Synopsis
The Midoridai Junior High school is bustling with students attending the entrance ceremony. Satomi, one of the freshmen, is feeling uneasy as she looks back to an incident that took place 11 years ago at the school. Satomi? sister, Kaori, went missing in the old school building, never to be found again. Soon, some strange incidents begin to occur at the school. Students and teachers collapse after encountering whispered voices and peculiar visions in the school toilet. Before long, the story of ?anako, the ghost in the toilet?spreads across the school like fire. Linking the paranormal events happening at the school with the disappearance of her sister, Satomi investigates Kaori? disappearance by looking through old school records. From there she notes the name Reiko, Kaori? old friend, who possesses supernatural powers. One of Satomi? friends, Etsuko, suggests to Satomi and another friend Kanae that they contact the spiritual world by consulting a Ouija board. Kanae collapses after hearing strange moans coming from the toilet while Satomi gets terrified at home by the visit of Kaori? ghost. When the waves of ghost-sightings sweep through the whole school, Mr. Asaoka, who is in charge of the junior year, asks Reiko for help. This film is based on the tale of ?anako, the ghost in the toilet?that swept through the schools of Japan, a story that almost achieved the status of a national phenomena. One will notice quite a few similarities between this film and the Korean film Whispering Corridors. However, while Whispering Corridors employed the ghost tale to critically assess the repressive education system in Korea, Hanako? central focus is on the ghost tale itself. (LEE Jong-Eun)