Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori

Ai Enma and her companions continue to offer their service of revenge against those who have wronged others, and the price is as steep as ever—for damning the offender to hell, the person exacting vengeance is sent to the abyss as well. As they cast soul after soul into the darkness, a new sinister force is watching them: a little girl named Kikuri.

While Ai continues her duties, she meets a boy named Takuma Kurebayashi, known as the "Devil's Child" because of the horrific events that occur around him. Unfortunately, Takuma's reputation leads the townspeople to use him as a scapegoat for those who have been ferried off to hell. When things quickly spiral out of control, Ai must find a way to bring an end to this senseless violence, as it poses a threat to her very existence.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Enma, Ai Main

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Ichimoku, Ren Main

Matsukaze, Masaya Japanese

Hone Onna Main

Honda, Takako Japanese

Kikuri Main

Sakai, Kanako Japanese

Wanyuudou Main

Sugou, Takayuki Japanese

Shibata, Tsugumi Supporting

Mizuki, Nana Japanese

Shibata, Hajime Supporting

Ueda, Yuuji Japanese

Kurebayashi, Takuma Supporting

Fujimura, Ayumi Japanese

Mizutani, Seri Supporting

Shimizu, Kaori Japanese

Hanamura, Yumie Supporting

Morinaga, Rika Japanese

Hayashida, Norihiro Producer

Abe, Ai Producer

Oomori, Takahiro Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Jinbo, Masato Episode Director

Reviews

Jul 26, 2007

Ranivus

Recommended

Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori is the sequel Jigoku Shoujo. Its basically where the previous story left off. Enma Ai continuing her work as Jigoku Shoujo. The same job she has had for the past 400 years. This time around, it appears that the staff has listened to the fans of this show and pretty much made a brand new show. It still follows the same formula as part one, plot, retribution, and conculsion, but this time around they seem to mix it up alot more often this time around. Some episodes they progress it normally, in other ep\'s they tarintino it and start from the middle ... or at the end and work from there. For a show like this its just what the doctor ordered. Each ep doesnt feel like you just watched the same ep over and over again. Even the stories are alot more contraversial this time around as well. There are alot more stories that conflict between the worlds of good and evil and really challange the player on a "what would you do if" basis.

Another update is the introduction of Kikuri. Nothing much is known about her except for the fact that she acts the complete opposite of Enma Ai. She\'s mainly the show\'s comic relief/lolicon. Which is another improvement... you\'ll see Enma and Kikuri (and company) in alot more different costumes than before. You\'ll see Enma and Kikuri in so many cute costumes you\'ll most likely get a kawaii overdose!

With more variety in charcaters clothing, the next natural step was to give more tv time for Ren and Onna. Wanyuudou was the only one doing the work before, now that has been more evenly distrubuted between the other 2 demons. You also get to understand how and why they end up helping Enma. the artwork is also looks like a huge improvement as well, showing different angles of Enma\'s home, and different "kawaii situations." Enma cutting her toenails sounds gross yet it was amazingly cute. Personally i think Kikuri almost stole the show, she definitely grows on you. Lolicon alert: enma and kikuri get nekkid more often in this series.

Overall i really enjoyed this show alot more than before. Its like the series did a complete creative 180, totally redoing everything than before. More money is probably the culprit here. Regardless, the viewers win out because this is a much higher quality product. There is a large warning tho, if you cant stomach sensitive situations like incest, insanity, and mob brutality than steer clear of this show.
If you even thought JIGOKU SHOUJO should have been better, watch this show! This is what the first season should have been like. Even the ending will leave you speechless...
9/10 (would have been a 10/10 except for the yaoi episode)

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Sep 18, 2008

Venneh

Mixed Feelings

Title: Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori

Anime: Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori continues to be directed by Takahiro Omori and produced by Studio Deen. It is twenty-six episodes long and ran from October 7th, 2006 to April 6th, 2007. Futakomori has yet to be licensed Stateside.

