#I think kounene need a moment to think. A long one

[orangecoffee1010]

me and bestie after being the narrative that dooms ourselves

[elizabeatrice]

Episode 12 - The Little Mermaid

Let’s Talk About JSHK Anime #3

Warning: Manga spoilers for The Little Mermaid arc, The Clock Keeper arc, and chapter 64!!! (just a bit, skip point no. 5, 6, and 10 if you don’t want to get spoiled) Also … this ended up way longer than I intended.

Well that was one heck of a feels trip. It’s probably my new favorite episode, just because everyone is here being wholesome lmao.

This is mostly hananene meta I ain’t even gonna lie.

Before we begin, shout out to Black Canyon, our newest anime cutie pie. Just look at him, folks. Just chilling with his sunflower seed.

He has no idea the kind of life his owner leads.

I said before that the best part of episode 12 is how it made Daydream worse, so now I’m gonna ramble about it.

“Maybe different species can’t understand each other after all.”

“Maybe it would be better if I were an apparition too.”

This is my favorite part of the episode. And no, not in the sense that I want Nene to die just so that she and Hanako can be together. But because of how Lerche actually explored deeper what was said only once in the manga.

Well, both in the manga and anime Nene ended up accepting the mermaid’s blood because of her desire to be popular, but the anime decided to revisit what she said earlier in the episode.

Not only did that make her decision kinda less selfish, it’s also just … sad. Thinking that your friend, someone you really cared about, doesn’t trust you enough to tell you things about themselves, to the point where you’re willing to go to such lengths as turning into an apparition just to understand them.

And if you think about it, isn’t this part of her true wish? To have her feelings be reciprocated? Man I just realized that as I wrote this and I am mindblown.

She thought she finally got her wish with Hanako. I mean, he said it himself in the first ep (”You wanted someone, anyone, to return your feelings, right? And as far as you’re concerned, sharing a bond with someone is the same thing, right?”). So it must’ve hit her really hard when she thought he didn’t trust her. Especially with all the wrong ideas the fishes were feeding her mind.

Then we got this little flashback. At first I was like, “Girl, you really be thinking that he doesn’t care about you while recalling the moment he apologized to you and hugged you? Are you insane?”

But after some thinking of my own, it occurred to me. Maybe she was too used to having her feelings not reciprocated, she couldn’t believe it when someone finally did. Not to mention Hanako did kinda trick her with his fake confession a while back (heh, he’s not the only one with trust issues, eh?). And that just made the entire thing even sadder.

So when Nene said, “But I thought, if I were an apparition like you, I could get closer to you. Then, maybe I’d be able to understand you, Hanako-kun. Although I know I probably don’t mean anything to you.”

That was a harsh wake up call for Hanako.

(Btw even more full circle, Hanako brought up Nene’s wish to become human again in the first episode. Nice.)

So. We got one daikon girl who’s afraid of not having her feelings reciprocated, and one ghost boy who’s afraid that daikon girl wouldn’t be his friend anymore if she knew about his past.

While in actuality, said daikon girl already decided she wanted to and would be his friend no matter what, and ghost boy had grown to care about her more than he thought he would.

He heard what she said to Tsuchigomori. He knew all about regret, too.  I mean, honestly, I think if she had said no, he’d let her walk away right then and there, no questions asked. But she didn’t.

Nene’s wish finally came true here. And the best part? It wasn’t the work of magic or curses. Just Hanako finally shoving his fear aside, offering himself as he was, and letting her decide.

And she still chose to be with him.

Heh. Lemme just. Sob for a bit.

Is my hananene trash brain reading too much into this? Idk. Maybe.

So props to the production team for managing to add even more weight to this arc. Which, they had to, since it’s the season finale and all. But I love what they did!

Onto my commentaries!

1. The KouNene

Good shit. She was worried about him but he didn’t want her to worry so he just smiled it off? These two are precious. Thought they were gonna interact. Sadly not. Buuuut! (see point 12)

2. Hanako’s classroom visit

He. Is. So. Adorable. Someone please take his babey license away he’s too dangerous.

Hanako’s classroom visit is like my absolute favorite clingy Hanako moment, so I’m really happy I get to see it this season. Ugh. My kokoro. Hugging her from behind, that semi confession vibe … Smooth mf.

The Mokke brushing Nene’s hair!!! The radish hairdo tho lmao.

On a sidenote, as a history nerd I appreciate that they’re actually putting lessons in the background. And the teacher talked about Apollo 11 again??? While my boy was in the room? That ish both hurt and pleased me.

3. The Clock Keeper rumor drop

Heeeeeehhhhh? What’s thiiiiiissss?

4. This freaking thing

*flips table* Darn production team been knew I’m hananene trash how dare they do this to me.

And lookie here there’s Kodama chilling.

5. Fishies! (!!!manga spoiler for The Little Mermaid arc!!!)

Pufferfish didn’t die. Well, good for him. Also I can’t believe they just call the other fish ‘yeah yeah’ lmao what the freak. Has it always been like that in the manga?

