Hell Girl: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Jigoku_shoujo_2_dvd.png|frame|When one soul is damned, two graves are dug.]]

 

{{quote|''"O pitiful shadow, lost in the darkness,''

''Bringing torment and pain to others.''

''O damned soul, wallowing in your sin.''

 

Schoolrooms all over Japan are abuzz with the rumor of the "Hell Correspondence" (''Jigoku Tsushin''), a mysterious website which can only be accessed at midnight. If you submit the name of someone you hold a grudge against, that person will summarily be sent to hell. This service is not without a price: by sending someone to hell, you enter into a contract with Ai Enma, the Hell Girl (''Jigoku Shoujo''), condemning your soul for all eternity. Well, that's only after you die.

 

 

The first season introduces Ai Enma, the Hell Correspondence and the series' episodic format. Each episode introduces a victim and an antagonist, and the circumstances surrounding them. As each story unfolds, the antagonists' actions push their victim further into despair, and it's only through the use of the Hell Correspondence that their victim can overcome their circumstances and send their tormentor to hell. After the formula has been established, the series introduces a complication into the mix: single father and reporter Hajime Shibata notices the increase in the site's popularity and starts a personal investigation. Aided by his young daughter, Tsugumi, who has a mysterious connection to Ai, he tries to convince users of the Hell Correspondence not to complete the contract, [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero|generally making bad situations worse]] through [[Executive Meddling|his meddling]].

The series as a whole is mainly a social commentary, using the Hell Correspondence as a tool to analyze and deconstruct the less appealing aspects of Japanese culture and society (there's even a [[School Days|Nice Boat]]-inspired episode in ''Mitsuganae''). While many themes are universal, [[Values Dissonance]] means some storylines (like ''Mitsuganae'''s [[Wham! Episode]]) are inevitably lost in translation.

 

 

 

A [[Live Action Adaptation]] also exists, in series form; set within the timeline of the first anime season, retaining the anthology format while notably averting the anime storyline. [[Compressed Adaptation|At a mere 12 episodes, there wasn't much room for them anyway.]]

 

No connection to ''[[Hellboy (comics)|Hellboy]]''.

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* [[Seventh-Episode Twist]]

 

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[[Category:Anime]]

[[Category:Mystery and Detective Anime and Manga]]