Jigoku Shoujo

I've decided to write this review because, after reading the opinions of other people, here and in other websites, I've found that a lot of people seem to either be under a few misconceptions about this series, or simply have been looking at it at the wrong angle. What I will say here is meant to be about this season specifically, and it's in no way a representation of the whole work. So, to start from the beginning, what is the misconception that people seem to fall for when watching this show? Well, it's a kind of hard one to explain. Mainly, they seem to take this story as an story and not a thesis. Most people would call it episodic, but, even though the term technically applies here, this series isn't meant to be episodic, it's simply a result of it's nature. And what is this nature? A series of situation-examples to test out a theory, a thesis, on morality. When someone creates an idea on morality, one of the ways to test it is by challenging that idea through various situations and see their logical outcome. The more you agree with the end result, the more sound your idea is, and the less you do, the chance of it being simply wrong increases. Jigoku Shoujo presents us with a set up: A person can take revenge and kill other for any perceived, on the victims perspective, damaged the other might have caused. To facilitate things, we can simply ignore laws and physical limitations by making this process supernatural, and thus focus only on it's moral aspects. And, before can test it out, we must address a logical result of it: the inevitable impact on the victim's life. You see, killing someone creates quite the burden in your life, and that burden is represented as the promise of spending eternity in hell. Secondly, another thing must be clarified: we aren't dealing with self defense. All acts thought here must be done as revenge, as answer to an aggression carried out and finished. Thus, for the victim to kill their wrongdoer, there is a three-step system: have the grievance, contact Jigoku Shoujo, and then untie the thread. In short, this isn't a gun you're firing on spot, this is a planned out act. With this set up, the show starts a series of episodes to test it out in various scenarios. However, the show doesn't give you any answers, that much is up to you and you alone. And here is why most people miss the point of the show. They're expecting an ordinary story, that will answer them, that will shift and head somewhere, but this isn't no ordinary story, it's a thesis about revenge, and you just got invited to watch the testing. It's only after several episodes that two other characters come and show us two other theories on the same subject, creating a ideological battle among the main cast. And, to differ even more from your common storytelling, the show doesn't give you a conclusion on this battle. The characters, of course, receive their endings and reach their own conclusions, but these are only satisfactory to their own personal point of views. You, as a third party, is left hanging. And that is part of the brilliance of the show, because the author never wanted to give a definitive answer on this matter. They left it up to you. You should draw your own conclusions. After all, if at the very end, the author was to step in and give their own personal views, the whole point of the series would vanish. Now, of course, there is a story being followed here. An ordinary one. However, this plays as a secondary arc to the show. The story itself is simply a progression to justify what is going on, while making you care about the characters and plot, and not sleep through it all. But, judging the show based on this story is, at least, wrong. Given it's a 2005 show, the animation has aged quite a lot, but the shot composition and directing are still on spot. The pacing of the show is good for what it wants to achieve, giving you enough time to chew on the information you're given and letting enough room for you to think and rethink your opinions as you watch it. In the end, Jigoku Shoujo is one of a kind. Definitely not a watch for everyone, but surely interesting, engaging and thought provoking to those who can enjoy such a show.

I will tell you what I think after watching the three seasons of this anime, after 26 ep each. That's a lot? Probably so. Is it worth the time? I think it's worth it. What? Without enthusiasm? No, I will not say to you: "Wow, what a mega was cut into the cosmos! Die if you did not see! Yolo! MMA! USA!..." No. Was well. Moments even very well. But it was not outstanding. Why? I will try to summarize ... Generally all three seasons were presented according to a certain pattern. I'm already translating. First: As anyone mentioned here, each episode contains some indispensable elements that repeat almost like a mantra. Presentation of the situation. Use the services of our young antagonist and her team. Sending to hell in the accompaniment of the same mantra spoken by our (anti) heroine (some viewers get bored). Second: The story. In addition to the epic plot (the story begins and ends in the same episode and not everyone is behind it), we have in every episode at the beginning and at the end a gentle pull of the main plot of the season, always associated with Enma Ai itself and Hellfire Correspondence (theme from Dr House). Third: The first 19 episodes of each season are episodic with a gentle push of the main storyline. WHERE Episode 20 from 26 is a masterpiece driving into the chair. Because we get a sense of the condensed dose of a solid, action-packed, heavy storyline with a mix of extreme emotions whose culmination we find at the climax of the 26th episode of each season. In the first season it will be a motive for a journalist exploring the mysterious disappearances of the city's inhabitants. In the second, the motive of the detective attempting to do the same as mentioned above. And in the third season, we get the story of a heroine with a very unusual destiny (which is without spoilers ^^). All this consists of one coherent picture of the fate of a city rolled over many years by hatred and revenge in the hearts of every citizen. Somewhere along the way, we will also learn about the arch-sad story of Ai and each of her companions. Overall, the anime is really good. Impeccable animation, very atmospheric (dark) music, very interesting and engaging story of side characters, neatly combining previous stories with current events (events of the season will be reflected even after many years in season 3), the story of the main characters that fall into memory and They give the audience a whole range of emotions (which I expected from the series). Not extending: Anime definitely worth recommending and sacrificing for it these 29 hours (total). I especially recommend for fans some darker climates who find pleasure in the plot full of unreason, speculation, mysticism and very sad history of people from different time periods. My rating is 8.5 / 10 (second season is much weaker than others). Regards. PS.: I apologize in advance for my english.

