(Nitsuj): Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. We’re in the middle of Aniween where joining us this week is none other than the always intelligent Mira.
(Mira): Hello everyone. Glad to be here for this horrific review. Many writers like to fiddle around with the idea of a hidden paradise on Earth. The Garden of Eden, Shangri-La, El Dorado, and Wakana. A piece of Heaven meant for men to discover and benefit from its riches.
(Seras): And if Heaven can exist in this world then who’s to say Hell can’t exist as well? Case in point, Hell’s Paradise. Another gem tucked away in the Shonen Jump+ app that deserved way more attention than it got. Written by Yuki Kaku, Hell’s Paradise enjoyed a short run from 2018-2021.
(Nitsuj): Despite its short run the series managed to tell a compelling story from beginning to end, an excellent world, and great characters that we could get behind. While it wasn’t in the public eye it managed to gain a good underground following. So much so that its popularity allowed it to get an anime greenlighted.
(Mira): Indeed. Earlier this year, MAPPA (Yuri on Ice, Terror in Resonance, and Chainsaw Man) released the anime in what was becoming a pretty dominant year for them. Not only were they releasing an anime each season, but they were all high-quality anime that everyone loved and were AOTY candidates. This was one of those animes. So let’s head out to dangerous shores. This is Hell’s Paradise.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Nitsuj): So the opening is “Work” by Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade. Hands down one of the best openings in 2023. The song is just awesome. It gets you hyped for the anime and the visuals in the opening are beautiful. The transitions, the imagery, the way it matches up with the song. It’s as close to a perfect opening as you can get. MAPPA has always made some great openings and I think this might be their best work to date.
(Seras): For the ending we have “Kamihitoe” by Uru. Quite the beautiful and somber song. Even if the imagery doesn’t match up with the song all that well. It’s a song that you listen to from beginning to end because you like it so much. Seriously, I listen to this song in complete silence and in a room by myself just to make sure I have distractions.
Episodes 1-4
(Mira): The anime starts off on an interesting note with a man about to be beheaded (Nitsuj: Well that’s a pleasant start. (Seras): I know, right? Isn’t this series great?). And if you think it was going to be a one blow over and done deal, think again because this anime tells us the truth about beheading someone. Doing it in one blow is next to impossible thanks to the muscles within the neck and requires multiple strikes making this whole experience incredibly horrific to watch (Seras: But at the same time educational). We see the man take multiple sword blows to the neck yet he still lives as the sword was unable to break the skin (Nitsuj: So does this mean he gets walk away freely? I’m pretty sure that was a rule back then). This man is Gabimaru by Chiaki Kobayashi (Langa from SK8 the Infinity), a shinobi who has killed countless lives and seems to be immortal. As a baby, his parents were killed by his master and he was trained in the art of assassination. Gabimaru became the best shinobi of his village and even earned the hand of his master’s daughter. Unfortunately, marriage life was not for him (Nitsuj: Women. Always telling men what to do and when to do it. (Mira): Such is the natural order of life). He wanted out of the village and the marriage so his master gave him one last mission to complete before his departure. Too bad for him it was a setup, and he was captured by the authorities. Gabimaru knows that if he escapes his village will just hunt him down, so he decides to just get executed and be done with it (Seras: Easier said than done). Gabimaru survived multiple execution attempts which included being burnt alive, pulled by bulls running in opposite directions, and even boiled (scene here: https://youtu.be/Z9prV4SUsxQ. (Seras): All excruciating ways to die. . .and he survived them all. (Nitsuj): Are you getting turned on by this? (Seras): You have your fetish I have mine. Don’t kink shame me). Despite having no lingering attachment to anything, Gabimaru’s body refuses to die, so they decide to stop playing around (Nitsuj: This was playing around? (Seras): Foreplay is always important. (Nitsuj): Do I have to hose you down?) and hand him to a woman named Sagiri voiced by Yumiri Hanamori (Evileye from Overlord). An inspector/executioner from Edo who can slice a head off in one blow (we just got done explaining how that’s not possible. (Nitsuj): Well life is complicated and full of surprises. Complicated surprises). We see Gabimaru fight back because he doesn’t want to die. In truth, he loves his wife. She’s the only person to see him as a human and vice-versa. Gabimaru wanted to flee the village with her to give her a normal quiet life but that dream seemed to be impossible in his mind until now. Sagiri presents him with an official pardon that will absolve him of his crimes and protect him from his village (Seras: And the catch?). In return, he has to go to the Underworld known as Shinsenkyo believed to be the Garden of Eden. It’s said that the Elixir of Life can be found on the island and those who drink it will become immortal. The shogunate sent expeditions to the island, but everyone who went came back as flowers (Nitsuj: Yeah, that’s usually the sign to stay away from that place). Rather than send more of his men to their doom, the shogunate decided to send death-row criminals on the expedition promising to pardon anyone who could retrieve the elixir. Sagiri has selected Gabimaru for this task and after showing off his ninjutsu (scene here: https://youtu.be/9OnFPo12ylU, is it wrong to say his jutsu was cooler than anything in Boruto?) he accepts the mission and they head out to Edo.
