Customer Reviews

Hell Girl, Vol. 1 - Butterfly

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Among humans there is rumored to be a website which, if accessed at midnight, can grant retribution to the wronged.... at a price. The website in question is known as The Hell Link and the grievances aired on it are observed by a rather nondescript Japanese schoolgirl, relaxing in a hot spring or perhaps playing a game of marbles by herself. But Enma Ai is no ordinary girl. Her home is the underworld and her profession is a high-speed escort for the souls of the damned straight to hell. Accompanying this Hell Girl on her mission is a small crew of underworld denizens who collectively investigate the validity of each request and then aid in carrying out the punishment, a sort of waking nightmare that serves as a prelude to their journey to the abyss. When some tortured soul enters their grievance on the Hell Link, they are given a choice to send their antagonizer to Hell. But curses always come home to roost and the one who condemns another soul to damnation is destined to join them when their own life ends. When I first heard about "Hell Girl", it struck me as the first of what will probably be many Death Note clones riding the coattails of that series' wild success. But the image of Ai Enma's striking red eyes and vividly beautiful kimono proved to be irresistable to this anime fan so I gave it a try. It turns out that the two series' have almost nothing at all in common, though this show is certainly the inferior of the two.

The problem with this show's first 5 episodes is that, for at least four of them, you are watching the exact same thing over and over. The individual stories of each episode's protagonists are quite good and varied, but Hell Girl herself is consigned to word-for-word the same dialogue in almost every single episode. We catch glimpses of her home life, and her partners are an interesting crew, but the ridiculously formulaic nature of these episodes gets old quick. There needs to be some character development for the main cast here for this show to remain interesting for even one more volume.

That said, I really did enjoy these first episodes. The art is beautiful, the colors are amazing to look at, and Hell Girl herself is one of the most visually striking characters I've seen in some time. The soundtrack is very cool, with the most dramatic piece featuring an operatic choir backed by driving orchestral music and Slayer-esque double bass drums. Very effective, though the beginning and ending themes aren't very notable. The stories behind each curse are very good, but you could set your watch to the formula used in the first 4 episodes. The 5th deviates from that formula while still incorporating most of the same elements, but we do get a little more insight to Hell Girl's operation in that episode so hopefully that will be the series' turning point away from the inevitably boring sameness the show seems to be heading towards.

In the end, this is a show that is certainly worth viewing as there is not really anything else like it out there righ now; but only time will tell if the series can break it's own mold and take itself to the next level. If not, then this first volume will be all the "Hell Girl" you need.

Hell Girl, Vol. 1 - Butterfly
I bought this anime on another friend's recommendation, and it is an okay anime. It was a little slow at first, but then it starts to pick up towards the end of the volume. However, I could pick up small subplots that I hope will keep the anime even more interesting throughout the other volumes. That being said, parts of the anime is quite repetitive, so if you are not into that, then this is not the anime for you.

There are 5 episodes on the first disc. The first four are good, but the fifth convinced me to try the next disc. If the writers can keep things intense and interesting this could end up being a great series.

I didn't know what to expect from this series when I started but within five episodes I'm sold. While normally a volume that is presented in this way would get a lower score from me, the visually stunning characters and mentally disturbing story makes me want to see more until I know the secrets that Ai is keeping about herself and the crew that she surrounds herself with. If you're looking for the next great horror anime, this might possibly be it.

This series is something different. Each episode deals with a different person who is being wronged or tormented in some way. These people are approaching their breaking point and all decide to visit a mysterious website that is only available at midnight. It is said that at this site you can enter the name of the person who wronged you and you will be avenged... but there is always a price. These stories are dark and at times violent. They explore corruption and the evil that often lurks in the human heart as well as the desperation of the tormented. It is too dark for my kids and contains some disturbing imagery. (kids are between 5-14)

I have watched all of volume 1 and am looking forward to volume 2. My only complaint is a lack of character development due to each story being its own separate tale. Still, each story I have seen so far has been satisfying to watch, I would just love to see more depth to the few characters that do carry over from story to story. I definitely recommend Hell Girl to adults and older teens who like their fairy tales dark.

After watching all 26 episodes, I feel this series is terrible. All of the main characters are two dimensional, and very easily forgotten.

The antagonists are always portrayed as absolutely detestable people. The writers don't try to make you feel anything other than disgust. One would think that this type of series could really explore morally grey areas but in fact spends almost no time working with that potential.

If you are even slightly interested in finding out what makes the character "Hell Girl" tick, you might want to pick up the series at around episode 20 or so... everything before episode 20 is a pretty good example of piss poor manufactured writing.

