REVIEW: ‘After-School Hanako-kun Part 2’ Is Humbling

After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 continues to adapt the single-volume manga it is based on. The single volume collects a series of comic shorts that served as a spin-off from the main series: Toilet-bound Hanako-kun. The spin-off still features story and art by AidaIro. From a production standpoint, this spin-off series is almost the same as the main anime series, with Studio Lerche working on both projects. However, the directors differ. Toilet Bound Hanako-kun has Masaomi Andō (Shy) and After-School Hanako-kun has Masaki Kitamura (Mobile Gundam Suit 00).

After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 finishes by telling all the stories it needs from the manga. These light-hearted 10-minute short episodes are delightful snippets, showing short stories that fit within and around Toilet Bound Hanako-kun season 1. This second part of the short contains all, or most, of the characters fans know from the main series and tells a mix of wholesome and slightly dark stories.

Unfortunately, this series has to be watched after the main series to get all the context—unless viewers just love to watch cute things. It’s best enjoyed similarly to how Attack on Titan: Junior High is a fun, chibi story outside the seriousness and brutality of the staple Attack on Titan canon. However, After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 is more similar to the main series and isn’t a separate entity.

Speaking of cute things, After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 continues to tell the fun and cute stories it’s always been telling. The shorter format allows Lerche to animate the wildest possibilities using the characters without the hassle of making a full 20-minute episode. Typically, the episodes for this spin-off adventure contain two stories that are shown for about 4-5 minutes short.

This supernatural, slice-of-life comedic anime series never fails to look stunning. The thick, dark outlines on the characters contrast with the demure, lighter colors and sparkles in every scene. Even when the backgrounds are dark, the characters always pop out of the screen. The multi-layered coloring in the eyes is also an After-School Hanako-kun and Toilet Bound Hanako-kun classic.

After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 Episode 2, “The Summer Monster: Toilet-bound Hanako-san / Return of the Summer Monster,” does a great job emphasizing the use of contrasting colors when certain characters are essentially gender-bended versions of their original selves. The shimmer and glam shine bright because of the purposeful shading and lighting throughout these moments.

Episodes like After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 Episode 2 are fantastic and funny because they also push the artists to imagine a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios. They have to take the original design of characters like Hanako and develop a look that distinctly shows that this is a female version of Hanako. Changing the hair and clothing is also something the show did well here. The real urban legend of the toilet spirit, Hanako, is supposed to be a female anyway, so this really shows what Hanako could look like if the story were told more faithful to the rumored urban legend tales.

The mokke continue to take over this series with their adorably pink and squishy bunny look. As much as they look fun to hug and snuggle with, it’s funny their writing portrays them as a bit of evil. They have the vibes of the Gremlins, a mix of cute and chaos. It’s rare for them not to appear in an episode, whether in the background or not.

The writers and animators always seem to have fun making up some morbid storyline for the mokke, like in After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 Episode 3, “After-school Mokke / After-school Café.” The mokke decide to cook a mokke dessert, which requires blending a mokke spirit. It’s always great to appreciate how horrible that is when the show censors what a blended mokke would look like.

From an additive perspective, After-School Hanako-kun Part 1 and 2 tell great side stories. It almost is a Marvel’s What If…? animated series in the main MCU story world. After-school Hanako-kun finishes strong too. The series returns all its regular characters for one last spin-off story for After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 Episode 4, “The Ghost Café.” This is also presented as a Halloween episode, where the main cast wears and acts as typical Halloween creatures or people.

Nothing about After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 should be taken too lightly. It is an explored story waiting to flourish in the main series. The central significance of these tales told in this shortened medium is that they allow the animation to go crazy but within a proper time frame. One of the most unique aspects of the main series is that the story finds a way that subverts most expectations. After-School Hanako-kun Part 2 stays true to that and gives its fans some wacky mini-stories to scratch that Toilet Bound Hanako-kun itch.

After-School Hanako-kun Parts 1 & 2 are streaming now on Crunchyroll.