The series tells the story of Daisuke Aso, a private detective who investigates paranormal cases involving Japanese urban legends that come to exist because of people's belief.
Written and illustrated by Sakae Esuno, the chapters of Hanako and the Terror of Allegory appeared as serial in the monthly manga magazine Shōnen Ace from April 26, 2004 to September 26, 2005.
[25] In a review of the whole series, Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku dubbed it "great fun" and said it "gets a lot of mileage out of its premise", praising how it interchanges between horror, action, comedy and romance and how in "each case you learn about a different Japanese urban legend and get hints about the deeper motivations and personal histories of each of the three main characters.
[28] Oliver Ho of PopMatters considered it is full of aspects that were worth "a ponderous and academic exercise", saying that the series "seems to be a meditation ... on the relationship between storytelling and psychology.
"[29] He compared the fact that in the manga "characters must confront personal demons and fears in order to overcome evil spirits" to an affirmation by Bruno Bettelheim's on The Uses of Enchantment, where he writes that "a myth, like a fairy tale, may express an inner conflict in symbolic form and suggest how it may be solved.
[28][31] Bill Sherman of Blogcritics was more positive, saying in a volume two review that the main trio "remain appealing enough ... to get most readers wanting to find out what happens in the next book".
"[33] Henderson also praised some of his backstory revelations,[28] while Zoth commented the mention of his special power in the first volume was a positive indication "that there is more depth to the world and characters than Esuno has thus far revealed.
"[25] Indeed, when this power was revealed, Santos affirmed "the most remarkable thing about Hanako that it still has the capacity to surprise",[27] and Zimmerman stated it was a "page turner" that "show[ed] exactly what Esuno is capable of when given the opportunity to explore his imagination.
[24][25][31] Santos felt that it "would probably be a lot more horrifying ... if it didn't keep trying to be cute and funny with the characters", especially criticizing Hanako's role who "make[s] annoying quips that derail the creepy mood of the series".
Green said it "frequently suffers when the reader engages it" and that the twists in the first volume "are obvious or aggravating", considering the Human-Fish story "trampl[es] ground that will be very problematic for some audiences".
[39] Grant Goodman of Pop Culture Shock criticized this story because of Esuno's treatment of rape, saying the girl saving her rapist vindicates his abuse.
Although stated it was "so frequently sloppy in its execution", Santos praised it because "the deadpan, Twilight Zone-esque introductions to each chapter set the perfect tone, and the tension builds up at just the right pace—you know when those shocking moments are going to hit, but it doesn't make them any less terrifying when they happen".
[2] On the other hand, Henderson said the second and the third stories had "a nice twist",[28] and Gaffney affirmed "the pacing is excellent", commending the "balance between cute innocent victims, poorly communicating boyfriends, and complete jerkass monsters.