Episode 2 starts off by learning about Saigiri and how she’s haunted by the people she’s beheaded. Why? Because she always kills them with doubt and hesitation in her blade making their deaths all the more painful. Continuing with the episode we see all the death row criminals gather on a beach where they’re told what they’ll be doing and their reward for completing this assignment. Each one will be assigned a monitor who has permission to kill them should they act out of line (Seras: Then let’s eliminate the middleman and start beheading people now). Also, should their monitor die they won’t be allowed on the return boat which means they have to keep them alive or die in paradise. Before sailing off they get told to eliminate their numbers as there are only limited monitors to choose from. So the criminals start killing each other except for Gabimaru who finds this pointless and voices his complaints to the shogun himself and this gets him in trouble. All the criminals get turned against him, so he kills to survive in brutal fashion (scene here: https://youtu.be/4hgIRvPx8cw). After enough people are dead we finally meet who’s going to the island. We have Aza the Bandit King (Nitsuj: Poser. Everyone knows Jing is the King of Bandits), Tamiya a dangerous samurai, the warrior monk Keiun, Nurugai, Horubo the priest, Akaginu a cannibal courtesan (Nitsuj: She’ll make love to you before she eats you. Oh God, I just imagined something dreadful), the kunoichi Yuzuriha, Moro the apostate, and the giant Rokurota.
We begin episode 3 with Gabimaru talking about the chief of his village who he says was immortal. We see how this guy gets stabbed by spears, pierced with arrows, cut by swords and his organs spill out of his body, yet he still lives (Seras: He’s even smiling about it. He’s getting off). Apparently, he acquired some medicine across the sea which made him immortal (scene here: https://youtu.be/PD_AkocKFrk, and I can’t help but wonder if he got it from Shinsenkyo. It would explain so much). While Gabimaru believes that the Elixir of Life is real he’s not too sure if it’s on Shinsenkyo (Nitsuj: Well given what we’ve seen these last few episodes I’d say this place is a more colorful version of a Dark Souls game). Once Gabimaru and Saigiri reach the island he sees how creepy it is (Nitsuj: Why, it looks beautiful to me. (Seras): There’s a lot of unnatural flowers growing and vegetation. This whole place is unsettling) and how impossible this mission is. Not only does he have food and water that will last him three days tops, but he has to search while having his hands tied (Seras: That’s BS. If these are his conditions, he’d have been better off getting executed). Gabimaru gets attacked by Keiun who is trying to eliminate the competition and his monitor isn’t stopping him (scene here: https://youtu.be/V7B3jlwICeE). Gabimaru kills Keiun (in what I can only imagine was an amazing fight. Yes, they skip to the end of the fight and before you get up in arms this is what happened in the manga, so shut up). The monitor cuts Keiun’s head off and heads back to the ship as he’s happy to be leaving this place, but warns Saigiri that she’s too rigid and that this whole expedition is a free for all. We cut to other criminals and monitors killing each other to prove his point. The shogunate doesn’t care about the rules he set up. All he cares about is someone finding the elixir and bringing it back to him (Nitsuj: The rules were simply a formality). After the monitor leaves Gabimaru attacks Saigiri and tries to kill her. Why? Because he found out ninjas from his village have been called in and once they get here this place will become Hell. As the two try to kill one another each one is hesitant to deliver the killing blow. For Gabimaru it’s his wife and emotions. For Saigiri it’s those said emotions he has. When she first met him she thought he was an emotionless killing machine but after watching him she sees that he has emotions and that it’s okay to have emotions (Nitsuj: Denying your emotions is what I feel makes you weak. To understand those emotions and to better process them. Is what I feel makes a person stronger). Just when Gabimaru pins Saigiri to the ground and goes in for the kill he finds that he can’t do it and thinks he’s weak, but Saigiri tells him that’s not the case (see Nitsuj’s previous comment. He pretty much nailed it on the head. (Seras): Even a broken clock can be right once or twice a day. Scene here: https://youtu.be/yYTCIAc-ID8). They call a truce and just in time because they get surrounded by monsters (oh this truly is Hell).
