Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun

I've noticed that those who read the manga before the show tend to have a more critical outlook on this anime's shortcomings. No spoilers here, though.

I'm glad Lerche did take the time to be as faithful as possible in adapting the unique art style and visuals, though at the cost many have pointed out, animation.

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 ... make the anime worthwhile over the source material. It's like it was terrified of making adaptive choices other than rearranging several arcs.

Speaking of the cut arcs, it's something many manga readers have been harping about. Some choices are necessary occasionally and all you can do is trust Lerche to consider the new story layout, but it removes a lot of the nuance the manga did have in handling its character development and story arcs.

To name a few:

- Young Exorcist is an important arc. Without it in its natural place, Kou's development gets axed, Teru no longer has plot relevance nor is he ambiguously scary or morally gray, and Hanako seems invincible, cutting down everything in his way with one slash of his knife.

- Little Mermaid arc is less important and ended up added in later, but as a natural consequence of this:

- Tsukasa's introduction, with something removed as a direct tie-in to the Little Mermaid, does not have the baseball-bat-to-the-stomach feel it did in the manga. It was really the best way possible to introduce right off the bat so many things about how scary his character can be.

- 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.

But between the lack of animation and cut story arcs, one of main things that didn't sit right with me just comes to the pacing itself. Hanako is a dialogue heavy show, so for the characters to just be standing in place and occasionally panning to an environmental shot while nothing's really going on on-screen half the time... felt very, very slow paced, almost a drag to get through.

It also creates a freezer burn effect, however, because the story pacing nearly felt breakneck as it like they were rushing to get to revealing Mitsuba and Tsukasa as fast as possible, at the cost of others' development. It feels a bit like Lerche wasn't confident in the show doing well and sought to cram in important parts without the proper buildup necessary that made these reveals so impactful in the manga.

Voice acting is fitting, sound is nice and atmospheric. Only one OST used for scene transitions is particularly memorable, but that's about standard for anime.

I've read a few comments stating episode 12 didn't feel like much of a ending, and that's because it wasn't; there was only about one place to end off naturally, but it wasn't possible since the Clock Keepers arc was moved to a potential season 2.

I really appreciate the exposure Hanako has received in being brought to a wide audience, but it all feels a bit rushed. Though considering the pandemic going on right now, I'm well aware we're lucky to be receiving something like this. Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun is one of my favorite mangas of all time, and I do wish for it to be treated with the care it deserves. Perhaps we'll be getting more quality in the inevitable next season?

I do wonder if I would have fallen in love with it the same way if I hadn't read the manga first. It's just one of those scenarios where if you have the patience to sit down and read the manga, just do it.

Toilet-bound Hanako-kun more like Nene please stop screaming for 5 seconds-kun is another show in "apparition" genre where cast goes around solving bunch of mysteries regarding spirits, ghosts and beings of similar manner, xxxHOlic and Mushishi series comes to mind. None mentioned above really did a good job in this regard so i was hoping this show would and at first it did look so, but after about 6 episodes entire show fell apart from me.

Visually show is very pleasing.
Overall design is amazing , usually modern animes all look very slick in how they are drawn ... which isn't bad but does get repetitive , however Toilet-bound Hanako-kun seems to have alot more cartoony feel to it, its bit hard to describe but overall ascetics have a lot more of grip. Reminded me of old Gibli movies.
Secondly it felt more like animated manga rather than anime. Each frame often was made up of several panels with noticeable borders between them, with each focusing on different aspects of the scene. Not only this was pretty unique it changed the viewing experience all togethe,r as now show can use said panels to focus on one sole important aspects of the scene or present small bits of information which aren't important enough to have whole screen dedicated to them but do add depth and interest to the story.

If it wasn't clear enough i really liked and enjoyed art style and animation of Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, so it hurts me see story failing over wise such well done anime.

What usually causes which are about apparitions is that on episode to episode basis they aren't interesting enough or have lack luster or none existent over arcing plot and this show ticked both of those boxes.

Show fails per episode basis because it follows same repetitive structure.

