To literally put first things first, I was very glad that this week’s Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun picked up right after the last one ended, manga-wise. Not only because I don’t want to see chapters skipped for artistic reasons (though that’s certainly true), but because burning through material looks critical right now. The February sales figures are in, and Hanako-kun placed 4th among all series in volume sales – behind only Kimetsu no Yaiba, Gin no Saji (which released its final volume) and Go-Toubun no Hayanome, and ahead of some big-time heavy hitters. It’s on-pace to repeat in March, too.
In short – the anime has given a huge boost to manga sales. That does my heart good for all sorts of reasons, and it means that if this series doesn’t get a continuation there’s something really weird going on. Even if this was unexpected there should still be room to pivot, and with about 20 chapters burned in nine episodes, we should have plenty of material to make a second season happen. At the very least I’m going to be extremely disappointed if we don’t get an announcement by the end of Episode 12, because it’s hard to imagine what more the production committee could possibly ask for.
In Japan at least, Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun is appreciated for the gem it is, and it seems to be doing reasonably well with Westerners too. This episode was yet another illustration of why this series is so strong, operating with a completely different cast than last week (only a small Hanako appearance common to both), and a radically different tone, yet not skipping a beat. We’re also seeing something that reflects both Aida Iro’s skill in constructing a story and the anime’s direction – every episode is a slow build, and the B-part is always stronger than the A-part.
In addition to showcasing how Nene’s hopeless romanticism is a trip-wire for her (it even extends to idol-raising cellphone games), this ep is a showcase for the dark reflection team. Natsuhiko comes to fetch Nene from her homeroom, and naturally she’s taken in by his sempai charm and good looks. She should certainly have realized this was a trap – especially after Tsukasa shows up and turned her into a fish – though to be fair Nene wasn’t aware of Natsuhiko’s connection to Sakura. Still, once she wakes up she seemingly forgets all that in the flush of delicious tea and Sakura’s big-sister commiseration.
Broadly speaking, the Tsukasa-Sakura-Natsuhiko dynamic is an obvious parallel to Amane-Nene-Kou. And Tsukasa is not remotely shy about referring to himself as Amane’s opposite. But beyond that, things are still mysterious. Sakura imperiously acts as if she’s in charge of this group, bossing the boys (living and dead) relentlessly. But she says Tsukasa is the one giving the orders, and she has no choice – as with Nene and Amane – but to obey. We don’t know what her wish was of course (there are elements of this explanation that raise red flags generally) but her sympathetic tone towards Nene is certainly in conflict with stranding her (and Natsuhiko) in a sinking room and blaming it on just following Tsukasa’s orders.
While it’s never explicitly stated, it’s clear from Natsuhiko’s flip attitude that he knows he’s in no real danger here. Does that apply to Nene too – and if so, why bother stranding her there in the first place? In any case, as Natsuhiko plays the gallant bakayarou, Hanako – who genuinely always is there to save Nene, just as she says – manages to reach her via radio and mokke, and inform her she’s “nowhere”. Natsuhiko starts opening doors – seemingly unconcerned about the dangers on the other side – and is eventually dragged off. Nene for her part tries to listen to Hanako’s advice and does eventually find a door she recognizes – but it takes her back to a time (if not a place) she doesn’t expect.
Even in a comedy-first episode Hanako-kun has feels to burn, and there’s no question that what Nene sees in July 18, 1969 will both draw her closer to Hanako and increase the distance between them. Seeing a vision is one thing – seeing a living, breathing boy (younger than she is, let’s not forget) injured and in tears quite another. There’s a little extra urgency in the greetings she shares with Hanako after he plucks her back to her own time (with a little of the past along for the ride), especially after he apologizes for ruining the donuts she made for him. I know this much – it’s going to be a criminal shame if we don’t get a second season, not just because Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun is a great series but because we’re barely even at the tip of the iceberg.
TheYepMan
March 7, 2020 at 12:14 amQuestion: When shows are greenlit for a manga/LN adaptation because they basically want it as an “advertisement” for the source material, if the source material does better in sales during the show’s runtime, does the production committee think “OK, it fulfilled its purpose, let’s move on to another franchise we want to boost” or do they decide to continue because they think they have a money printer in their hands?
Or am I thinking too cynically about all of this?
sweejen
March 7, 2020 at 12:25 amI was wondering the same things.
Guardian Enzo
March 7, 2020 at 12:49 amIt’s complicated, ROFL.
First of all, whether a series is ongoing matters. If an anime boosts sales for an ongoing series there’s obviously more money to be made in the future. And generally speaking, disc sales are a much smaller piece of the pie than they used to be. So source material publishers are higher-ranked on production committees. There’s also merchandising, music tie-ins, events with seiyuu… It’s a complex equation.
I think volume matters a lot here too. For something like Udon no Kuni or Doukyounin we’re talking about niche series, and the job of an anime is to get some people to discover them. I don’t think Hanako-kun was thought about that way. – it was already quite popular – but it probably wasn’t considered a blockbuster the likes of the big WSJ titles or Quintuplets. I would guess (and it’s only a guess) that the boom in manga sales exceeded expectations here.
If a series is popular enough, it becomes a self-powering franchise. You need to sell a lot of manga or LNs and have some other extras, but there’s a threshold where it will always be profitable to keep adapting. I don’t know if this series has achieved that yet, but it certainly should have met the criteria for a continuation.
sweejen
March 7, 2020 at 12:23 amNene: “What the hell just happened–why am I in different clothes? Heeey, this outfit is cute!” This show is masterful when it comes to world-building, but it’s even better at creating characters that register as real people (even when they’re apparitions). I care about everyone, even the mean team. Each episode is an utterly delicious experience, despite the fact that I tear up almost every time I watch. I expect to be sobbing at some point soon–I await that moment with eagerness and dread.
leongsh
March 7, 2020 at 12:14 pmThe first part was setup. The last few minutes is golden. Nene meets Yugo Amane in the flesh all the way back in 1969. I was hoping that she stayed longer in that time period so that we can know more about Hanako’s past and how he came to be. I wonder whether her filching of that keychain will be the ‘key’ to allow her to go back in time again.
Lunelune
March 8, 2020 at 12:21 pmLast week Jibaku shounen hanako-kun also jump to 2nd place in term of best selling manga by series (1st place is KnY ofc)
Not only there was a large boost to manga sales but goods & merchandise of this series is also on the roll seeing they hv several collab with cafe, an exhibition, heck even goods like acrylic chain or stand got sold out in few days (esp hanako-kun). This kinda give off the feels when KnY ep19 was release and everyone was like.. “i gotta get this series merch”. I remember going to jp shortly after ep 19 was release and i wasnt able to find a single KnY merch related to the main character~
Guardian Enzo
March 8, 2020 at 12:39 pmAwesome, just more confirmation it’s a hit.
I’ve been seeing merch at Animate and such, but do you have any links with detail about cafes and the like?
kiwi
March 12, 2020 at 2:30 pmshould i watch this show? I’m coming in late to this season… for what it’s worth, im really enjoying Eizouken but I want to pick up another show or two
Guardian Enzo
March 12, 2020 at 3:06 pmIt’s the best series of the season by a comfortable margin in my opinion, so – yes!
kiwi
March 13, 2020 at 6:11 amall right, I will, thanks! 🙂