The Yato God is a minor deity who calls himself a “Delivery God”, dreaming of one day having millions of worshippers. However, he currently has no shrine dedicated to his name. His days are spent collecting five-yen coins per odd job, at least until his sentient weapon partner becomes sick of the life they live and leaves him. Yato’s luck finally changes when 15-year-old Iki Hiyori saves him from a car accident, sustaining no serious injury, apart from the fact that her soul is now loose and capable of leaving her body. She demands that Yato turn her body back to normal, but his condition is that she help him find a new weapon partner–perhaps he’ll find one who won’t leave this time around.

Noragami is the obvious choice in this regard. Considering the supernatural themes and the characters whose lives teeter on the boundary between what’s regular and what is paranormal, Noragami offers various thematic similarities to Hanako-kun. Noragami, however, is a completely different watch. Visually, the two are quite different; however, they both offer stunning visuals in their own right. Iki Hiyori’s dynamic with Yato can be contrasted with the dynamic between Yashiro Nene and Hanako-kun, particularly with how chance played a heavy role in their meeting. The other aspect of the dynamic is that both Nene and Hiyori find themselves undergoing physical changes as a result of their exposure to the paranormal.

Youkai exist in the world, although under the veil of everyday reality. They have an amicable relationship with humans; however, some youkai threaten the peace. Iwanaga Kotoko is a girl who bears the title of the youkai’s “God of Wisdom”, so she deals with the issues that youkai may face in their relations with humans and each other. Kotoko meets university student Sakuragawa Kuro at a hospital after his long-term relationship ends and she’s smitten, but she can also tell that there’s something different about him. To see if her instincts are correct, Kotoko enlists Kuro’s help in her various dealings with the youkai.

Kyokou Suiri tilts slightly towards the romance and comedic elements that Hanako-kun has but the biggest similarity between these shows is the most obvious: they both feature characters who regularly engage with or are a part of the supernatural. Despite the difference in their actual constituency, Hanako-kun and Kotoko play the same role in their respective shows by being the library of supernatural information, as well as being something that isn’t quite human. Visually, Hanako-kun’s motion manga-like frames and use of bright colours and backgrounds is different from Kyokou Suiri’s art and animation, which is very good-looking in its own right.

When Mamiya Sakura was a child, she disappeared in the woods behind her grandmother’s house. Sakura doesn’t remember what happened next but since that day, she’s been able to see the spirits of the dead. Things get even stranger when the seat next to her at school, one that had been empty all year, has someone sitting in it. Rokudou Rinne—a boy capable of seeing spirits—is the seat’s “new” occupant and Sakura wonders what his connection is to her own abilities.

Kyoukai no Rinne has similar features to Hanako-kun with respect to the supernatural elements. Like Hanako-kun, the anime features a dynamic between two main characters, one of whom is seemingly not quite human and holds a wealth of knowledge about the supernatural. Hanako-kun and Kyoukai no Rinne also have the similarity of having comedy spread out through the show. Both are visually appealing and rather entertaining.

Being the youngest to graduate from Magical Law School, Muhyo formed a business with his assistant Kusano “Rouji” Jiro where they locate spirits and demons and send them over to Heaven or Hell depending on the account of their life in Muhyo’s Magical Law Book. Their arrangement is called “Muhyo and Rouji’s Bureau of Supernatural Investigation” and they help people with the spirits that bring supernatural malaise.

Much like Nene sought counsel from the legendary spirit in the girls’ bathroom, people seek counsel from Muhyo and Rouji’s business. The dynamic between Muhyo and Rouji can be likened to that of Nene and Hanako-kun, particularly in the way that Muhyo and Hanako-kun show very little care for their assistants, to the point of being impish in their teasing.

Hanae Ashiya’s first week at high school starts horribly as he falls ill due to a strange fuzzy creature that attached itself to him the day before opening day. With the relationship being parasitic, Hanae’s health is getting worse so he enlists the help of an exorcist. He is taken to the Mononokean, a tea room next to the school’s infirmary, and he meets Abeno Haruitsuki who helps Hanae but demands payment. Since Hanae can’t pay for the exorcism services, he ends up working at the Mononokean under his classmate and master of the Mononokean, Abeno Haruitsuki himself!

Hanako-kun and the Mononokean share similarities in their supernatural and school settings, where the main character of both shows finds themselves coming into contact with things that frankly constitute part of the paranormal. In both anime, the main character who is clueless about the whole other world operating in parallel with their own ends up having to assist the supernaturally-inclined other main character in their dealings.

Located in the Pacific Ocean, Nanae Island is a man-made island that hosts all that is needed for thorough education and training of children. Created by the Great Seven, a group of adventurers led by one Ryuugajou Nanana, Nanae Island is intended to be a place where young people can pursue their dreams. After being exiled by his family, Yama Juugo arrives on the island and moves into his new room, where he encounters the ghost of none other than the Great Seven leader, Ryuugajou Nanana. Bound to the room after her unsolved murder ten years prior, Nanana informs Juugo of a set of powerful items that posses incredible power which she has spread all over the island. The items, known to those who are aware of their existence as the “Nanana Collection”, could very well be the key to solving the mystery of Nanana’s death, so Juugo, alongside self-proclaimed Master Detective Ikkyuu Tensai and her assistant Hoshino Daruku, sets out to find them and lay Nanana to rest for good.

The biggest similarity between the Hanako-kun anime and Nanana’s Buried Treasure is the fact that the titular character of both shows is a ghost who is bound to a certain area. Both Nanana and Hanako are incredibly knowledgeable about their own worlds and have the “normal” main character in the duo act as a conduit between their ghastly selves and the physical world.