1.There is rumor of apparition 1
2. Nene goes to Hanako to talk about it
3. They go out to solve it
4. At some point Nene gets in trouble with certainty she is about to die or get harmed
5. Heroic Hanako saves her very last second

this structure is fine for like 3-4 episodes but not for entire season. Nene having near death experiences first few times serves good purpose. It shows what she is getting into is dangerous line of work and also paints Hanako in positive light as he saves the heroine.
After first few episodes trying to convince audience that Nene is any actual danger and isn't going to be saved by Hanako like he did 6 times before well for lack of better term is poorly thought out.
btw did I say how much Nene screams? cause she does fuck ton. Show relies on her scream to bring tention in any fight scene and also act as comedic relief by have Nene have over the top reaction to everyday moments.

Hanako while having potential always felt incoherent , a scene of him fooling around is abrupted by him suddenly getting emotional and serious. I understand that idea is that he is actually caring person but has light hearted persona, but it messes with entire show its hard get invested in him or any scene he is in because it can change back and worth between 2 stays at any moment.

Minamoto is largely neglected it would have been interesting if show focused more of his origins and his battle between following family traditions and finding his own way to live but all really gets is 2 episode arc with non lasting effects.

apparitions were fine,they weren't shows weak park but were far from being its strong point as well.


OSTs were overall good. Opening song was a stand out for me personally, rest of songs didn't leave any lasting impression but I suspect this was more due to rest of show being emotionally hollow, there is only so much song can do then it has to accompany a mediocre story.
Overall Toilet-bound Hanako-kun is visually amazingly executed show with disappointing characters and lack luster plot.
Its not show worth watching although, one could still watch it for its creative presentation.
I reached episode 10 and was so indifferent towards story I didn't bother to watch last two.

So where should i begin...

I was really looking forward to this anime. It looked fun, and i really loved the kind of art that they showed, because it reminded me of danganronpa, an anime that i like alot.

But for me, the show does not deliver a good experience. Not on the art department, i think the art is great! But with its character, humor and plot.
The characters could work for me, but what makes it all fall apart is the constant "Wanna be funny" approch the show does. It tryies to be funny, and the humor is not thought out and very linier.

Humor does not ... have to be original to be funny, but the punchline or approch have to be very well written. This show is trying to much to make you laugh in ways that is not right. Of course it can work for some people, i am sure you will find that this show does nothing to add a piece of it self to it`s comedy. It is very childish, so maybe i am just not it`s target audience.

BUT i should also say that i do not like the kind of shows, that follow this shows formular. Its long drawn, and tryies to be mystic, and the gabs is filled with unnecessary information.

So on a good day, this is a 5/10 for me

At the time when I watched this anime, I hadn't read the manga. As I write this, I have caught up with all manga chapters and finally feel entitled to having a say in explaining my opinion on this anime.

!!!!!!!!!!Minor spoilers ahead, but nothing that should be too big of a concern. (Mainly evoking characters that are revealed later in general.)!!!!!!!!!!!

CHARACTERS:
Pros:
-Characters are pretty rich, and their interraction are very enjoyable to witness. Whether it be because Kou's antics are hilarious or because Nene is working herself over boy troubles again, it's very pleasant to witness, and as someone who enjoys character and specifically dynamics-driven stories, ... this was very nice.
Cons:
-The characterization only comes very remotely close to what the manga offered. For example, the whole physical fight between Teru and Hanako where Kou intervenes is simply skipped, and that's a pity: overall, secondary characters like Teru lose a lot of their interest. Another example would be how Mitsuba is more of a plot asset than a deep and complex character like in the manga.
-Some of the dynamics lose intensity, due to things being left out (but then again these are two different media so it is naturall not to be able to recreate the same exact atmosphere).

Plot:
Pros:
-A wholesome no-brainer, able to pull laughs out of you and nearly bring you to tears at the same time. Some elements do hit more deeply, and are more though-provoking. Just a nice way to unwind and spend some time with a show that makes you smile.
Cons:
-Pretty shallow, and it just feels more like a collection of oneshots than a continuous, coherent story. This might be due to the slow pacing and reorganization of the chronology in comparison to the manga.

Art & Animation:
Pros:
-Art fits the ambience well, and is objectively appealing. It's got its own thing that makes it particular, and is founded on a very appealing aesthetic.
-Character designs also suit them, and are inventive as well as just pretty.
Cons:
-I couldn't think of any major cons in this regard, my apologies.

