Toilet-bound Hanako-kun
Information
Plot
Kamome Academy is famous for its rumors regarding its Seven Wonders and supernatural occurrences. Nene Yashiro, a first-year high-school student who loves the occult and wishes for a boyfriend, summons the Seventh and most famous Wonder, "Hanako-san of the Toilet", the spirit of a girl who allegedly haunts the bathroom and can grant wishes for the right price. Upon summoning her, Nene discovers that "Hanako-san" is nothing like the rumors say; Hanako-san is a boy. With a turn of events, she is spiritually bound to Hanako and becomes his assistant, helping him destroy evil supernaturals and change rumours in order to maintain the balance between the spirit world and the human world. Along the way, Nene learns about her connection to the spirit world and the dark secrets regarding Hanako and his past.
Review
Visuals 4/5
Visuals are beautiful, the colour palette and the character designs pop – which I love! I adore the character designs too, so moe (cute!) and I am a sucker for glistening large eyed characters.
Animation 2/5
Despite the fabulous colours and designs… the animation leaves much to be desired. At times the movements are choppy – it more-so feels like manga-panels with minimal movements. Considering I am watching an animation, not reading a manga, I need fluid and fun movements!! The lack thereof is a shame as some of the characters seem pretty expressive with animated personalities! *badum tss*.
Plot 3/5
I like the idea that there is a school ghost that is not spooky or evil, Nene befriends him after a mishap with her wish and shenanigans ensue. It is quite a simple and straight forward plot that I think could be explored in an entertaining way. Honestly, there is not much wrong with the plot, I am not crazy about it, but it’s not bad at all! It sort of reminds me of the series ‘Noragami’ – and I loved that anime! I think the slice of life elements of this anime is just a bit lackluster for me, possibly because I am not that interested in shows based in High School anymore. Qonita as a teenager would probably enjoy this more!
Characters 3/5
The titular character Hanako is an eccentric and fun loving spirit. I do enjoy most of his scenes as he does bring most of the comedy to the show! Nene is your standard naïve FL, I don’t have a lot to say about her. Upon completion of this series, my verdict is that she’s alright, a little annoying at times but that’s always the case with protagonists at first – I look forward to her character development. Nene is a little too boy crazy for my taste but she is also a teenager so, I’ll allow it. Kou is hilarious, I do enjoy his addition to the cast. He is an exorcist and one that believes that most spirits are inherently evil. He first approaches Hanako with the intent of exorcising him as he believes him to be a menace to the school and humankind, of course he eventually changes his beliefs, but it was a fun journey to get there. I notice a lot of people complain about the voice acting of Hanako… I don’t personally see an issue, I think it fits his character well! I have not read the source material however, so I did not go into it with any expectations as to how I envisioned his voice, I suppose?
Soundtrack 4/5
The music is beautiful, I love the piano snippet of the ending song that creeps up on you at the end of an episode. Not that it’s a creepy piano song! It’s actually really beautiful. The opening is also a fun one to listen to! It’s your standard somewhat rock-y opening like most anime has, so I cannot fault it. It’s a fun time~
Overall Thoughts
It’s a fun show and very easy to binge due to it only having about 12 episodes. Perhaps it’s not one I would be jumping for joy to recommend but perhaps if you just want to kill time with some cute characters, this is not a bad option!
