Hell Girl (2005–2006) User Reviews (12)

Supposedly a rip-off, but it actually makes you think

[Mami02 · 8/10 · 3 April 2008]

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.

Quite a good horror anime

[Irishchatter · 8/10 · 6 August 2018]

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 lol

Really good anime, I'm impressed by it and its thrill!

The beginning is very repetitive, but it becomes enjoyable towards the second half.

[Breitschleif · 6/10 · 7 August 2013]

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.

Great! But do bare with the first few episodes!

[Jigokushojo · 9/10 · 25 October 2012]

So Jigoku shojo or 'Hell Girl' as it's known in English, I found to be an enjoyable series. I'll admit that the first 10/15 episodes -so most of series 1- follow a shortly recognisable narrative. Someone is clearly being mistreated or hurt by another, so through the "hell communication" they write on the website the name of their tormentor, and the Hell Girl will take revenge for them. There are 2 series after this and they delve into the back story much more and we finally learn more about the Hell Girl -how she came to be- and her assistants.

Overall give it a chance it's worth a watch, the character of Hell Girl is one of my favourites out of all the anime series I've watched. I'd stick to watching it subbed- the dub isn't great. The animation is very lovely too.

Hell girl deserves more

[potterjoseph · 10/10 · 27 November 2020]

I really think the anime is good and deserves more popularity.

My waifu is from this anime

[jaysshukla · 7/10 · 20 September 2021]

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.

Great anime

[ikandyofthesharingan · 8/10 · 7 June 2019]

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.

Outstanding visuals and dialog

[a-bognar93 · 6/10 · 15 January 2015]

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.

My First Horror Anime!

[pragyajha97 · 10/10 · 7 September 2020]

This anime use to air on Animax during 2000s'. The series shows a site where people place an order to send someone to hell. Once the deal is done, a girl arrives at their place and gives them a doll which has a ribbon tied with it. Pulling the ribbon is the confirmation and it starts the procedure of sending the person to hell. In exchange of sending someone to hell, people need to make a deal of going to hell with the same girl who arrives with the doll when they die.

The show depicts different types of personalities and the everyday stories are very relatable until they make the deal.

This anime is literally scary and not for kids.

Good show worth watching

[ceojonathanmontgomery · 8/10 · 28 September 2023]

Hello fellow humans,

First this show is about a group of death angles I guess. Not sure what to call them. The main woman is named Ai Emma and apparently she died a long time ago and took up the role of a death angel or whatever they call themselves. The old man becomes the doll. The other two just help with everything. It seems that they always ask if the person regrets what they did before taking them. The person who pulls the string also goes to hell.

So my only problem with the show is that it should not allow children to be able to go into the contract. Or if they do they should only go to hell for a short time. Also people who are victims should not go to hell. And my last thing I would change is that the price should be changed. You should have to select at least 3 souls to send to hell and if those souls are truly corrupt then you don't pay the price of going to help. If you select a soul that is good and doesn't deserve going to hell than you exchange places with them. Because I find it wrong for example for a child who is being abused to have to go to hell when all they want is to be happy and left alone. The abuser should be the only one who goes to hell.

Also if I had to go to hell as the price. Then I would want a large soul count. If I could say have AI take all humans who abuse others away than at least I would feel good about giving my soul. A small price to pay to eliminate millions of abusers.

Don't approach this with high expectations

[beanofdoom · 5/10 · 27 May 2020]

I'm a latecomer to anime in general, but after thoroughly enjoying titles like Dororo, The Promised Neverland, Boku dake ga inai machi, and Kino's Journey I was off to a really good start. I found Hell Girl on a list of supposedly cerebral anime with dark themes. Unfortunately it's not particularly dark or cerebral, more repetitive and sappy. I lost interest around episode 17. I feel like the whole series is an exercise in waiting for something that never materializes. 5/10.

This is real hell!

[idaho_d · 3/10 · 1 July 2008]

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.