Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku (Series Review)
The Shogun has become aware of a mysterious island that he believes is home to the Elixir of Life. In order to retrieve it he gathers a group of criminals and offers a pardon to the one who brings it back!
Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku (Series Review)
What did you read?
I saw several volumes of Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku at my local library and when I did a little more research, I discovered that the series had finished and my library had all of the volumes. The title and a couple of covers were more than enough to convince me to dive in. Then, I found ninjas and samurai and was completely sold. After two volumes, I found out that an anime was in production so I quickly devoured them all so that I would be ready to binge the anime. Of course, the first season of the anime doesn’t come close to completing the entire story, so if you haven’t read the manga, there will be spoilers. Proceed with caution!
What happened?
Gabimaru was the most feared ninja in his clan, but he was set up and left to die. However, it’s surprisingly hard to kill a ninja, especially one as strong as him. His reprieve came in the form of an executioner. Sagiri gave Gabimaru a chance to win his freedom. All he had to do was go with her to a mysterious island and retrieve the Elixir of Life for the Shogun. It should be easy, however, no that has gone to the island has returned, except for one person who was now more plant than person!
Ten criminals were selected for the mission and each was assigned an Asaemon (executioner) should they attempt to flee. Once on the island, they were free to do whatever they liked as long as they brought back the Elixir. Failure to do so would cost them their lives. Upon arriving on the island they quickly discover that there are more than criminals and Asaemon ready to kill them. Strange creatures appear and attack, reducing the numbers significantly. Will Gabimaru and Sagiri make it home with the Elixir or are they stuck in Hell’s Paradise?
What did you think?
I loved every single second of this series. The characters are all wonderfully flawed and brutal and yet there is something familiar about them. This series looks at what it means to be evil and we soon learn that doing bad things doesn’t necessarily make you evil just as doing good doesn’t make you a hero. It is a fantastic blend of historical facts and merciless fiction. I loved the way it blended cultures and made connections to things like Tao and Chi. On top of that the fights were epic. However, the best part of it was the mystery of the island and seeing them unravel the secrets it held. I can’t recommend this series enough.
What was your favourite moment?
There were plenty of amazing fights and the final one was probably the most impressive. After battling through hordes of monsters, ninjas, and Asaemon, the main group made it to the docks, however, Rein had already set sail for Japan with the hopes of turning everyone there into Tan. The fights leading up to this point were insane and it just got better and better. However, there is one moment in all those fights that sticks with me. Gantetsusai, who probably had one of the biggest character developments in the entire series, had been fighting Rein and Shugen, but he couldn’t defeat them. However, he turned his attention to the hull of the ship and sliced it in two, slowing it to a whimper. Before jumping ship he turned to Rein and Shugen and warned them of the tenacity of the next guy. That guy is Gabimaru. That was pretty much the end of book twelve and left me with goosebumps waiting to read the last book.
What was your least favourite moment?
I’m really torn here because she is my favourite character. There was a series of fights between Lord Tensen and the criminals. Gabimaru and Yuzuriha had teamed up and given everything they had. Ran knew that the only way for him to lose was for Yuzuriha to use the last of her Tao, but that would kill her. She did it anyway and then sat down to rest, sending Gabimaru off without her. It appeared that she was preparing to die alone and it was heartbreaking. Amazing storytelling and a fantastic sacrifice, but also incredibly sad, especially after she had comforted Senta when he died. She would be alone in the end.
Yuzuriha returned two books later and I was delighted because, as I said, she is my favourite character. However, it undid all that wonderful storytelling that left me shaken. It felt like the author made a one-eighty-degree turn and while I love that she was there at the end, I can’t help but feel disappointment at the way it was handled.
Who was your favourite character?
Well, I think we already know the answer here. It is Yuzuriha. In the beginning, I was loving the relationship between Sagiri and Gabimaru. They had wonderful chemistry together and really brought the story to life. However, when Yuzuriha was introduced that all changed. She was a ray of light in this dark and devastating world and she brought the best out of Sagiri. They had a strange and beautiful relationship, even ending the story together as Yuzuriha became Sagiri’s bodyguard, although she was also technically dead.
Who was your least favourite character?
I don’t think there were any bad characters in the sense of how they were developed or the variety in which they came. Shugen seems like an obvious choice because of what he represents. He is supposed to be the pillar of justice and yet, his actions are anything but. He slaughtered a village to find some criminals. As a contrast to Gabimaru, Yuzuriha, Gantetsusai, and the others, he was fantastic. They were supposed to be the criminals and yet they were working together and getting over their differences. Then, we have Lord Tensen who were strange and mysterious characters, but equally intriguing. There’s a lot to love about this series.
Would you like some more?
The first season of the anime has aired and I will watch it soon, so I am definitely going to get more. However, in terms of the manga, this story is finished and finished really well. There are no loose ends to tie off. Sure, it could go in a couple of directions, but I don’t think we need that. I loved the way it ended and how that played into the prophecy that Gui Fa saw that only two men and one woman would survive.
What have you learnt?
I do love ambiguous characters. Are they evil or good? They’re doing good things or acting in the name of justice, but that alone doesn’t make them good. There are villains sacrificing themselves for their friends. Are they really evil? This series makes you look at each of the characters and work out for yourself who to trust. Even then, some will change things up and completely surprise you again and again. It’s nice having an obvious hero and villain from time to time, but this makes the story feel more real. Good people are capable of evil deeds, just as evil people can do good.
I’m not saying everyone needs a redemption arc, but if you have evil people who only do evil things then it starts to become unbelievable. Everyone has a line in the sand that they won’t cross. If you play with that in your story it can create some wonderfully interesting scenarios that will add colour to the world. Always try to make it consistent with the character’s actions so they don’t suddenly switch characters. No one likes characters that flip-flop all over the place.
Other Posts in the Series
Series Information
| English Title | Hell’s Paradise |
| Japanese Title | Jigokuraku |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Historical, Samurai |
| Demographic | Shounen |
Manga
Anime
| Season | Season One |
| Released | Spring 2023 |
| Animation Studios | MAPPA |
| Episodes | 13 |
Nice post
Thanks