*SPOILER FREE* This is a spoiler free review of Jigoku Shoujo, Hell Girl. Having watched this series, I've decided to review it. It's my first review and it's purely my personal opinion, so please forgive me if there's anything you don't like. -Premise- 10/10 The general concept of Hell Girl is that there's a communication medium known as Hell Link, and one can use it to avenge against a person you have a grudge on. I find this concept unique and to my knowledge no other anime series has it. This is a perfect setting a horror anime and is just what makes Hell Girl...well Hell Girl. -Story- 8/10 A typical episode: a person has a grudge, and then uses Hell Link, then Hell Girl comes into action...you get the idea. It sounds repetitive on paper, considering you have the same framework/skeleton backbone for 26 episodes. However, each episode feels fresh as there is a new character and storyline involved. But there just might be some backstories that will unfold overtime and twists...I won't go into there. Overall, I enjoyed the stories. -Art- 7/10 The art is decent, considering this is a relatively old anime. It doesn't stand out much though and it isn't always that colorful. I do particularly like Hell Girl's Kimono's colors and floral design though XD -Soundtrack- 7/10 Music and sound are not too bad: the background music fits in well with the atmosphere, especially the one playing when Hell Girl ferries someone to hell. I just don't find the opening and ending themes fitting for a HORROR anime...they sound too happy. -Characters- 10/10 Character development is amazing in this series: I can feel their mental struggles, despair, hopelessness...only to resort to using Hell Link. The recurring cast each have unique personalities that all go very well together. For instance, Hell Girl has no emotion whatsoever but once you watch the series you will understand what made her that way. -Overall- 9/10 I really enjoyed watching Hell Girl and wholeheartedly recommend it to any horror anime fans. It is just so satisfying seeing people being banished to hell when they deserve it. Hope you've found this review helpful, or I won't be afraid to use Hell Link...

Jigoku Shoujo was one of the very first episodic series I’ve ever seen and it was the first time that I realized how magnificent episodic series are. For the first time, I realized that not having a concrete main plot is not bad at all. Instead, it is a lot more exciting and anticipating. There’s a very long review coming………… About the STORY Almost all types of genres are present. Horror, mystery, supernatural, drama, psychological and there’s even a little bit of romance and comedy in some of chapters. This is the ultimate revenge based-type of story I’ve ever seen. It is just so frustrating and very much irritating when we see this different type of bad people. So it is also just so sweet and exciting that we get to see them being punish in such ways. Plus, it is episodic, so we get to see many different exciting stories. And because of that, every new story comes with so much excitement and anticipation. I just love how different stories are expressed. Every each of them starts from detailing why the characters have grudges and how they are push to the limit and ended up relying to Jigoku Shoujo. It is quite amazing how modern the supernatural things nowadays. Be it by phone, videos, and internet; they are gradually entering the world of gadgets and modernization. Setting aside the extremely exciting revenge of the different characters, I strongly believe that more than the sweet revenge, it also tackles the consequences that come with such actions. At the end of the day, just like there are consequences in doing good things to others, there are also consequences in doing harmful things to others regardless whether the reason are right or wrong. Like they said, everything that we do in our lives always comes with consequences. I think that’s why Enma Ai would let the ones requesting know the price that comes in making the contract. To be honest, it sucks a little bit. You get so irritated by those types of characters but at the end the ones requesting it also have to pay the price. I don’t think that the series is about whether Jigoku Shoujo’s actions are right or wrong. I strongly believe that the series whole point is WHY people are push to the limit and force to rely with Jigoku Shoujo. In a way, no matter how you justify it or be against on it, for them she is definitely helping them. And like what Enma Ai would always say that it is for them to decide whether to pull the string or not. And more importantly, it is also about forgiveness which is one of the hardest things for human beings to do. Lastly, regardless of all the hypocrisy and righteousness, it still definitely feels great when we see them get punish which I think one of the strongest edge of this series from others. About the CHARACTERS Because it is episodic, there are very few recurring characters. In fact, literally the main characters are the only ones who are always shown. If there is recurring characters aside from the main leads, I guess there are two or three who plays very important roles in the story. Most characters that are the focus of the revenge are no doubt made extremely irritating which make it more exciting that they get to be punished. But that’s not the case all the time. It is not always about the bad guys getting punished and happy ending for the good guys who asked for the revenge. Actually, there are some twist to it which makes the series a lot more exciting and interesting. There are even instances that it is the other way around which I think why Jigoku Shoujo’s actions are question if it’s really right or wrong. The main characters are just a bundle of too much mysteriousness. Because there is no specific plot, we really can’t figure out who they are. I admire Hajime’s determination to stop people from pulling the string and with all his self-righteousness. Though, I pity him because he would always fail. Unfortunately, life is not as simple as what is right or wrong. It’s a lot complicated than that most especially when the human emotions are the ones involve. It’s not as black and white as a lot of people would consider it. There’s always gray matter for all things in life. About JIGOKU SHOUJO (ENMA AI) And the most enigmatic of all is of course, the protagonist with the titular alias as the hell girl (jigoku shoujo). It is no doubt that she has this very mysterious aura that really makes her scary but for some reasons she’s not creepy at all. It’s like she’s in between being scary and being charming at the same time. Plus, she’s very gorgeous as well. Her very calm gestures and poker face expressions makes her even more beautiful. In fact, she’s one of the top 5 best characters in my list of best female characters. Her very enigmatic character makes her even more likeable. Among the very few anti-heroine characters out there, my number one favorite is Enma Ai. She’s even in my top 10 out of 50 in my best characters. About the ANIMATION and SOUNDS I like how their version of hell is illustrated; it’s quite different from your typical representation of hell. For something as an image of hell, it is very beautiful. There are even flowers, streams, trees, and even mountains. Though, I am not sure if it is hell or purgatory or just the dimension where Enma Ai and her companions reside. But for a place which is no doubt not a paradise or the opposite of paradise, it is still very beautiful. I think the sounds are very appropriate with the theme of the series. It gives a whole package to the greatness of the series most especially Enma Ai’s character song. I’ve never seen a series which literally packages most of my favorite genres. And every elements of it are made so magnificently that the result is one brilliant series. This is one of the very few series that you would want to continue even after realizing that it is already the last episode.