OP & ED:
Pros:
-The ending is quite nice, and is a good soothing alternative to the opening. It either allows relaxation after a hyping emotion-charged episodes, or allows a direct continuation of feelings elicited from sadder episodes.
-The ending theme well explores the duality between living and dead in its depiction and animation, showing clearly that specific pathways between the two are created and by who they are.
Cons:
-The opening music is just disagreable. It's more sound than music. I know music is objective, but this is made of unpleasant frequencies regardless.
-Overall, the opening was a major let-down, and as that is often the public face of the anime, doesn't serve a purpose of boosting enjoyment when watching the show.

Voice acting:
Pros:
-The cast is clearly invested, and their performances are nothing short of outstanding. As an aspiring voice actress, this is clearly something I look up to.
Cons:
-Some of the voices DO work, but are initially unsettling and you do spend a few episodes thinking it doesn't suit them. In fact, this is one of the rare occasions on which I wasn't a huge fan of Megumi Ogata's performance despite her being my idol. Her VA in itself is incredible, but it didn't feel fitting, and didn't either feel like an agreable surprise where one might think 'I hadn't imagined that but it works'.

Overall:
The anime in itself is nothing special for the genres it ties to, but remains very enjoyable to watch.

The 2020 anime experience has been 50/50 so far. My next conquest is Kyokou Suiri. Jibaku Shounen Hanako was a bit of a disappointment. I came in expecting to give it a 7 or an 8 and up to episode 9 I probably would have. It definitely started to lose its luster earlier though.

For starters it is a comedy that is trying too hard to have a story. Its not bad for there to be a plot in comedy anime, but the approach this takes is pretty bad. It was extremely confusing as to whether I should take the story seriously or focus on that ... comedy tag. The tone and music is so out of place for some of the comedic scenes, yet because of the attempts to be funny I couldn't really get into the serious scenes because I would always think "that character is probably gunna say something stupid and ruin the moment". It would ruin the suspense for comedy which in turn destroyed the comedic aspect almost entirely.

The characters did not even belong in this anime to be honest. Nene was a waste of space. Her liking hot guys and having fat legs is her whole character. She also comes off as pretty selfish and, honestly, a bit dumb. We get she likes good looking guys, but then what makes her so special after that? Nothing. She doesn't seem to take most situations seriously and lets herself be led on just to be saved by Hanako.

Hanako is basically Superman Casper. Friendly ghost that's super powerful. An obvious exaggeration, but honestly fitting. He is very powerful and is honestly the best character in the show. Its always in shows like these that never show the interesting characters off. This season felt like an introduction of sorts, but they never introduced us to the boss of the sauce, Hanako-sama. We know what we can infer and whats been told, but they barely ever showed anything. He is the titular character, but daikon is the thing you will come to remember if you decide to watch.

The other character aren't even worth mentioning. Kou thinks Nene-senpai is cute and he wants to save his ghost friend who doesn't remember him. Kou's older brother is just that. Aoi tells Nene about the Wonders. The Wonders are mostly assholes.

All in all I was expecting a comedy and got a drama/fantasy thing. It tried too hard to be a comedy in a drama and fell flat. It wasn't the worst thing ever, but it was a bit annoying (especially Nene with the hot guys thing. THAT gets old REAL fast). I do not really like asking "but why" every 5 minutes because of dumb or strange decisions. However, I would watch if there was a second season. I have enough interest in Hanako and I am hoping I can get more of him. Weirdly enough with this anime you have to ignore the "comedy". Also I think Lerche should change a bit. Art is great. Animation is wonky. They should focus on it a bit more

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun is unfortunately, a show with little to no substance when you get further and further into the story.

When I watched the first episode of Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, I was looking forward to watching it. First of all, the animation looks great. I'm no expert on art, but the solid colors look great as well as the thick shadows and lines. You could also tell that the show took a lot of their panelling from the manga, as indicated by the white bordering. I'm also sure that the chibi figures and expressions were all taken from the manga, but they weren't just soulless ... replication. I enjoyed the animation greatly, and it sure was beyond my expectations when looking at a comedy school show.

