Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)
There is a rumor. There exists a message board called "Jigoku Tsushin" where one can access only at midnight. It is said that if one writes his grudge against someone, Jigoku Shoujo appears and she takes the person to the Hell.
Review: Quite an ominous sounding name, isn't it? Even the anime's website is the same as the one found in the anime (look it up and see if you dare to type in a name). Alrighty then, you have a title which suggests horror and a description that is hellish to say the least. What can we expect? A normal suspense filled plot with gore-fest? Not really….read on.
Animation (6/10) I doubt that the animation work done would give much value to the show. They do repeat the same sequences in multiple episodes and this really did make the show boring. However, there was some imagination with the “punishments” given out by the Jigoku Shoujo. Not really something I could holler or complain about. At least they did their best to give a dark feeling when it needed to be.
Character Design (7/10) o Of course, the Jigoku Shoujo (Enma Ai) warrants the most attention and I guess they did give her the most attention. I do like the look of her (the “mistaken to be cute till she drops you in a pit of flame” type) and her side kicks. They all have an aura of mystery surrounding them and you could pick up on some bits and pieces throughout the series. Ai-chan’s history of course will be explored thoroughly since it’s a plot device. The animators did do a good job in trying to make some of the characters look cute but this isn’t what the show is about, is it? The weekly victims are plain vanilla, nothing special.
Plot/Storyline (8/10) o I will start with the plot first because I’d think this point is both this show’s strong and weak point. First of all, I must tell you that the 26 episodes of this show all have 26 separate revenges. So yeah, it is following a “Revenge of the Week” style culminating in the mother of all revenges at the end. You may get sick of this sort of episodic style without a clear story arc but. Suffice to say, you can watch the first 3 episodes, skip the next 20, watch the last 3 episodes and you felt you did not miss much. But I must tell you too that each week’s revenge contains a good story on its own (some are pretty weak though) with lots of morals and plenty to think about. Exploring from different angles, always questioning, always thinking…it really touches on a lot of the grey areas of life.
Sound (8/10) Hmm…why the high score? Is it because of random screamings or screeches in agony? Maybe….but that isn’t the main point. It all boils down to Mamiko Noto’s seiyuu work. The cutest anime voice this side of heaven. The OP was catchy and the ED lends some of that melancholic dread element. Still…its all about “The Mamiko Noto Show”.
Value + Reviewer's Tilt (8/10) o I liked it a lot though it still remained an under-rated show globally. The morals that it brought out for thought was what I loved the most. And because of that, I could tolerate its episodic style. Don’t look for gory stuff here if you want that sort of horror. It was great to hear more from Mamiko Noto and it did give me some fine entertainment. Worth a watch but don’t put it on some sort of pantheon
Sources: AnimeNFO
Review by the Observer