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.
