This is the pilot manga of the series. It was so good to read. It caught me up in details that the author was thinking about basing the manag off. I especially loved the fox eyes, of when they painted 3 of their nails, only to see apparitions through the small hole, when making a fox with your hand. It was saddening, it made me tear up slightly while reading it. Dear my living dead, a manga also in this, is also a great edition to the book!
Toilet Bound Hanako Kun is a manga series with currently 73 chapters when I finished reading it. It’s about a human girl,Nene, who makes a deal with a bathroom ghost, Hanako, so her crush will reciprocate feeling for her. Her plan backfires, creating an unbreakable bond between her and Hanoko. The books follow their adventure in defeating the Seven Wonders around the school.
Nene is the main protagonist of the series as well as a fifteen year old high school student. In the beginning of the book she is so desperate to have a boyfriend that she throws herself at any guy who shows her attention. After she gets cursed she learns that her desire to have a boyfriend was really just her wanting someone to love her. It didn’t matter who it was, she just wanted someone to care about her. Nene continues this habit of being boycrazy throughout the series, which makes me think if she's still trying to fill that void or if she's just a hopeless romantic. I feel like this is a pretty typical thing that many people experience in their teens. They are constantly surrounded by people in relationships and media that implies that happiness comes from being in a romantic relationship. This can lead to them feeling that they have to have a significant other or they are worthless or that no one will ever love them that way. Nene thinks that her “dycon legs” is why she’ll never be in a relationship, which I’m sure many girls can relate to one way or another. That their body will never be good enough to someone to actually love them because they will find it disgusting. I think that Nene is one of the best written characters in terms of relatability.
Hanoko is a bathroom ghost who is one of the Seven Wonders of the school. Since he saved Nene from being a fish her whole life, he now hangs around her all the time. To me it seems like this whole book is just Hanoko trying to make up for him killing his brother. All he does is give and give, not only helping the school but Nene as well. The only time I remember him getting upset is when someone hurts Nene or when he sees his brother for the first time in 20 years. Even when Kou tells Nene that he murdered someone, he only puts a seal on Kou’s staff. Even after Kou tries to exercise him, Hanoko hopes Kou will be successful in exercising him one day. When Nene is a few short days from her death he allows one of the seven wonders to trap her in a picture, in hopes that her life span will increase. He is willing to sacrifice his closest friend for her own benefit. Knowing it will leave him all alone again. He isn’t even sure if his plan will work. He doesn't even care if she ends up hating him, he just wants her to be happy and safe in the painting world.
Akane Aoi is Nene’s friend who tells her spooky, despite not really enjoying them herself. Before Aoi reveals her feelings later in the book she is seen as this popular nice girl. Nene even points out that she would never have to worry about most things because she is popular. Despite everyone being nice to her and giving her attention she still feels like an outsider. Nene may be her friend, but she's always running around the school and keeping secrets. Aoi experiences something that most people feel once in their life, loneliness. Not the kind you feel when you're separated from society, but the kind you feel in a room full of people. She won’t allow herself to believe that people care about her which created an invisible barrier between her and the world. Even when Akane, her childhood friend, expresses his feelings to her she thinks he is lying. This self hate and this invisible barrier she has set she can neither receive or give genuine love. I appreciate how the author decided to reveal her true feelings later in the book then in the beginning. It gives the reader a new perspective and understanding on her actions leading up to the big reveal.
I think the author does an amazing good incorporating the charters trauma and inner struggles into their speech and action. In many books I’ve read I noticed that many authors will change the characters personality completely when their backstories get revealed. I feel like they don’t explore how their past affects their present enough. This ends up making characters problems more shallow than they actually are. That is why I enjoy Hanako Kun so much because the writing and story blends perfectly together.
Overall I think Toilet Bound Hanako Kun is a good series if you're looking for a mystery, supernatural, or romance manga. This manga seems to be geared towards more girls, but I'm sure even guys enjoy it. If anything I think people who doesn’t enjoy romance series or cute art you would probably not enjoy this series at all.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I actually really liked this version of Hanako-kun. I liked Nene a little bit more and the story was interesting, but it didn't really leave room for it to be a longer piece like the current story. The characters weren't too too different, but there was something about them in this story that made them seem more mature? I liked it. It's also been a long time since I've read TBHK though so maybe my perception of them is a little skewed. Either way really liked this version, but understand why it had to change to become what is now.