But that's the thing: it's not really a comedy school show. When I keep on watching and watching, the more and more that it seems to be more of a shounen. The beginning felt like comedy focused, but it drifts onto major story arc after major story arc and it feels more and more like a shounen manga. And it just falls short. There are basically three main characters and no side characters. The three characters are basically always running the show, but the comedy routines become a little more predictable every time they go through it since they aren't putting much emphasis on it because the main chunk of screen time is actual story. You can clearly figure out what's going to happen when you have such basic character dynamics...it's kind of sad. While there are semi-frequent comedic sequences throughout the series to be sure, they're brief and less expanded than I would have expected from such a synopsis. Well, that's okay as long as the actual story arcs are interesting. But they also aren't really. Why would I be pumped up to watch a string of mediocre story arcs surrounding a simple school setting with characters I just don't feel very invested in, rather than a full blown action packed shounen like One Piece or something? It's kind of just watered down versions of "edgy kid with edgy past" that we all have seen before. I really care about the "villains" in the story and their motivations, with all their 30 seconds of total screen time! The genre focus on Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun just doesn't feel right, I guess? Why have such a setting and characters and have it be story oriented? I don't really get it.

And so, despite my strong feelings about it in the very beginning, I dropped it. Was it actually bad enough to drop? Well, kind of. I mean, I'm sure I would have watched it through if I didn't have other things to do, but it's honestly just very basic. The great execution in the beginning and the very well done art style definitely drew me in, but story arcs kind of just bored me to death. At the point where I dropped, I knew that there was no way for the story to progress in a manner that would be well made.

I was actually really excited to get into this anime and that’s why I waited until the very last episode to rate it. I was hoping something outstanding would happen at the end that could change my slightly unfavorable approach but sadly, my opinion on this show remained pretty much the same and here’s why. (I’ll try to keep this review spoiler-free.)

STORY – 5.5/10
Firstly, the story. Personally, I feel like the premise is actually quite neat – each episode Nene gets to know a different school apparition, accompanied by Hanako-kun and Kou. The other thing is how this plot is actually executed. A quite common ... instance in TBHK is how the show can get really serious pretty fast, but still keep the slapstick comedy elements. I didn’t really enjoy that reoccurrence since it gets tough to both laugh at the jokes and experience the thrilling moments, which leaves you with a feeling of numbness or indifference. And may I add, the show gets pretty gruesome at times. It irks me how the characters exhibit really similar emotions and expressions when they’re embarrassed and when their lives are at risk but maybe it’s just the art style. Sadly, this anime fails to compel any sense of danger whatsoever – all encounters with apparitions are pretty similar. Hanako always comes right in time to save Nene and while at first it may seem like the heartwarming climax of the episode, it gets pretty repetitive and leaves you hoping that maybe next time, Nene will go through some sort of development. The show also left me with lots of unanswered questions about how the apparitions work (especially the mermaid’s curse) but it may get explained later on (that’s what I’m counting on, at least).

CHARACTERS – 7/10
Now, about the characters. There certainly isn’t much to discuss, since TBHK revolves mainly around the main three, Nene, Hanako and Kou.
I know lots of people didn’t click with Nene and I can absolutely see why, during the 12 episodes she gets little to no development apart from taking to Hanako. However, I genuinely liked her as a protagonist and that made me overlook all the issues with her flawed character writing. She’s relatable, charming and has a lot of potential but depends on Hanako-kun way too much – I hope some things change about her soon enough.
Hanako-kun is a pretty interesting character and at that, probably the best one in the series. It’s truly a pity the pacing kept slowing down so as to prevent the audience from learning his backstory. What we got are small chunks of his past – I doubt anyone was satisfied with this measure to keep his character mysterious as long as possible.
Kou is mostly used for comic relief but that does change later on – I really liked the arc with Mitsuba even if it felt kind of rushed. (I’ll refrain from saying anything else due to spoilers.)
The side characters like Aoi, Teru and Sakura haven’t really had the chance to catch my eye yet. Most of them appeared only a few times and barely anything was explained or revealed apart from their sole presence and the fact they might be significant later on.

ART – 9/10
What really fascinates me about this show is the unique art style and excellent use of colors. Every palette is like eye candy and don’t even get me started on the backgrounds and design of spaces the characters visit. That aspect of the show really lived up to the manga – you should really check out the volume covers. The art is absolutely fantastic.

