Waifu Wednesday: Miria Harvent (Baccano!)

Last week we covered the mysterious black haired-woman of Death Parade as our choice for Waifu Wednesday. She’s a primary character in her anime due to how she is inextricably linked to the show’s messages and themes. And the same is true for this week’s waifu, Miria Harvent from Baccano!

Miria has a delightfully gleeful approach to life, despite the anime as a whole being an exploration of death. It leads to her being refreshingly and surprisingly wise and eye-opening, since she goes completely against our initial perception of her while giving the viewer plenty to think about.

It turns out that being unapologetically good-natured is more than enough to uplift anyone and everyone who comes and goes out of our lives. And as such, it is high time we compliment Miria and her achievements — and by extension her other half Isaac — for being not only one of the most entertaining, iconic duos within anime, but for being surprisingly perfect role models considering what anime they are in.

Who is Miria Harvent?

When discussing Baccano! it is always a challenge to address the countless different elements that make up the show as a whole — particularly when we want to focus on just one aspect of it. It’s tough enough to focus exclusively on Miria without her lifelong partner Isaac coming up, since the show is quite simply jam-packed with layers upon layers of interesting material to explore.

When you have as many characters, individual plotlines and time jumps as Baccano! does, we have to admire author Ryohgo Narita and studio Brain’s Base for making each and every element integral to the show’s overall themes and plots — as well as delivering a satisfying conclusion for every element introduced.

As with the anime adaptation of Narita’s Durarara!!, Baccano! presents us with an all-seeing narrator following the seemingly separate lives of a massive cast of characters — and our one and only link across all these characters, locations and time jumps is the ever-present duo of Miria and Isaac.

Characters range from being sympathetic to disturbing according to their intentions, and everything relates to how they explore their immortality. From mafia warfare to a mystery killer on the loose on a train, and the ultimate price being payed when playing with alchemy, the inner plot workings of Baccano! barely ever have time to catch a breath as the never-ending plot-threads become thicker and more intertwined.

That is until the duo we are highlighting today pop up; the pair who come across as basically a more modern and somewhat mature Team Rocket from Pokémon, initially appearing as nothing more than the comic relief of the show. They are thieves with hearts of gold despite the mischief they get up to. They disguise themselves at every given opportunity with what appears to be an “unlimited wardrobe”, and they never quite understand what exactly is going on due to their combined low IQ. However, this is barely touching the surface of why the pair are such a joy to witness on the screen!

Why we love Miria Harvent

It is probably a ruthless move to separate the title’s iconic central duo as I have done, so all I can suggest is to take this as a joint Waifu Wednesday and Humpday Husbando piece in one — or at the very least just know that Isaac is one of my dearest husbandos. This is because our compliments to Miria’s character and involvement in the plot(s) are not at all dissimilar to Isaac’s — you cannot have one without the other, after all. But first things first, Miria is one of my favourite ever female genki anime characters, the type of character who is highly enthusiastic, optimistic, and is a complete sunshine.

But as for why I favour Miria, it comes down to one reason and one reason alone: her playing the part of the usually stereotyped and loathed female character as a “bimbo” is not only encouraged, but rewarded. She is never seen throughout the anime as anything but her delightfully kooky and optimistic self, who also happens to be completely oblivious to every single narrative beat of the show.

Miria and Isaac’s explanations of how and why they decided to become thieves makes little to no sense, which in turn highlights their consistently endearing trait of acting out through spontaneity. The script and show reaffirms that not being the brightest tool in the shed is not a bad thing — kindness, instead, is what we should all strive for and appreciate.

They seek no reasons in embracing and being wholeheartedly themselves, and the people around them truly appreciate this. Be it through their own actions, or a feeling of genuine care and concern when lending a helping hand to many of the show’s other characters, Miria and Isaac leave an everlasting impact on them. Both of them are undeniably dense, not noticing their immortality until 70 years have passed — and they’re simply blind to the positive effects on those they encounter due to their kind actions and words.

It is immediately heartwarming to see something like this in a show with such a dark premise and events. Better yet, the mere fact that their love for one another remains as strong and loyal after 75 years of sticking to one another is a wonderful sight to behold in itself. And their sheer optimism, friendliness and energy to live life to the fullest means they can enjoy their existence without fear or over-worrying ever getting the better of them. It’s a way of life worth learning from and adopting for our own benefit.

Why you will love Miria Harvent

Miria is simply too lovable to not view her as anything but a perfect waifu. As made evident by plenty of disguises and costume changes, she’s got the looks, and the personality that never lets up even after a lifetime, and her never-ending motivation to keep learning, growing and changing for the better is the cherry on top. She’s simply great, and at times even overshadows Isaac. For example, she can be the one to encourage and push others to achieve their goals, be it for Isaac’s own sake, or for the other characters.

Even when inevitably split from Isaac during certain episodes, her sunny disposition is never squandered despite her inner, hidden turmoil. And the fact that Miria is willing to head straight into danger even without the knowledge of being immortal is an impressive and commendable trait to have alone. She is simply an inspiration to the other characters — so much so that she is, in part, the reason for the other characters to end up doing the right thing after certain events transpire once they’ve met her and Isaac.

Miria reminds us that being kind to one another means we are leaving a positive mark on our existence – she teaches us that by simply being compassionate, patient and understanding to those around you, others will be better off, and ultimately the world can become a better place because of it.

Miria and Isaac are unlike any other characters within the show, presenting an alternative take on how immortality affects humanity. Their positive effect on others is forever remembered, and their influence continues to be felt by even more people further down the road as their taught and adopted kindness is passed on from person to person. Talk about living forever!

Watch the delightful Miria/Isaac duo on Blu-ray/DVD now.

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