The story, for a 26-episode- show, is actually pretty devided. The first half is episodic, with no actual story involved what so ever, but more like a plot-based formula. Firstly, there's a person, usually some poor, unfortunate high school student, who for some reason or the other, get deep with the sharks. He/she suffers alot, pleads for salvation for their predicaments, hears this rumor about a Hell Girl, who takes revenge on those, whos name she's given, Hell Girl offers her goods and services, but always for a price - nice touch - and the rest, is up to our victims. Take their revenge, or be a good/stupid person, and endure their suffering, as well as the consequenses. Needles to say, that never has revenge not been served - evil is always sented to Hell, and covenant with Hell, is thus made. I truly liked this first half of the story. It was simple, intriguing in both it's morality, themes and it's consept. Revenge comes with a price, but is there ever such time, when the price is too much to pay, no matter what the circumstances? And what if the vengeance doesnät bring that long-waited salvation, but even more suffering, than before that? Most of the victims, wishing for a revenge, were just mere children, and it really made me think, would I ever be in a situation, where I would wish for a revenge, with a price being to be sent to Hell myself, after I was dead? Propably, yes, but still... pretty impressive, I'd say!
The second half of the series... not so good. Actually, no good at all! There's now this pesky reporter, with his admirably black and white- moralled/naive daughter, searching for anyone, who's even somehow connected with the Hell Girl, and as expected, sticking their ugly noses in where they don't belong, saying that revenge is never a right thing to do, no matter what the cause, or the circumstances! Okay, bullshit on that one! I hated this reporter, and his naive morals, from the bottom of my heart, and I hated, how by intoducing him, we also lost this wonderful, formulaic experience, with it's somewhat perfectly black and white morals, that fortunately, up until now, left out all the hypocrisy, and preaching on and on about values and morals of humanity - I feel like I'm back in 90's for crying out loud! If I were in any of these predicaments, wowing for a vengeance for my grievance, I sure as Hell wouldn't want any goody-two-shoes to stop and tell me, that despite all the wrongs and pains in my life, forced upon me by some sadistic/sosiopathic lunatic, my tormenter doesn't still deserve to be sent to Hell, because "it just isn't the right thing to do"! What a absolute rubbish! Atleast the girl was nice supporter for me, saying it straight like it is. If you're a bad person, doing something bad to another, you should be punished, and sometimes, revenge is all that is needed, to cleanse the soul, in order to move on.
Another serious beefer that I had, during the second half of the story, was the Hell Girl herself. I liked her more, in the first half, when she was just this very emotionless, quiet, lifeless, and overall lacking any kind of free will, motives, or desires, thus being almost completely with no real personality. Sounds crazy, I know, but in order to support this morally black and white story, I truly liked a protagonist, who was just a mere entity, instead of a actual person, not really saying much, nor doing much, only appearing when needed, building up this bearly unseen moral ground of choise, and consequense, and if so chosen, sending people to Hell, for vengeance. I didn't want her to have a tragic backstory, with lost love and sad death! I didn't want to learn her reasons and motives for what she's doing! All I wanted to know of her, was that Hell Girl, is just some not-evil-not-good entity, that'll come to you, who seek for a revenge, gives you a chance to do so, while still demanding full payment afterwards, of course, and sends our tormenters straight to Hell, with no chances for them to atone! That's the Hell Girl that I liked! Not some bitter and vengeful spirit, who misses/hates her lover-cousin! Yeah... japanese, man! Geez...
Overall, despite all it's errors and some unneeded minor details that I never really wanted to learn, I really liked this anime - can't you tell, by the score?! It's serious - definitely not for a weak-minded, or animal-lovers! - with some truly grotesque little stories and tragic, poor unfortunate souls. It's morally interesting, and has some truly facinating points and highlights of humans as a species, that'll always seek for a revenge, no matter how much we want to believe in truth and justice - for some, revenge is justice. Hell Girl isn't really anything groundbreaking, for not ever taking any actual time to process nor judge it's own morals, or ways to deal with sorrow, loss and despair. It just gives us this "suffer and endure"- scenario, with a chance to get rid of your griefances easy and simple, with a little price to pay, after you die. It could have worked a lot better as a episodic piece, with no actual story in it, but as it is, it's pretty impressive, considering the themes, morals and values alone.
Despite the problems, wound in the second half, this is actually the best revenge-story, that I've ever seen, and I would gladly recommend it to anyone, who has a taste for a little vengeance.
Story: 8
Art: 8
Sound: 7
Characters: 9
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 9
