OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)Nene and friends hold off Hanako while working towards getting out of the picture world before the portrait is complete.OUR TAKEThe rumors are true, this is the season finale of Toilet Bound Hanako Kun, as well as the conclusion to this arc set in a painting that started around the sixth episode. With Nene’s persuasive arguments, pretty much everyone has agreed that they need to get out of the painting and keep living their own lives, even Shijima, the one who caused this whole mess. The only hold out is Hanako, who fully reveals that did this because he wanted to preserve Nene’s life as long as he could, as he learned she would be dying soon the day that they met. Nene, however, has different thoughts on that, protesting that she’s going to do a bunch of things with her life past the year she’s supposedly doomed to die, and they’ll find a way to make that happen no matter what! It’s the most triumphant I’ve ever heard someone say they’re going to go into massive debt from student loans in my life. This finally convinces Hanako to relent and they all make their escape through the door in the moon (it makes sense in context). Finally back in the real world, Nene talks with Shijima, who recommends discussing possible solutions with the First Wonders, one of which is a friend of Nene’s. Shijima also gives up her place as a Wonder, which I didn’t know was possible, and it’s confirmed that the human she is based on is actually still alive, which was kinda ambiguous before.While this doesn’t wrap up EVERYTHING and leaves plenty to be expanded on in a potential third season, I’d say this is a pretty good finale for wrapping up this specific arc, and touched on a pretty important theme: surviving vs living. In a story about ghosts, that can be an odd idea to nail down, but one could argue that remaining a conscious spirit with memories is a form of survival, but when you’re bound to specific spot, it can be hard to say one has a life there. That is, unless you make the most of your surroundings, like Hanako does with his job and life. Similarly, we also learned through Shijima over this arc that ghosts of people can come into being based on strong rumors, even if the person they’re based around is actually alive, as well as Shijima and others feeling stuck in their roles that help them survive, but not live. Nene, who is at risk of not surviving, still wants to live her life to the fullest, inspiring even those who are technically dead to join her, which will hopefully carry on into future seasons. Speaking of, this one ends with a tease of the unrevealed Sixth Wonder: The Grim Reaper, who Nene probably would want to have a conversation with about this whole imminent death thing. But that will have to wait, because this season is ready to be flushed.