History TearJerker / ToiletBoundHanakoKun

--> '''Hanako''': Kid. Death... is the end. You can become a spirit and wander the near shore... But that's not a continuation of life. Once you've died, it's over. There's nothing after that. You can't go anywhere after that. It doesn't matter how deep your regrets are, or how much you wish things were different. If you couldn't do something in life.... You can't do it after you're dead. That's how the world is made and if you try to fight it.... this (referring to Mitsuba) is how you end up. I thought... if anyone could take care of his unfinished business... severe his attachment to this shore, it would be you. But looks like it backfired. It's no use. You can't be so kind to the dead. Because..... '''We have no future. '''

* [[UsedToBeASweetKid Yako's backstory]].[[spoiler: She was a stone fox at a shrine and the one person who cared about her was a kind schoolteacher named Misaki. He taught her to read and write and visited her daily, even including her in the class picture. He died falling down the stairs in a tragic accident and Yako was left wondering why he hadn't come to see her for a long time, before learning the truth. She became determined to bring him back no matter what. It's rather disheartening to see her voiceover in the journal entries go from a sweet child to an increasingly bitter adult. The rumors about the Misaki Stairs changing, further warped her into kidnapping students to make makeshift bodies for Misaki and turning them into dolls when they failed. She acknowledges that Misaki wouldn't approve of her actions, but she would face his disapproval if she could only bring him back. In fixing the situation, [[TragicKeepsake the scissors Misaki gave her]] are broken.]]
* [[BreakTheCutie Mitsuba's arc.]] [[spoiler: He [[IJustWantToHaveFriends just wanted to have friends]] and lead a happy life, but died due to an accident, making him a ghost. Even as a ghost he managed to form some happy memories after Kou befriends him. But then, Tsukasa, who had agreed to grant his wish, later turned him into the Broken Neck Mitsuba, thus forcing Hanako to MercyKill Mitsuba so that he wouldn't harm the students. Kou desperately tries to wake him up, but Mitsuba is already gone.]]

--> '''Hanako''': Kid. Death... is the end. You can become a spirit and wander the near shore... But that's not a continuation of life. Once you've died, it's over. There's nothing after that. You can't go anywhere after that. It doesn't matter how deep your regrets are, or how much you wish things were different. If you couldn't do something in life.... You can't do it after you're dead. That's how the world is made and if you try to fight it.... this[[spoiler: (referring to Mitsuba)]] is how you end up. I thought... if anyone could take care of his unfinished business... severe his attachment to this shore, it would be you. But looks like it backfired. It's no use. You can't be so kind to the dead. Because..... '''We have no future. '''

** Mitsuba appears later in the Hell of Mirrors arc....... [[spoiler: only for it to be revealed that he has [[AmnesiacHero lost all his memories ]] of the time he spent with Kou.]]

* Just about anytime [[spoiler: Tsukasa]] appears in front of Hanako, most notably in chapter 16. He immediately breaks down and is straight up ''terrified''. It's clear that beneath that [[StepfordSmiler goofy and cheery facade]], he actually [[spoiler: hides a lot of [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]] over [[TheseHandsHaveKilled his murder of Tsukasa]].]]
* TheReveal about [[spoiler: Nene's [[YourDaysAreNumbered lifespan]] in chapter 27]]. As it turns out, Hanako knew about it the ''whole time'', but didn't say anything because he felt that even if he did, nothing would change. And he didn't want to burden the others with the truth.

* The flashback in chapters 13/14 is already heartbreaking as it is, but it becomes worse after reading [[spoiler: chapter 38, where Nene, during the festival, accidentally time travels back to the time when Amane was a little kid. [[UsedToBeASweetKid He was a cheerful kid]] who used to be genuinely happy, as seen in his interactions with Nene. Fast forward to his middle school self in that flashback; he is [[BrokenBird withdrawn, gloomy, apparently being abused but refuses to say even a word about it, and has seemingly given up on his dream of becoming an astronaut]], saying that he has decided to not go anywhere, with what could be best described as a 'defeated look' on his face. The sheer ''disparity'' between his child-self and middle school-self makes you wonder: [[FridgeHorror Just]] ''[[CynicismCatalyst what]]'' [[CynicismCatalyst happened]] [[DarkAndTroubledPast in his past]] [[FridgeHorror that changed him to]] '''[[FridgeHorror this]]''' '''[[FridgeHorror degree?]]''' ]]

** Watching Hanako [[spoiler: (as Amane)]] and Mitsuba [[spoiler: happily living normal lives, just like any other school students, especially Amane. Just makes you wonder how could things have turned out if Hanako and Mitsuba were not ghosts and just normal students.]]

