Is 'FX Fighter Kurumi-chan' the Season's Darkest Dark Horse? Mamiko Noto's Chilling Turn as the Mother Who 'Melted' 20 Million Yen Is Too Scary

The new anime 'FX Fighter Kurumi-chan' began airing on October 1. Despite its cute characters, the series vividly portrays the harsh reality of FX (foreign exchange margin trading), and the episode surrounding the late mother of protagonist Fukuga Kurumi (voiced by Aina Suzuki) in particular drew a stream of screams from viewers.

In Episode 1, "What's FX?", Kurumi's past was revealed. Her mother, Kozue (voiced by Mamiko Noto), suffered a loss of as much as 20 million yen in FX and died after being worn down. Having grown up to become a university student, Kurumi finally made her long-awaited FX debut in order to win back the 20 million yen her late mother "melted away."

The episode vividly depicted the breakdown of the relationship between Kozue and Kurumi, as well as Kurumi's wails of grief after her mother's death. There was also a scene in which Kozue, hit by a huge loss, explodes with rage, shouting, "Are you kidding me?! Who was it that said it would go up?!" It was a heavy episode from start to finish.

In response to the string of shocking scenes, reactions poured in on social media, such as "It was a depressing anime," "I was lured in by the cute art style and shouldn't have watched it so casually," and "An anime that starts with a parent's funeral in Episode 1 is too heavy." Voice actor Mamiko Noto, who plays Kozue, also received praise for her chilling performance, with comments like "I couldn't handle Mamiko Noto screaming in a way I've never heard before," "I really enjoyed Mamiko Noto's angry acting after so long," and "The hysterical FX performance was amazing..."