ANIMATION – 4/10
Unfortunately, it seems like this is where the budget had to be cut. Although the janky lip syncing and recurrent lazy animation didn’t bug me that much, I know it was a huge problem for lots of people. Frequently little movement happens in various scenes and manga-like panels are used instead which by itself is an interesting choice but knowing how limited any animation is, it’s probably to curb the costs.

SOUND – 7/10
While no part of the soundtrack caught my attention, the opening song is incredibly catchy. (Though that does not apply to the part I’m discussing right now, I really appreciated the subtle changes in the opening after more characters get gradually revealed in each episode.) Aside from that I have to admit the voice actors turned up trumps, especially Megumi Ogata, Hanako’s seiyuu.

ENJOYMENT – 7/10
I ended up getting invested in the plot, that’s for sure. That wasn’t enough to stop me from looking at this show from a critical standpoint, though. I really wish so much of the comedy wasn’t forced where it shouldn’t have appeared in the first place. Don’t get me wrong, the jokes did make me smile a couple of times and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with mixing comedy and drama. It’s still a huge letdown that TBHK refuses to treat itself seriously.

OVERALL – 6.4/10
I really tried my best to give this show a higher rating but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. Perhaps the manga really is better – I might even start reading it. All I can say is that hopefully the second season (if it comes out) doesn’t make the same mistakes the first did. Would I recommend Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun to anyone? Yes, but as long as they can acknowledge all the inconsistencies in the story execution and unsatisfactory animation but still somewhat enjoy the show as a whole.

I would make a joke about watching this show while on a toilet, but that would be a little on the nose, so instead of flushing away whatever little dignity I have by making a toilet joke I'd rather just skip that and get to tell you about Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. It seems for a show that at the start of the season had very little interest has now grown to be what some people are calling the best show this season, or maybe more appropriately the most interesting show of the season. Although I disagree with both of those the latter claim is something worth ... talking about when it comes to Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun.

What this show dose right ironically is what will turn the most people off of watching Hanako-Kun. The level of animation is more in line with a visual novel then an anime. In the vast majority of its 12 episode run almost every scenes will have little to no animation, now you could chalk this up to having limited budget or time constraints, but instead I would say that this is a purposeful artistic choice. A choice to sacrifice the time to animate and instead work on the beautiful artwork. I'm not joking when I say this show has some of the best artwork of this season. Shot after shot, over numerous episodes the artwork not only keeps you invested, but levels up the quality of a otherwise average story and brings life to these characters in a way not many new shows this season have done. These character designs are some that will stick with you for many many seasons to come and all of that is thanks to the choice to put art over animation. That being said we should talk about this big issue of Hanako-Kun.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun lacks the ability to pick a consistent tone. Not just episode to episode but even scene to scene. One moment we're having a lighthearted comedy more in the vein of a supernatural slice of life, and the next we're having a semi-deep character drama in the vein of a light seinen, only to be instantly thrown back to the lighthearted comedy. The worst offence of this can be seen in episode 11. This episode (particularly the last 10 mins) sums up my issue with the show, and why keeping myself invested has been such a problem. Honestly it's sad because so many moments of the character drama are FAR more engaging then the comedy, but we're only treated to glimpses of that drama in what seems like bait to watch a second season. What's the point of watching a show that keeps its major conflicts for a second season that might never come? Why not give us a satisfying conclusion to this season while also laying the ground work for more episodes? These are the questions I found myself asking once finishing the final (as of writing this review) episode.

At the end of the day Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun started off as what could have been one of the best underdog anime of this season. Doing things different and making a name for itself as a show not like any other, but a lack of clear intention in the story telling ended up shooting Hanako-Kun in the foot and leaving itself as a slightly better then average anime. Worth a watch? Sure, if you take more interest in artwork and shot design then give the show a go and enjoy. If you want enjoy more meat on the bones of a story like Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun then I would recommend to try something else instead so the frustration of an incomplete narrative won't drive you up a wall.

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun, or Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, more like the Japanese Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.


Watch it or not, this review is passed its expiration date making it a spoiler.


