Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. - C.S.Lewis

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Name: Jigoku Shoujo + Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori
Episodes: 52 eps (26+26)
Vintage: 2006~2007
Style: Drama Terror Social

(This review covers both seasons of Jigoku Shoujo, specially because the second season is a direct continuation of the first)

Preview

Legend says that those who bear a great hatred and revenge will, if access the 'Hell Correspondence' site exactly at midnight will be able to post a revenge request. If accepted, Jigoku Shoujo will send the recipient of your hatred straight to Hell, but as a consequence, for choosing revenge, you will also be sent to hell when you die.

Pacing

First warning: Jigoku Shoujo is not a horror thriller, it's all about human nature and social criticism by showing how hate and lack of understanding between people can lead to tragedy. Do not watch it expecting Horror, but a thought-provoking detailed thriller.

Jigoku Shoujo is a fantastic work about human nature, and shows us a perfect allegory about how violence can cause even more violence. As each character suffer hell out from another evil person to the extent they cannot bear and can only vent their hatred to the Jigoku Shoujo site, we eventually realize several ways in which hatred and revenge can take, and how sometimes it's all actually unfair.

Although strongly focused on the plot of each episode and their 'revenge' (quite episodic), Jigoku Shoujo is actually an allegory about revenge and forgiveness. The story is kind of loose and each episode does not have too much connection to the other until around episode 8 (of the first season) when two characters (who would eventually became the main characters at the first season) start researching Jigoku Shoujo activities and get into the main plot. They try to understand and stop Jigoku Shoujo from her revenge 'spree', but in the meanwhile, both characters have different opinions on what is going on. While one is against revenge at all costs, the other doesn't see what is wrong on sending bad people to hell. However, things start to get complicated as questions such as 'will Jigoku Shoujo send anybody to hell or just the bad guys?' arise.

Conclusion

The latest episodes of the first season are all about connecting all the characters drama into one single dense plot in an amazing way, connecting Enma Ai (Jigoku Shoujo) to the main characters in a very touching plot, very dramatic and sad. The past of all characters are actually bound, and the truth about Jigoku Shoujo is finally revealed, and when that happens, only those who doesn't have a haeat will not realize the terrible drama that underlies these latest episodes, and the undescritible pain that the main characters go thru, specially as Ai takes souls to hell - some times souls that doesn't even have a clue for what they are being send to hell, and not even the viewer have a clue!

A profound and smart work that shows with very clear concepts that no matter how hatred, no matter how wrong other peoples are, this does not justify your own wrong doing, and therefore, you realize that Jigoku Shoujo have all the reason and right to claim the souls of those who sent someone to hell thru her help, as they too committed a grave crime. As the title goes, eventually we start asking ourselves if the wrong people are not the ones that are being sent to hell (since in a way or another, once they die, they would go to Hell anyway), but actually those who opt for revenge.

With a extremely sad and involving ending (at both seasons), which promises a lot of tears for the viewers that can empathize with the pain, suffering and affliction of all the characters, this is one of the best Human-nature animes you will ever find.

The second season follows up exactly where the first season left, but adds a lot of extra bonus: Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori manages to be even more meaningfull and indepth, and is absolutelly a must for any Jigoku Shoujo fans. Besides, the second season explored a lot about the past and reasons of Ai's 3 helpers, as well adding an explendid definite ending for the plot.

When you complete BOTH seasons, don't miss our essay on this title. You might get surprised by some details that are so subtle most people miss.

NOTE: The first half of the series is indeed quite episoidic and loose, but they are an important part for the correct understanding of the final part and the message about 'revenge' and 'forgiveness' - the main theme of this title - so bear with it even if you fell they are empty repetitive episodes.

There would be never a way into making Jigoku Shoujo into a movie or small series, the length, the hatred and prepotency you feel for 52 episodes are essential for people to really grasp the message (as with Ai who took 400 years to understand it), and unfortunately, most people won't.

For that, before entering into details about the title, some important FACTS about Jigoku Shoujo's ending must be enlightened:

1. Ai never sent a single soul to "common place" Hell ... she THOUGHT she was though ... the same way you did .. or still think. Hell is HERE (might be shocking for most Western people to get this, but that's actually what Hell is often pictured by most oriental beliefs, but we don't want to get into religion here) - thus being sent to Hell is basically reincarnating.

2. Ai probably went to heaven as per the last episode of Futakomori, or at most, to "Hell" (again, as per oriental belief, reincarnated).

3. "Ai's answer" they mention at the last episode is Ai's transcendence into realizing she could NEVER commit a sin, specially just because others were committing one against her (alas, just because the whole town is insane, sinful and evil, it's not a reason for you to be) ...

4. The 3 eyed spider (which actually has 4 eyes - one of which might be Kikuri, though this is not clear) and from now on mentioned only as "Spider" is not necessarily evil, he is just the master of "Hell", who oversees those who can or not proceed or need further punishment - such as Ai. We can speculate he can also participate into "extracting" evil souls from Earth (as per Ai job which he overseas)

5. Kikuri is an emissary (or actually part of the spider) sent by the spider to further force Ai to reach her "answer" by stirring up more innocent people getting sent to hell (the same way as the "Makeup baba", and her "wip of love"), or stir up Ai's memories, which ...

