#tbhk spoilers

[quartztwst]

wow

[donut251155]

Kou's death

He died as the selfless idiot he is, but most of the fandom is missing a part. I've seen so many people talk about Teru and Akane seeing his dead body down the well, but nobody who said this:

He looks comforted by the lightning, some kind of wicked comfort.

"My brother's lightning…" he doesn't look like he feels betrayed, at all.

He was trying to kill Nene, one of his best friends, and he never would've been able to forgive himself if he succeeded. He's glad his BROTHER stopped him, that he was the one to wipe him away from the living world, even tho it was an accident

He finally understands what Hanako and Mitsuba meant by saying they want HIM, someone they trust, to exorcise them. It's hard to imagine as a living person, but as a dangerous supernatural it's as clear as day

What was Kou's best departure, was Teru's worst goodbye

[amanitacurses]

[ryanthel0ser]

Don't think about Teru finding Kou's staff and going the rest of the arc clutching it like it's the only thing keeping him alive

and don't think about how Teru can't go hold his brother's body at the bottom of that well

and most certainly don't think about how Teru is going to react when he gets Kou back and how Kou will feel seeing his brother like that

[dailyterukane]

akane’s hair is gonna turn all white & fall off by the end of this arc

[venxomi]

Jibaku Shounen Hanako-kun Chapter 120 - Yugi Amane, Minamoto Kou & the Red House

This is my first time making this type of thread, so I hope you will bear with me ^^ I'll talk about the important bits.

Yugi Amane

Chapter 120 explains Yugi Amane's situation in the new present. Even though Nene tried denying it, Yugi Amane was incapable of finding happiness, even if he got to live a little longer. It confirmed he died in his late 20s, and that his soul is but a prisoner to the Red House, forced to obey its orders.

That he's been killing multiple people without him even realizing, as he is unable to defy the House...

And ultimately revealing that, while possessed, Amane had killed both Kou and Sousuke in the aftermath of chapter 118. The Kou we saw in chapters 119 and 120 is nothing but his now trapped soul.

As Kou explains everything, we come to realize the following: It's not just Yugi Amane who is a prisoner of the House, but Tsukasa, their parents and the souls who warned Mitsuba as well. That they're all unfortunate victims that were eaten alive by the House and forced into servitude.

Minamoto Kou

Kou is not immune from the Red House's possession- He is now one of its servants, just like Amane and the other people killed. Just like Amane who forcefully dragged Kou and Nene to the well through the black door, so did Kou lure Nene through the same door.

Finally possessed by the House, he tries to drag Nene down the well, to make her a victim just like the others.

It is then when Teru comes to rescue Nene, but not realizing that the Kou he sees is nothing but his soul, he accidentally exorcises him while snapping him out of the possession.

It is important to note that Kou didn't feel any sort of bitterness towards Amane killing him or towards Teru exorcising him.

After Amane killed him, he just lamented his fate.

Not only did he lament his fate, but also asked Nene to change the world back to how it was. Not only because he and Mitsuba are long dead, but because he now knows how truly messed up the new present is. How no one is truly "happy" here. How it goes against his motivation, which is to bring everyone actual happiness.

That's why he brought Nene to Amane in chapter 119. To make her see how this world actually looks like, to make her want to go back. To make her see that even if Amane lived longer, he was way more miserable than he ever was in the original timeline.

When his big brother exorcised him, he only felt glad. Glad that he couldn't harm Nene, and glad that he doesn't have to suffer the same fate as Amane. Glad that he hasn't succeeded in killing anyone against his will.

Even while disappearing right before her eyes, Kou tries to comfort her. If she succeeds in rewinding the world, they will be able to meet again.

He even compares this new world to a "bad dream", contrasting himself from chapter 118, who considered the old world to be the "dream", then not knowing how truly wicked the new present is.

His last words confirm that Mitsuba has died together with him.

The Well

Teru, shocked by the events, immediately heads over to the well and looks inside.

He falls limp, only supported by the well, in total disbelief. Due to the implications throughout chapter 120, it is safe to assume that in the well lies the corpses of all the Red House's victims, including Kou and Sousuke.

This is further evidenced by Akane's reaction, who is repulsed by whatever is seen inside.

It is then when Akane concludes that this timeline is not stable, as he was tasked to check. The well is enough evidence to back up how twisted the world is.

Conclusions

I'm not sure whether we will see the contents of the well. We see the series through Nene's eyes, and Nene being stopped from seeing what's inside the well meant the readers are stopped from seeing aswell. The implications are evident enough to prove that within it lie numerous corpses, including Kou and Sousuke's.

Akane ended the chapter with a resolution to change the world back to how it was, but they still aren't aware of when to go and what to change. So they will stay within the Red House for the next few chapters for sure.

