Something I love about tbhk is how each of the main trio qualifies as a protagonist without the other characters. You can put kou in a shonen manga and he'd fit perfectly. Put hanako in a psychological horror or mystery and he'd fit perfectly.
But they're not the protagonists. Nene is. In an ideal world, she'd be perfect in a shoujo manga.
But tbhk is not like that. It blends so many genres together so beautifully.
Kou's not the main character. He is a major character, yes, but it's not his story that is the focus. Some may even say his plot is completely separate from the main story (I personally believe that it will all tie in because it's got quite a few connections).
And hanako..... well he's not even present in half the manga. Recently, he's almost become a force to motivate the other characters to uncover the mysteries of the story. A presence looming over the story to lure us in to what it may bring
Yet as the series becomes darker and darker, it's Nene whos growing faster than ever. Not the characters who fit the stereotype of dealing with the horrors that tbhk brings.
The character who's shining the brightest in the darkest points of the story is the one who didn't seem to fit into the supernatural story tbhk eventually presents itself to be.
None of the characters are sorted into neat little boxes by their archetypes. Theyre complex and multifaceted, and are characterised to belong so perfectly in this gorgeous mess of a manga.