Hell Girl has a dark, original concept that is genuinely interesting and exciting to watch but it comes at the price of a slow, repetitive start and perhaps taking a bit too long to get away from its originally episodic nature. Art- I found Hell Girl's art to be absolutely gorgeous. Symbolism is absolutely everywhere, it's quite colorful and this anime's depiction of Hell is artistically beautiful. The visuals aren't flashy but they do not need to be and this anime has an undeniable dark, tragically beautiful feel to it, which fits perfectly with the story. Sound- The voice acting here is quite good, with Brina Palencia absolutely nailing her role as the titular character and the supporting cast, with particular props going to Luci Christian's Tsugumi, also delivering strong, believable performances. I'm also a huge fan of Hell Girl's soundtrack and have several of its tracks on my personal playlist. The show emits a sad and ominous beauty throughout and the music is a huge part of that. The sound is definitely one of the highlights of the series. Character- The characters are hit or miss. Hell Girl herself, Hajime and Tsugumi are far and away the stars of the show whereas other named characters feel both underdeveloped and at times outright unimportant. That said, the story of those three aforementioned characters alone is strong enough and fascinating enough to keep you gripped the whole way through. The problem is, the latter two characters aren't even introduced until episode 8, at which point you may be understandably a bit bored and underwhelmed with what has been, up until that point, an episodic and repetitive experience using the same base formula repeatedly. Had the whole show continued in that way it absolutely would have worn out its welcome, and I feel it took a bit too long (one third of the show) to get away from that, but once it finally does the quality of the story improves dramatically and it never drops off again. Enjoyment- As mentioned in the previous section, the show takes a while to get to its meat and potatoes and it is initially quite repetitive. After five, six, seven episodes of essentially the same thing it's only natural to feel you don't need fifteen plus more episodes of this and begin to lose interest in the show. However, if you can make it to episode 8 without losing interest, it only gets better and better from there and it'll take you on a journey well worth taking. When this anime concluded I felt quite satisfied and glad I stuck it out. Overall- Dark, beautiful and intriguing Hell Girl is well worth your time if you can make it through the slow, repetitive start without losing interest. +Distinctly dark, sad, beautiful style resonating from all parts of the show +Great voice acting from the leads +Show gets better and better in the mid to late stages -Initially quite repetitive and formulatic -Slow to get to the parts truly worth watching OBJECTIVE RATING- 7 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 8