Story: There is a rumor that if there's someone giving you absolute hell and you want to get revenge on them, there's a website that you can access only at midnight, known as Hell Correspondence. Once the name is submitted, Ai Enma (aka Jigoku Shoujo/Hell Girl) will appear to the client and give them a straw doll with a red string wrapped around ... its neck. If the client wishes to take revenge, then all they have to do is pull the string and Ai and her helpers will ferry the person to hell. However, there is a small catch to all this: Once the compact is made with Ai, the person who took revenge will go to hell once they've died as well.

Notice no change in the plot summary? That's because Futakomori is pretty much more of what we saw back in season one; Revenge of the Week, same episode format, which is disappointing in and of itself.

There are some pretty good stories in this season, yes; but the ratio of good episodes to mediocre decreases this season. And they finally get around to telling us the background of Ai's helpers, but the added backgrounds are all that are given in terms of development for Ai and her helpers, and don't even add all that much to the fairly one-note personalities that we saw in the last season. We do have a recurring character who, thank god, is not as annoying as Tsugumi and Hajime (who do make a cameo appearance in the second-to-last episode of the show), but is introduced about halfway through, and then dropped until about three-quarters of the way through, as if the writers suddenly remembered that they needed something resembling an overarching plot.

The additional background added for the helpers and the better episodes of the bunch do add some redeeming aspects to the plot, as does the last episode of the series, which more than makes up for what came before it. But, still, you're left with a bitter taste in your mouth at the end of this season, especially with the little caveat that's tagged on after the end credits.

There is a third season, Jigoku Shoujo Mitsuganae, which is supposed to start airing October 4th of this year (2008), which will maybe wrap things up once and for all. Will it? Probably not, but let me have my optimism, kthnxbye.

Art: The art is just as good as last season, if not better, especially in terms of character design in the individual episodes, and in clips which are frequently used as stock footage.

No major changes in style, so what I said last season pretty much applies here as well; rich colors, beautiful designs, combining for a stunning effect.

Music: Again, pretty much the same as what we heard last season, which was well-done and a good mix of Western orchestration, rock, and traditional instrumentation. The OP and ED are done by the same people and. while they're new, the things I said about them last season still pretty much apply here; upbeat, catchy female J-Pop OP and ED with more traditional instrumentation and lyrics that very directly relate to the show.

Seiyuu: No changes. Good performances by all, and Ai's lines are still unvaried; at least it's an easy job?

Length: Again, they could've cut this down to thirteen episodes or so and it would've still had the time to tell its story and get some good Revenge of the Weeks in, even more so since the real story doesn't start till the three-quarter's mark.

Overall: It's pretty much what you saw last season, all across the board, with a few new things thrown in here and there. So, really, if you liked what you saw last season, and don't mind the monotony, you'll like this just fine. But if you wanted more from this season... well, you might not want to watch this. Possibly redeemable in the third season (Mitsuganae), but given it's track record, it's probably not going to happen.

Story: 6
Art: 9
Music: 9
Seiyuu: 7
Length: 6

Overall: 37/50; 74% (C)

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Sep 24, 2016

Pahatar

Not Recommended

So... this is what disappointemt tastes like. Like piss-soaked cardboard, if you ask me.

If you're already familiar with my earlier review of the first season of Hell Girl, you should already know, that I loved the first season. It had it's annoyances, yes, but overall, it was very good piece of work. So, with no doubt, I was generally excited to hear that there indeed was a second season for one of my favourite animes... with original japanese voices, what whatever! I looked it up, watched it... and afterwards, I was so disappointed, that I actually cried blood!

