REVIEW: After-School Hanako-kun, Season 1

This review is about a completed mini-series, with a total of 4 episodes, and may include major spoilers.

Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun‘s spinoff, After-School Hanako-kun, recently finished airing in November with a total of four episodes:

• Season 1, Episode 1: Hanako-Kun After School; Mokke Be Ambitious
• Season 1, Episode 2: Kokkuri-san; Mitsuba’s Operation: Friends
• Season 1, Episode 3: Apparition Fever; A Mokke Came Home with Me!
• Season 1, Episode 4: The Truth of Mokke; Kamome Monster Nursery School

After-School Hanako-Kun did not cover the entirety of the manga, missing maybe a couple of stories from the print version. However, what made it into the mini-series was charming and incredibly well done.

Episode 1 gives the mini-series a strong start, establishing how the series differs from its original series. Unlike the heavier themes of Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun, After-School is light-hearted, fun and funny, featuring numerous laugh-out-loud moments. A particular favorite of mine was when the mokke smothered Hanako-kun in his toilet stall so they could become the new school Wonder.

Episode 2 felt similar to the original anime as it touched on Mitsuba and the “spooky” Kokkuri-san game, reminiscent of an Ouija board. I don’t recall any stand-out moments from this episode, but the story flowed well, and the character’s personalities were developed well, perfectly showcasing their cheekiness.

Episodes 3 and 4 were my favorites. I particularly enjoyed “A Mokke Came Home with Me” because it introduced Kou’s younger sister, Tiara. Tiara is a cute and rambunctious 5-year-old and the eldest daughter of the Minamoto Clan. She’s also more powerful than their older brother, Teru. (Episode 3 impressively shows off Tiara’s power, although only briefly.) Aside from our introduction to Tiara, the episode also heavily featured an unbearably fluffy mokke that stole my heart. Despite the episodes all being 10 minutes long, Episode 4 felt shorter than the rest for some reason. However, that didn’t make it any less enjoyable! Viewers, along with Yashiro Nene, are shown undeniable truths about the mokke that shake everyone to their core… until it’s revealed that, well, once again, the mokke are simply up to no good. (I won’t spoil it for you because it’s a bit of a laugh-out-loud moment.)

One of my favorite differences between TBHK and ASHK is the prominence of the mokke in the anime’s storyline. As indicated by the episode titles, fans of the series can expect to see the adorable pink apparitions more often than not. Despite the school featuring many cool and adorable (Yako) Wonders, the mokke remains a firm favorite of mine… perhaps because of their uncanny likeness to Peeps? The world may never know. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Additionally, the animation produced by Lerche didn’t disappoint. The quality of the artwork, smoothness of animation and character design all hit the nail on the head. Moreover, the voice-over work was A+.

After-School Hanako-kun streams on Crunchyroll. A second season received the green light for Q4 2024.