Hell-Bound Hanako-san
What They Say:
“11TH NIGHT: DO YOU KNOW WHAT A VAMPIRE IS?”
Nazuna needs new blood for her cuddle-buddy business, and Ko is on the case! But he’s not the only one wandering the night looking for someone…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Although this series has been playing it pretty chill so far, recent promotion has revolved around a forthcoming “climax.” It would appear that it’s finally ready to give us something big to close off the season. After all, it could always be the only season the show ever gets. A far cry from the weird maid cafe distraction last time, we’re meeting new characters, linking up previous plot points, and finding characters in real mortal danger.
Ironically enough, that very different maid cafe episode ended up focusing on something of a detective mystery, and this big shift to more serious, substantial content features the introduction of a literal detective. Ko is amazed that detectives even exist in real life. We’re again reminded that in fact Ko is only a child, a fact put in center stage when it’s pointed out that someone his age working a job that spans the middle of the night in a somewhat sex worker-like capacity could hardly be more illegal. But a detective isn’t necessarily a cop, and how Ko makes a few bucks isn’t her concern.
Instead, it turns out that Akkun is in fact a major character who we’re hearing about well after it could be assumed that his role had run its course. This detective wants her mystery solved, and with his comically awful poker face, Ko has given her more information than she anticipated. You can only carry on in a world of vampires for so long before it becomes a larger issue. Because of how low-key most of the series is, it’s easy to forget how dangerous a situation Ko has turned his life into from an objective perspective.
What leads to that fact being brought to the forefront is the most innocuous of things, Ko hanging out with his friends at night in the school. I have no idea how many Japanese kids really do these cliche tests of courage or look for the seven wonders of apparently every Japanese school, but seeing Ko truly feel like a member of a group, not of vampires but of genuine friends his own age, is a remarkable point of character growth despite seemingly so little happening in the story itself. I couldn’t care less about looking for Hanako-san or whatever else they do, but that sense of treating frivolous nonsense with lighthearted reverence speaks to the simple pleasures of youth and innocent camaraderie more than any serious or poignant development.
Things do get rather urgent from there, though, as the peace is shattered by the reminder that vampires aren’t all fun. We got the first real hint of this from Seri’s introduction, but Nazuna isn’t there to immediately save the day this time, and this specimen is a lot less charming than Seri to say the least. In his nonchalant way, Ko has idolized the concept of becoming a vampire since meeting Nazuna, but the reality of that situation is a lot more disturbing, and this episode addresses that in full force. Regular humans who suddenly change into these very different creatures are doomed to a life of suffering, for themselves and those around them. This is Ko’s great dream, but it looks like a terrible nightmare waiting to happen. Our new detective friend couldn’t be more intrigued.
In Summary:
An episode like this is largely a setup piece, biding its time with seemingly trivial material to make the intensity of its climax more powerful, but it means it doesn’t have a lot to dig into until that point. Even if it functions as little more than the first part of a larger whole, though, it does a good job at not only establishing major elements going forward, but also at conveying the dissonance in tone between the very chill nighttime escapades of Ko and friends and the thrilling terror of what it really means to unleash vampires upon the peaceful world of humans. This is a series that still mostly operates on atmospheric points, but the lo-fi beats and beautiful nightscapes may not be the symbols of the series going forward.
Grade: B
Streamed By: HIDIVE
