Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Vol. 1

A high school girl helps a ghost solve the supernatural mysteries at an eerie old school in this horror/humor manga that is not particularly funny or scary. It has a slapdash feel, like the author made the first chapter hoping but not expecting to be chosen as a regular series and then floundering and course-correcting when it actually happened. The story is dull and unoriginal.

Another problem is the depiction of the characters. They look like elementary school kids but the translated text tells us they are middle and high school students. There are some dumb boob jokes in the end make me wonder if the characters were in elementary school in the Japanese version and if the translators are fudging the ages to make humor that sexualizes show more children more acceptable for an American audience. show less

The students at Komome Academy have many rumors about the school's supposed "Seven Mysteries," the seventh of which is Hanako-san of the toilet. It's said that Hanako-san haunts a particular toilet in one of the girls' bathrooms, and if you summon her and give up something precious, she'll grant you one wish.

Nene Yashiro wants Hanako-san to grant her wish to have her crush fall immediately in love with her. She's shocked when she learns that Hanako-san not only truly exists but is actually a boy, Hanako-kun. She adjusts quickly, though, and finds herself getting tired of what she views as Hanako's overly slow and not terribly effective efforts to help her. When she tries to get a bit more magical help from Hanako, however, she ends up show more biting off more than she can chew and is forced to become Hanako's assistant. Together, they investigate multiple supernatural mysteries, including thieving "faeries" and stairs that act as a doorway into a dangerous other world.

I haven't seen the anime based on this series, although I plan to. So far the manga seems decent, but I feel like I haven't read enough to be able to judge it very well. Its tone is a little tough to nail down. There are comedic elements, like Yashiro's "anyone good-looking will do, even though I keep saying I'm actually in love with these people" attitude towards getting a boyfriend, the whole toilet thing, and Kou Minamoto's overconfidence in his own exorcism skills. However, there are also signs that this could get dark: the bloody nature of several of the supernatural rumors, and Hanako hinting that he's a murderer. Also, I found Hanako's eyes and facial expressions to be a little unsettling for some reason. His frequent lightheartedness seemed overdone, possibly forced. (But maybe I'm reading too much into it?)

Hanako is potentially a very interesting character. Yashiro's obsession with cute boys and romance may quickly become tiresome, but I did get a kick out of her reaction to her daily life as Hanako's assistant (spending nearly every free moment cleaning toilets at the school). My main impression of Minamoto was that he was shouty.

I like the way supernatural stuff in this series works. The rumors humans tell each other about supernatural beings are always true, whether the supernatural beings involved want them to be or not. So if humans whisper to each other that a particular ghost will kill you if you look at them, that's what has to happen, even if the ghost in question would normally be nonviolent. I enjoyed poor Yashiro's horror when her best friend (who was completely unaware of Yashiro's new connection to the supernatural) gleefully told her gruesome new rumors.

I'm not 100% sold on this series yet, but I'm interested in reading more of it.

Extras:

One full-color illustration, an extra comic on the inside front cover, a drawing on the inside back cover, a 2-page bonus manga about the main characters' ideal figures, and a page of translator's notes.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Pretty similar to Noragami (which I've only seen the anime of), in both the lore and character types. Well, except the protagonist didn't turn into a half-ghost, but she is now able to see supernatural creatures easier and all that. The setting is different though and also the ages of the characters, I think (they're younger here).

I don't really like the romance parts, but I do really love the supernatural things/lore. And the art. Not gonna lie, the artstyle of the anime and the manga covers (colored pages) were the main reason why I wanted to check this series out.
Even though it's a very popular series, I've never really heard much about the plot, so I didn't really know what I was getting into here. But it's okay. A bit boring at show more times, but as said, the supernatural beings are my cup of tea.

I would rate this higher, but I really hate how sexist it is and how much it sexualizes girls. Not surprised about that, of course, but it's very annoying to read through that sometimes. Especially when the character itself sexualizes themselves.
Series like these have so much fan-service, without needing it to be. Plot- and lore-wise, it wouldn't change a thing, except make it more enjoyable, when you remove the fan-service and the sexism.
It's also hard to ship anyone when everyone's just being a perv.

The Mokkes might be fr the only reason why I'll continue reading. Too cute. show less

Pretty similar to Noragami (which I've only seen the anime of), in both the lore and character types. Well, except the protagonist didn't turn into a half-ghost, but she is now able to see supernatural creatures easier and all that. The setting is different though and also the ages of the characters, I think (they're younger here).