As for the second story?? Wow. Was not expecting something so dark! That was pretty wild especially with AidaIro's cute art style. AidaIro's art is so gorgeous. Anyway it was intense, but I really liked that as well. It was a great short story.
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Volume 0 covers over the original pilot chapters for the manga, as well as Aida Iro's debut work, Dear My Living Dead .
The original chapters are much darker than the present TBHK, but its themes are still very similar and not much different than what we have now.
What I enjoyed most about Volume 0 is Dear My Living Dead . It is the reason why I'll be purchasing the volume once it becomes available in English. The one-shot follows the lives of two necromancers, Lilia and Cult, and the grave decision that they must make to stay together. DMLD is one of the few works I can say I'm happy to be this short because only the reader can make up their own ending about what happens between the characters.
Is reading Volume 0 worth it? I think so. DLMD is one of the best short stories I've read and has plenty worth analyzing. Plus, Yashiro and Hanako will always be cute.
I am impressed! Loved this so much - the concept, the art. Apparently volume 0 includes the original pilot chapters for the Toilet-bound series and the author's debut work - which was creepy and gothic and I wish there was more of it. Really smart on how AidaIro connected both of those in here. I will be getting my hands on volume 1 as soon as I can.
The overall plot and art is just magnificent! I am in love. As usual, the manga is much better than the anime. I really enjoyed re-reading this after three years.
Die ersten drei Kapitel der oirignal (?) Story von Hanako :D sie sind wirklich ziemlich gut. Der Zeichenstil ist noch sehr anders - auch echt schön - aber mir gefällt der neuere Stil deutlich mehr. Nene ist allerdings deutlich krasser drauf :D was mir ehrlich gesagt ziemlich gefallen hat. Auch ein paar HIntergründe, wie die Bestrafung der Geister, fand ich sehr interessant. ich bin gespannt ob die Thematik in der Mangareihe später wieder aufgenommen wird.
Die Einzelgeschichte Dear my living dead, ist eine uh ... Liebesgeschichte (*hust* naja) zwischen zwei Necromancern in einer Zombiewelt, die von der Kirche beherrscht wird. Sagen wir mal, die Liebe ist sehr.. sehr.. sehr.. sehr.. sehr.. sehr ... seeeehhhhr intensiv ausgehend von dem jungen Mann .... und das Ende war ... überraschend :D hätte ich nicht erwartet. Dark Romantasy Leser finden das sicher gut - Shojo-Leser wohl eher nicht *hüstel*.
I find the pilot chapters so interesting seeing what made it to the final version vs what got cut. Honestly this version of Nene is my favorite and I kinda wish they kept her this spunky (still love her regardless tho).
I also didn't realize this included My Dear Living Dead! I read this back in 2020 originally and rereading it was fun since I forgot more then I thought about it. I'm honestly super into the world this had set up and while it works great as a one-shot I also kinda want more.
Also the implications that Cult hates Hanako (and maybe Hanako hates Cult) is really funny because they have similar vibes. It's like that one tumblr post that said something like "self recognition through the other (derogatory)."
Anyway Vol. 0 is actually one of my fav volumes and I'm glad I own it physically now along with My Dear Living Dead!
I LOVED this!! Went and immediately bought the box set for the main series because the pilot chapters of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun were just TOO GOOD!
I am obsessed with the art style, the characters, the humor. It’s fantastic and I am so happy there are so many volumes for me to dive into.
And the one-shot My Dear Living Dead…WOW. Not gonna say much because I wouldn’t want to spoil it, but I love how the cutesy art style combines with the dark subject matter in a way where it feels like a twisted fairy tale. Loved it!
I loved the first chapters and it was really interesting to see the differences between them and the first 3 chapters of the manga.
The one shot story was really interesting in it's own way,with some amazing plot twists and an unexpected ending.I will gladly read another stories made by them.