For a start, I'll say this show was an enjoyable watch on its take about myths and legends. The idea that these 'spirits' or 'ghosts' are fuelled by rumors and word of mouth is not original but I say the show takes that concept and twists it a little bit. I'll say that, until episode 8, the show was hovering at a Decent 7 on the scoreboard. At that time I liked the plots and mini-plots ... they venture on, even those tongue-in-cheek moments were, while cliche, alright to watch. We meet Yashiro or Nene-chan, a cute but sometimes clueless girl with legs people keep making fun of due to it being thick. Hey man, why the show got to diss my girl Nene-chan for her legs, plus what the show presents is totally bullshit, if she's in real life guys would totally get with her and her thick legs. You see, I'm a man of culture myself, thick legs are a bonus.

Anyway, we too meet the joker of a ghost, Hanako-kun. His character is somewhat of a mixed bagged for me, some of what he does is pretty neat but other times is just outright cringe. Talking about cringe, I must say if I was in a bad mood before starting this series, it would have faired of way worse than it is getting a 6. Tons of moment from the show's runtime is kinda cringy due to the excessive habit of trying to incorporate fan service into the show. We have lots of moments wear Hanako-kun 'catches' Nene-chan at the right time and they both look at each other and Nene starts blushing with thoughts going through her mind blah blah blah... This happens a few times in the show by the way, in the first few episodes that 'this' happens it was passable, but as the episodes go on it just gets a little drained and dumb. Not only is the just fan-service for a girl and guy relationship, but there is also a guy on guy ships that the show was going on about. That I'll touch on in the 4th paragraph.

I do want to point out the habit of the show that I really dislike about, it's the constant and repetitive use of this 'formula' they have when making a scenario. It goes like this, it starts with a building towards an outcome or when revealing something (like walking through a door without knowing the other end), then when that happens it becomes super dramatic, over-emphasis or just too damn serious (like someone giving you the cold shoulders), lastly all that tension that was built up before is now crumbling down by a joke or a tease or just something that lifts the mood drastically. That's it, that's the 'formula' for like all the episodes. During the beginning 3 episodes, I could already see this use of the 'formula' but I didn't expect them to just milk it all the way throughout the whole show. That to me just speaks laziness.

So about that guy on guy fan-service, I think those that watch it already know. Disclaimer I am not homophobic or anyway an anti-gay person, I am just seeing the show's implementing those scenes as flawed and not enjoyable. With that say, I'll start off by saying this, episode 8. Gay, gay and gay. A little too gay for my taste, for some reason the genre 'Yaoi' sudden just swooped into the show and we got to see some gay shit in episode 8. So there's this guy Kou who met this ghost Mitsuba, with Mitsuba appearance almost anyone would think he's a girl. But no, he's a dude with, yes, pink long hair and a very high voice plus massive eyes to compliment his 'gayness'. Episode 8 was a big punch to my enjoyment to the show, it seems like the writers just ran out of ideas and lost their senses. In short, we got Kou caring so much for this Mitsuba guy despite them just knowing, like, less than a day. The whole mood and scenes that came in episode 8 were so gay that it made me kinda uncomfortable, so much 'closeness' between them and too much concern about Mitsuba if I am going, to be honest. We are supposed to just feel for this character we only met in one episode? Not happening. What's worse was that this gay character Mitsuba got more screen time in later episodes despite taking up the whole screentime for Nene-chan in episode 8. The plot that involved him was stupid and his character generally was stupid and annoying. He's too clingy and pathetic is kinda hard to pity such a low-tier piece of trash. With that, I must say he was the worst part of the whole show.

Plus those who watched it till the end, the show didn't answer everything and there wasn't actually a fixed storyline thus the last episode was weak as hell. It's so obvious that they are setting up for a second season but, that episode was a set-up? I didn't see any shit leading up to anything.

-SCORES-

Character- 5/10: Lots of characters were shown but many of them didn't really get any depth or more about them. They were just there because they need to be there for a plot to take place. Kou was a little bit inconsistent and Mitsuba is straight-up given the series AIDS. Hanako-kun, while nice, has his flaws and sometimes gets very annoying with his 'cutesy boy face' or 'trying too hard' to be cute moments. Nene I must say is the best character, even if she's not perfect every time. She's the most consistent amongst the bunch and is generally not bad.

