The main thing about this anime is that the adaptation is a play by play high-budget animatic of the manga. A good adaptation should add onto the original, but it follows it to a T; there's no new shots, no new content to really balance out what was removed and

I would risk it all for Hanako. I love my sweet baby boy so much. I would kill for him. I would die for him. I would sell my soul for him. I just adore him so much 😭💖 Like, I can’t even put into words why I adore him so much. I just look at his precious face and want to weep. Plus, I know his story just gets more complex as time goes on, and I just wanna hug him until we both burst. No. 6 – The Reaper Representative: Hakubo On the night of tsukimi, the Reaper is rumored to steal the lives of those who fall asleep while waiting to view the moon and can be heard playing a melody on the flute by individuals who will die soon. As a result, people weave baskets all night to stay awake and protect those who can hear the melody. The current No. 6 is Shinigami-sama, the God of Death. His Boundary, which lies below the school, is the closest one to the Far Shore. His yorishiro is a girl named Sumire, an ancestor of Aoi who he guarded until she was sacrificed. No. 7 – Hanako-san of the Toilet ( トイレのはなこさん, Toire no Hanako-san) Representative: Hanako-Kun The most famous School Mystery. Hanako is referred to as a female, but Hanako is actually a male. He has the power to grant wishes to the living but as compensation, he must take something dear to them in return. Kamome Academy Supernaturals [ edit ] Mateo, Alex (April 27, 2021). "North American Anime, Manga Releases, April 25-May1". Anime News Network . Retrieved April 27, 2021.

The animation was also a letdown as it’s basically nonexistent most of the time. Still shots take up the majority of each episode, and when it doesn’t it’s quite stiff and lifeless. It doesn’t take away how good the show still looks otherwise, slightly on par with the manga I would presume. I do however think it's unjustified to make an adaptation if the animation is only as good as the comic it’s based on. Sherman, Jennifer (July 4, 2019). "Yen Press Adds The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious, 13 More Manga/Novels (Updated)". Anime News Network . Retrieved June 24, 2020. Anyway. Nene and Kou are also my sweet babies 💖 Nene is hilarious with her complex about her legs. Kou is a sweetie wanting to protect Nene from the One Ghost that wouldn’t hurt her at all 😂 Bless his soul. They are precious Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Volume 0 covers over the original pilot chapters for the manga, as well as Aida Iro's debut work, Dear My Living Dead . Hanako himself was another saving grace that made the show much more watchable. But I grieve over the fact that they only scratched the surface of his character. Giving the show more time to flesh him out could've been very engaging. Sadly a lot of the focus was shifted towards other characters like Nene and Kou instead, who frankly shouldn’t have been main characters at all. Their effect on the story is rather minuscule as Nene's existence revolves around being the person who gets all the exposition dumps, as well as a damsel in distress for white knight Hanako to rescue. Kou's purpose is even smaller as he's often just one of many comic relief characters. They did set a character arc in motion for him which sadly didn't lead anywhere. With this in mind I think that they should've been taken out of the spotlight to instead shine brighter on other characters, like Hanako. The show could've been more focused and serious by doing that which I think would've been beneficial to the show overall.

