Toilet-bound Hanako Kun is the story about a ghost boy (Hanako) and a girl (“Yashiro Nene”) who are tied or contracted to Hanako to get his Seven Wonders at Kamome Academy.

This transforms their relationship into one of servant-master. 

But can a relationship as simple as this become more? 

Maybe romance could blossom between a ghost boy and a human girl?

About Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun by Iro Aida is a Japanese manga. 

Since 2014, it has been published in Square Enix’s Monthly G Fantasy shonen manga publication. 

It was originally collected in 12 tankobon volumes. It is licensed by Yen Press for North America.

The well-known “Seven Wonders” that every school appears to have are part of Japanese urban myths. 

Hanako-san is one of the most famous stories.

It’s the ghost of a girl who is haunting the bathrooms of the school.

Kamome Academy has its version of Hanako’s legend. 

Some reports claim that Hanako-san will grant any wish if summoned. 

Attracted by the rumor, many people tried calling her but none worked.

But the moment Nene Yashiro, looking for love, can summon Hanako-san, she realizes that the reported “girl” is actually an adult male!

Will Hanako and Yashiro Nene get together?

We will address this issue using an exclusive anime point of view.

Below is a disclaimer for those who don’t want to read spoilers.

Do Hanako and Nene have romantic feelings for each other?

In the first episode, we see Yashiro Nene, a Kamome Academy student, walk to a restroom for females that is being used as a ghost’s toilet.

Nene believes that the ghost will grant wishes if the person knocks three times on the surface to summon a ghost. 

Hanako was in the third stall of the female bathroom that Nene used.

The Academy’s Seven Wonders include the ghost, which is the main character. 

As the ghost who haunts the third stall in the girls’ bathroom, Hanako took an interest in Yashiro and struck an agreement with her during what transpired in the very first episode: he’ll grant her wish but Nene is his assistant.

The anime’s first season introduces a Hanako-Nene employer-employee relationship. 

As the anime progresses, viewers see a rise in their friendship.

This is particularly true in one episode, where Nene found herself in Hanako’s past while she was on the road. 

When they are spending time working as a team, both as employer and assistant, the audience can only hope for the best that Hanako and Nene’s bond can blossom into love.

Hanako is dead. Can they still get along?

One character is alive while the other is deceased, which suggests that there may be a very grim future for both of them.

One thing to consider is what is the best way for Nene and Hanako to ever be together since they aren’t on the same plane of dimensionality? 

Nene lives close to the shores (the realms of life), Hanako is on the far shore (the land of the dead).

The only way for the two to “get to be together” is for one of them to cross the other’s border. But who will be the one to take the initiative? 

Who will cross the line from the near shore to the far shore to make them a romantic couple?

Many avenues can lead to this result, however, as of the moment in the story it’s not clear whether a romantic relationship can be developed between Hanako and his assistant Nene.

The animation sequence taken from Tiny Light, the ending song, reveals the metaphysical division between Hanako and Nene.

‘ This particular scene is one of transition.‘ The viewer can see Yashiro’s silhouette in red slowly overlaying his white silhouette.

It’s like she’s trying to get past the metaphysical red-colored barrier so that she can get Hanako’s hands.

The fast clockwise movement of Yashiro’s silhouette in red overlapping Hanako’s white silhouette is animated stunningly. 

It’s like it’s telling viewers that the time is getting shorter (hence the fast animation pacing).

Hanako’s death:

Disclosure Note If you have been reading the manga or would want to know about recent manga updates, spoilers can be found in the following sections to provide an overview of the circumstances of Hanako’s passing. When appropriate, manga references will also be discussed.

The anime and the manga provide specific details about Hanako’s death, but this is an unanswered subplot that has many anime fans picking up the manga.

In addition, the fans have speculated on the tragic background stories surrounding Hanako’s death. 

In the Manga series, the mangaka has often shown the following behaviors:

A) Kitchen Knife

This is Hanako’s item since the first episode of the show. 

Hanako took a knife from a cabinet and placed it under his jacket. The manga however indicates that he took the knife from his abdomen.

The viewers then can imagine Hanako dying when the kitchen knife punched and punctured his abdomen. 

Hanako’s death may have been caused by many factors, but the most important question is: Who murdered Hanako? Is he a suicide victim? Or was he murdered?

B) Rope

Imagery in the manga, therefore it’s reasonable to speculate that Hanako might have hung himself to pay for the sins he committed in his previous life.

As a result of his past actions, Yugi Amane (his human name before becoming the 7th School’s Wonder called Hanako-Kun).

Hanako fears recalling the death of someone and cries out for help.

There’s a great chance that Hanako killed his twin brother Tsukasa as Hanako said in Chapter 10 that ” “…simply disappearing from the earth] won’t make me atone for my sins.”

This is the reason Hanako gets scared every time Tsukasa’s appearance is near -The apparition of Tsukasa brings Hanako back to his savage self.

Also, when Tsukasa’s appearance mentions the murder of Hanako, Hanako is reminded of his worst fears and self, even in his present state on the nearshore (or in the real world) in the form of school’s 7th Wonder.

Lerche animation studio provided fans with a thrilling animated series, the “Toilet-bound Hanako-kun” which was the winner of the winter 2020 Anime Awards’ in the Most admired Mystery and Psychological Award category.

This series is loved by many, including me. I think it could be because of the stunning animation, the interesting plot twists, and the captivating music that bring out the psychological suspense.