Jigoku shôjo

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.

Each episode of this anime contains a short story of a person, who is going through something or probably being tormented by someone to the point that he or she accesses the Hell Correspondence website and submits a request to get rid of the person. Ai Enma, the Hell Girl, appears, and presents a doll with a red string on its neck that can send the named antagonist to Hell. When the string is pulled, Ai and her companions then torment the antagonist and eventually ferries them to Hell. Moreover, a price has to pay by the one who pulls the string as well. Once he or she dies, he or she will have to go to the Hell as well. When the episode ends, we hear Ai Enma saying, "When one person is cursed, two graves are dug."

Ai Enma is my favorite character. She is a female kuudere and yet unlike other kuudere characters from the mainstream anime, she doesn't swore loyalty to any other main character. It has been more than a decade and she still remains my most favorite female anime character. The anime has a good storyline for sure but Ai Enma's backstory and a triggered point where she goes against the authority and takes a different decision have been executed really well. Each episode has an interesting yet a depressive case. It will be hard to feel satisfied with the ending yet you yourself wouldn't be able to think of a better ending.

This anime first came out during 2005 and the animation is fine. The character designs are impressive. The theme songs are fabulous as well and really suits the atmosphere of this anime. Overall, a decent watch. Totally recommended.

Especially from the aspect of enjoyment this show is real hell. Every single episode presents an enclosed story where we can ALWAYS see new characters that can be right away fitted into a pigeon-hole of a victim and a villain, and that ALWAYS evolves according to the same pattern. In the end, Enma Ai — Jigoku Shoujo — intervenes like "deus ex machina" to resolve the story saying ALWAYS the same phrase. Since this pattern never changes, it becomes terribly boring after some while, regrettably, we are to suffer it to the very end, because of the absence of any continual story. Moreover, we don't learn anything much about Enma Ai, nor about her partners from the hell ride. The animation itself is very good, as well as music by Takanashi Yasuharu which is well worth listening to. Weaker characters that can be driven crazy by boredom from the monotony are not recommended to watch it.

This may not be for everyone that wants a consistent plot and character developments. Its like an anthology series with a different case in each episode. The thing that makes this show intriguing to watch is what these characters do in the situation that presents them in.

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.