I'm not sure if the Red House will let them leave. All 4 living humans are all right next to the well where the Red House supposedly eats them alive. It's too good of an opportunity for it not to ambush them in the next chapter.

Teru and Nene, but especially Teru, will 100% go some under serious character development. Not only does Teru exorcising Kou somewhat parallel Amane killing Tsukasa in the original timeline, but Teru sacrificed his entire childhood to protect Kou, only for it to end like this in the New Present. Truly tragic.

Amane reacted to Yashiro calling Hanako for help. It may be that in the future chapters, Amane will get his memories from the original timeline and help Nene and the others find out what to change. Though I have a feeling, given that he's susceptible to being possessed by the House, that he will take himself down along with the House in order to let them leave. Although again, this is just a random prediction of mine...

This is the first time Nene's hairclip slips from her hair. The shape of her hairclips symbolize good luck, and it was truly good luck. If it weren't for her hairclip falling off, Aoi wouldn't have found her and Teru wouldn't have saved her in time. Albeit this can be also interpreted as limited good luck, as it slipping off would mean that Nene won't benefit from the same luck again.

This was truly the most heartwrenching chapter in the series, but also one of the best written in my opinion, being a huge pay-off for the other chapters of the Alteration arc. However, I have a feeling we're only going downhill from here.

Kou was likely already doomed from chapter 116, when he was first possessed by little Tsukasa. Because he was then sent to the Red House with an envelope that had nothing inside and with circumstances he himself doesn't remember, and as per Kou's words in chapter 120, the Red House uses the souls it captured to bring new victims from the Near Shore. He was fated to die the moment he came into contact with Tsukasa. Mitsuba could've escaped, but he wanted to save Kou and died together with him instead.

I hope you enjoyed my post!

[teruwasright]

It genuinely breaks my heart that people are blaming Teru......

Words can't even express how disappointed I am...

Kou loves Teru and would have never blamed him.....he would be disappointed with you all too.....

[uzi-x33]

i am in SHAMBLES.

[cherrypicked-pearls]

[mysteriouspersonrambles]

You know the most fucked up thing about ch. 120 is that it reinforces Teru’s character. It reinforces the fact that he is an exorcist first, brother second. He struck with precision, even though he called his brother’s name he still struck. I wonder if he knew what he was doing or if it was all muscle memory at that point. If all he saw at first was a supernatural attacking a person and not his brother. Did he know in his heart that his brother was gone or did he hold out hope that he could break the possession. Do you think he’ll lay awake at night think more about what lies at the bottom of the well, or that he didn’t hesitate to strike his brother the one he gave up so much for.

[featheredquilt]

I love this but also how dare you

no one can make it to the moon

[struggling-jpg]

Also just wanted to show my appreciation for the character dynamics in TBHK, a lot of them hit differently after this chapter, both subtle and direct. It takes reading through the chapters and noticing the little things between characters that make the payoff more emotional.

(Spoilers for ch 120 under cut)

Kou has constantly been shown to cry or tear up when it comes to being concerned for Nene's safety. Obviously, it hits very differently this time around.

Teru's big brother instinct going off so fast here. He's always been shown to be protective so that + the other foreshadowing about Kou's fate makes for an amazing buildup.

My thoughts go two ways here:

Teru, who hates and aggressively exorcises supernaturals, strikes pretty hard here.

It's Kou though so he specifically hits his hand/wrist to separate them.

It shows both of Teru's sides in such a conflicting way. I think his expression with these things in mind portrays amazing characterization.

Teru, who is usually gentle and/or nonchalant when dealing with others like Nene, shoves her aside with a seriousness and weight to his movement that shows what his current priorities and concerns are. His usual image is long gone and that shows through his body language.

I know people have posted these panels a billion times, but I can't get over this. Teru only ever says Kou's name in the time he jumps in to save Nene and approaches the well. And you can absorb his grief with the progression of him slumping down, seemingly still looking down the well.

Teru has always been characterized by the amount of love he has for his siblings. In both the silly and serious sections of TBHK and even After School, we see just how much he adores them, especially Kou, who has been with him for much of his life. After EVERYTHING, after giving Kou the chance to be an exorcist, after relenting to his younger brother so many times, this is what happens. This was chapters in the making, and the emotional payoff worked! I am in shambles!

There's probably even more examples but these were the ones I noticed right away so I'll leave it at that.

Now for some bonus protective brother Teru (for wholesome tears)

[tomatosoupandpasta]

I knew that look of abject horror was familiar

[ryanthel0ser]

[mokkewithagun]

I eat this up fr fr nom nom nom

we moved on FAR too fast from serial killer amane

HE HAS AN AXE!!!!

[dailyterukane]

not this being the second time in a row something depressing happens to teru (literally me) near my birthday… anyways happy birthday to me!!!