Art- 8/10: Since the production was backed up by Square-Enix, it's well assured that the art was decent and neat. While it does have similar features to Demon Slayer with its thick outline or characters, the show does have its own style and generally, it's done quite well.

Writing- 7/10: It had a good first half but it starting to drop after episode 8. Episode 11 was also kinda weak. But all the others were alright in their consistency with the use of the 'formula' I explained earlier. I just wished there was more of a fixed story than just 'this and that' kind of plots.

Sound- 6/10: It's alright, I guess. Intro and outro are kinda forgettable and the OST just does its job of giving that creepy vibes.

Overall, check this out if you want, I'll say its a decent watch, especially during the quarantine period. But if you aren't looking for a series with a bit of shit, this is not for you. Agree or disagree, I'm feeling a.


Strong to Decent 6

The anime started off interesting, the characters had potential and the animation was unique.

The main characters initially reminded me of a certain style and seemed soothing. As the series went on I found the characters weren't fleshed out very much during the show. At times i found the way they portrayed hanako was un-befitting of his character, they constantly jumped back and forth between slapstick comedy, too much it got annoying and dampened the characters personalities.

I found it pretty decent (some jokes fell flat) till they started exploring the "plot" some more, it focused on the 7 school wonders and comedy ... for the main part. The show had trouble showing / mixing lightheartedness and darkness with the animation style. I found the art style contrasted with the slapstick comedy, (cause it degraded the art style for the jokes) especially towards the ending.

The art affected the comedy style and threw it off visually, i found the art style was soothing to to eyes, while the comedy was interrupting it every 30 second with high -pitched fast talking slapstick randomness, with a plot that is as clear as day and characters that seem to be following a process, i just could not get into it. Halfway through i stopped finding it funny at all.


What was shown of hanakos back story was intriguing but leaves you in the dark on a lot of things. i found it dull his twin is his biggest enemy, that he just watches him wreck mayhem instead of stepping in to help. Near the end his twin stepped in and stopped the girl from going back to the "good" side, i was wondering why hanako didn't do that himself earlier... you can say he was in shock when he saw his twin, but he had a lot of time to process it from the time they met before.

The ending episode was by the the most annoying, those were gags? the episode felt off altogether and of track until they took the last few minutes to wrap everything up. The second season could be better if the plot takes off and it strays away from the slapstick.

This is one of those series where I just want to love it purely out of the artwork done from the manga artist. Personally I do indeed find the story pretty plain, which is sort of in the same plane as Demon Slayer, not to mention starkly similar animation at that too! However, for its original source, the animation, although pleasant to the eyes, does not do it justice enough. Which is funny because I picked up this series for its clean animation, but seriously, the artwork is too stellar on its own. I would see how hard it would be to animate that, haha. ... So hey, I may likely check out the manga for this, and possibly read it through if it isn't too childish for me, not that childish tropes are bad in a way. If anything, I find it nostalgic.

Like many anime, Hanako-Kun is a fun creative tale that piques your interest. Something that has been missing from the last year in anime has been the supernatural shows. Specifically, supernatural shows that are teen-friendly. I know that if I were 14 I would have loved this show, but because of that, I don't think it has the legs it needed to rise above average.

The animation is at times reminiscent of Way of the House Husband but, unlike that series, Hanako-Kun uses it in a way that makes it feel as if this were a fairy tale. There are many recurring shots that will spin ... the yarn to make this feel as if it's a rumor, or a ghost story, something innocent that middle schoolers would be talking about.

However, the second half of the season really made it apparent that there's not much else to it. You tell the story, have a teeny bit of battle, and move on. There was certainly some important subject matter being brought up, but I don't think the writing was mature enough to understand how to utilize what they wanted to talk about.

What surprised me was that the most interesting character, for me, didn't appear until later in the show, and their relationship with a certain exorcist made that particular story so much more impactful than any that have come before even though the main character that should have been affected by this storyline was Nene. When you have two very unique characters in Hanako and Nene but the emotional crux is between two side characters, that felt like a problem in character motivation.

These mismatched character exploits, while interesting, didn't feel like they were going anywhere. You could really feel the episodic nature and I actually took two months off from watching it even though I had 3 or 4 episodes left.

It's fine, but there is no urgency in me wanting to be in this world for this long.

