Manga Review: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, Volume 1, by Aidalro

Rating (Out of 5): ~3.5

Publisher: Yen Press

Release Date: January 2020

Volumes: 13+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

"Hanako-san, Hanako-san...are you there?" At Kamome Academy, rumors abound about the school's Seven Mysteries, one of which is Hanako-san. Said to occupy the third stall of the third floor girls' bathroom in the old school building, Hanako-san grants any wish when summoned. Nene Yashiro, an occult-loving high school girl who dreams of romance, ventures into this haunted bathroom...but the Hanako-san she meets there is nothing like she imagined! Kamome Academy's Hanako-san...is a boy!

Review:

Yashiro hears about the seven mysteries in her new school and immediately goes to the girls bathroom in the old school building and calls for Hanako-san. Only to discover that, not only is Hanako-san a boy, but he also doesn't seem to do much magic, and thus isn't very helpful in her quest for romance and to get her crush to notice her.

Yashiro apparently likes occult stuff and ghost stories, or at least her classmate thinks so. She's definitely a scaredy-cat, though, so I don't see it. She definitely is a romantic, however. She's been rejected before, and yet she still falls for boys without knowing anything about them, and dreams of a prince falling from the sky to her rescue.

Yashiro and Hanako form a bond through friendship, but also through a surprising mermaid curse. It's quite cute, honestly, though they don't seem to have any romantic feelings at this point. Yashiro also has a friend in her class, and then we meet a boy who's determined to exorcise Hanako, and this gives hints to Hanako's dangerous past.

We're left on a bit of a cliffhanger. Since it felt a bit like Hanako was overpowered in the first couple of chapters, I'm curious to see where this plot goes next. This was quite a fun volume. The artstyle is very pretty and the characters are rather cutesy, but there are a lot of dark strokes and inks used, too, and there are definite hints of something darker coming that intrigues me.

I know this series has hit quite big, so I'm intrigued to read more. It's been a while since I've read a high school ghost series, too, and that's a theme I enjoy.