Should you flush this one?
Yashiro Nene is an odd girl that dreams of boys and being popular. An outcast at school, Yashiro finds her life turned upside down when she is bound to one of the school’s Wonders named Hanako who lives in the bathroom toilet. The school is full of mysteries, and Yashiro and Hanako (with the help of an exorcist in training named Kou Minamoto) will uncover them all…and Yashiro’s adventures are just beginning.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun (地縛少年花子くん aka Jibaku Shōnen Hanako-kun) is a Japanese animated series. The show aired from January 9, 2020 to March 26, 2020 on TBS, SUN, CBC, and BS-TBS and is an adaptation of the Aidalro manga which began on June 18, 2014 in Monthly GFantasy.
I am not the biggest anime person and trying to get into anime can be difficult. While Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun is not my necessarily my style of anime, its name and description drew me in. The show is goofy and full of telltale anime plotlines and characters. While it isn’t my favorite, it is watchable.
More nightmare fueled creatures…please?
The series is only one season long and doesn’t have a proper ending. There are a number of ghosts and mysteries, but all the mysteries aren’t resolved in this run. You meet a number of the Wonders and the “enemy” ghosts are introduced, but not much comes of it. There is a resolution in the relationship between Yashiro and Hanako (which is the main storyline), but it leaves a lot of open threads unresolved.
The characters are kind of hard to identify with. Yashiro Nene is likeable in general, but she is also rather obnoxious in her extreme nature. It is rather unclear on Hanako’s motivation and he also doesn’t come off well in the series. Kou Minamoto is interesting as the exorcist wavering on his duties, but he is sidelined with the late season arrival of his friend Mitsuba Soūsuke. The Sakura Nanamine character who is set up as the big baddie also never fully comes into her own.
I hope we get to explore the duality of the characters and their morals…or not
The art for the series lands on the extreme for anime. It has a lot of breakout animation mixed with the regular animation and frequently employs visual writing cues (that need translation for non-Japanese speaking viewers which it provides). In general there are number of cultural references that don’t necessarily translate to non-Japanese viewers, but it does add to the show’s weirdness.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun isn’t really my type of series. It is fortunately short, but it also is too short to really ever get a handle on anything going on. There is a lot of wackiness, a lot of screaming, and a lot of over-the-top emotion. The show needs some sort of resolution (be it a movie or a second season), but it might not happen anytime soon…and it probably doesn’t deserve it.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun—The Complete Series Episode Guide:
“Hanako San of the Bathroom”
Episode 1 Hanako-san of the Bathroom Airdate: 01/09/20
Yashiro Nene learns of the Seven Mysteries of the Kamome Academy and decides to investigate Hanako-san of the Toilet…only to discover Hanako is a boy. Hanako agrees to try to help Yashiro woo a boy, but Hanako’s methods aren’t very effective. When Yashiro discovers finds that Hanako has mermaid scales that can grant wishes, Yashiro thinks she has the answer…but wishes have consequences.
“Yousei San”
Episode 2 Yousei-san Airdate: 01/16/20
Yashiro finds herself tied to Hanako by the mermaid scale and finds being a spirit’s assistant could be difficult. When things start disappearing at Kamome Academy, Yashiro learns about the Yousei-san who steal things…but Mokke might not be what Yashiro expected. Yashiro learns changing the opinion on the Mokke might be their only hope. Kou Minamoto arrives at the school with a mission to exorcise Hanako, and Yashiro learns Hanako might not be honest about his past.
“The Misaki Stairs—Part 1”
Episode 3 The Misaki Stairs—Part 1 Airdate: 01/23/20
Aoi tells Yashiro about the 2nd of the Seven Wonders of Kamome Academy and learns about the Misaki Stairs where those who step on the fourth step enter the world of the dead. When Aoi disappears from existence, Yashiro realizes that Aoi fell victim to the Misaki Stairs. Teaming with Hanako and Minamoto, Yashiro is going to enter the world of the dead where they receive a strange assignment.
“The Misaki Stairs—Part 2”
Episode 4 The Misaki Stairs—Part 2 Airdate: 01/30/20
The assembly of the doll reveals the plans of No. 2. Yashiro could be the key to stopping No. 2 and learns of the real Misaki from a diary…and why No. 2 is obsessed with Misaki.
“The Confession Tree”
Episode 5 The Confession Tree Airdate: 02/06/20
Everyone seems to be in love…but Yashiro still can’t find her true love. When she suspects Hanako is in love with her, Yashiro expects a confession at the Confession Tree where love is expressed…but the tree might be part of Hanako’s quest. A meeting with Yashiro’s crush Teru reveals a secret about his connection to Kou. The 5th Mystery of the 4 O’Clock Library is revealed and the books of the 4 O’Clock Library could hold the secret to Hanako’s past.
“The 4 O’Clock Library”
Episode 6 The 4 O’Clock Library Airdate: 02/13/20
Yashiro and Kou search the library for information about Hanako, but they discover the library holds the Fifth Wonder…and the librarian Tsuchigomori has secrets himself. Tsuchigomori reveals what the Wonders do at the school and suspect that someone has tainted one of the Wonders. Yashiro questions if she can change her future as she dives into Hanako’s past.
“Donuts”
Episode 7 Donuts Airdate: 02/20/20
Yashiro worries she’s been treating Hanako differently since learning about his past as Amane Yugi in the 4 O’Clock Library. Kou helps Yashiro make donuts and hides his ties to Hanako from his brother. When Yashiro meets the boy that looks like Hanako and that Hanako is accused of killing Yashiro questions if it could be true.
“Mitsuba”
Episode 8 Mitsuba Airdate: 02/27/20
Kou decides to try to help the spirits move on instead of exorcising them…but saving a ghost named Mitsuba Soūsuke might be harder than he thought. When Tsukasa is sent after Mitsuba, Kou learns Tsukasa has sinister plans…and why the rumors are spreading.
“Tea Party”
Episode 9 Tea Party Airdate: 03/05/20
Yashiro is taken and meets Sakura Nanamine and learns that she is bound to a ghost like her…plus, Yashiro learns the secret of Tsukasa and his ties to Hanako. Trapped in a world that is neither here nor there, Yashiro could find the secret to helping Hanako.
“The Hell of Mirrors—Part 1”
Episode 10 The Hell of Mirrors—Part 1 Airdate: 03/12/20
Yashiro reveals to Hanako and Kou that she’s haunted by growing hands that Kou and Hanako speculate could just want acknowledgement. When Yashiro is grabbed by one of the hands, she finds herself pulled into a mystery world…where she’s confronted by Mitsuba who introduces her to the Hell of Mirrors. Yashiro is faced with her fears in the mirrors, and Kou and Hanako go on a rescue mission.
“The Hell of Mirrors—Part 2”
Episode 11 The Hell of Mirrors—Part 2 Airdate: 03/19/20
Led by Foxy, Kou and Hanako must find their way into the Hell of Mirrors, and Kou discovers that his old friend Mitsuba has changed at the hands of Tsukasa. With Mitsuba seeking never to die again, he finds the Third Wonder needs replacing.
“The Little Mermaid”
Episode 12 The Little Mermaid Airdate: 03/26/20
Yashiro worries about Mitsuba and that Kou is also suffering, but finds she might have a means to get closer to Hanako when she is contacted by spirits claiming she can be a princess. As she questions her future, Yashiro must make a decision.