As for a short recap... in the ... first season of Hell Girl, the Hell Link was just about this urban myth about a website where you can in the stroke of midnight write down a name of the person that you wish being sented to Hell - of course, no one knows anything about the subject of payment... which is stupid, but to me, it gives a really nice edge. No one took the rumors seriously, until our victim of the week had someone they truly wished for a revenge, and oh boy did they deserve to be punished - in the first season, mind you... not in this one! We had bullies stuffing that one girl's... undercarriage with a glass pipe, and threathening to brake it! We had that one crazy lady, that inherited big cash, killed her family, and took that one girl as a hostage, and killed her puppies, just for funcies, and that crazy family, with obsession for dolls... just to name the view! All royally fucked up people, and I just loved to see them being sented to Hell! What did we got in this season? Well... some dude spilled some coffee on top of some other dude, and scratched his car. Wow... that's hardcore (read my loud sarcasm).

The formula of the plot stays pretty much the same, as it was in the first season, but only in this season, the pay-up isn't even closely as satisfying, as it was in the first season. The Hell Link isn't anymore as much as some silly urban legend, but almost like some basic common knolewdge, as simply and freguently used, as facebook, or twitter! When the first season showed us some actual predicaments, with victims and true despair, this season gives us just some pesky nuicanses, with shallow means and little to no meaning, all easily removed by simply opening this one website, and sending that nuicanse to the Hell! I like revenge as a way to tell the stroy, or as a plot point, but only, if the revenge is deserved... and, in here, it really isn't! At some point, we do get this weird side story about this one kid, being called the Devil's child by his entire village, and soon afterwards, the whole town starts sending each other to the Hell... for whatever reasons they can come up on that day! Maybe the laundry isn't done! Maybe the rice is cold! Maybe he can't sing! Maybe I don't like her hair! It's all the same to me! "It's not like my grievance is brought to me by some psycho murderer, or a false marriage, or a rape baby... I'm just gonna use this link I wound from the internet, and send my neighbor to Hell, because his face makes my baby cry!" Is it already obvious, of why I hate this season so much?! It took that one thing, that it should have been kept the same, and it ruined it... in so many ways!

Another thing, that I wasn't so keen on, was the side stories of the Hell Girl's helpers - that old guy, hottie in japanese style, and and steaming-hot honey in kimono. As I said in my earlier review, I saw them more appealing to me, when I knew the absolute minimun out of them... which in return contradicts my absolute love and passion for deep, multi-dimensional characters. I didn't need to know, who they were, where they came from, or what kind of people they were... or are, for that matter - it was more scarier to me, when the victims were dealing with something that even I couldn't quite understand. In this season, we do get to know a whole lot more about all of them, who they were and how they came to serve Ai Enma in her guest - which could be a huge plus to someone else - but it really didn't bring anything interesting, or absolutely essetial to the story! I don't want these characters to be people, but some morally grey entities, that'll send me to Hell, if I happen to live in this looney-ville full of crazy people, and my happen to step on someone's shoes! And, oh... just to get this out of my system... I really did hate Kikuri! I really did! Brat...

But, since I don't wish any of the fans to write my name down to the Hell link, I guess I have to say something nice... about this season, that is. The art was indeed marvellous, and the music was beautiful - especially the ending song... so lovely! But, other than that, the merits end there. The stroy wasn't any good, the characters were given the time of day that I never ever asked for them to have, thus cutting down the energy to create actually interesting revenge-stories, and the enjoyment was... Well, let's just say that I still taste the piss-soaked cardboard! It was lazy, it was stupid, and that whole "town becoming crazy"- storyline was just laughably absurd, that I was just waiting, when the whole town sets itself to fire, thus sending them all to Hell all in once! Now that would've been funny... instead of drowning children in the lake!

I would have gladly skipped this season, and not miss a thing, if I would've known for the advance, what was coming to me! If I'd have to recommend this sequel to somebody... I couldn't do it, even if I'm being sented to Hell for it. It isn't any good, and if you already liked the first season, skip this and start with the third. Trust me... you don't wannt to cry blood!

Story: 3
Art: 9
Sound: 9
Character: 4
Enjoyment: 2
Overall: 4

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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