Irishchatter
I have to say, I thought this was going to be a sorta comparison to Death Note or even Hear They Cry, it's way far from it. It's where a girl who has had a bad past, decides to take up as Hell girl and whoever wants revenge, she does the rest to kill them with misery.I have to say, the first episode is pretty tense with a young girl being tormented by the bully girls. Although it was slow for Hell Girl to be able to get the work going and like as the episode moves on, you do get to see the sweet revenge in development. I wanna say, it was actually quite satisfying to see the bullies get a taste of their own medicine, although it's better for real to just punish them with serious light discipline rather then have the pits of fire nvolved lol!On the last episode, I nearly was upset by the fact a young girls mother was killed in a car accident and was suppose to take hell revenge on her father, because it was meant to be his fault that it happened to her. Hell girl begged the young girl to untie the doll in order to get the revenge going but the young girl decided that it can't happen. I mean watching the scene would really tear you up to the core, it was hard to watch a little girl and her father to break down. Even thinking about it now makes my eyes watery lolReally good anime, I'm impressed by it and its thrill!
András Bognár
This anime can be enjoyed by a wide variety of people. If you are fascinated by the Japanese symbolism or like the thrill of tense moments or enjoy common people finding themselves challenged by supernatural mysteries this one is for you.The dialogs are very clever, the visual elements are stunning and the plot is definitely interesting. There is just one problem, but admittedly it is a big one: It is very monotone.The same scenario and conversations are repeating themselves every episode over and over, so if that is something that annoys you, you might want to stay away from it, however if you can get through the first 6-8 episodes, you will be pleasantly surprised as the ending is worth waiting for.If not for the repetitions i'd probably give it an 8 or 9.
Breitschleif
Overall I enjoyed Hell Girl but the first about 10 episodes are really, really repetitive and... yes... become even kinda boring at some point.After that rough start the series turns out to be more and more enjoyable though, the animation is beautiful and the grand themes of this Anime were quite interesting: How far are you willing to go for vengeance? Is vengeance ever the right answer? Do some people rightfully deserve to go to hell for what they have done? 6/10, solid but not a must see in my opinion. I would recommend it half-heartedly to people really interested in the story but as I said don't expect to be blown away right from the beginning.
Mami02
If you have seen the ads and trailers of this show that makes you think of it as a Ringu or Ju-On rip-off, I guarantee that you are at least 80% deceived. Jigoku Shoujo is a show that takes a cliché subject (where a person or thing with some power offers in sending people you hate off to hell and taking your soul as payment for it) and treats it in such a way that you actually think about it, trust me. You think about the whole of this selfish human race that thinks nothing but of its own pleasures and comforts, you think about how valuable present circumstances - pleasure or pain is that much important in our lives. So what if you go to Hell hereafter? That is in the "distant" future, right? That is what the people in this show are thinking. So they call upon poor Ai Enma to do the dirty work, and it is what she was forced to do, whether she enjoyed it or not. She punishes the guilty. She ferries them directly off to Hell, but for making her do that (which becomes a mortal sin), the person who made the request is also doomed at the end of his or her natural life.The animation is quite good, the music matches the mood, whether it is sadness or anxiety, and you have an unique show out of a very popular, dismal subject.