Story: 5/10
Art: 5/10
Sound: 5/10
Character: 5/10
Enjoyment: 5/10
Overall: 5/10

This anime had major selling points. For starters, the art style is amazing. I made sure I was watching in HQ so I could truly appreciate it. The entire toon-horror aesthetic was delightful and you can a lot of detail was put into this. The background art itself is wallpaper worthy. While great on the surface, the story is where it lost me. Hanako brings interesting story ideas to the table inspired by true Japanese urban legends. Unfortuantely, the storytelling is clunky, the characters barely see any development and I personally Japanese humour… cringy. In fact, the humour is where the majority of the storytelling ... errors occur. This show has a habit of interrupting serious moments with random jokes, hoping for comedic effect. It doesn’t work. There isn’t a single episode where this tactic isn’t employed but at least the few serious, emotionally charged moments are truly well made. Overall, this anime is okay. Personally, it’s truly disappointing that the storytelling is a total discrepancy to the art style but I definitely see a lot of people enjoying it more than me.

This anime is using the same recycle theme of Seven wonders but seems to not go for any character growth, meaningful lessons or feeling of progression towards a goal. This is a slice of life with tint of humor, horror and some supernatural.

The only memorable aspect was the unique art style of the show. A unique color palette and style of framing was the only salvation of the show.
The animation is very limited and subpar, the character are quite forgettable and their goals or motivation are absolutely weak.
The movement are very stiff, they put a lot of still frames which are okay but when your ... show is half still frames, I am watching a visual novel or manga with some little tit-bit of animation.
We are presented with Nene the main protagonist which has a desire to be in a romantic relationship but her way to judge a person is pure superficial and it won't change or progress. They are stuck in a trope, she will remain the naive, innocent, and superficial character she is from the beginning to the end.
The antagonist will cause mayhem but never gave a clear reason for doing so, the resolution of those are also very un-satisfactory.

I would define this anime as the void, being neither earth or heaven. You are stuck in the void with no progression, low story-telling, bland characters and just nice art style to drive the show. The sound design is not memorable.
If you are bored, it could help you pass time. I've seen worse show.
For those reading the manga, you might just be happy to see it "animated" or mostly colored.

Hanako kun Hanako Kun are you there? NEW PHONE WHO DIS?!

The art style was a real selling point along with the overall aesthetic. But what I really liked about this anime was how well integrated the "jokey comedy" bits were. Like you'll have a joke or comedic clip take place in the middle of a clearly intense situation and instead of cutting from story to comedy and straight back to the story, the pan-outs and the story-board style along with the smooth transitions back to the actual scene really impressed me. It just felt so smooth.

The story itself is straightforward and pretty cohesive. You ... have a school and spirits, there are not too many things that seem too far fetched from the boundaries the anime has set in place. There's a sense of playfulness tastefully placed all throughout the anime, which makes use of those transitions in mood and visuals all the more noticeable. But even with the playfulness aspect sprinkled in, I still left each episode wanting to know more and asking myself questions which is an indication of a good watch.

Overall it's a good anime don't get me wrong, but for me personally, it felt a bit lackluster and I found myself confused in some of the episodes reasoning why the hell did x do this and y do that. Regardless, I liked watching it, and hopefully, so will you.

*Spoiler warning!*


Okay, the show was good, but it definitely wasn't GREAT. To start off, the story was fine, there wasn't ever a "main" objective throughout the thing, more like a arc "objective" that they always seemed to fulfill in the end of each arc. I did get a little bored the first episode, speaking of the fact it was the base to the Anime. Besides that, it was pretty mediocre. Nothing stood out to me, I'd say the best time to watch a anime like this is after watching a sad movie, cause there are some really cute and funny moments! The art was very ... unique. Some of the art was definitely similar to chibi in a sense. It was fitting to the type of anime, and was definitely adorable! The personalities of each character were nice and semi unique. Hanako was a perv and well dead. Yashiro was a girl really wanting a boyfriend, and she is really kind. And Kou was well, Kou. Nothing stuck out to me in the personalities though. But they were still pretty unique. Overall, I'd say the show was enjoyable enough, it was a semi let down, cause I saw people hype it up SO MUCH, but Ig it was fine! It's a 6/10 for me! :3