While Yashiro didn’t find Hanako’s book, she did learn a huge thing about Hanako. We still haven’t gotten clear answers yet, but we can kind of piece together what maybe did happen? Either way, the Hanako backstory made me pretty sad and I’m dying to learn more.
The first half was pretty okay. I’m still not a huge fan of the way the show handles the comedy because I feel like it can kind of go in an unnecessary direction. Learning their secrets was kind of entertaining, and it did lead to that cute moment with Hanako, but I feel like scenes like those can be cut a bit so we can get into the more important stuff like in the later half. As always the comedy is a little hit or miss, but it didn’t bog down the episode too much. Though the “Sorry this won’t work, your legs are too fat.” made me laugh but made me feel so bad for Yashiro. Poor thing…
Interestingly, we learn that the teacher is actually the fifth Wonder and isn’t even human. And wow Kenjiro Tsuda really is in everything, isn’t he? I’m not watching everything he’s in but I know I hear him here and there and I just wonder how this man does it. He must be making bank. Anyway, Tsuchigomori is pretty cool. He teases the group to share their secret or else he’ll announce them to the school over the PA and so we get silly antics from all that. Yashiro’s was by far the most embarrassing, while Kou’s was way more tame, and Hanako’s really innocent. I loved it when Kou and Yashiro demanded to know his secret because they were genuinely interested in learning something about him. The way they spoke about donuts, asking him which kind he liked with that smile on his face was so precious. It was like he was honestly shocked that they wanted to learn about him, and the smile was a little bashful but also of child-like joy. It was so sweet, and learning what we did later made that scene more powerful.
Hanako comes in and saves them from one of Tsuchigomori’s apparitions and they meet and all that. I like how teasing Tsuchigomori is and he’s just so entertaining. Yako also comes in, and Hanako explains that while they scare humans they also try to create order and peace by working together…even if they don’t really like each other. Hanako also explains that there seems to be a traitor among the seven of them who also is in contact with a human, like he is with Yashiro. This human is spreading different rumors about the Wonders and whatnot to suit their needs, and with the pan shot of that old radio, it’s most likely that green-haired girl.
Hanako comes up with the idea to go to every Wonder and destroy their yorishiro and temporarily get rid of their Boundary so they can find the traitor, and the ones that are good can get their Boundary back. Also, it’s interesting that Hanako is the “boss” of them all, I guess because he’s the seventh? I don’t think it’s because he’s the oldest, since Yako seems to be oldest amongst them. Not sure how the ranking works but all I know is that Hanako seems to have all the authority. So after all the teasing, Tsuchigomori takes only Yashiro to his yorishiro so she can destroy it while also seeing something important – the memories of the yorishiro, the moon rock.
Tsuchigomori had mentioned to Yashiro that he only knew of one person that changed their future, and that person was Hanako. Tsuchigomori was actually Hanako’s homeroom teacher when they were both “alive” (not sure what Sensei is), and Hanako’s true name is Yugi Amane and he was way more different than how he is now. Tsuchigomori looked after Amane and was very worried for him, paying attention to the many wounds the poor boy had on his body. Amane was a very quiet boy who kept to himself, but would also stare at the stars as he always had a huge fascination of space. We know Hanako to be a teasing and playful spirit, but as Yugi Amane he was anything but. He held onto his moon rock because it symbolized him that it was possible to move forward and go somewhere, anywhere. Something in him changed after the Apollo 11 landing, and he suddenly gave Tsuchigomori the moon rock he treasured so much. Tsuchigomori had already read Amane’s book of his future, and it said that he would grow up to be a science teacher. But somehow, he managed to change his future because of his death.
We sort of have clues to what may have happened. Hanako is a ghost that smiles and teases, Amane was a boy that looked absolutely miserable. I don’t think he was being bullied in the school or else Tsuchigomori would have done something about it, so Amane must have lived in an abusive household and he caught on to that but Amane brushed it off and just changed the subject. Instead of murder, I think Amane must have killed himself. I thought he was going to jump out the window when he was looking at the moon, and sensei thought the same thing. Suicide being the answer seems the most obvious when Hanako decided to give Tsuchigomori his most prized possession, the one thing that symbolized hope for him – the moon rock. He said the moon rock symbolized being able to achieve anything and go anywhere, and with him giving up the rock, he was basically saying that he wasn’t going to go anywhere and gave up that hope. That breaks my heart, and Tsuchigomori’s yorishiro being the moon rock shows how much he cares for Hanako/Amane. Damn…
Why would Hanako call himself a murderer? The other “Hanako” from last week didn’t even show up this episode, which is kind of disappointing. So I wonder, instead of that other one being a split personality…it’s his twin brother? He killed his brother, then himself? I have no clue but I love thinking up theories like this.
As heartbreaking as the second half was, it was pretty great. The next episode is called Donuts so we might get a continuation of this, so I’m excited. Also it was sweet that Yashiro immediately went to hug Hanako after waking up. It’s some pretty powerful stuff to suddenly learn. I hope it’s a sweet episode next, just like donuts! Hanako…can’t eat donuts anymore, though. :(((((