Episode 4 starts with Tamiya’s backstory (who was one of the few people not to kill his monitor or vice-versa). There’s not much to his past other than he’s a violent man who got in trouble with a feudal lord and got arrested for it. All he wants to do is hone his skills, but that seems to be impossible in this peaceful era they’re in. Returning back to the present we see Gabimaru and Saigiri surrounded by monsters in the form of insects and giants (Nitsuj: There’s a walking six-armed fishman and centipedes with fingers for teeth. I have so many questions). Gabimaru goes into ultra instinct mode and starts killing. He even saves Saigiri from getting killed (Seras: Please don’t turn her into a damsel in distress. You started off so well with her character. Scene here: https://youtu.be/Fbnn1IePUR0). They soon get joined by two monitors and the kunoichi Yuzuriha. Yuzuriha tries to put the moves on Gabimaru but he knows all the tricks of a kunoichi and puts a stop to them (scene here: https://youtu.be/Y8vOaWP8rvQ). She says she wants to team up to better her chances of survival and Gabimaru ultimately agrees to team up with her just as Saigiri passes out. In the second half, we focus on Aza whose younger brother, Toma, infiltrated the monitors in an attempt to rescue him (that’s pretty clever). We learn that their past was anything but happy days. Their mom died from sickness, their dad served as a samurai but was executed for the crimes of his lord, and they got taken in by bandits which Aza came to control at a young age. There is this sense of loyalty between the two brothers and while they’re on the island they also come across the monsters and fight them as well. They discover that the monsters can talk and seem to be following the teachings of Buddhism and Taoism (two religions that have a very complex relationship). Despite being taken aback by this, Aza continues to fight and kill the monsters all by himself. He’s a man who will define his own way of living and not let anyone else decide for him.
Episodes 5-8
(Seras): Nothing much happens in the first half of episode 5. Saigiri regains consciousness and we see the other monitors, Genji and Senta talk with her. Genji says she should leave because she’s not strong enough to handle this island (he’s kind of right. These last few episodes have been disappointing for her character). However, Senta says it might be impossible for them to escape seeing as how their previous ships didn’t return (Nitsuj: And the last one that did, had a human flower in it. Which I’m beginning to think was a warning of some sort. (Mira): Any human flower should be considered a red flag). Things get exciting in the second half as we see Nurugai and his monitor, Tenza (Mira: He’s a good guy but he’s pretty naïve), attempt to flee the island. They come across the wreckage of previous ships and get attacked by a Kraken. We see Nurugai’s past where we find out he and his clan were considered Emishis, people who don’t obey. This was the term used for people back in the day who didn’t submit to the rule of the shogunate. They were considered insurrectionists and hunted down. Nurugai foolishly led the samurai to his village where they killed everyone in his clan. Nurugai was spared in order to find the other villages but got selected to participate in this wild search by Tenza who found him innocent and wanted to set him free. With the Kraken surrounding them, Nurugai decides to accept death believing it’s divine punishment for betraying the village (crucify him. Crucify him. Crucify him), but Tenza convinces him to keep on living (scene here: https://youtu.be/sI6GqGhhVDU). They manage to fight off the Kraken and make it back to the island where it gets revealed that Nurugai is a girl (https://youtu.be/kdhhQhqi_AE. Scene here: https://youtu.be/ONy5h3BL_KY). They figure out that all the currents flow toward the island so they have to find another current that flows away from the island and find others to help them fight their way out. The next day Saigiri shows her resolve to stay on the island and see this through much to Genji’s dismay. The episode ends with Rokurota returning and chopping Genji in half with his hand.
