English Dub Review: Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun “Make It Sound Nice”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Nene and Kou decide not to kill Mitsuba and Amane, who also decide to escape with their friends.

OUR TAKE

The story arc set within the false reality continues! And it looks like I may have underestimated how long it was going to be, as it turns out it’ll be going into the eleventh episode, at least based on the “Make it X” title theme that’s been going on since the arc started. And eve if it stops at the eleventh episode, that still means the majority of this season is going to be made up of this arc. Whether that will end up being a good move or not is up in the air at the moment, but currently it does seem to be balancing its ideas and themes pretty well, mainly focusing on the moral dilemma between Kou and Mitsuba & Nene and Amane, who she knows as Hanako. They learned last episode that the only way to escape the painting that is making this fake reality is to kill their friends. However, that was already off the table BEFORE they found out that these “fake” versions of their friends were in fact the real deal. We already knew that Mitsuba was there by choice, but it’s revealed here that Amane AKA Hanako is also there and pretending to be under control.

Mitsuba’s case of wanting to be real, even in a fake world, is understandable even if it’s not logical or rational. Remember that this is technically NOT the Mitsuba that Kou first met, but some sort of weird approximation of him made by Yugi somehow. So, with barely an identity to cling to, it’s understandable that this Mitsuba would think the only way to get back to the memories he has but aren’t his is to basically fake it until he makes it. Kou is obviously against this and even resorts to attempting to kill himself so that they can at least be ghosts together, but it seems Mitsuba has a brain and a heart left and saves him. As with Hanako, that’s a bit less clear, but we do know he’s broken up about Nene being doomed to die very soon, which could be the motivation to have him and Amane live in a never ending happy fun time where maybe she can never die. We also get Nene confessing she likes Hanako, as in like LIKE likes him, so we’ll see if that revelation is enough to smack some sense into him. We’re only halfway through this arc but we’re slowly creeping towards the end of the season.