“It is difficult to fight against anger, for man will buy revenge with his soul.” The immortal words of the philosopher Heraclitus have never rung truer than they have with the rising popularity of The Hell Correspondence, a mysterious website that’s been trending among Japanese youth by word of mouth and sworn testimonials from the people who claim to have used it. If you’ve followed the popular URL to a dead end, it’s likely because you haven’t tried to access it under the right circumstances... The Hell correspondence website will only appear to those who try to access it at the stroke of midnight, and even then, it will only appear to visitors whose hearts genuinely burn for revenge. This is because The Hell Correspondence is not a joke. It’s not just some trend, or a petty game to alleviate minor school yard tiffs. The business of revenge is real, and like any business, the service it offers does not come cheap. In order to send the object of your ire screaming into the depths of hell, you’ll have to sell your own soul alongside them. Of course, after you’ve used the site, you’ll hear all of this when you’re paid a visit from it’s contractor, not the dark lord satan himself, but a beautiful, emotionally detached young girl sporting a black middle school uniform and an untied hime hair-style. In a voice as cold and lifeless as her eyes, the girl will introduce herself as Ai Enma, and she will offer you a straw doll with a red thread tied around it’s neck. She will explain her services, as well as the toll they will take on your immortal soul should you choose to employ them, and she will leave you with one simple choice... Pull the string and send your tormentor straight into the depths of hell, body and soul, or deny the animalistic urge inside you and offer them your forgiveness. many Japanese souls have become clients of Miss Enma, and only a select few of them have been able to resist the temptation. But how about you? Have you ever known somebody who you’d sell your soul to have taken care of? You only have one soul to lose, but always remember; Beyond midnight’s veil lies the revenge that you could not exact alone. Out of all the animation studios I’ve covered in this blog, Studio Deen probably has the worst reputation. I’ve reviewed some shows of theirs that looked good enough, with Sankarea being the most recent example, but if there’s any show they’ve done that perfectly encapsulates all of the negative criticism they receive, it’s Hell girl. It’s not the worst looking anime I’ve ever seen, but the character movement on display here is some of the cheapest I’ve ever seen. It’s embarrassingly bad, and with so many examples of off-looking animation coming to mind, you need only look at the first episode, where the first vengeance victim in the series has to watch a flashback of herself stealing money from a fellow student. The shot of her past self entering the classroom isn’t even the first questionable visual, and yet it’s so jaw droppingly bad that it’s easy to go into denial, claiming that there’s no way the series could ever look that bad again. Oh, but it can, and it does so with surprisingly often. Movements are stiff and unnatural, running and walking cycles look awkward and out of place, and characters’ faces are constantly off-model, making for a show that you could almost say looks best when it’s not moving, and characters are just sitting around and talking. I say almost, because the show’s budget was clearly reserved for the show’s various punishment scenes, where Ai boards a flaming chariot and affords her victim one last piece of torment before ferrying them to hell. Hell girl rarely employs visual effects outside of these scenes, making for a night-and-day transition between the build-up and pay-off of each episode. I should be impressed by this, as I’ve praised some shows in the past for looking better at the right moment at the expense of quality elsewhere, but they definitely went over-board here. The climax of each episode does look more or less beautiful, with cg fire, endlessly creative visual imagery, the haunting flower design on Ai’s kimono, and a final parting shot of Ai rowing her victim down what I can only assume is the Japanese equivalent of the River Styx. Unfortunately, as I’ve alluded, these scenes don’t make up for just how bad the rest of the show’s animation looks. The animation may be hit or miss... Although it’s really more miss than hit... But thankfully, the art design is far more decent. It’s never quite as good as the art cards that came packaged with the original DVDs would have you believe, but it’s still easy to get lost in the detailed, immersive backgrounds, and unlike the animation, this level of care doesn’t just get limited to the hell-related material... The backgrounds in Ai Enma’s realm and in the torment scenes are beautiful, yes, but the lighting at various points in the day and the level of detail featured in the myriad of different settings are also surprisingly intricate. As a side effect of the show’s episodic nature, there’s a diverse array of architecture that can often make the series feel more like a tour of Japan than a proper horror title. Similarly, the character designs are just as varied, and while a select few of the people who appear in this series may be on the generic side, they’re still diverse enough to distinctly stand out against the rest of the cast without ever leaving the spectrum of realistic design. Hell Girl may not be a visual wonder, but where it truly shines is with it’s use of sound. The soundtrack is limited, and you may very quickly notice a few tracks that keep getting used over and over again, but in it’s defense, I can only say this; Don’t mess with perfection. Ai herself is characterized by the chanting of a childlike, disembodied voice, normally accompanied by string music, although there are several other tunes that tell her story. Due of course to the episodic nature of the series, there are several tunes that get repeated as a formula each episode, from the hauntingly complacent tracks floating around in Ai’s downtime to the climactic Jigoku Nagashi that closes out every individual story, but my favorite track would have to be a certain piano piece called Kakugo, which plays up the tension whenever one of Ai’s clients makes a game-changing revelation. It’s unnerving, it’s probably one of the best “Oh shit” type tunes I’ve ever heard in an anime, and it has the unique ability to cut in at any point during the episode, whether it’s following dead silence or cutting off another tune. The English dub is an early Funimation offering, having come out about eleven years ago, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, the show’s episodic nature has left it’s mark on the cast, too. Hell girl’s dub features what can only be described as a revolving door of 2005 Funimation regulars. Brina Palencia performs one of her earliest roles as the title character Ai Enma, and while most of her dialogue is repeated in each episode, she’s still able to imbue moire and more nuance and developing emotion into what’s supposed to be an emotionless character, and in some of the most uncertain moments, she can convey that the character’s shell is being broken without letting her voice crack or her delivery betray her true feelings. It takes an overwhelming level of talent to have her cake and eat it too in this way, and it’s not hard to see why Brina was bumped up to Funimation’s main voice acting roster following roles like this one and Beck. Her lackeys aren’t quite as dynamic, but they’re distinct enough... Jennifer Seman is knowing and perceptive, Todd Haberkorn is cocky and laid back, and R Bruce Elliot is wise and authoritative, and they all convey a deep sense of devotion and loyalty for their mistress. I’ve praised John Burgmeier before for being an outstanding talent behind the scenes who has more than enough voice acting chops to lend credence …