Episode 6 is the Saigiri development episode (hopefully this stops all the hate she’s been getting). Gabimaru shows up to fight Rokurota who is completely unfazed by Gabimaru’s attacks (Mira: Well that’s never a good sign). Saigiri tries to save Genji’s life (Nitsuj: Oh no, he dead) but Genji says it’s useless. He knows he’s going to die and he makes his last minutes count as he tells Saigiri that her strength is being down the middle (not denying her emotions but also not letting them rule her. (Nitsuj): Perfectly balanced. Just like everything should be). He gives her his sword and she returns to help Gabimaru fight. Their plan is to behead him but the problem is getting him to bring his head down so Saigiri can do her job. Gabimaru lights the area on fire and Rokurota starts to choke from all the carbon monoxide in the air. This forces him to kneel over and Saigiri beheads him to put the rampaging giant to rest (scene here: https://youtu.be/3Cr6zjPNH0k). The two then escape the area and meet back up with Senta and Yuzuriha who have discovered a small village (people actually lived here?). While that’s going on, we see Aza and Toma come across an interesting sight, two lesbians making out with each other (Mira: Well on an island full of monsters, criminals, and executioners I can say this was something I didn’t expect to see. (Nitsuj): The power of eros knows no bounds).
So at the start of episode 7, Gabimaru captures a girl who was spying on them. However, a tree monster shows up and she escapes (Nitsuj: I am Groot). Gabimaru and Saigiri pursue the girl leaving Senta and Yuzuriha to deal with the Groot knock off (Mira: They have to earn their keep somehow). Gabimaru catches up to the girl where she actually hurts him using some power she has, but he recovers and captures her (scene here: https://youtu.be/FwPCx8Uo4uc). The girl cries but gets calmed down by Saigiri (she’s got the makings of a mother). Once they return to the others we see that Yuzuriha defeated Groot who can talk (Nitsuj: Was not expecting to hear Brook from One Piece. I’m guessing this is an alternate universe where he couldn’t find his body in time). He begs them to return the child which they do and in return he takes them to the village where the ladies enjoy a bath. After everyone sits down and eats, Groot whose real name is Hoko and the girl’s name is Mei, explains to them that the island is called Kotaku (not the biggest supporter of their reviews and articles) where the gods live (Nitsuj: And given what we saw at the end of last episode I say they have a lot of fun with each other). He confirms that the elixir of life or Tan as they call it exists and is deeper within the island. Hoko says that the island is split into three parts. There’s Eishu which is the shore and woods. Hojo, which is the village area and where they’re currently located. Finally, there’s Horai the center of the island which is covered by a mist. The inhabitants of the island are broken into two groups. There’s the Soshin which is what Hoko is (Mira: He’s immortal but can die). Then there’s the Tensen the most powerful beings on the islands who are truly immortal. They punish and kill any humans who come to the island and control the Soshin. They also guard the elixir so if you want the elixir you have to go through them (also, the elixir is made from people~. (Mira): The legacy of the Philosopher’s Stone from FMA lives on). In the final minutes of the episode, we get a cute scene with Gabimaru, Saigiri, and Mei in the bath. While Saigiri washes Mei, we see a flashback of Gabimaru with his wife washing his back and him saying he doesn’t mind her scar (scene here: https://youtu.be/k-8P8pK0TFI).
