The last Super Cub I flew had a standard Lycoming with ordinary mags. The only 'shower of sparks' (for start only of course) aeroplane I've flown was the Yak52. Some people hand-swing those, I'm told. I'm not one of them! It's bad enough 'walking' the prop through before start (it's too big to pull through, so so you push it a blade at a lime with your shoulder).
C172s are not the nicest aeroplanes to hand swing, but it's quite OK and at least with the prop turning the 'wrong' way you can do it from behind the prop (I find that easier) if you are right handed. Just like hand-propping a J3, but with the higher compression and shorter stroke of 'modern' flat fours it doesn't 'plop' over like a 65hp Conti.