DVD for Hell Girl, Volume 1(2008).
© Funimation
Title: Hell Girl, Volume 1
Rating: Unrated
Starring: Mamiko Noto (Japanese), Brina Palencia (English), Takayuki Sugo (Japanese), R. Bruce Elliott (English), Takako Honda (Japanese), Jennifer Seman (English)
Written By: Masashi Suzuki, Noburo Takagi, Natsuko Takahashi
Directed By: Takahiro Ōmori
Distributor: Funimation
Original Year of Release: 2007
Extras: Promotional Video shoot, making the promotional Video Featurette, textless songs. Available in English or Japanese audio.
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HELL GIRL, Volume 1
By: Tim JansonDate: Saturday, March 29, 2008
Hell Girl is a horror/drama Anime that was first televised on Japan’s Animax network in 2006. 52 episodes were produced over the first two seasons with a third season recently announced. There’s also been a live-action adaptation as well as a Manga series and Nintendo DS video game.
Hell Girl is a dark, somber show, featuring a moody musical score. Each episode is self-contained although later in the series there are some additional recurring characters and plot-themes. The Hell Link or Hell Correspondence is a website that can only be accessed at midnight. By typing in the name of a person who has wronged you, Ai Enma, the Hell Girl, will answer your call for revenge and whisk your tormentor straight to Hell. But retribution comes with a steep price. All who call on the Hell Girl for revenge will condemn their own souls to Hell when they die.
Hell Girl isn’t some raging demon creature but rather appears as a young, soft-spoken girl wearing a sailor outfit or kimono. Showing no emotion at all to those banished to Hell, she’s almost apologetic to the troubled people who summon her as she warns of the ultimate consequence. She gives them a doll made of straw with a red string tied around the neck. When the thread is removed, the bargain is sealed.
The first volume contains the first five episodes of the series, each running around 21 minutes: From Beyond the Twilight, The Possessed Girl, Tarnished Mound, Silent Cries and The Woman in the Tall Tower. The episodes follow a regular formula. The first half of the episode sets up the story. We meet the antagonist and the person that he or she is hurting. The beleaguered person uses the Hell Link to summon Hell Girl for aid.
In The Possessed Girl, teenaged Ryoko has been stalked by a man for over a year and the police have failed to come up with any leads. Desperate, Ryoko calls on the Hell Girl to end her torment. Tarnished Mound is the only one of the episodes on volume one featuring a male character who summons the Hell Girl. High school star baseball player Hanagasa accidentally causes the death of a teammate and frames another player, Iwashita. Even Iwashita’s own parents refuse to believe him and only the Hell Girl can set things right. Hell Girl’s origins are not revealed early on but will in later episodes. She lives with her grandmother (who we never see) in a modest country home where she awaits messages from those who need her aid. When summoned, her eyes turn blood red as she soars off in a flying coach with wheels of fire.
There is an undercurrent of sadness and tragedy to the series. While you are happy to see these people deservedly punished, you know it comes at a high price and you can’t help but wonder if the price is worth it. Its morose quality is unlike any other anime that I’ve ever seen. Brina Polencia, who voices the English version of Ai Enma, brings a dark, child-like innocence to her performance that underscores the show. Hell Girl is a change of pace from the usual, high-octane anime shows.