I don't really like the romance parts, but I do really love the supernatural things/lore. And the art. Not gonna lie, the artstyle of the anime and the manga covers (colored pages) were the main reason why I wanted to check this series out.
Even though it's a very popular series, I've never really heard much about the plot, so I didn't really know what I was getting into here. But it's okay. A bit boring at show more times, but as said, the supernatural beings are my cup of tea.

I would rate this higher, but I really hate how sexist it is and how much it sexualizes girls. Not surprised about that, of course, but it's very annoying to read through that sometimes. Especially when the character itself sexualizes themselves.
Series like these have so much fan-service, without needing it to be. Plot- and lore-wise, it wouldn't change a thing, except make it more enjoyable, when you remove the fan-service and the sexism.
It's also hard to ship anyone when everyone's just being a perv.

The Mokkes might be fr the only reason why I'll continue reading. Too cute. show less

To be honest, and completely totally honest, Toilet Bound Hanako-kun is absolutely so well written. It starts off with the protagonist, Nene Yashiro, summoning her schools (Kamome Academy) 7th school mystery, Hanako-san of the toilet. She knocks on the third stall, and utters the words: “Hanako-san, Hanako-san. Are you there?” Hanako then reveals himself, but instead of being the girl with the bob in the 3rd stall of the old abandoned bathroom, it turns out he’s a 13 year old ghost boy! It all stems off from that. (Spoiler Warning) Everything evolves into a chaotic well written situation. The dilemma that presents itself is this: Someone has been messing with The School Mysteries stories. So the quest starts to find out whose show more messing with the school mysteries; or, one of the quests starts. Nene wants her crush (Teru Minamoto) to like her, Kou Minamoto (an exorcist, like his big brother) wants to exorcise Hanako (Hanako and Hanako-san are the same person, the honorific is just changed), but Kou, who is a 3rd year in middle school, is also in love with Nene! So all three of them set off to destroy the school mysteries. First the Mokke rebel, since their rumor was changed. They tried to destroy students who looked at them, and stole students things. Nene and Hanako eventually put an end to this problem and changed the rumor. Then Aoi Akane (Nene’s best friend) disappears; along with many others. In the end, they figure out School Mystery #2 has been taking the children, for stepping on the 4th step of the Misaki stairs, and they soon enter School Mystery’s #2 boundary, a place between life and death. They go through trials to find all the missing children, and they do; just in doll form. This volume ends on a cliff hanger; Yako’s scissors just above Nene’s head. Now personally, I would 100% recommend this to people 13 and older, because of some of the jokes (which aren’t anything too bad). The series evolves into something wonderful (spoiler warning): Akane Aoi (one of Nene and Aoi’s classmates, who is madly in love with Aoi) turns out to be a school mystery (#1 in specific), Aoi turns out to be a much deeper character than anticipated, Hanako is a murderer, Tsukasa (Hanako’s “younger brother”) is the victim of that muder, and is also Hanako’s Yorishiro; and he’s not even Hanako’s real brother, he’s the thing under Hanako + the real Tsukasa’s house (which is some type of unexplainable creature), Mistuba is a ghost that yearns to be human, after his life was cut short while he was out shopping for potatos for his mother’s birthday curry, Nene Yashiro figures out she has left than a year left to live, and is in love with Hanako, and in return Hanako is in love with her too. Since Hanako is a murderer (and doesn’t mind getting more blood on his hands),, he decided to sacrifice Aoi to the far shore; to give Nene a long happy and healthy life, but in return, he and all the other super naturals are banished to the real world, since Aoi descends from a family that was known for sacrificing girls in the olden days to keep supernaturals away. But, another dilemma arises: only kanagies (I’m not sure how to spell that, but basically it’s the girl whose going to be sacrificed tital) should be able to destroy Yorishiro’s, which supposedly is not. So much more happens outside of this, there just too much too explain, but I highly recommend reading this series, it may seem a little bit odd at first, but I assure you it turns into something amazing. show less

"Eeeek! A human-faced fish!"

This is my favourite line in this volume. The most accurate description of a mermaid. (I laughed hard at this.)

The story was humorous, with a lot of mystery behind the whole concept of the story. A ghost -haunting a girl's bathroom - who happens to be the school's 7th mystery. A girl who heard the rumours that the ghost grants wishes - visited Hanako to ask him to help her by making her senpai fall in love with her.

This went horribly wrong, and she ended up as his servant. I cannot wait to read Volume 2.

Scary urban legend turns into cute urban legend. It was okay, not sure why it’s super popular.