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Hell Girl
Posted By EthaNox On July 7, 2010
Anime Reviews: Hell Girl
Are you bored with what conventional anime has to offer? Perhaps it is time to die…or at least to check out the offerings of the gloomy Ai Enma in “Hell Girl” otherwise known as “Jigoku Shōjo: Girl from Hell”. Prepare to see what death is like.
A One Way Ride
Hell Girl is a somewhat unconventional anime for modern times. Its first season was released during the late half of 2005 and ran until early 2006 in Japan. Produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen and licensed by “FUNimation”, this anime proved itself to be enough of a hit on its homeland to bring forth a manga and a short live action adaptation.
Hell Girl follows an episodic formula, in which every episode is a self contained story that links with the overall plot through the actions of the show’s main cast of recurring characters. The eponymous Hell Girl, Ai Enma, is a gloomy and dark girl with a tragic past that now serves as harbinger of vengeance with the aid of her servants; Wanyudo, an old man with a near permanent smile, Hone Onna, a sultry woman with a cynical outlook and a knack for style and Ren Ichimoku, a young looking man who dresses in modern clothing unlike the rest of the gang who dress in classic Japanese garbs (save for when they go “undercover” on the human world, but more on that later). Hell Girl could be said to follow the story of an anti-hero; until we get to know the Shibatas, the single parent and journalist Hajime and his bright young daughter Tsugumi who become the recurring human characters in the show.
Hell Girl consists of three seasons: the first of which has been already released in the west whereas the second is halfway through and should be done by the end of July, while the third season won’t see a DVD release until well later this year.
As I said, the show follows an episodic formula with only the cast to push it forward, but sadly (to some) the human part of the cast is not a constant. You could say that it’s the biggest change in the formula up to the third season where things got a little…different. But, it’s not an unwelcomed change of pace, that’s for sure.
Death Is Unfair
Each episode of Hell Girl starts by introducing us to a character that is in trouble or consumed by a deep grudge. Then, after getting a little look into that character’s life and knowing the story behind the current circumstances we get to see Ai Enma’s modus operandi, a mysterious website that can only be accessed at midnight. There, Ai’s “customers” will write the name of the person they seek her to deliver vengeance upon and she will soon appear in their room and offer them a straw doll, which for those that pay attention to detail will seem oddly familiar.
Once the contract’s conditions have been stated all the person has to do is pull a red string around the doll’s neck, prompting Ai to leave her hellish home and with the aid of her servants, punish the victim and send them off to hell. Of course, this comes with a price, namely that of the other party’s soul but only once they die. Until then, they will bear a dark mark on their chest as part of their contract.
Some people complain that the anime takes the means through which Ai delivers souls onto hell a little lightly, with the motif behind some contracts being petty. But as an episode of the first season showed us, people can be psychotic and having an easy way out will sometimes be their only choice, no matter the cost.
What You Can Expect
The general plot is based around Ai’s past and how she came to be in her position, you could arguably say that the first season is dedicated to the Shibatas and how Hajime’s investigation came to awaken parts of Ai’s past. While the second season deals with how humanity adopts the easiest way out of their problems and how this amounts to nothing…all the while showing us the past of Ai’s servants.
The third season is a bit…different, but not bad by any means. Hell Girl is a very solid work with a nice overarching plot that will cater to those that like to put the pieces together rather than have everything explained to them upfront. The truth is, that most of the time the situations in a given episode will seem unfair, but that’s part of the point. Life can be a b-…ehm, mean lady, and death is the great equalizer. Ai is simply the bridge in between using humanity’s tools to reap from their own hatred (it’s shown how she has worked in the past through such methods as an old mailbox).
The only real complaint about the show is that watching episode after episode gets a bit tiring, seeing how the same formula applies to all of them. There are, however, enough fresh moments that deal with the story and heart of the show to cover this up. So it’s a really good watch if you like your mystery and horror to be blended in with a bit of tragedy and drama.
Hell Girl is, simply put, one hell of a show (Hiyooo!)