(READ PAST LINE 10) **please note if your looking for a quick action fix, this isn't the place for you** I won't have any spoilers in this review, and I will also this is my first review. This anime while existing at first, quickly becomes flat and repetitive. Don't stop watching because of that though, as it picks up a gain and again. As stated, it an excellent anime at first. The style, the sound and the plot. After a while though it doesn't evolve and quickly becomes stagnant, I almost gave up... but because of playing Diablo 3 and it being dubbed I listened. It become an play of human hatred and love, vengeance and forgiveness. While most of those can be played off as, "who's silly enough, or petty enough to do this?", you leave your self open to the episodes of love and regret which strike a cord. To me this only happened when the true story began, which is about the the newspaper person. (I also have to admit I egged on to find out about the Hell Girl more than the other characters). It all blends well together, and don't give up just because it's time consuming... if you don't normally watch dubbed, you should do this time. I watched it in both format (for the first 4 episodes) and I assure you the English voices fit best.

Well, it's, I think, psychological story in the most. It tries to show you haw can desperate people behave and how much do they want revenge. Main character is Enma Ai, Jigoku Shoujo. Bu she is not participating in story, other characters too (in majority of episodes). Ai has some lines which she always say and in the most of ceses, nothing more. Altought she's still very interesting charcter. If you don't like anime where in every episode is another story, and till half of season nothing is connecting - it's not for you. But still, even with this sitiation short stories from episodes are really interesting, well thought and you can watch them with pleasure. You can also understand some characters (people) who you will see later. Art: Design is nice, at least in my opinion. Enma Ai looks mysteriously and with other things they did good work too. Not masterpice, but very nice. I can honestly tell that it's really good anime and watching it is not wasting of time (if you survive first seven or eight episodes - real plot starts after them).

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge prepare two graves first" - Confucius Meaning you will suffer just as much as the person you are taking revenge on. This is the premise of the anime and the contract you take out with Hell Girl before she exacts your revenge. Hell Girl is Enma Ai, girl who lives in a twilight world leaving only when called upon to exact someone's revenge. She is not evil and she does not judge the reasons for revenge, she just provides a service. The first half of the series follows the same formula before introducing Hijame and his daughter Tsugumi. Hijame is a journalist who blackmails celebrities and the word's worst father, so much so that his daughter doesn't call him Dad. Tsugumi has a connection with Hell Girl after a chance meeting. The second half of the series follows Hijame in trying to stop Hell Girl by using Tsugumi's visions to obsessionly find who called Hell Girl and try and persuade them not to take out revenge leading to a dramatic finale with Enma Ai where we find out her story. The main criticism Hell Girl gets is that it is repetitive. I think this is unfair as it is a bit like saying CSI is repetitive as it solves murders using science every time. I would say the series is a little long. Maybe 20 episodes would have been better. To get the most out of watching Hell Girl you really need to take each episode as a different story and not expect a story to develop through the series. The each story of revenge is well thought out where none of the characters are 2 dimensional even though most of them appear in only one episode. The main characters are well developed and it is interesting watching Tsugumi learn about revenge and its morality. The art work is excellent although I wouldn't say original. The opening song by SnOW is excellent and the end song is haunting allowing you reflect on what you have just seen and whether the person sent to hell deserved it (not always). In short I really liked Hell Girl and is one of the best anime I have seen. If you don't know who Confucius is I would find out more on the internet.

