A nice, fair, balanced review, although I would add that the series suffers from reused footage, which can get somewhat annoying. Keep up the good work!
Jigoku Shoujo tv Review
Rumor has it that somewhere on the Internet there is a website accessible only at midnight -- the Hotline to Hell -- where people can ask the Hell Girl to take revenge on people who have wronged them. However, when one person is cursed, two graves are dug, for if the Hell Girl fulfils your request, you too will be consigned to the pit of Hell when you die. Would you untie the red ribbon and sell your soul to the Hell Girl for vengeance?
Description: shinsengumi
Story & Characters
Jigoku Shoujo is about what the title tells you - the hell girl. Enma Ai, seen wearing a modern black and red school
uniform on some accounts, and a kimono with dancing flowers on other occasions, is the person to go to in this
series's setting of present-time Japan.
In each episode, a new character is introduced as the victim. The victim in each story will contact the Jigoku Shoujo
through the Jigoku Tsushin - a web page designed so that it only works at night. On it is a space for the victim to type
his or her antagonist's name. When he or she clicks "send," a flame will light the page, and a message
will be shown.
"Your request has been sent."
A while later, the victim will recieve another message on his or her cellphone.
"Your request has been accepted."
Of course, looking at the scene here, one could assume that Jigoku Shoujo must be unimaginably busy, having to sort out every human dispute in the world. But later on, we learn that she has been the hell girl for over a century, yet she has accepted seventy or so vengences.
Jigoku Shoujo, giving the victim a black voodoo doll with a red sting on its neck, says that if the victim pulls the red string, the antagonist will be taken immediately to hell - after being tortured. But the catch is that for one grave to be dug, another must be done beside it - which means for every soul punished, another soul must pay after its death. Still, in some way or another, the victim ends up pulling the string - whether for revenge, for a memory, for a deed, for the matter of the victim's life or death, or just being pushed to the limit... and with that, each story will end.
It's true that having each little story every episode is almost absurd. In that way, the first five episodes are purely for the sake of watching the victim get tortured by the antagonist, and then the antagonist being tortured by Jigoku Shoujo and her team of Hellgoers - Honne-onna, a lady who disguises herself to blend in with the people and gather information; Ichimoku Ren, a young man who uses an eye to see things that are hidden; and Wanyuudou, the guy who turns into the black doll. However, this normal routine changes when Hajime, a reporter, and his daughter Tsugumi witness Jigoku Shoujo finishing off an antagonist. This leads into an interesting chase of supernatural judgement being interrupted by humans.
I felt that the series were able to give a very intruiging inner story every episode, and each character was unique in his or her own way. The three main characters: Hajime, Enma Ai, and Tsugumi were very well developed, although Honne-onna, Ichimoku Ren, and Wanyuudou were hardly looked upon.
Rating:
Art
The art in Jigoku Shoujo is very realistic. Just like the plot, which actually gives a detailed and sometimes very
accurate view of the darkness of real life in Japan, the art is just as dark and in its own way, beautiful.
Despite the fact that in every episode, at least three new characters are introduced, the character designers make it so
that each of them have specific looks and cannot be confused with others.
Rating:
Sound
The sound in Jigoku Shoujo is admirable. There is a specific tune to when Ai takes the antagonists to hell on her boat,
which sets off a mood in what the series wants us to view as Hell. The opening is very good, and excellent in putting up
an image to what kind of series this is. Also, the ending song is able to end the episode on a slightly sad note after
the quiet and almost peaceful ending of the episode that that episode's inner story.
To me, the voices fit the characters very well. Many people say that Enma Ai's voice is too hollow and somewhat
mature, but it is the perfect fitting for the one who holds the burden of sending people to hell. When Ai's voice
rises, it's scary to hear, which is fitting to the scene.
All the voice actors and voice actresses have the capability to release emotion and express heartbreak, disappointment,
and anger at certain times.
Rating:
Presentation
Strangely enough, Jigoku Shoujo happens to be one of my most favoite anime series. In its short form of 26 episodes, it
is able to hold so much anguish and human hatred. If Jigoku Shoujo had to have a specific main flaw, I would say that
the flaw would be the series itself, but Jigoku Shoujo makes things possible. This series didn't have bishounen,
bishoujo, fanservice, or romance, or even humor. Some inner stories are so disturbing that you want to stop watching it.
But the one thing that pulled me towards it was its realism. It is true that it is impossible for a website like Jigoku
Tsushin to exist. But while I was watching these suffering people, I realized how true and possible these situations and
people were, and that if I were in their shoes, I would have done the same thing. But from outside the screen, I found
that they couldn't see that if there was Hell, there was Heaven - a place far more wonderful than life, and
ongoing. But these people didn't realize that, and the helplessness and frustration of their characters were
captured so well in the script.
For that, I would have to give Jigoku Shoujo two thumbs up.
Rating:
Final Verdict
7.6667 (good)
Reviewed by Rosegirl18, Jul 02, 2006
Comments
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tobiast88 Jul 02, 2006
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Hanazaki Jul 03, 2006
Ehh.. it has 26 epi? Gosh, I only watched till epi.13. Well I think the story have some moral in it. Nice review.
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Nucleous Jul 05, 2006
Nice review there I have only seen the first three episodes and wanted to give it up since I don't the whole single episodes thing but since I have read this conclusive review I will contuinue watching it.
I agree with tobiast88 there is alot of reused footage everytime Enma Ai and her team goes to torture the antagonist. That might annpoy me alot during the anime if it keeps happening.
I also like the fact that it is disturbing and no comedy involved.
Thanks for the review you have given me the hope to finish watching Jigoku Shoujo.
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shoujoboy Jul 07, 2006
I've had this series staring at me for quite a while, but from what I've ready, it suffers from a big time redundancy problem. I defintely has a cool premise, almost like the movie Sky High. Just not sure about pulling 26 episodes out of it while still maintaining some freshness.
As for the review itself, what more do I need to say that hasn't been said before about your reviews. I actually take it as a personal challenge to better myself when I have something like this to go up against.
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tazusa465 Jan 07, 2008
I like your review... Fascinating actually!
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santarou12 Sep 12, 2008
i like a anime jigoku shojo
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aikur Feb 02, 2009
i love this anime but i do see peoples points on why it is not that good
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