Read times: 4 🇩🇪 German version Scroll down for the English version 🇬🇧
Ich hab tatsächlich total vergessen um was es in Band 0 nochmal ging, aber umso besser! Am meisten mochte ich die Vielfalt die dieses Buch geboten hat. Es ist eine Art Spin-Off vom original Band 1 + eine neu erfundene Story namens ,,Dear My Living Dead" und erneut war die Geschichte total spannend. Ich kann es nie stark genug betonen: Aida hat einen wunderschönen Zeichenstil. Ich liebe es!
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I actually totally forgot what volume 0 was about again, but all the better! I really liked the variety this book offered. It's a kind of spin-off from the original Volume 1 + a reinvented story called ‘Dear My Living Dead’ and again the story was totally exciting. I can never emphasise it strongly enough: Aida has a beautiful drawing style. I love it! ——————————————————————————— StoryGraph review
Let’s just get right to it and talk about the BEST part of this volume shall we? MY DEAR LIVING DEAD IS SPECTACULAR 🖤!!!! I am not a zombie fan, not at all. The saving grace of the story line is that the zombies no longer resemble people, they resemble Yokai and are not grotesque. The story is interesting and sentimental. The illustrations are beautiful. The ending was….EVERYTHING 🖤❤️🖤!!! I am so happy that I purchased volume zero to complete my collection of the manga series. I did not even know about this one shot story in the back. That story is a masterpiece. If you have not read this manga, do it NOW!!!
Otro manga que empiezo a leer por el anime. Estos capítulos fueron muy tiernos, ya estoy emocionada por seguir con el resto. El estilo de dibujo es muy lindo y rápido de leer. Esperaba que fuera aburridos debido a que eran episodios pilotos y suelo no ser muy fan de éstos, pero igual me encantaron así que estoy con grandes expectativas :D.
I would risk it all for Hanako. I love my sweet baby boy so much. I would kill for him. I would die for him. I would sell my soul for him. I just adore him so much 😭💖 Like, I can’t even put into words why I adore him so much. I just look at his precious face and want to weep. Plus, I know his story just gets more complex as time goes on, and I just wanna hug him until we both burst.
Anyway. Nene and Kou are also my sweet babies 💖 Nene is hilarious with her complex about her legs. Kou is a sweetie wanting to protect Nene from the One Ghost that wouldn’t hurt her at all 😂 Bless his soul. They are precious
Also. This volume contains the short story My Dear Living Dead, and it is some of the most fucked up depressing shit I’ve read in manga (ok not really nothing compares to MADK). The point I’m trying to make is that for something that starts sweet and loving, it has a really sad ending with one of the characters committing a heinous act. Like, wow. But it was also really good as a short story! I really liked it, and it just gives a good sense of this mangaka’s vibes as a creator.
Vol. 0 is essentially the pilot or test run for Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun. As a fan of this particular series, I really enjoy seeing a "rough" outline compared to the manga. What you have is just a couple of chapters that Iro started with before expanding the story and I am here for it. One fun key difference is Yashiro's story. I'm not sure which version I like more, either way, it was fun to read.
I must admit I am a little bummed since the end of Vol. 0 is a stand-alone one-shot manga from 2013 called Dear My Living Dead. It was amazing and I immediately went looking for the series only to find out that it was indeed a one-shot. Maybe the duo will one day return to it. A girl can only hope.
It was really neat getting to see the original version of TBHK, but to be honest, "My Dear Living Dead" was the highlight for me!
I think it's honestly my favorite short manga story I've ever read!! it was literally everything I desire in a story 😭 Dark depressing spooky world, cool monsters, cool animal companion, ghosts, interesting magic system, a corrupt system, a cute wholesome romance, truma, and a beautifully dark twist!!<333
Why only 78 pages?!?!?!😭
If anyone knows anything that gives off similar vibes too My Dear Living Dead, PLEASE let me know!!!!
Chulísimo poder ver los tres capítulos prototipo de Hanako-kun. Es un estilo menos cartoon (con algunos cambios mínimos) pero las expresiones de los personajes me han flipado igual. Por otra parte "Dear my Living Dead" me ha sorprendido. El dibujo de AidaIro me gusta muchísimo así que estoy muy agradecida de haber disfrutado de su obra debut. Ese toque turbio al final ha sido increíble.