There is a rumor. There exists a message board called “Jigoku Tsushin” where one can access only at midnight. It is said that if one writes his grudge against someone, Jigoku Shoujo appears and she takes the person to the Hell. “ 闇に惑いし哀れな影よ・・・ 人を傷つけ貶めて、罪に溺れし業の魂 ・・・　いっぺん、死んで見る? "Pitiful shadow cloaked in darkness.Thy actions cause men pain and suffering. Thy hollow soul drowns in thy sins. How would you like to see what death is like?" ” — Enma Ai. Story: Jigoku shoujo is about Enma Ai, her job is to accept other’s revenge and take them to hell, the story in the beginning is quite linear since each ep is similar and there is no relation between ep. Jigoku Shoujo might be a collection of short stories. Each of them descript the suffering of a different individual caused by one or more antagonists of him/her, and the subsequent punishment they inflict on them with the help of Enma Ai, each episode deals with someone’s revenge and there is no connection between episodes as the revenge is carried in a single episode. During each story or ep (since each ep deals with a complete story), the protagonist dramas are explained, showing us how did it all started to where when the Jigoku Shoujo is contacted, Enma Ai will then appear and hand black straw doll with a red string tied to its neck, she then says “if u really wish to take revenge, take the red string, if you remove that string you shall enter officially in a contract with me, the one u seek revenge upon will be carried to hell immediately. However if I deliver your revenge, I must have you make restitution to me. When one person is cursed, to graves are dug, when you die your soul shall fall to the pits of hell. Your spirit shall wander forever in pain and suffering, never having known paradise.” (Translation is different for each fansub group, but the meaning is the same). When someone’s cursed, a mark appears in the chest, remembering this person of his/her sin, reminding them that after their lives come to end, they must give compensation by having their own soul carried to Hell. This is only in the first episodes, starting from ep 8, 2 new important characters are introduced: A journalist named Hajime Shibata who is investigating the stories involving the Jigoku Shoujo, and his daughter Tsugumi. After an encounter with Enma Ai, Tsugumi starts to have visions of her and thus the duo becomes more and more involved in her matters. Tsugumi is somehow related to Ai, this is something that won’t be reveled up to ep 23, but will be dealed from ep 13up. Because of this connection, Tsugumi always knows who is the next client or victim, and Hajime will try to stop the revenge. The introduction of the 2 characters is important to the story, since they will always be present, trying to uncover the Jigoko Shoujo secret… Characters: Enma Ai, she is a beautiful young red eyed girl with Dark Hair, usually wearing traditional sailor school uniform. Her Mission is to carry others revenge to hell… She is quite a mature character, and as to be tough in order to carry the mission. We can see that she is not a bad person, even thought she may look terrifying sometimes, it seams she feels something for the ones she carries to hell, has an example in ep 21, she seemed she really enjoyed to take the guy to hell, I could be seen on her face and in he voice. Other example was ep 23, a pure, honest and innocent girl loved by all was sent to hell, it was easy to tell she was not happy, she showed a really sad face and expressed a sad voice. She lives in a house in an unknown world that is in eternal sunset with her grandmother who orders her around and whose face never appears only her voice and shadow. It seams she doesn’t lead a happy life, and there seams to be something bothering her, like if she is being forced to do that work… Enma Ai doesn't work alone. Ai, Ichimoku Ren, Wanyuudo, and Hone Onna are the only are her assistants… Wanyuud ou, he is an old man wearing a hat and a red scarf that becomes the same black doll delivered to each one of their "clients" Ichimoku Ren, is a handsome young man in casual clothes. He has the power to look beyond walls with a mysterious big eye. Hone Onna (Bone Woman), a beautiful woman wearing a kimono, she usually helps seducing mans and helps out with the investigation and torture… They help Ai during the event when their victims are confronted with their own sins, prior to the moment when she (dressed in traditional kimono with floral patterns) ferries them to hell. Also, the trio helps her investigate the true nature of their cases every time they content something suspicious. They usually do most of the work; Enma Ai only gives the final blow and rides the boat to Hell. Tsugumi – This small girl as met the Jigoku Shoujo, they seam to have some sort of relation as Tsugumi is able to incarnate her for a few seconds giving her a sight of what she sees, and sometimes what she speaks. As it seams Ai is doing it intentionally, but why is yet to be explained. Hajime Shibata – He is Tsugumis father, he works as an investigator, he is trying to uncover and stop the Jigoku Shoujo, he is wise man that can easily deceive most of peoples to try and get information about the surroundings of each case, he follows Tsugumi’s leads to every case and is seen as an annoyance for the trio helping Ai, but it seams she does not wish them any harm, maybe wanting to be followed by them… Tsugumi and her father are descendents of Shintaro, the one and only one Ai friend, then one who protected her and in the end the one o utterly killed her, here may lye the reason why the Jigoko Shoujo is interested in them… These are the only characters that really care trough the series… There is so much I could tell about the characters and their relationships, but it would make a big review even bigger, and add so much more spoilers to a review full of spoilers… Animation - The animation in Jigoko Shoujo is very good, the art in this anime has a dark tendency, as it’s supposed to be am horror anime, the background art is also detailed an quite pleasing some times, like in her house, the beautiful nature that surrounds it, makes it look like paradise, and in contrast, the hell scenes, even thought they are reused to some extent, are really good, and look really dark, sometimes we see spirit hand trying to catch the one being ferried, also usually the chase/murder scenes are really good with great special effects that can be disturbing sometimes. The character design usually is also really good, with nice colors, and good proportion, the big round eyes look good on the characters, specially the red ones in Enma Ai, together with the long dark hair, she looks like a beautiful doll u would like to have, also the flower kimono she wears is special, if u watch the anime u will notice the flowers moving trough the kimono, giving it a mysterious look… Music: Op, the op music is not bad, it’s a regular pop song, sung by Snow (sont have any information on her, as ANN doesn’t have any for me), I don’t have the lyrics so I cant say much about the letter but I think it suits the op art. The music in Jigoku shoujo is nice, I’m currently listening to the soundtrack, while doing this part; the music contains some soft and gentle melodies using flute, cord instruments and piano, along with some traditional instruments, this music is suited for the light scenes in the story; since this is an horror anime, its supposed to have dark music, this music, is more the electronic type and more heavy, using electronic instruments together with some guitar and drums, which helps to set the dark mood throughout the series. The Ed song is more soft, Karinui sung by Noto Mamiko (Enma Ai seyuu), I think it’s better than the op. I don’t currently have the dvd with me so I cant do much more for the music, but as soon as I get it ill try to update a little… Enjoyment: When I got the first ep I did know nothing about Elfen lied, and once I…