THIS HAS THE FIRST 5 EPISODES OF THIS DARK GOTHIC TALE OF LIFE AND DEATH AND GOOD AND EVIL. THIS IS A GREAT ANIME SHOW AND A WONDERFUL CONCEPT TO WATCH. SOME ONE DO YOU WRONG, WELL ENTER THERE NAME INTO THE HELL LINK AND YOU GET YOUR REVENGE. BUT ONE CATCH, WHEN YOU DIE YOU GO TO HELL JUST LIKE THEY DO.

THIS IS A GREAT ANIME BECAUSE IF YOU MISS AN EPISODE YOUR NOT CONFUSSED BECAUSE EACH EPISODE IS A NEW STORY OF SOMEONE BEING WRONGED AND GETTING THERE REVENGE. THAT IS ONE THING THAT IS SO HARD IN ANIME T.V. WHEN YOU START WATCHING OR MISS AN EPISODE YOUR CONFUSSED BECAUSE YOU DID NOT SEE THE START OR WHAT THE STORY WAS GOING FOR.

I SOME TIMES I FIND A NEW ANIME SHOW BUT IT'S ALREADY EPISODE 8 AND YOUR SO FAR BEHIND AND CONFUSSED BECAUSE THE STORYLINE PAUSES EACH EPISODE TO START BACK UP NEXT WEEK. THAT IS WHY HELL GIRL VOLUME ONE IS GREAT IN THAT YOU GET A NEW TALE EACH EPISODE, A DARK TWISTED SAD TALE OF HATE AND ANGER AND LOVE BEING DESTROYED OR ALTERED. FUTURE VOLUMES MIGHT BE DIFFERENT AND THOSE REVIEWS WILL COME SOON. BUT FOR NOW I AM TALKING ABOUT VOLUME ONE AND IT'S AMAZING APPEAL OF STORY, BEAUTY AND A SENSE OF PURE DARKNESS.

I AM REALLY FASINATED WITH THIS ANIME. THEY DID A FANTASTIC JOB IN TWISTING THE ASPECTS OF LIFE AND DEATH AND BEING ABLE TO CONTROL AN OUTCOME BY A SIMPLE TASK OF UNTYING A RED STRING, BUT YET IT IS SO MUCH MORE BECAUSE HELL AWAITS ALL THOSE THAT SEEK HELP. DO YOU CHANGE YOUR PAIN NOW FOR LATER PAIN IN SUFFERING AGONY FOR ALL TIME, OR DO YOU TAKE THE PAIN NOW AND LET THE GUILTY WALK FREE.

THIS IS VERY ARTISTIC ANIME FILLED WITH INTERESTING STORY'S OF LIFE AND PAIN. OR PAIN AS LIFE. THIS IS A WONDERFUL ADVENTURE INTO THAT DARK GOTHIC REALM OF JUSTICE. THIS ANIME IS ART, BEAUTIFUL COLORS. HELL GIRL HERSELF HAS AN IMAGE SO ADDICTIVE TO HER THAT YOU SEEM TO BE ABLE NOT TO TURN AWAY FROM HER GOTHIC BEAUTY AND INTERESTING WAYS OF FINISHING WHAT SHE HAS BEEN CALLED TO DO.

THIS IS A GREAT ANIME SHOW AND IS TO ME A MUST SEE ANIME TALE.

Sorry Amazon, your rating system is to low for this Anime title :)

On the scale of 1 to 10:
Story gets an 11
Animation gets an 11
Music and sound gets an 11
Art and visuals gets an 11
Overall true score gets an 11

This anime has got to be the best I've seen in a while. It's about people getting pushed past the breaking point. But thanks to a website, which is only accessible at the stroke of midnight, these tormented people can exact their revenge. The Hell Girl, Ai Enma, will torture her victims and then ferry them straight to Hell. However, this revenge site is cursed and Ai's clients will pay a hefty price after they die. Also, Ai Enma herself is a strange one. She seems to have a sense of deep secrecy about her.
If you like seeing people getting what they deserve,
cute little demonesses, :) (I'll consider her that for now)
Semi-Creepiness,
Mysteriousness
Then this a must see anime. If your an Otako like me then you probably already have it :) Do not let this one pass you by. There's no time to waste, volume three is coming early January :)

I fully agree with almost everything the 2 star review mentioned. The only thing i don't agree with him on is the similarites of other series. thats because i ain't seen those yet. Hell Girl is very repetitive and I couldn't get pass the second volume. I am very new to anime and i'm fascinated by it but i refuse to move any further with this.