Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun Season 2

Episode 22

Each new twist on Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun reminds me that I should not play the lottery, because my luck with these guesses has been in the titular toilet. I never expected for Kou and Nene's meeting with four-year-old Tsukasa to be a fateful one that was already part of the original timeline of the show. The Clock Keepers and the Picture Perfect Arc have shown us that there's an extent to which this story will dip into time travel and alternate timelines, but it turns out this is not one of those times. I'm distracting myself with the machinations of the plot because frankly, I found “Tsukasa and Amane” a pretty difficult watch on an emotional level. Beneath the supernatural hijinks is a very real story of brotherly envy and love.

First off, I have young children and there is nothing realistic about Tsukasa's level of verbal mastery relative to his purported age of four. (Or maybe it is, and my kids are just dumb!) But even as that played in the back of my mind, the story Tsukasa had to share with Kou and Nene was devastating. It explored the relationship between a healthy brother and a sick brother beneath the usual platitudes. Tsukasa doesn't simply pity Amane; he is sometimes quite frustrated with him for not being able to play like a normal brother. And in his turn, Amane is justifiably envious of Tsukasa's ability to stay up late and go outside whenever he wants. If you've ever experienced caring for a sick or disabled person, particularly a family member, you might recognize these sometimes-unpleasant feelings that would never jive on a Hallmark card. Past the ghostly trappings of this tale is a core that feels very tender and real.

It's enough to make you understand why Tsukasa acts the way he does. Four is old enough to know right from wrong, but Tsukasa has no problem sacrificing animals as large as cats to the creepy demon under the floorboards in exchange for toys for his brother. I get a bit of the feeling that Tsukasa would have ended up going down a bad path even if his house weren't haunted. Eventually, he makes the ultimate sacrifice—his own body—and that's where Kou and Nene find him. I was shocked to realize that our heroes actually encountered Tsukasa during the brief period that Tsukasa's family experienced him as temporarily missing. Kou was so sure he was doing the right thing when he explained to Tsukasa how it all ended in their timeline, not realizing their timeline and Tsukasa's were one and the same. Tsukasa dropped the mask of innocence as soon as he realized; getting stuck in a haunted house for eons does something to a four-year-old. With a twisted grin on his face, Tsukasa becomes curiosity incarnate. His childish wish for his brother to grow up dashed, now he only wants to be along for the ride to see how Amane ends up botching the gift Tsukasa sacrificed everything to give him.

It's an uncomfortable realization—to know that's the real Tsukasa who came back. I don't even think “came back wrong” is the right expression, knowing how twisted Tsukasa was even before he returned. Sorry Mrs. Yugi, that creepy thing really is your real son, even if he has gotten mixed up in some paranormal weirdness. This discovery came right after several adorable scenes of Kou, Nene, and Tsukasa trying to escape the house together, looking for all the world like an adorable family. Looks can be deceiving. This is no cute rom-com; it's a horror show that's about to take a turn for the tragic, and that makes the beat drop all the more crushing.

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Lauren is a freelance journalist with a focus on anime fandom. Both of her kids are named after Gundam characters.