It seemed like a good idea watching this anime as the idea of it sounds good. A 'hotline to hell' on which you can revenge on others, but in exchange for sending them to hell they will also be ferried to hell. However this season of Hell Girl got slightly tedious at times and there were moments when the storyline could have been developed further to make it more interesting.

Jigoku Shoujo is the kind of anime that takes you into the characters mind and makes you understand their feelings. Each episode shows what people can do to have their revenge extracted. Besides that, you start to understand Enma Ai's past and how she became the Jigoku Shoujo. The storyline is outstanding, as the art and the characters are and this turns into an amazing anime.

Hell girl is somewhat of a classic, an occult revenged themed show that borders between repetitive and captivating. The episodic nature of Hell girl does lend itself to feeling a bit slower than it should, yet there's always an emotional charge that kept me watching. The characters have an interesting complexity to them, The hatred that fuels revenge is demonstrated multiple times in the show and it sometimes becomes clear the anime wants to show how foggy revenge can be. Of course some characters are easy to get, they are saints or bat shit crazy or evil incarnate so revenge seems an obvious path for some of the spawns of Satan the anime presents you with. Visuals are dated, it shows its age, music and themes are akin to anime like Higurashi and Shiki. It has a sad and damned mood to it. Overall Hell girl is a nice watch if you have the patience for it's pace and age.

For years I avoided watching Jigoku Shoujo because the description sounded unimpressive and redundant. I was somewhat correct in my assumptions. Jigoku Shoujo is enjoyable, but the repetitiveness in each episode quickly gets boring. Each episode stands alone, focusing on unrelated characters and situations that focus on bullying, deceit, abuse, blackmail, etc, and the inevitable premise due to the victims decision to pursue vengeance by sending their tormentor straight to hell at the cost of their own soul being destined for hell as well. Ai Enma's role is fairly small, despite being the focus of the series, and her major role is to simply do her job without question. Things only shift almost halfway into the series when a reporter gets involved and takes it upon himself to stop Ai, and somehow persuade these damaged individuals to not enter the covenant with Ai by pulling the thread. This, too, gets a tad bit redundant after a while, but I stuck with the series, somewhat bored with the pattern, but still intrigued with the personal cases in each episode. What does make this series worth sticking with are the individual cases in each episode. They're stand alone stories, and some of them are actually very good and gripping. The series does a good job creating tension between the characters and using a variety of methods to display different types of evil, or sins, that are worthy of a boat ride to hell. One thing the series definitely impressed me with is creating that eerie feeling of sacrificing your own soul for instant gratification, and how some people are desperate enough to escape a situation so badly that they would deliberately damn themselves. At the end of many episodes I found myself reflecting, "Would I have pulled the thread if I was in their shoes?" It took me a while to finish the first season, like a few weeks, because I didn't feel the need to keep going after each episode so I took my time and watched it when I felt like it, which was usually while knitting. I'm hesitant to start the second season, but I heard that the pace has been varied and that it's better than the first. Overall, Jigoku Shoujo is a good watch if you don't want cliffhangers, or just need a series to work as a filler between other shows.

Yeah, give it a go. It's story line is promising; One mouse-click at midnight and the Hell Girl will be front and centre to exact your revenge... Once you've weighed up the cost. Viewers be warned though... The first half of the series is veeeeeery repetitive, and that's because the series is primarily singular episodes where only the villainous motives change. The rest of the format stays exactly the same. At about the halfway mark though, you're introduced to a couple more characters that are slated to become regulars, and their 'relationship' to Hell Girl is worth sticking around for. The other aspect that kept me watching were the villains and their dastardly deeds. These people are twisted, conniving, sick and downright evil so no wonder the Hell Girl is popular. Oh and the men have got nothing on the women when it comes to evil, I mean damn! The characters, art and sound are winners here, but unfortunately it falls short because of its predictable format and lack of 'flow'. I will still watch the 2nd and 3rd series, because I'm hoping that all of the mundane stuff should now be out of the way, so bring on the good stuff! Fingers crossed...

Hell Girl is all about a girl named Ai Enma, who has a mission to "release" hatred whoever summoned her. When the client summons her, she appears and explains how the revenge will work, and will give the client a straw doll that has a red string tied, and if the client unties it, the person he/she cursed will be sent to hell rightaway. However, he/she will be sent to hell as well, although it is after their death. When the cursed person is sent to hell, the client will have a tattoo in their chest, a mark that will prove they had a contract with Ai, and will be sent to hell after their death. Each episode consist of different plot, revolving around the person who summoned her. Each episode is shown why Ai got summoned by that certain person, some of the stories are really tragic and heartbreaking, it can make you cry. I consider this more of a tragic drama rather than a horror really, cuz it somewhat lacks horrifying scene (well some parts are shown how they will suffer in Hell, but the preview is really not that horrifying). The only drawback of this show is that there's a lot of mysteries that are left unanswered, and for 3 seasons, almost all of the episodes ended the same way-they always unties the red string of the straw doll. Well I guess that's really it is meant to be.

