Hell Girl: Vol 1 - Butterfly

Introduction

From Funimation Entertainment, the company that brought you `Beck`, `Afro Samurai` and `Black Cat`, comes `Hell Girl`.

A website exists than can only be accessed at midnight, on which the user can enter the name of a person who they want to damn to Hell. In a serene setting, an old woman tells her granddaughter Ai that she has a message. Whoever has entered the name then meets Hell Girl, who presents them with an effigy with a red ribbon tied around its neck. All they have to do is untie it and their grievance shall be avenged, the price being that their soul goes to Hell when they die.

Episodes:

1. From Beyond the Twilight
When a suspicious turn of events leaves the class goodie two-shoes indebted to a manipulative bully, Mayumi`s peace of mind gets trashed as well as her reputation. But after one particularly violent run in with Aya and her cronies, Mayumi submits her classmate`s name to the fabled HellCorrespondence.com. At wit`s end between her continued suffering and the lack of immediate retribution, the young girl`s resolve finally breaks just as Hell Girl arrives...

Will Aya`s final prank send Mayumi over the edge and damn them both to hell?


2. The Possessed Girl
A nightly stalker has left Ryoko no alternative but to seek assistance from HellCorrespondence.com. After a year`s investigation, the police have finally uncovered a suspect, but the case could not be more complicated. Not only is he one of their own, but Officer Akimoto comes from a very influential family. While the police ask for patience as they painstakingly piece the evidence together, little do they know that young Ryoko`s already taken action of her own...

As the nightmare takes a dark twist, will Ryoko have any choice but the supernatural?


3. The Tarnished Mound
When their high school baseball team`s all star turns out to be not quite upstanding, Iwashita can`t quite shake it off though his friend`s willing enough to take the beating. But as their silence is rewarded only with death, the young man confronts Hanagasa to no avail. As police attention spotlights the wrong team member and his classmates and family turn on him, Iwashita flees the scene. Guilt and desperation finally drive him to seek out the rumored HellCorrespondence.com? Is Hanagasa inviting more than just Ai`s attention when he taunts the tormented Iwashita?


4. Silent Cries
Amidst tears and heartbreak a young girl loses the last member of her family, her faithful canine companion. Days later, guilt compels the vet`s assistant to confess the truth behind the recent death to Junko, the truth about the clinic and Doctor Honjo. While her own remorse and anger will drive Junko to HellCorrespondence.com, her fear of the ultimate consequence will give her cause to reconsider. But when revenge cannot be accomplished on her own...

Will Doctor Honjo`s heartlessness cause young Junko to give voice to his silent victims?


5. The Woman in the Tall Tower
A request ignored, HellCorrespondence.com unresponsive. Even as a cruel and ambition employer pursues virtual vengeance for profit and gain, her ill-used young charge seeks to turn the tables not only has quiet Misato been responsible for the company`s many on-line successes, but President Riho has been putting the young woman to far darker and for more illegal uses. And that`s not the only dirt under this corporate rug. When Ai`s companions take an interest, there may be a turnover...

Even if vengeance is sought for good purpose, is Misato truly worth saving?

Video

`Hell Girl` is very nicely animated and presented well in an anamorphic 1.78:1 format. The animation is very clear, with sharp edges and particularly impressive fire, mist and water effects.

Audio

Typically for an anime disc, you have the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 English or a DD 2.0 Stereo Japanese track. I watched it first with the Japanese track, which is clear and works well. The English dub has the edge in terms of the surrounds and the voice acting is perfectly suitable.

The subtitles are good and are translations of the Japanese track rather than `dubtitles`; the Japanese signs are automatically translated - you don`t need to put the subtitles on for this to happen. Interestingly, HellCorrespondence.com is the English name for the website, referred to as `Hell Link` in the subtitles.

The theme song is suitably syrupy, but amusingly has several lines in English!

Features

The promotional video is of Mamiko Noto (the voice of Ai Enma) singing `Ephemeral`, the song from the end credits.

The `"Making Of" Promotional Video Shoot` contains interview footage with Mamiko Noto, who talks about the shooting of the video and her first time in front of the camera.

Character profiles of Ai Enma, Ichimokuren, Hone Onna and Wanyuudou - aka Hell Girl and her three assistants.

There are also `Textless Songs` (the opening and closing songs, but without credits) and trailers for `Mushi-Shi` and `School Rumble`.

Conclusion

My experience of anime is limited to seeing `Perfect Blue` and `Ghost in the Shell` years ago, `The Animatrix`, some Studio Ghibli films and reading reviews on this site by Jitendar and Matthew! This, therefore, is the first anime TV series that I`ve seen and I wouldn`t have given it a second glance if not for the interesting premise of a girl from Hell distributing vengeance.

The way the show sets up a character in a bad situation that leads to utter despair and/or makes them desperate for revenge is done very well, especially in the first episode. However, the running time of less than 25 minutes doesn`t allow for much deliberation by the protagonist before they enter into the covenant or for much reflection into the consequences of their actions. Strangely, the trailer for the next episode is included on the DVD, as is the `Hell Girl` logo halfway through an episode, where the adverts would go.

I`d have liked more exposition about Ai Enma/Hell Girl - where is she, how did she become Hell Girl, how does the website operate, who is the grandmother and where did Ichimokuren, Hone Onna and Wanyuudou come from?

Despite these few niggles, `Hell Girl` is a very enjoyable series and I look forward to seeing the next volume. Recommended to anime fans and non-fans alike!