** Kou's [[spoiler: confrontation with Mitsuba. Mitsuba knows that this is a fake world and that he could never actually live as a normal human being, as he never even was one in the first place (he is the spirit of a dead ghost). Seeing him cling so hard onto this life, even if it's fake, just shows how '''[[IJustWantToBeNormal desperately]]''' [[IJustWantToBeNormal he wishes for a normal life]], despite knowing that it's not possible.]]

** 'Shijima' attempting to [[spoiler: kill the past Shijima (or, to be more accurate, her "creator") so that the misleading rumours would never even have started. She had been considering herself a nuisance for the real!Shijima due to not being able to do anything about the false rumour... but the truth turns out to be the exact opposite. As she reveals, Ghost!Shijima was originally a painting real!Shijima had made, thinking of it as her ideal self and thus unknowingly creating ghost!Shijima. This 'ideal self' (and ghost!Shijima) was what refrained her from giving up on life completely, and gave her hope during her sleeples nights and darkest of times. Explaining all of this to spirit!Shijima, real!Shijima thanks her, making her realize that she was never a nuisance, but a source of hope for her.]] Both heartwarming ''and'' tearjerking.

** And at the end of the arc, [[spoiler: there's Hanako and Yashiro's confrontation with Yashiro breaking down about how she wanted to continue living in the real world and have fun, despite knowing she barely has a year left to live, and Hanako ''finally'' dropping his JerkassFacade as he tells Yashiro what his actual wish is- for her to keep on living.]] This whole scene is so bittersweet and heart-wrenching, that you can't help but want to give both the characters [[TheWoobie a big hug]], ''especially'' [[BrokenTears Hanako]], who, as we know, is already dead and ''knows'' how it feels to have your own future cut short.

** Special mention goes to Hanako's [[spoiler: extremely poignant and wistful confession to Nene as he shatters away in front of her;]] he reveals that [[spoiler:he wishes things could remain the same]] and wanted to try [[spoiler: living again too.]] Ouch.

* The flashback in chapters 13/14 is already poignant as it is, but it becomes worse after reading [[spoiler: chapter 38, where Nene, during the festival, accidentally time travels back to the time when Amane was a little kid. [[UsedToBeASweetKid He was a cheerful kid]] who used to be genuinely happy, as seen in his interactions with Nene. Fast forward to his middle school self in that flashback; he is [[BrokenBird withdrawn, gloomy, apparently being abused but refuses to say even a word about it, and has seemingly given up on his dream of becoming an astronaut]], saying that he has decided to not go anywhere, with what could be best described as a 'defeated look' on his face. The ''sheer'' '''''disparity''''' between his child-self and middle school-self makes you wonder: ''[[FridgeHorror Just]]'' '''''[[CynicismCatalyst what]]''''' ''[[CynicismCatalyst happened]]'' ''[[DarkAndTroubledPast in his past]]'' '' [[FridgeHorror that changed him to this degree?]]'' ]]

** Special mention goes to as Hanako [[spoiler:shatters away in front of Nene,]] he reveals that [[spoiler:he wishes things could remain the same]] and wanted to try [[spoiler: living again too.]] Ouch.

** Special mention goes to as Hanako [[spoiler:disappears in front of Nene,]] he reveals that [[spoiler:he wishes things could remain the same]] and wanted to try [[spoiler: living again too.]] Ouch.

** Special mention goes to as Hanako [[spoiler:disappears in front of Yashiro,]] he reveals that [[spoiler:he wishes things could remain the same]] and wanted to try [[spoiler: living again too.]] Ouch.

----

* Mitsuba's arc is a really tragic case of BreakTheCutie. [[spoiler: He [[IJustWantToHaveFriends just wanted to have friends]] and lead a happy life, but died due to an accident, making him a ghost. Even as a ghost he managed to form some happy memories after Kou befriends him. But then, Tsukasa, who had agreed to grant his wish, later turned him into the Broken Neck Mitsuba, thus forcing Hanako to MercyKill Mitsuba so that he wouldn't harm the students. Kou desperately tries to wake him up, but Mitsuba is already gone.]]

