Trans Readings of Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun

Though not canonically trans, the character of Mitsuba from Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun can be read as trans-coded, a process that enables him to serve a broader interrogation of gender that presses the reader into a post-gender perspective. #mitsuba #hanako 1/10

In “Queer Post-Gender Ethics” Lucy Nicholas argues that “much research has established that gender is not a natural or necessary social formation, has undesirable effects, and possibly that subjective and social life would even be preferable without it” Mitsuba can be read as a character who speaks to this. 2/10

The greatest power of the character is his powerful and humanistic portrayal – a being who is both tragic and romantic, imbued with pathos through content (tragic backstory, unfulfilled longing, impossible romance) and form (the expert character design and figure drawing of Aida). 3/10

Mitsuba uses male pronouns and has even expressed distaste for being identified as a girl. At the same time, however, Mitsuba’s character design is highly femme-coded and Mitsuba exists as ½ of a darkly tragic romantic pairing with the male character Kou. 4/10

The characters are first brought together in a scene that has Kou (an exorcist in a long line of exorcists) seeking to vanquish Mitsuba as an evil spirit. Fortunately, Hanako tells him there’s a better way: simply deal with Mitsuba’s unfinished business and he can move on. 5/10

This bizarre meet-cute immediately establishes the idea of Kou and Mitsuba coming from different worlds, each ineffective in their respective roles. Kou is too sympathetic to be a good exorcist and Mitsuba too kind to be evil. They subvert the roles they’re placed in. They defy stereotype. 6/10

The mission they go on reveals a tragic backstory, a shared past, and ultimately leads to an act of brutal violence in which Kou watches Mitsuba get violently attacked in an act of pure hatred. Again, Mitsuba is not a trans character, but the trans-coding here is quite obvious. 7/10

From there, because not even death can stop them, Mitsuba and Kou become a compelling love story that generates a ton of pathos amongst the fan base, launching fan-fic by the thousands and a variety of other affinity markers online, such as cosplay, edits, and broad discussion. 8/10

But the question of Mitsuba’s gender might be seen as the ultimate accomplishment of the character. Mitsuba queers gender as a concept within the Hanako universe, offering a character who dares you to ask, yet refuses to answer beyond their preference. Take it or leave it. 9/10

To leave it, is to miss out on a powerful potential portrayal of a post-gender character that routinely steals the show in Aidalro’s gothic romance. To take it, however, is to accept that the gender of the character simply doesn’t matter – eliciting a clear step towards a conceptualization of post-gender. 10/10