About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Hell Girl is a shojo manga horror story that serves up a simple, repetitive plot in every chapter: Tormented teen begs Hell Girl to send evildoers to Hell in exchange for their own trip to the fiery depths when they die.

With the characters' huge, saucer-sized eyes, awkward anatomy drawings and florid shojo manga details, Hell Girl serves up an odd-tasting mix of cuteness spiked with cup of bitter vengeance, kind of like a cherry soda and absinthe ice cream float.

Justice is served, but Hell Girl Volume 1 offers very little character development or tantalizing mysteries to tempt readers to come back for more.



Pros

• Cute shojo-style artwork with a dark, horror manga twist
• Provides morality fables that warn readers about the evils of selfish and cruel behavior
• Evildoers get it in the end, with the punishment fitting the crime in twisted ways

Cons

• Repetitive plot that gets boring midway through this first volume
• Very little character development of Ai and pals, who display almost no personality or emotions
• Eto's awkward anatomy drawings often distract from the storytelling
• Is going to Hell when you die okay just as long as your enemies get sent there first?

Description

• Original Title:Jigoku Shoujo (Japan)
• Author: The Jigoku Shoujo Project
  Author & Artist: Miyuki Eto
• Publishers:
  • Del Rey Manga (US)
  • Kodansha (Japan)
• ISBN: 978-0-345-49747-5
• Cover Price: $10.95 US / $12.50 CANADA
• Age Rating:OT – Older Teens, Age 16+ for violence, bullying and death scenes
  More about content ratings.

• Manga Genres:
  • Shojo (Girls') Manga
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Anime Tie-in
• US Publication Date: January 2008
  Japan Publication Date: January 2006
• Book Description: 208 pages, black and white illustrations

Guide Review - Hell Girl Volume 1

When I was growing up, I used to watch a samurai TV show called Toyama no Kinsan. The premise was simple but satisfying: A high-ranking magistrate would masquerade as a commoner as he investigated crimes against the innocent. A swordfight would end in Kin-san showing off his cherry blossom tattoo. When the criminals would claim their innocence in front of the magistrate, Kin-san would display his tattoo, the evildoers would realize that the jig was up and justice would be served. This was how it went, episode after episode, but that didn't stop me and my parents from watching and enjoying this show every single time.

When I read Hell Girl, I remembered Toyama no Kinsan. Why? Well, every chapter of Hell Girl relies on a simple, repetitive plot formula: Innocent teen gets sucked into a situation that's gravely unjust. When they're tormented to the point of despair, they visit the Hell Correspondence Web site and type in the name of the person who's made their life miserable. Then Ai Enma a.k.a. Hell Girl shows up and serves up a steaming hot plate of damnation. The catch? The person who asks for the early trip to Hell for their enemies will join them in the fiery depths when they die.

Most readers like to see the bad guys get it in the end, and Hell Girl makes sure that mean people get a taste of their own bitter medicine. But that's about it – Volume 1 doesn't offer much to intrigue the reader about Ai. Who is she? Why does she do what she does? And is it really worthwhile to send someone to Hell now when the price is an eternity of suffering for yourself later?

Eto's awkward anatomy drawings, indistinguishable character designs and their saucer-sized eyes give this story an odd mix of cuteness and bitterness, kind of like cherry soda and absinthe ice cream float. It's okay, but it's not worth a return trip to Hell.