** And at the end of the arc, [[spoiler: there's Hanako and Yashiro's confrontation with Yashiro breaking down about how she wanted to continue living in the real world and have fun, despite knowing she barely has a year left to live, and Hanako ''finally'' dropping his JerkassFacade as he tells Yashiro what his actual wish is- for her to keep on living.]] This whole scene is so bittersweet and heart-wrenching, that you can't help but want to give both the characters [[TheWoobie a big hug]], ''especially'' [[BrokenTears Hanako]], who, as we know, is already dead and ''knows'' how it feels to have your own future cut short.

* Mitsuba's arc is a really tragic case of BreakTheCutie. [[spoiler: He [[IJustWantToHaveFriends just wanted to have friends]] and lead a happy life, but died due to an accident, making him a ghost. Even as a ghost he managed to form some happy memories after Kou befriends him. But then, Tsukasa, who had agreed to grant his wish, later turned him into the Broken Neck Mitsuba, thus forcing Hanako to stab Mitsuba so that he wouldn't harm the students. Kou desperately tries to wake him up, but Mitsuba is already gone.]]

** And at the end of the arc, [[spoiler: there's Hanako and Yashiro's confrontation with Yashiro breaking down about how she wanted to continue living in the real world and have fun, despite knowing she barely has a year left to live, and Hanako ''finally'' dropping his JerkassFacade as he tells Yashiro what his actual wish is- for her to keep on living.]] This whole scene is so bittersweet and heart-wrenching, that you can't help but want to give both the characters [[TheWoobie a big hug]], ''especially'' Hanako, who, as we know, is already dead and ''knows'' how it feels to have your own future cut short.

Despite it's rather funny and light hearted chapters in the beginning, the manga has ''plenty'' of these.

** After this whole thing, Hanako says something to Kou which reminds not only Kou, but also the readers that this is a story about ghosts, meaning people who are ''already dead'':

* The flashback in chapters 13/14 is already poignant as it is, but it becomes worse after reading [[spoiler: chapter 38, where Nene, during the festival, accidentally time travels back to the time when Amane was a little kid. He was a cheerful kid who used to be genuinely happy, as seen in his interactions with Nene. Fast forward to his middle school self in that flashback; he is withdrawn, gloomy, apparently being abused but refuses to say even a word about it, and has seemingly given up on his dream of becoming an astronaut, saying that he has decided to not go anywhere, with what could be best described as a 'defeated look' on his face. The ''sheer'' '''''disparity''''' between his child-self and middle school-self makes you wonder: ''[[FridgeHorror Just]]'' '''''[[CynicismCatalyst what]]''''' ''[[CynicismCatalyst happened]]'' ''[[DarkAndTroubledPast in his past]]'' '' [[FridgeHorror that changed him to this degree?]]'' ]]

* Just about anytime [[spoiler: Tsukasa]] appears in front of Hanako, most notably in chapter 16. He immediately breaks down and is straight up ''terrified''. It's clear that beneath that [[StepfordSmiler smiling facade]], he actually [[spoiler: hides a lot of [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]] over [[TheseHandsHaveKilled his murder of Tsukasa]].]]

* The Picture Perfect Arc. From the truth about Shijima and the rumours about her apparition to the [[WhatIf scenario that she created]] in her fake world... The ''whole'' arc is just one big {{Tearjerker}}.

* TheReveal about [[spoiler: Nene's [[YourDaysAreNumbered lifespan]]]]. As it turns out, Hanako knew about it the ''whole time'', but didn't say anything because he felt that even if he did, nothing would change. And he didn't want to burden the others with the truth.

* The Picture Perfect Arc. From the truth about Mei and Shijima' plights to the [[WhatIf scenario that she created]] in her fake world... The ''whole'' arc is just one big {{Tearjerker}}.

* Mitsuba appears later....... [[spoiler: only for it to be revealed that he has [[AmnesiacHero lost all his memories ]] of the time he spent with Kou.]]
* The Picture Perfect Arc. From the truth about Mei and Shijima' plights to the [[WhatIf scenario that she created]] in her fake world.. The ''whole'' arc is just one big {{Tearjerker}}.
* Just about anytime [[spoiler: Tsukasa]] appears in front of Hanako, most notably in chapter 16. He immediately breaks down and is straight up ''terrified''. It's clear that beneath that [[StepfordSmiler smiling facade]], he actually [[spoiler: hides a lot of [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone guilt]] over [[TheseHandsHaveKilled his murder of Tsukasa]].]]