kanna-chan's cafe

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I was originally going to have Pennywise (for those who don't know, Pennywise is the clown from It) greet you all with a happy Halloween, but in light of the clown incidents that have been going on here in the U.S. (no, I don't understand it), I decided not to. 

Well, it's Halloween, meaning I have to review a horror anime. But not only is it Halloween, it's the two year anniversary of Anime Mondays! So this review has to be special!

Today, we're talking about...well...a series where I'm only going to use its Japanese name. Why? Well...the word "jigoku" is Japanese for a word that could cause a lot of religious controversy, which is typically something I try to avoid (actually, I try to avoid causing any kind of controversy, but that's beside the point). But, I've decided to give in and review it anyway. Let's go!

Not much to say development wise, so we'll jump straight to the plot.

There is a website called...okay, you know what? I can't keep censoring the word by only using its Japanese name. It's just making me too confused. The word is...H**l. There. Happy? I censored it in a way where I can avoid religious controversy (I think).

Anyway, there is a rumor/legend of a website called H**l Correspondence, which can only be accessed at midnight. You type in someone's name, and a girl known as "H**l Girl" will take that person straight to H**l. 

However, according to the series (and I guess real life, if you believe in karma), to curse a person is to dig two graves. So, when the person who sent the other guy to H**l dies, they will go to H**l, as well.

This series doesn't really have a set order until the eighth episode of the first season. Each episode is basically the same: character has a problem caused by someone, they try to deal with it and can't, and use H**l Correspondence.

If only H**l Correspondence were that simple. When someone's name is typed in, the person who typed in their antagonist's name is taken to what is simply known as the Twilight Realm, where H**l Girl, Ai Enma, resides with her companions, Ren, Wanyuudo, Hone-Onna, Kikuri (we don't meet her until season 2) and Yamawaro (we don't meet him until season 3). 

The person receives a black straw doll with a red string tied around its neck. All the person has to do is pull the string, and their antagonist is taken straight to H**l. The decision of whether or not to pull the string rests with the person who typed in the name of their antagonist.

So, yeah. The series is pretty formulaic at first. 

Character A is being put through a literal H**l by Character B, Character A uses H**l Correspondence receives the doll, Character A debates whether or not to use it, something happens that ultimately makes Character A pull the string, and H**l Girl and her companions torment Character B, before H**l Girl ferries him/her to H**l. Things seemingly get better for Character A, who then receives a crest-shaped mark on their chest to serve as an eternal reminder of his/her decision and that when he/she dies, H**l Girl will ferry his/her soul to H**l, too.

It's not until the eighth episode of the first season where we meet people who try to interfere with H**l Girl, but we later learn that H**l Correspondence didn't just exist in modern times, but it has been around since before the internet was even invented. We learn more about Ai and that the cycle of hate isn't something that can be interfered with.

This is going to be one of my shorter reviews, because I don't have a ton of time on my hands right now, and the series itself is pretty formulaic.

Rating: 3/10

Why: THIS ISN'T SCARY! You'd think an anime about a girl who takes people's souls to H**l would be downright terrifying! Which it is...in the live action version. But we're talking about the anime in this, and in all three seasons, there is nothing scary that happens. Nothing.

Okay, correction. There is ONE KIND OF scary thing. Kikuri, who we meet in season 2, is actually kind of creepy. She's so childlike and so creepy at the same time, it's actually a little disturbing. We later find out (spoiler) she's actually a vessel for the god of H**l, who takes the form of a spider (I hate spiders...*shudders*). So there's one scene where (I couldn't make this up if I tried) Kikuri grows a third eye, her head falls right off of her body and grows spider legs and starts walking. I'll admit, that's kind of creepy.

Other than that, though, there is NOTHING scary in this anime. Now, you could argue and say that the torment that Ai and her companions put the antagonists of each episode through is kind of scary in the later seasons. And it is...to an extent. I feel like the creators of this anime are like most American horror movie makers: they're trying too hard to be scary.

The music is great, and possibly the only redeeming thing about this series to make its fear factor go up just a little bit. Each track sounds great and fits right in with the scene. I especially love this scene's music where Ai tells us that we will know her wrath. Believe it or not, this scene was actually a tad scarier in the English dub than the Japanese. But that might have just been the voice acting. For example (this is towards the end of the first season, so spoiler alert):

If you want to have a good scare, watch the live action version of this anime. Trust me, it's MUCH better than this, and it's actually scary. I mean, the third episode of the live action...well, don't listen to me talk about it. If you want a good scare for Halloween, watch the live action adaptation.