Without going into details, the ambiguity and buildup surrounding Mitsuba's character is lost since Hell of Mirrors was rearranged to be much, much sooner. Ressler, Karen (July 1, 2017). "Yen Press Licenses Silver Spoon, Kemono Friends Manga, A Sister's All You Need, Reborn as a Vending Machine Light Novels, More". Anime News Network . Retrieved June 24, 2020. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (September 13, 2023). "After-School Hanako-kun Anime's Video Reveals Ending Theme Song". Anime News Network . Retrieved September 13, 2023. Hanako: "I'm a supernatural, the 7th of the school's 7 mysteries: Hanako-san of the Toilet. Nice to meet you!" Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun ( Japanese: 地縛少年花子くん, Hepburn: Jibaku Shōnen Hanako-kun) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by AidaIro. It has been serialized in Square Enix's magazine Monthly GFantasy since 2014. It has been collected in twenty tankōbon volumes as of August 2023. The story follows Nene Yashiro, a first-year high school student fond of occult stories, who ardently desires a boyfriend. For this, she tries to invoke Hanako-san from the toilet.Nene is the main protagonist of the series as well as a fifteen year old high school student. In the beginning of the book she is so desperate to have a boyfriend that she throws herself at any guy who shows her attention. After she gets cursed she learns that her desire to have a boyfriend was really just her wanting someone to love her. It didn’t matter who it was, she just wanted someone to care about her. Nene continues this habit of being boycrazy throughout the series, which makes me think if she's still trying to fill that void or if she's just a hopeless romantic. I feel like this is a pretty typical thing that many people experience in their teens. They are constantly surrounded by people in relationships and media that implies that happiness comes from being in a romantic relationship. This can lead to them feeling that they have to have a significant other or they are worthless or that no one will ever love them that way. Nene thinks that her “dycon legs” is why she’ll never be in a relationship, which I’m sure many girls can relate to one way or another. That their body will never be good enough to someone to actually love them because they will find it disgusting. I think that Nene is one of the best written characters in terms of relatability. a b c d e f g h i j k "[Master Thread] Toilet-bound Hanako-kun also known as Jibaku Shonen(Dubbed)". Funimation. Archived from the original on January 25, 2020 . Retrieved January 24, 2020. The Seven Wonders of Kamome Academy are the seven most famous supernatural rumors in the school, and their corresponding supernaturals serve to maintain the students' safety from murderous supernaturals. Leading them is Hanako, who is the Seventh and most famous school Wonder. Each one has their own Boundary, a divine yorishiro, and an aspect of the school that they control. Their Boundary is a section of the school where their power is the strongest. Boundaries are the 'sea' between the Near Shore, where the living reside, and the Far Shore, where other apparitions exist and thus contain a small amount of water on the ground. A divine yorishiro is an item they cherish that acts as the source of their power. When a yorishiro is destroyed (by removing its seal), the Wonder's designated seat as a School Wonder and their power is removed. Thus, they are usually kept in the deepest region of the Boundary or safeguarded by the wonder themselves. Akane Aoi is Nene’s friend who tells her spooky, despite not really enjoying them herself. Before Aoi reveals her feelings later in the book she is seen as this popular nice girl. Nene even points out that she would never have to worry about most things because she is popular. Despite everyone being nice to her and giving her attention she still feels like an outsider. Nene may be her friend, but she's always running around the school and keeping secrets. Aoi experiences something that most people feel once in their life, loneliness. Not the kind you feel when you're separated from society, but the kind you feel in a room full of people. She won’t allow herself to believe that people care about her which created an invisible barrier between her and the world. Even when Akane, her childhood friend, expresses his feelings to her she thinks he is lying. This self hate and this invisible barrier she has set she can neither receive or give genuine love. I appreciate how the author decided to reveal her true feelings later in the book then in the beginning. It gives the reader a new perspective and understanding on her actions leading up to the big reveal. Sherman, Jennifer (November 6, 2021). "Yen Press Licenses 3 Light Novels, 6 Manga". Anime News Network . Retrieved November 6, 2021.

A curious question revolves around what you should really expect from the character cast. To be frank, the characters are what collectively carries the anime together. Sure, the plot itself has a lot of potential with the various arcs but it’s the characters that plays out their roles. Obviously, you have Hanako and Nene together as the main pair and the amount of development we see is evident from the beginning. As time goes on, Hanako begins to truly care for Nene and isn’t hesitant to resort to violence to protect her. Similarly, Nene’s fragile shell begins to open up the more she experiences her newfound life with Hanako. It’s a type of character bonding that naturally plays out by itself and very simple to understand. They’re not the only ones hoarding the attention either as we also have Kou Minamoto, another student that becomes an ally and friend to Hanako and Nene. Being somewhat airheaded, Kou exemplifies the personality of a teenager of his age and sometimes gets himself into trouble. That doesn’t stop him from taking risks to help others and showing acts of courage. Other cast in the series possesses a wide range of personalities such as the unpredictable Mitsuba, popular Aoi Akane, or prideful Sakura Nanamine. They fall short compared to the main cast but still gets enough screen time to be worthy of being watched. Stay Cozy with Funimation's Winter 2020 Lineup". Funimation. December 26, 2019 . Retrieved January 2, 2020. a b Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 1, 2020). "Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Anime Adds Chika Anzai, Takahiro Mizushima to Cast". Anime News Network . Retrieved January 1, 2020.

Streaming Platforms

The first promotional video was released on November 9, 2019, with Ogata and Kitō voicing Hanako and Nene respectively. On November 9, 2019, the air date for Episode 1 on TBS was announced as 1:58am on January 10, 2020 (listed as 25:58 on January 9 in official sources). An advance screening on December 29, 2019 will be held at Ikebukuro Grand Cinema Sunshine, with guest appearances from the cast for the main 3 characters. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (July 4, 2019). "Lerche Animates Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Anime for 2020 Premiere". Anime News Network . Retrieved July 4, 2019.