User blog:Nananana1345/Criticizing the Anime Part 1

Hi guys, this is my first (real) blog post.

Today I'm going to criticize the Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun anime.

I have heard people say they like the show's mixture of lightheartedness and seriousness, and I have heard other people say they dislike the show's mixing of tones. And I guess I would fall into the second category. I really loved the light tone at first. However then it changed to serious and I was surprised but liked it then too. But it jumped back to being light towards the end and I didn't really like it then because I wanted it to be more serious like it was before. To summarize it, at the start I had low expectations, then my expectations raised, then my expectations were higher but the show went back to how it was when I had low expectations so I felt dissatisfied.

Storytime about Episode 7 and 8
When I watched the show, Episode 7 caught me off guard because of the sudden introduction of Tsukasa and darkness into the show. Sure, there had been serious moments before like the flashback of Hanako's past, but those weren't really dramatic, the mood was still very light. But now it seemed like the show was starting to get dark. Before Episode 7 I just liked the show, but only when they started to make things serious I actually got invested in the plot. I actually didn't give a hoot before Ep. 7, even when they revealed Hanako's backstory in Ep. 6 I was just like "ok nice".

Not long after, Mitsuba was introduced into the show and Episode 7 ended with Mitsuba yelling at Kou about porn. I thought that I shouldn't expect much dramatics next episode, because it seemed like Mitsuba was going to be a light storyline and Kou was going to help him get over his regrets. In fact I thought, "Oh, I don't think Hanako's brother is going to appear again for a while because they have to settle the storyline with this pink guy first". I thought the episode was going to be chill because the show had been very chill so far. But it just subverted my expectations in every way possible.

I was so freaking wrong. As Tsukasa smashed Kou's freaking head into the wall, I realized this episode was not going to be chill. Mitsuba got freaking destroyed, Kou almost got strangled to freaking death, Tsukasa freaking traumatized Hanako again, and Kou mourned that Mitsuba was gone.

Honestly, I did not get that emotional over Mitsuba's death, I was even laughing when Kou was yelling "Mitsuba was this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and....MY FRIEND!!!!!" because I thought it was too cheesy that he was listing everything and how loud he yelled MY FRIEND!!!!!!. But, overall this episode blew me away, it also caught me very off guard because Anyway, but Episode 9 to Episode 12 was my least favorite section of the entire anime, and let me explain why starting with Episode 9.

Episode 9
After being caught off guard by Episode 8, I thought Episode 9 was going to be the darkest thing ever. I mean, Nene is kidnapped by the antagonist characters. I also thought we would get more info or backstories on Sakura, Natsuhiko, and/or Tsukasa.

Episode 9 subverted my expectations again but, in contrast to Episode 8, it was in a way I didn't like. The episode was actually extremely light compared to what I was expecting and it was kind of a let down to me, because I was expecting BIG DRAMATICS that will advance the plot but what actually happened was surprisingly calm. I have a bunch of issues with this episode so let me split this up into points:

Episode 9 Criticisms
I liked their interactions together and the Hanako-kun's girlfriend thing was hilarious. I just wished to get more actual information, like backstories or explanation of what they are doing as the broadcasting club.
 * We don't find out anything new about Sakura, Natsuhiko, or Tsukasa, or what even they are doing or why they are doing it, except for seeing their interactions together and their personalities.

The main thing that bothers me is that Nene found out a bunch of new things (Tsukasa's name, Tsukasa is Hanako's younger twin brother, Sakura is bonded to Tsukasa) but all of these things were already known to the viewer. Except Sakura being bonded to Tsukasa, but since we know Sakura is Tsukasa's assistant at Episode 7/8, it isn't that hard to assume she also made a deal with him. And even if someone doesn't know that before Episode 9 where Sakura says it, it isn't really a big deal to find that out which goes back to my main point, not much info is given.

Nene tried to ask about Natsuhiko but Sakura didn't really answer. And also before she could ask much about Tsukasa, she got interrupted by did you smooch Amane which was just a cheap laugh. I did think the jokes in this episode were funny like Nene saying she won't get sucked in and then complaining about Hanako for 30 minutes. But that time would be better used having Nene actually get to ask questions to them.

The reason why I don't think this is just my personal gripe, because I wanted information, is because I think many viewers would have the same expectation. All of these characters were each introduced early on. Natsuhiko Episode 3. Sakura technically was in Episode 1, and we actually saw her in Episode 4. Tsukasa techinically Episode 5, first speaking role in Episode 7. We keep getting reminded that we don't know anything about them every time we see them. So when we get Episode 9 which appears to be an episode that is about them, I think there is a natural expectation we are going to get some things cleared up. But instead we get scenes with more of their personalities showing while nothing about their motivations or purpose is cleared up.

(I have exactly the same issue with Hanako's character, how they reveal parts of his backstory gradually as the show progresses, but in the end it just builds up to him saying "You'll find out the rest later". But that's for my Episode 12/overall anime criticism.)

Maybe that is just my personal complaint. But I have more legitimate ones too. I really think there was no point to the whole tea party except for Nene to meet Natsuhiko, learn the basic information about Sakura and Tsukasa, and get young Hanako's keys. However, I can't even say they were providing a foundation that will be built on later, because in the anime Nene never meets Natsuhiko or Sakura again, with Tsukasa she gets about 1 minute total more of interaction with him where he asks her if she is alive, almost kills her because she tries to stop him, but then changes his mind and puts her to sleep (I want to stay on topic about Episode 9, but don't even get me started on how this Sleep Induction thing is contrived writing because they conveniently needed Nene to fall asleep. It doesn't even make any sense, just like how Hanako and Tsukasa can teleport, magically change people's clothes, summon random objects out of nowhere, Hanako can give people protective charms, Tsukasa can shapeshift, they are ghosts at a school not DEMIGODS, they just have all these random and unrelated powers that make no sense) and Hanako's keys are also never brought up again.
 * A lot happens on paper, but nothing that happens feels like it has any future consequences for the story.