6. AOI AND AKANE (!!!spoilers for chapter 64!!!)

I swear I did not intend this numbering coincidence.

*claps* Boi. Nene asking Aoi about cutting ties with someone she’s interested in? And then Akane just swooped in and say he’d rather cut his head off than cut ties with Aoi? What about getting impaled, huh, boy? Would that do?

The not-so-subtle call out to these two pairs’ parallel? BOI.

7. Nene and Yako

These two just chilling together having girl talk, and Yako let Nene pet her? That’s some adorable shit right there. Admit it Yako you like her.

Yako also be really hitting home with what she said. It was extra heavy coming from her, considering what happened to her and Misaki. Boiiiiii.

8. Tsuchigomori

Oh my God, his laughter. Just … oh my God.

Tsuchigomori in dad mode is always one of the highlights of the episode/chapter.

By the way, in this scene according to the sub, Nene asked Tsuchigomori who Tsukasa is. But she knew who he is already. Is it possible that the sub misinterpreted it? ‘Cause I think what she actually meant was, “What happened to him and Tsukasa-kun in the past?”

If someone who speaks Japanese could share their wisdom, please do!

9. The 5 pm bell and twilight

Look how pretty they are!!!

Lo and behold, another important hananene interaction while the 5 pm bell plays in the background. Also, twilight? Y’all giving me Kimi no Na wa flashbacks.

“Twilight, when it’s neither day or night. When the world blurs and one might encounter something not human.”

Huh … kinda fits the ‘boundary’ concept but it still hurt.

Anyway they still had Hanako tell her what she already knew. And I did say in my ‘Walking Blind’ post that it’d be redundant. But since the episode kinda emphasized Nene’s desire to understand Hanako, having him actually tell her himself, even though she already knew it, was a big deal. It’s not about what she knows, it’s about him opening up to her. So I’m super cool with it.

10. The Broadcasting Club (!!!spoilers for The Clock Keeper arc!!!)

I love how Natsuhiko and Sakura are actually decent people. When he told Mitsuba that he was free to choose to stay with them or not? That’s solid, man. Though, of course, Tsukasa might not be as kind.

Speaking of, I know it couldn’t be anything else, but I’m still not sure if Tsukasa’s drawing was confirmation for season 2. Don’t wanna get my hopes up. Imma just enjoy what I currently have.

Kinda curious, though. Because Clock Keeper wasn’t Tsukasa’s doing. Maybe he was the one who released Mirai? But tbh I’d prefer if it wasn’t so. Because having more cases of supernaturals going loco without it being one of Tsukasa’s games is interesting, and kinda underlines the need of The Seven Wonders to keep supernaturals in check.

11. Kodama just chilling

12. The Adventures of Minamoto and the Summer Vegetables

You go, Kou! I’m rooting for you oh my God you’re so precious.

And look at that ikemen smile! Him supporting Kou is just top notch sweet y’all I can’t-

Ngl this was the biggest surprise of the episode. Teru finding out that summer vegetables = Nene? Broooooo. Interesting. I don’t think this little addition warrants any changes to their future interaction, so it should be safe. Clever replacement, too, those veggies.

It’s so sweet that Nene delivered those veggies to Kou! Just imagine the Minamoto family having veggies for dinner. Awww.

(Also, Nene wrote her name in hiragana instead of kanji. Is that a reference to how bad Kou is with kanji? Lol, so sweet)

13. The Coda!!!

Look at him. Just look at him. Look how lovesick he is y’all I can’t-

THEY’RE SO ADORABLE.

All in all, I love this episode. Sorry for how long this post is. I’m just dealing with so many feels right now. Gaaahhhhh.

[alvacchi]

do you think Kou and Nene will be ever a couple? or that Hanako and Nene will ever have a happy ending? T_T i ship Hananene so much, but Kou is such a good guy that i kinda wouldn't mind if Kou x Nene are the endgame... tho i'm almost sure they aren't (at least for now... Nene seems only to think about Kou as a friend) i also wonder when will Kou or Hanako confess about their feelings for her, cuz Nene kinda already confessed to Hanako in that fake-painting-world

:o!! You're my first ask in the JSHK fandom, anon! Thank you!

It took some time since I wanted to do research and grab some pictures before answering! XD Without further ado...

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It may be too early to tell about KouNene! And Hananene. But let me take you down the wonders of their relationship and their potential!

KouNene

Introduction:

Yashiro and Kou "properly" met and introduced themselves when Kou was trying to exorcise Hanako. But, that's not their first meeting actually. Okay, it wasn't the best but the actual time they met was when Yashiro bumped into Kou instead of Teru.

Time together:

They grew closer once Kou accepts Hanako. And thus many fluff moments happened between them (a few top ones being when they joined up at the library and when they made donuts). There isn't much to show for them however compared to the amount of scenes with Yashiro and Hanako. Kou and Yashiro aren't alone together often enough in canon but it's still a nice moment when they are!

