It’s another lightweight outing for Houkago Shounen Hanako-kun, but all things considered not as much as it could be given the format. This is basically an omake series, albeit canon, with all that implies. But Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun is a pretty dark ride (in contrast with its visual style), and that creeps through into Houkago Shounen here. Given that it’s ten minutes and four episodes, anything that adds a bit of texture and depth is certainly welcome.
First off we have a Kokkuri-san tale. That’s a natural for a series with this premise of course, though I don’t think it’s ever been addressed in the parent series. It’s interesting that the anime inserted a “don’t try this at home” warning – gives you an idea of how much the old beliefs still have a hold here. The main player here is Aoi Akane – not to be confused with Akane Aoi, the girls he’s in love with. And the purpose of the Kokkuri gambit is to confess without having to literally confess. But when a mokke asserts its control over the 10¥ coin, he winds up confessing to Lemon-kun instead, with disastrous results.
The B-part focuses on Mitsuba, absolutely one of the more tragic figures in the main series. A lonely child ghost desperate for friends, that doesn’t exactly scream zany comedy. And Houkago Shounen Hanako-kun treats that with admirable restraint, I would say – this is comic only in the broadest sense. Tsukasa makes his first appearance of the series, and he’s as psychotic as ever – hardly the dream friend of a gentle soul like Mitsuba. If you ask me he really ought to let the earring thing go and be friends with Kou, who’s a much better match than anybody in the broadcasting club…