6. Ai's companions (Tsuyu, Ren and Wyannyrudo) try their best, especially on the second season, to keep Ai from the bad memories of sending innocent people to hell. This is actually incorrect, that's why Kikuri pops on the second season.

7. Tsugumi still have visions on the second season, except she only acts once, when someone reads her father's book. It's her belief, along with Kikuri and probably the spider, that if innocent people get to know the truth behind the "Hotline to hell" and interact with Ai, it might fasten her acknowledgement that she is (still) doing something bad and should stop it (alas, she is sending people to 'hell' for the sake of her fathers, while as mentioned on fact 3, she shouldn't)

8. Hotaru (the detective younger sister which 'sent' Takuma to hell) did not die, she is the girl seen in hospital during the end credits of the last episode. Also do not confuse Takuma's incorrectly translated dialogue in some subs with his father "let's see mother" (correct translation "let's visit her") with this, they just visited Hotaru.

9. Yes, Ren was a sword, Wyannuudo was a carriage wheel and Tsuyu (Hone-onna) was the only ghost among them (the other two were Youkai - demon spirits that wonder the earth, lost). Ren was lost because he wanted to understand why humans are capable of such horrible things (as using him for 200 years to slay each other). Wyannuudo was lost for feeling helpless on his attempt to "save the princess", but finally reaches salvation by being helpful to Ai and realizing one should not be let down if they fail (something seen in several cases during the show), Tsuyu was lost for being betrayed and also receiving the grief of several other women spirits, and reaches salvation and enlightenment while helping Ai.

That cleared up, let's get to a more "essay" text.

The beginning ...

400 years ago, on a far away village in which Ai lived, a strange ritual took place every 7 years: A 7 years old girl would be sacrificed for the sake of the Mountain God in order to improve the harvesting. This was a quite common ritual on medieval Japan. At the time, Ai was chosen to be the next sacrifice. Sentarou, somewhat a boyfriend of Ai, does not accept this fate, and as per request of her parents, he decides to protect her and saves her from certain death by probably changing the poison she would have to taken in with something else.

Six years goes (thus, Ai is 13) by and nobody notices that Ai is still living on the forest with supplies provided by her parents and Sentarou. Ai grows to be a pretty girl, and both Sentarou and Ai live haply to the extent of thinking about leaving the village together. However, one day, the villagers finds out the truth and capture Ai and Sentarou, To try to ease the Gods, they kill not only Ai but her family, and to not blain Sentarou, they make him be the one who barriers a semi-alive Ai and her parents. Before dying, Ai promises to take revenge on the village.

On that night, as Sentarou decided to leave the village, he sees the village ablaze from afar: Ai is back from limbo to get her revenge and destroys the village. She was a kind and lovable girl who was killed off by the mob of her village, right after seeing her parents being killed, and even thought that her best friend betrayed her (that being the main plot and cleared up on the first season) ... somewhat reasonable rage one might guess. On that night, the amazing hatred she felt consumed her soul and engulfed the whole village. As she wakes from her "trance", the "Devil" (the spider, which we will consider "Devil" so far) tells her she does not have the right to go to Hell (meaning: back to earth - more into that later) for what she have done, and thus she will have to perform the task of the Hell Girl, if she fails to do so, the souls of her parents will linger in darkness forever (thus the name of the second season, Futakomori - two prisoners) - details: note how lingering in darkness forever is the worst punishment, NOT being sent to hell. Also note that Ai does not deserve Hell, so her punishment is WORST! in short, Hell is not the worst place to be - still in par with most oriental beliefs therefore.

Basically, Ai is being "blackmailed" by the "Devil" into going on with her task to send people to Hell ... or is she? her punishment actually have a greater goal.

During her times as Jigoku Shoujo, she eventually meets Wanyuudou, Ren and finally Tsuyu (Hone-onna).

First season

At first, as much she tries to block her emotions and do her job, Ai slowly starts to resent and regret what she does, and understand why revenge is so wrong. On the last episodes of the first season, she is suffering and is almost not being able to stand it. Your messages to Tsugumi became more and more intense as she wants to be stopped at all costs. However, as she learns that Hajime is Sentarou descendant (which means, there is someone left from her long forgotten revenge), she looses it, and the hatred is reborn. She wants to send him to Hell.

As she fails to kill him and send him personally to Hell, Ai starts trying to convince Tsugumi to send her dad to hell (as he is from the Sentarou bloodline) for her mother's death, things get the opposite of what she was expecting. Tsugumi, who spends most of the title thinking that Jigoku Shoujo was right, now realizes she was not right at all. She remembers the nurse case, and the driver who almost hit her and was so kind to ask for forgiveness (cases in which, if hatred took over, would end up sending good persons to hell), In the end, she tells Ai the truth about Sentarou, and how he spent the rest of his life regretting what he did, and even built a temple to honor Ai, and refuses to send her father to Hell, forgiving his mistakes.

