Television series
Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
A supernatural comedy about a ghost boy granting wishes from a school bathroom, and the chaotic friendship that blooms when a lovestruck girl summons him. Hanako-kun is visually audacious—manga panels flutter across the screen, time warps, the art style shifts moment to moment—and commits entirely to being strange. It's for people who want their anime weird, funny, and genuinely touching.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you want a supernatural rom-com where the ghost lore is a running joke and the romance stays awkward, bright, and played for laughs.
Skip it if you find slapstick and rapid-fire gags tiring, or want a plot that tightens up quickly, since its episodes often wander between small comic set pieces.
What it asks of you: Half-hour episodes, 36 of them across two seasons, so each sitting is a light commitment, though the back-and-forth banter rewards your full attention to land.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
Jujutsu Kaisen2020
Sharp comedy wrapped around supernatural action and real stakes. A high schooler discovers a hidden magical world and finds his found family there. The character dynamics absolutely sing.
But The plot becomes increasingly baroque and hard to follow. Long exposition dumps sometimes deflate the momentum you've built.
Mob Psycho 1002016
A middle-schooler with psychic powers tries to live a normal life while his power quietly controls everything. Tender, hilarious, visually inventive. Animation that makes you believe in what you're watching.
But The middle season loses focus. Some episodes prioritize visual experimentation over story coherence.
Soul Eater2008
Goth aesthetic, wicked humour, supernatural students training to fight evil. The style is confident and the supporting cast gets real arcs. A show that looks like nothing else on TV.
But Anime original ending that diverges from the manga and leaves threads hanging. The pacing softens partway through.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Hanayamata2014
Both are school-set supernatural comedies where the real story is about misfits finding their people and choosing loyalty over easy solutions. The magic is almost incidental to the relationships.
High school girls join a club to perform traditional Japanese dance. Looks like a generic schoolgirl show, plays like an intimate character study about friendship and inherited shame. Surprisingly mature about belonging.
But The plot is thin. Episode-to-episode, very little happens. If you need narrative propulsion, this will feel slack.
More like this (6)
Hozuki's Coolheadedness2014
A demon administrator in Hell solves workplace problems with sardonic efficiency. Short episodes, rapid gags, Japanese folklore woven throughout. Brilliant voice acting that makes every line land.
But Very reference-heavy. Without knowledge of Japanese mythology, some jokes vanish. Episodic structure can feel repetitive over time.
Saiki Kusuo no Ψ Nan2016
An overpowered psychic high schooler deadpans his way through ridiculous situations he never asked for. Comedy timing that's surgical. Every character is a weirdo and they're all wonderful.
But Humor is entirely deadpan. If you need emotional climaxes or dramatic tension, there's barely any. Some find it exhausting to maintain that comic distance.
Servant2019
A lazy vampire servant and his master navigate supernatural high school life with dark humour and genuine heart. Character-driven, visually stylish, surprisingly thoughtful about depression and worth.
But The ending feels abrupt and unresolved. Late-season episodes retreat from the character focus into messy action beats.
Kamisama Kiss2012
A girl becomes a shrine god and hires a fox spirit as her deputy. Supernatural slice-of-life mixing romance, comedy, and folklore. Warmth without sacrificing weirdness.
But Romantic plot develops slowly and inconsistently. Pacing issues in season two mean some arcs feel stretched.
Hell Girl2005
Procedural horror: a mysterious woman sends people to Hell when summoned. Each episode is a contained moral puzzle. Genuinely unsettling in a way that accumulates over time.
But Deeply repetitive formula. If the premise doesn't grab you immediately, forty episodes of the same setup will feel like punishment rather than entertainment.
Natsume's Book of Friends2008
Both use Japanese folklore and the supernatural as a lens for loneliness and connection. Same impulse—magic isn't flashy, it's a way to understand people (or beings) that others dismiss.
A boy inherits a magical book that binds youkai to his family's name. This series is quiet—yokai are often lonely, misunderstood, trying to exist. Gorgeous watercolour aesthetic and genuine melancholy underneath the gentleness.
But Episodic and contemplative. There's almost no plot momentum. Long stretches where nothing external happens and everything is internal.
Recommended by
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre, Death Parade, Yamada-kun to 7-nin no Majo, The Case Study of Vanitas, xxxHolic, Yo-Kai Watch, Hell Girl, Noragami, Midnight Occult Civil Servants, Ranpo Kitan: Game of Laplace, In/Spectre, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, Hozuki's Coolheadedness, The Vermilion Mask, Wind Breaker, Prison School, Gleipnir, Corpse Party: Tortured Souls, Demon King Daimao, Diabolik Lovers