Episode 8 centers around Tenza and Nurugai. We start by learning about Tenza’s past. He was raised in the slums and considered a street urchin by everyone. His parents didn’t feed him so he had to provide for himself by stealing and thieving. His only rule was that he wouldn’t kill to get what he wanted (Mira: It’s important to set rules for yourselves. A moral compass stops you from devolving into an animal). One day, when he fought a bunch of samurais and was about to kill one he got stopped by Shion another monitor on the island who took him in and trained him. Returning to the present Tenza and Nurugai walk the beach where she seems to have fallen for him because of his good nature and wants to marry him (a part of me thinks she’s messing with him but given her personality so far that may not be the case). The two are then attacked by a Tensen and escape into the forest with the help of Shion. We see that he’s blind, so he relies on smell and hearing to see. He says that he’s found a current that’ll lead off the island, but it’s being guarded by something very dangerous. Before they can continue talking the Tensen from before shows up to kill them. Shion gets his throat slashed but survives while Tenza takes four fatal hits directly (Nitsuj: He’s dead. It’s To Your Eternity all over again. They get you attached to a character and then kill him off. It’s an old trope but effective). Despite taking the fatal wounds, Tenza continues to fight in order to give Shion and Nurugai a chance to escape. Shion begrudgingly picks up Nurugai and escapes with her vowing to avenge his brother-in-arms (scene here: https://youtu.be/25Fy2LR01EQ).
Episodes 9-13
(Nitsuj): Episode 9 is great episode. Both in terms of action and exposition. We spend a good chunk focusing on Gabimaru who sneaks out at night and heads toward Horai to get the elixir. He manages to navigate his way through the thick fog and eventually comes to a door where he’s attacked by Zhu Jin, the Tensen who killed Tenza (Seras: Avenge him Gabimaru!). We get a good fight between the two as Gabimaru overpowers Zhu Jin and pushes him (Mira: Her? (Seras): Schee? If you get this joke you know your Futurama) to the limits. Zhu Jin then morphs into some kind of plant monster known as a Kishikai that can shoot lightning. Gabimaru gets zapped multiple times and falls unconscious. Even in his unconscious state he continues to fight and tries to bring down Zhu Jin with fire. Gabimaru soon gets saved by Mei who protects him and escapes with his unconscious body (scene here: https://youtu.be/9QsFyV2Aymo). The next morning, everyone heads out to Horai with Hoko leading the way. On the way Hoko explains that there are a total of seven hermits who are Tensen. In the past, they were one being, but this being somehow gained power and split themselves into seven people. Each one having a different personality and function. Hoko also explains that he was once human who lived a long life (just like in the Bible) and prospered. However, a thousand years ago everyone started transforming into trees, took root, and started praying. Hoko says his awareness is starting to fade meaning it’s only a matter of time before he takes root and dies (Mira: He looks like he would make a great book). Back with Gabimaru he regains consciousness and believes he can kill the Tensen (Seras: If they can bleed they can be killed. Just need to keep making them bleed until they stop moving). He gets ready to head back out, but stops when he gets found by Tamiya and his monitor.
So at the start of episode 10 Gabimaru decides to team up with Tamiya and his monitor who have their own reasons for being here (scene here: https://youtu.be/r7GskU1qrRE). After Gabimaru tells them about the Tensen they quickly become interested in them (Mira: Can you blame them? They’re immortal and can change their sex at will. I’m sure this is every Twitter user’s wet dream). The monitor wants to dissect their bodies while Tamiya wants to fight and beat them to put his name in the history books. As they talk, Gabimaru notices that Mei has grown older and can now talk (Seras: Not very good. Scene here: https://youtu.be/rwExROuJFSc). Through her limited knowledge, she does explain that the secret of the Tensens’ power is tao the life energy that flows through everything. Those who master it pretty much have the power of the universe at their disposal. We also get a chance to see everyone else. Shion reluctantly agrees to teach Nurugai how to use a sword so they can avenge Tenza (Team Revenge is on the move). Aza and Toma escape the flower pit by climbing out where they meet a doshi. Doshis are essentially the right-hand men of the Tensen and were sent to make sure Aza and Toma were dead. Aza picks a fight with the doshi which ends in him lying in a pool of his own blood. Senta also believes that the religion on this island was founded by a man named Mori Makiya, a cultist who started his own religion that combined elements of Buddhism and Taoism and tried to overthrow the shogunate.