Overall, nothing that happens in Ep. 9 matters for anything in Ep.10-12 except for Nene knowing who Tsukasa which doesn't really matter for the stories of those episodes anyway. The whole of Ep. 9 could have been a dream and it wouldn't matter for future episodes. This one again is more of a personal complaint because I wanted drama. Everything in the episode, from beginning to end, had potential for more drama. But it just kept introducing potential problems or dangers and then having them not actually be that big of a deal.
 * Nothing that happens has any dramatic weight because the problems that come up are instantly resolved or just dismissed.

Okay, so the tea party part is over. Nene is going to be killed! Wait, Natsuhiko too? Okay, but Nene is still going to be killed, what will she do?! Is Hanako going to come save her, oh no she is sinking Hanako!! She has sunken all the way in, what will happen now?

Oh she's still alive after that? Okay, that is a bit of a letdown. The whole point was that they were trying to kill her, but she just went through their pit of murky sewer water and is still alive, so the threat of her dying was just empty.

Okay, but she's stuck in a strange place with just Natsuhiko, and not even Hanako. I wonder how Nene is going to get out of here- Oh okay, Hanako is here on a radio and he just told her what this place is and how to get out. What was the point of Nene talking about how Hanako isn't here to save her for once, if 1 minute later he appears again to tell her how to get out?

Okay, so they know what the place is and what to do, but still some doors lead to dangerous places. Good thing Natsuhiko is opening all of them and not Nene. Oh no! He's being dragged off, what is Nene going to do?! Wait...she's just doing NOTHING?! What was even the point of Hanako warning them of the danger if when Natsuhiko actually gets in danger, Nene just walks away shrugging and thinking he will be fine?

It's also out-of-character for Nene to not even try to help him, she really just left him to die just because she thinks he's a little bit annoying? They could have made her try to save him but fail, but I guess then Nene would have to face guilt at not being able to save him, and things would have gotten too angsty. So I guess they had to make her not care about him so they can move on with the plot.

Okay, but now Nene doesn't have Natsuhiko to shield her from the danger on the other side of the door. How will she escape now? She asks to herself "If only if I had some kind of concrete sign to go by." and literally less than 5 seconds after she finishes saying the line, music starts playing from the door she has to go to. (Click images for full)





Okay, but it's actually a classroom from the past with young Hanako. It's the wrong time period. How is Nene going to get out of here- Oh okay, Haku-joudai can just teleport her back to the present day, because it can. And now Nene is back home safe.

The episode concludes with Hanako apologizing and Nene saying that she wants to protect Hanako just like he protects her. Which brings me to the last 2 points: We're introduced to the storyline of Nene getting kidnapped. We watch this storyline unfold for about 16 minutes, 14-15 if you don't count the opening, but it does not even resolve in a satisfying way. It abruptly ends as Nene wonders how she can find the door to get out and then just at that moment, extremely obvious music starts playing from the door where she can get out. I thought that maybe this part was much longer in the manga and they had to condense it for the anime, but that's not the case as far as I know.
 * The kidnapping/tea party/doors dimension storyline doesn't resolve in a satisfying way. It just comes to an abrupt end.

They probably made it have an abrupt end because they needed to move on to the next part, which was Nene meeting past Hanako and getting his keys, But the transition wasn't even smooth or natural, it's just Nene suddenly finds the way out because it's time to go to the Hanako and his keys storyline. Which brings me to the last points:


 * The episode is incohesive. There are 2 seperate storylines mushed together, causing the ending to have nothing to do with the first approximately 16 minutes of the episode.

After getting out of the nowhere dimension, Nene meets past Hanako and we get the ending scene in the bathroom. Now, I liked the conclusion and thought it was heartwarming, but it wasn't related to anything that happened before it.

The whole episode structure is basically, Nene goes on a big adventure, on the way she somehow gets Hanako's keys, then she returns home for a heartwarming scene with Hanako. It feels like the big adventure only happened for the purpose of Nene to get Hanako's keys and have the ending scene.

The ending scene could have happened even if Nene never got kidnapped. The story started one way and then it suddenly changed into another story and then suddenly things were concluded and the episode was over. It's just like they mushed two different unrelated stories together to make one episode.

Episode 9 Conclusion
Here are all my points again: I will say that this episode has a lot of good and funny parts. However, I dislike it as an overall package and I believe these are the reasons why.
 * We don't find out anything new about Sakura, Natsuhiko, or Tsukasa or what even they are doing or why they are doing it, except for seeing their interactions together and their personalities.
 * Maybe just a personal complaint based on my expectations for what would be revealed.
 * A lot happens on paper, but nothing that happens feels like it has any future consequences for the story.
 * Nothing that happens has any dramatic weight because the problems that come up are instantly resolved or just dismissed.
 * The kidnapping/tea party/doors dimension storyline doesn't resolve in a satisfying way. It just comes to an abrupt end.
 * The episode is incohesive. There are 2 seperate storylines mushed together, causing the ending to have nothing to do with the first approximately 16 minutes of the episode.

In Part 2 of this series I am going to criticize Episode 10, or maybe both Episode 10 and 11. I am only doing this for Episode 9-12 because I didn't have any significant criticisms for the series before Ep. 9.