Recommends – Toilet-bound Hanako-kun, a Ghost Story Drawn Like a Picture Book
A girl summons the ghost in the third stall to fix her love life, and ends up working for him.
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun takes one of Japan's most famous school ghost stories and makes it funny, sweet and unsettling in the same episode. It also looks like no other anime of 2020.
The premise – Make a wish in the third stall
Kamome Academy has a legend: knock on the third stall of the girls' bathroom in the old building, call for Hanako-san, and she grants a wish. Nene Yashiro tries it to win a crush.
The ghost who answers is a boy, cheeky and much older than he looks, and Nene ends up as his assistant, keeping the school's other supernatural rumours in line.
Why it works – A picture book come to life
Lerche keeps AidaIro's manga look: flat colours, printed-paper textures and panels that frame the scenes like a storybook. Masaomi Ando directed the twelve episodes.
Under the jokes, every school mystery hides someone's regret, and Hanako's own story is the one he never tells.
The verdict – A short, strange delight
Twelve episodes from 2020, each one built around a different school legend. It is spooky without being frightening, so it is an easy pick for a late October evening.
If you like your ghost stories pretty and a little sad, start with episode one.
Where to watch
Toilet-bound Hanako-kun was listed on Hulu and Crunchyroll in the USA when we last checked, in October 2026. Catalogues change by country and by month, so check the service where you are.
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Source: the Anime Crush Anime Guide.