Hello! I’ll be reviewing Episode 12 for Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (a.k.a. Toilet-bound Hanako-kun). In the last episode, Mitsuba became the official Third Wonder of the school and forcefully returned Hanako-kun, Nene, and Kou back to their original world. Things took such a drastic turn, there’s no way this could be the end already.
What story shall we hear this time around? And I wonder if there will be a next season?
.: Disclaimer :.
Please be aware that I’ll be relaying information that may or may not contain spoilers. Read at your own discretion. Without further ado, let’s dive right on in then.
Episode 12 – Little Mermaid
After the trio were forcibly returned from Wonder Number 3, the Hell of Mirrors, it has been 3 days since then. Nene learns of the circumstances between Kou and Mitsuba. Nene also wonders about Mitsuba and his safety with Tsukasa there with him.
Although Nene showed her concern with Kou’s predicament, Kou mentioned he’ll figure something out. So, she doesn’t dwell on it further.
Meanwhile in class, Nene sighs to herself and Hanako surprises her by making his appearance. Aoi also takes notice that Nene may be talking to herself again.
Hanako-kun continues to inquire about what may be bothering Nene and she hopes to find a way to cheer up Kou since he may feel lonely. Hanako-kun hugs Nene from behind and mentions he was lonely when she got sucked into that mirror. He asks if she was lonely too?
Nene pushes him away out of embarrassment. Hanako-kun continues to show how worried he was for her and decides to mess with her hair. Heh.
Aoi questions what she has fallen for this time and Nene responds honestly in defeat. But, Aoi mishears. Nene thought that Hanako-kun has involved himself with her life all this time, but he doesn’t tell her anything about himself which bothers her.
The times that Hanako-kun looked vulnerable, Nene can’t abandon him and wishes she could understand him more. She thought to herself it might be better if she were an apparition too.
A voice calls out to her and we see Puffy, the fish on her school desk. He greets her as her highness and offers to grant her wish. Aoi asks if she’s alright out of concern and Nene dashes outside.
Nene explains to the fishes of her role with the Seventh Wonder and her friendship with a strong exorcist. She attempts to threaten them, but isn’t convincing enough. The fishes continue to offer their pleas to Nene and aim to free her from her bond with the Seven Wonders. The reason for their pleas was because of Nene ingesting the mermaid’s scale and is eligible to become the next ruler.
Puffy, the fish continues to mention that she is their princess and if she were to come to their world, she’d be quite the extraordinary beauty and can hook any man that strikes her fancy. To add, he makes note of Hanako-kun’s inconsiderate behavior towards Nene like the donuts she tried gifting him and using her to his heart’s content.
Nene attempts to deny the fact, but it would seem she couldn’t summon the courage to do so. Puffy continues to shower her with flattery and presents her with the mermaid’s lifeblood. It would overwrite her unfortunate bond to the School Wonder that they so despise.
Nene confides in Aoi, Yako, and Tsuchigomori for answers to her dilemma.
Nene makes the choice of not going through with it after all and returns the mermaid’s lifeblood. The fishes drag her into the depths of the water to coerce her into joining with them and Nene learns the true meaning behind their words. She’s only beautiful as a fish to them.
Nene eventually gets wooed over and Hanako-kun intervenes. He makes a statement that Nene likes him and she shouldn’t be going anywhere no matter how great their world is or how bad her life may be.
Hanako-kun threatens to make sashimi out of them and they retreat in the end.
Nene is flustered and apologizes for her behavior. Nene explains her intentions about being an apparition just to get closer and understand Hanako-kun better. He can’t help but feel touched and thanks her. He finally professes that it was the first time a girl ever told him she likes him and it makes him happy.
Hanako-kun asks Nene to promise him to stay his assistant until the day he is ready to tell her everything there is to know about his past. Nene agrees and makes a pinky promise.
Meanwhile, we see Sakura’s group being up to no good and attempting pranks in the broadcast room with rumors.
Kou looks solemn and makes a commitment to get strong soon for Mitsuba. Teru cheers him on from a distance and takes notice of the cute Mokke delivering summer vegetables to Kou made from Nene.
We see Nene heading towards the bathroom stall to summon Hanako again and instead of being fearful like the first episode, she smiles and greets him.
Enjoyment: 10 of 10
Nene has such an adorable hamster. (Although, “Black Canyon’ is an interesting name.) Enjoyable wholesome episode. I thought it was sweet that Nene wanted to become an apparition just so she could understand Hanako-kun more. She also can’t help but enjoy the idea of being in her own harem of male fishes. Haha. It sure got a chuckle out of me. I really enjoyed the characters in this show. The art is mesmerizing and eye-catching till the end and I’m convinced to read the manga to understand which parts have been skipped or maybe I might have missed out on some details that could have resolved some of the confusion I felt.
The Analysis:
Questions: What’s Hanako’s age? When do we get to know more about Hanako’s past? Will the truth about Hanako’s past terrify Nene or bring them closer? When will Kou be able to remove the seal on his staff? Is Nene ever going to make Hanako-kun a new batch of donuts? Will there be a next season and when?
Theories: As much as I wished to know how Hanako-kun killed Tsukasa. There must have been an accident that occurred on school grounds. I recall there being a flashback of blood back on Episode 8 and they were in their uniforms. I’m also speculating that maybe Tsukasa forced his hand and it just became a bloody mess. So, Hanako-kun got injured during the scuffle and possibly died in the girl’s bathroom. I have other speculations that Tsukasa abuses him frequently which may explain the constant painful injuries we see him have and I wouldn’t blame him if he eventually snapped because of it. I could be completely wrong of course.
What’s Next?
Go watch it on Funimation!
Episode Review List
- Episode 1 – Hanako-san of the Bathroom
- Episode 2 – Yousei-san
- Episode 3 – The Misaki Stairs, Part 1
- Episode 4 – The Misaki Stairs, Part 2
- Episode 5 – The Confession Tree
- Episode 6 – The 4 O’clock Library
- Episode 7 – Donuts
- Episode 8 – Mitsuba
- Episode 9 – Tea Party
- Episode 10 – The Hell Of Mirrors, Part 1
- Episode 11 – The Hell Of Mirrors, Part 2
- Episode 12 – Little Mermaid
- Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun: Final Review