Episode 11 begins with Aza playing possum and returning to his feet to fight. We find out that while he was in the pit his body merged a little bit with the vines down there and he unlocked how to use tao making him stronger and deadlier (Seras: Aza might have just become the new ace on the island). While he doesn’t fully understand it, Aza gets the hang of tao quickly and beats the doshi. However, Toma notices strange vine-like markings appearing on his body and slowly spreading. Back with Gabimaru, he and the others are fighting against two doshi who reveal the importance of Mei. You see there are five steps to mastering tao: doin (physical exercise. (Seras): Something Mira fails to excel at. (Mira): Bite me), tatsoku (breathing techniques. (Mira): Sounds like training Tanjiro would excel at), shuffsu (meditation. (Mira): Something we know Seras can’t do. (Seras): Up yours), shuten (training through pathways of the organs and body. Yeah I don’t get that one either), and bochu jutsu (aka sex). Yep, apparently these guys get stronger by having sex with one another (Baron: They must have the best orgies). Since the Tensen can change their sex at will they’re covered, but the doshi not so much, so they need Mei to get stronger. While Mei carries some similarities with the Tensen she can’t change her sex at will and was seen as inferior. She was given the choice to either die or essentially be a sex slave for the doshi. Upon hearing all of this Gabimaru is pissed and ready to kill (Seras: Don’t blame him. They just essentially called Mei their sex toy and want her back just to play with her. Scene here: https://youtu.be/QEIjR2yrOGo), but his skills sadly aren’t enough to win the fight. He has to do what Aza did. He has to learn tao. Thanks to Mei, Gabimaru is able to understand tao and uses this knowledge to detect and use it to gain the upper hand (and the Tensen are screwed now). Gabimaru tries to get information out of them but together with Tamiya accidentally kills them. Meanwhile, Saigiri’s team reaches Horai where they’re greeted by a Tensen who knocks Hoko’s head off (Mira: Oh my God! He’s dead!).
In episode 12 we get to see Saigiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta show off. All three fight against the Tensen where we see Yuzuriha knows about tao (Miri: Of course where she’s from they call it qi. (Seras): Tomato tomato) but she hasn’t fully mastered it. Senta actually has some good sword skills and isn’t afraid to use them (new respect for Senta). Saigiri also learns how to use tao and can increase it with breathing techniques (thanks Demon Slayer for the idea). She manages to inflict an injury on the Tensen that he can’t regenerate from and the three work together to beat the Tensen. During the fight we learn that there is no Elixir of Life. While they technically have an elixir that will make them immortal they’ll eventually turn into Hoko and meet the same fate as him one day (Mira: Well on the plus side they’ll be helping the environment). In happier news, we actually learn about Senta and how he might have feelings for Yuzuriha (I ship it). We learn how he always wanted to be an artist but his family didn’t approve of it. He became an executioner, engrossed himself in his studies to climb the rankings, and gave up on his dreams. When he got assigned this mission and met Yuzuriha she instantly saw through him. She knew he didn’t want to be here and didn’t want to kill people. Senta respected how free she was compared to him and wanted to stay by her side (Seras: Not sure if that’s love but I’ll ship them). As the three rest up the Tensen gets back up turning into some flower monster and targeting Yuzuriha but Senta sacrifices himself to protect her (scene here: https://youtu.be/DmDcURZPCFk, well that ship sank faster than the Jack Bros. cryptocurrency. (Baron): I really thought people would like the Jackbucks. (Corbin): If people can fall for Bitcoin why couldn’t they fall for this?). So now it’s down to Saigiri and Yuzuriha. Two ladies who are exhausted and have reached their limits up against a monster. Luckily, help comes their way in the form of Shion.