Names:

Ohh boy!

Kou started off with calling Yashiro "Miss" the first time and then stuck with "Senpai". Never has he went past that.

BUT this is different for Yashiro.

Yashiro has started off calling Kou "Minamoto-kun" and as they grew closer, she has switched to calling him "Kou-kun"!

Why is this important?

In Japan, first names are usually left to close friends, lovers, and family and are more informal than calling someone by their last name. This shows that Yashiro has gotten closer to Kou. She may claim he's not her type but that doesn't mean they can't grow any closer!

Confession Potential:

Kou's definitely got a little crush on Yashiro but he's going to be very slow about it. So chances are kinda low. Why?

Because he plays the supportive character.

He figures Yashiro likes Hanako without really thinking about his own feelings and he's too afraid to make advances on her. He's quite protective of her though haha.

In many pictures of them holding hands, he tends to stick with the typical hand holding (not intertwining fingers).

....well there is this one picture exception but people don't tend to pay attention to this lol.

What the Future could look like:

What does this say about their future? The chances of them being together are there! But not guaranteed. Right now, Yashiro doesn't show any romantic interest. "Right now".

If Yashiro manages to survive past her expected lifespan, things are gonna take a turn.

When Kou turned older thanks to Mirai, Yashiro couldn't look at Kou because he looked like her type (like Teru). But, when the time comes, this appearance of his would become permanent and Yashiro can't avoid him forever. Hanako may also have to adjust if he's still around (since he's scared of him looking like Teru).

Jealousy can occur for Hanako but he may wish for Yashiro's happiness in the end if Yashiro did start liking Kou as more than a friend. He's a ghost so he may think he can't do much for Yashiro. Hanako trusts Kou enough to take care of her if she was in danger.

Kou has taken a look at Yashiro's future, thanks to Tsuchigomori and he ran away crying out in disbelief. What exactly he saw is unknown to readers for now.

For the time being, Kou and Nene show more of a close friend relationship!

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Hananene

Introduction:

Need I say much here? Their meeting started off as Yashiro making a wish and becoming Hanako's assistant. That was their relationship in the beginning before they started getting closer as friends.

Time together:

They're the main characters of the series, so there's a lot of scenes with them around! As the story progresses, Yashiro does start to get more curious and want to know more about Hanako. Hanako still has a lot of secrets that he promised Yashiro he'll reveal later so in the meantime, their relationship is progressing!

Names:

Hanako has always called Yashiro, well "Yashiro" (and that's what I stuck with. Some people prefer to call her Nene.) Any significance of this could be that it's her name (since Kou doesn't really call her that) and that there are no honorifics used (like -san, -chan) which makes the name-calling more informal. It's her last name so it's a little bit more distant than her first name.

Yashiro, on the other hand, had called Hanako "Hanako-san" at the start. "-san" is a typical formal honorific to use for people in Japan. Later, Yashiro publically announced to Hanako that she's going to start calling him "Hanako-kun" from now on as a sign of their friendship, which is indeed more informal.

Confession Potential:

Oh boy! There are so many implications of them being interested in each other.

Their confession potential...not too high but not low either. As you've mentioned anon, Yashiro has confessed to liking Hanako, though it may or may not be in a "friend" way as she said afterwards before. She's embarassed to admit it though to others haha. Hanako, on the other hand, has yet to make an "official" confession, though him being flustered, jealous, and soft on her makes it obvious that he likes her.

Even if he does confess, it's not very sure on how they would handle their relationship, considering he's a ghost and Yashiro is human (though also part mermaid fish). It's kind of impossible due to their circumstances and may also suggest Hanako holding back because of this. He's got a heavy burden on him.

They have done cheek and forehead kisses and intertwine their fingers a lot in their hand holding, if not always, but there's no lip-kiss o3o.

Yashiro also already told Hanako he's not her type....but well that doesn't stop their relationship from getting stronger haha.

What the Future could look like:

Initially, I took a bittersweet approach to it. Yashiro may help Hanako resolve his guilt and then he could finally rest in peace and pass on. She would keep living her life as a human if Hanako successfully granted her long life wish. Them being together was predicted to never meant to be.

But then I started wondering the moment I saw these:

These flowers are red spider lilies and they are known as the flowers of the afterlife. They guide the dead to the next reincarnation.

Perhaps there's a possibility Hanako could reincarnate and be given a chance once more to live.

Now that's a happier ending.

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What does this say about an endgame ship?

Well, Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun (or Toilet-bound Hanako-kun) is a shounen series that has quite a surprisingly lot of romance as one focus! Maybe there will be an endgame ship, maybe there will be none. But don't give up on Hananene!

Don't get your hopes up too high either because I'm not AidaIro, the authors of this series haha. The only way you'll know for sure is if you keep reading!

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I realized this turned into a ship analysis post but I hope it was a nice read!

Thanks for this ask! It was fun! XD