I absolutely adore this series! I am so very passionate about Jigoku Shojo! It reminds me of the series Horrors of Japan and The terrors of Tokyo! I've always had a thing for stories that have a moral to the plot. And the people aleays get what they deserve at the end. No terrible deed goes unpunished. I love it and I'm addicted, I've finally got season 2 and 3 and I will review the hell out of those too. This series is definitely one of my favorites.

This anime discovers on people's lives. I actually loved how they tackled on the moral of being hurt and bullied by other people. Enma Ai is a very mysterious girl with a tragic past. I won't go into detail with that. I also love how this anime tackles on people's tolerance to other people's bad attitudes. It is very hard to be understanding, loving and forgiving to others because nowadays people use violence to threaten others to obey their will. What people should learn is that we make mistakes and we learn from them. It really hurts a lot to make a person suffer. The anime also tells about how rotten society could be in this world. When people couldn't control their anger towards someone who offended them, they will released their anger by screaming or making that person suffer or even call Ai to send them to hell. To me, Enma Ai can be very scary and stoic at the same time. I like some stoic characters like Homura (Madoka Magica), Wilhelmina (Shakugan no Shana), Setsuna (Shattered Angels) including the one I mentioned. The sound was all right nothing spectacular. The art and animation was well done. They show nice boat scene where Ai sends the person to hell but the entrance door resembles like the Japan Wall. This anime also says that anger really couldn't be controlled easily. This is also a good lesson to learn that we must learn how to control out anger and forgive people otherwise anger will really control us and destroy our lives. People may sometimes change for the better, we wouldn't know. So I give it a 8/10 because this anime is a great learning experience on anger management.

Do you hate someone to the point that you would like to literally send them to Hell - even at the cost of your own soul? Story: 6 Each episode centers on one person's suffering and its relation with its tormentor; from there it falls into a modular routine: they contact Hell Girl, she gives them a straw doll with a red string, and warn them that if they pull the string, when they die they'll go to hell too... While the diverse contracts are episodic in nature and have mostly (but not always) predictable outcomes, many of them are connected by a freelancer reporter's quest to find out more about, and foil, Hell Girl's activities - and if it weren't for him and his psychic daughter, the show would grow old after just a few episodes. Still, it's only in the latter half of the series that this arch begins to gain momentum and importance. While mostly predictable, this doesn't mean every episode will end the same way: sometimes there is a plot twist or a change of heart, or even some ironical poetic justice to throw the viewer off-balance. Art: 8 Its crisp art, vibrant colors, detailed settings and amazing character design make for some brilliant artwork, but the slow paced animation and excessive repeated use of the Hell Girl-related scenes detract the art score from the full 10 I would give otherwise. Sound: 9 Even if the ambiance sounds and voice acting are all first rate and the ED is a beautifully mellow ballad, the OP is somewhat standard, if catchy. The Western/Japanese background orchestrations are very ambientic, and are used repeatedly throughout the series as plot point and character Leitmotifs to great effect. Character: 8 While Ai Enma, her helpers and the grandma are present in every episode, very little about them is explored until the latter half of the series; this is also true of the reporter Hajime Shibata and his daughter Tsurugi. This is because they aren't the the main focus until later; the show's real stars are the clients and their disaffects, and most of each episode is dedicated to knowing them, their relation and their grievances. Unfortunately, most of the clients are teenagers or even younger, and their grievances are too often caused by not knowing how to handle the situations; this leads to both victim and tormentor idiotically going to hell for what a maturer person could easily solve simply by telling the other to f**k off, or calling the police. While this could be a point against the series, in my opinion it makes perfect sense: after all, it is not rare that teenagers end up killing themselves precisely out of such immaturity-driven angst; they'd make precisely the main target for the "service" provided by Hell Girl. Enjoyment: 6/9 As stated above, The series' early episodes are slow paced, modular and mostly predictable; however, it improves tremendously once the Shibatas start gaining importance and the plot unfolds. Overall: 7

I loved the thought behind this anime. It starts off in one-story-per-episode format. Slowly, it teaches the viewer how the show operates. And about third of the way through, once the viewer is thoroughly taught, but just before he is sufficiently bored, the main character is introduced. And the main characters niche is... wait for it... to go against the modus operandi of the show (and I mean it almost literally). Each story lasts exactly one episode, with the main character's overreaching plot throughout. Warning: this series is sufficiently dark, tragic, and depressing, if that's not your cup of tea, then I recommend not watching it. If that is your cup of tea... then you found yourself a true gem.