So we start the final episode with Shion taking on the Tensen where we see he knows how to use tao which he calls waves (surfs up). Nurugai can also use tao a little bit to re-energize people. Saigiri and Nurugai team up with Shion to finally defeat the Tensen with Senta giving the huge assist on where to find its weakness (Mira: Please don’t die. Scene here: https://youtu.be/NkCqJWmarIc) before finally dying with happy images in his mind (scene here: https://youtu.be/KemPdMA0PZI. (Seras): I’m pretty sure any guy dying in the arms of Yuzuriha would have happy images). As night settles in the group seeks shelter to rest up. While Shion is amazed that everyone can use tao he warns them not to overuse it as it could result in mental/physical changes, loss of memories, and in worst cases, death. As they talk Yuzuriha calls into question Gabimaru’s wife saying that she was just an illusion his chief created in order to control him (Mira: It’s possible. I mean he never mentions her name. (Nitsuj): Not to mention all his memories of her are happy. No self-respecting marriage is that perfect). Speaking of Gabimaru, we see how he lost some of his memories and doesn’t remember why he’s on the island or how he even got here. Saigiri however, wants to believe that Gabimaru has a wife and still holds on to the idea that he’s a good person deep down.
Final Thoughts
(Nitsuj): Hell’s Paradise for the most part is definitely good. It has a fair share of problems, that keep the series from being the major hit we would have liked it to be but it’s still a good watch.
(Mira): The story is intriguing. A bunch of convicts fighting each other to find the Elixir of Life and earn their freedom. On paper, it sounds pretty generic but the twists they do and the direction they take the story is good. It becomes a fight for survival and mystery as they’re stuck on this bizarre island fighting against nightmarish creatures and immortal beings. The island itself is interesting with its different combination of religions but the anime seems content with giving exposition on everything instead of showing us. It’s a classic case of them not having faith in the intellect of the viewer and just spoon-feeding them information instead of going with a show, don’t tell mentality. This results in a lot of heavy dialogue that’s hard to keep up with and get invested in.
(Seras): The characters are good but feel like they’re all over the place. Gabimaru starts off great but starts to become the typical cold protagonist with a good heart. At the end, they seem to backpedal on the whole progress by erasing his memories so it’ll be interesting to see what his character will be like now. One sad thing about this anime is that they killed off many of its interesting characters right off the bat. All these convicts and executioners with crazy personalities and talents are axed off within minutes of arriving on the island. What was the point of bringing them if you weren’t going to use them? The anime also seems to be trying to do female empowerment. This is evident in Saigiri’s character. When we first meet her she starts off good, but once she gets on the island, she becomes a weak and annoying character that constantly has to be saved. However, she goes through character development that makes her a better character and she becomes good again by the end of the season able to hold her own in a fight and find a way to use her sword to her full potential. But then they make Yuzuriha who has a good personality into a fanservice character whose jutsu is very provocative and sexualize her in a few scenes. I don’t know, it just feels a little counter-intuitive to me.
(Nitsuj): The animation is decent. It’s not one of MAPPA’s best works but it still looks good for the most part. With all the anime they’re working on at this time it’s understandable why it’s not up to the high quality we’re used to seeing from them. There are some genuine unsettling and creative moments such as the human flowers and the Tensen monster forms. The fight scenes are actually quite bloody and intense. I love how each one sees everyone fighting for their lives. The fights against the Tensen are my favorite as it allows the characters to go all out in trying to kill them. The fights only get more interesting with the introduction of tao which is a good battle system as everyone has the potential to use it and won’t become dead weight in the battles to come. The question is how well each character can use it and the consequences of overusing these abilities.
Final Score
(Nitsuj): Alright guys, final score time. What’s the verdict?
(Mira): I’m giving it a 5.5/10. A good series but it has a lot of problems that keep it from being truly great.
(Seras): I’m giving it a 8.5/10. Despite the problems I still enjoyed this series.
(Nitsuj): I’m giving it a 7/10. A few rough spots but honestly nothing that’s too distracting for me.
(Mira): So adding up all these scores we end up with 21/30. Average out the points we end up with a 6.3/10. Going by our system that brings the final score to a 7/10.
(Nitsuj): While Hell’s Paradise definitely has a few problems they won’t get in way of you enjoying the anime overall. A second season has already been announced so we’ll have to wait and see if these problems will be fixed. Thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj for the conclusion of Aniween. MUHAHAHAHA-
*Yume whacks Nitsuj in the back of the head with a Wagasa and he falls to the ground in pain*
(Seras): And Yume will be joining us next week.
(Nitsuj): Oh goodie~.
(Yume): Look forward to it.