Ai destroys the temple, and as Tsugumi asks why Hajime only replies 'Emna ai ...'. It's obvious that she accepted the regret that Sentarou suffered and by destroying the temple, she releases him from having to suffer any more regrets: she does not need a temple, since she accepts his apologies, accepts his suffering.

Now she finally accepts her destiny as Jigoku Shoujo, and since she once again failed to hatred, she will have to keep going and delivering souls to hell, which sometimes were not that bad to be worth of Hell (as the same way she sent dozens of souls at her village to hell on her revenge). However, she now understands her punishment. And maybe, just maybe, she might start considering accepting regrets and apologies in the place of just sending people to hell, as she was almost doing when her hatred reborn as she learned the truth about Hajime.

Tsugumi forgiveness for her father is the changing point in Jigoku Shoujo perspective. If until then everybody tried to prevent Hajime from convincing people that revenge is not the right choice, now maybe Emna Ai herself will start trying to help people to solve her problems without committing this sin, in a manner consistent with humanity.

Revenge is always wrong, no matter what we suffer. Forgiveness is the right way out, and if we do not have a way out, we cannot get low to the extent of committing a crime just to 'hurry' the process of sending the 'monster' to Hell: he will eventually go to Hell anyway, so why mess up with out lives?

Second Season

And thus we get to the second season ... all the answers eventually come up.

Ai's 'helpers'

Ren was a sword, a Katana. During 200 years he was helpless being swung by his masters into killing countless people. He started wondering why humans are capable of such hatred and horrible things, killing for otherwise stupid reasons. As Ai finds him after Ren probably lost his (current) master, Ai realizes he is confused and looking for that answer, and invites him into joining her. Ai knows that her "job" makes her go thru most human emotions and the core of human nature and hatred, and therefore she knows that by staying with her, Ren would find the answer he is looking for.

Wanyuudou was the wheel of a chariot that failed to save his master from bandits. He kept haunting the road, lost in his feeling of prepotency, not being able to help his masters when they needed him the most. Ai realises this and invites him to be her new chariot, giving him a reason, and also eventually toning down his loss. He eventually came to the conclusion that one must understand that even giving your best, you are not sure to win every time.

Tsuyu was a young maid at some rich mansion 200 years back, and was sold to a Geisha house. As much as Tsuyu was a nice and generous person, she wanted Kion, a young Geisha that she was afraid wouldn't last much on that Geisha house, to be able to get off such life. While trying to do so, she was betrayed and killed. Her soul was lost in this betrayal and also attracted many other lost souls, and started haunting man not for haunting per se, but "seeking help" ... but as a ghost she did not realize she was, nobody ever offered a helping hand, that is, until Ai appeared. Eventually, Tsuyu learned that the world is filled with mistrust and betrayal. The other two Ai's companions keep making fun of Tsuyu being a human ghost by calling her Hone-onna, as mentioning her bones (decayed corpse).

It's important to note that NONE of them were evil, actually they were all good spirits that were lost. When they mention that Ai rescued them from Hell, they are making a reference to the real Hell, as described below.

Hell

Although one is made to believe that "Hell" is the mythical religious place where souls are tortured by eternity, in fact "Hell" is actually here, on earth, the living. This is in par with oriental religions and even some western religions such as Kardecism. While believing she was sending people to that mythical ever-suffering place, Ai was merely removing evil people from the world and sending them into reincarnation (than again, in par with all the aforementioned). Some people that were sent to hell, and other that were forced by the circumstances to sent someone to hell using the "Hotline to Hell" wouldn't deserve "an eternity of suffering" the same as some really evil criminals that Ai sent to "Hell". The viewer starts wondering if what Ai is doing is right, but a general misconception (as viewers just take for granted that they are, indeed, being sent to "Hell") applies here: Ai think she is sending them to hell, the viewer and the characters too, but there is no real tangible reason nor evidence in the anime to point that out, quite the oposite: everytime the "Devil" wants to really frighten someone, he mentiones "eternal darkness", not Hell. Further discussion on this subject would go into religion and is not advisable, it only suffices to say that, in "Jigoku Shoujo" Plot, "Hell" is our living planet, and not that mythical place. One further information is that when the anime ends and Ren, Wanyuudou and Tsuyu are transported to earth (unclear if they are given a new life or remain as spirits), they depart each other: Tsuyu says "I'll go shopping" than Ren replies "How ironic, shopping in hell" and they all laugh, the end.

Also note that when Wanyuudo notes that Ai "lost" her memory (which is not true), he says "we are back to our hell" ... which is here, on the Earth.

Ai's first realization

Ai's first realization, that would be the trigger for her real redemption, was finally forgiving her best friend, reckoning he did not participate on her death other than being forced to do it. It was important because it was her first hint that people sometimes are forced by society and the circumstances into doing something bad even if they know it's wrong: this does not exempts them from the evil doing, but it also does not make them the utmost evil persons nor the sole culprits. Forgiving oneself and others is the first step into reaching transcendence and redemption.

Ai's helpers try to protect her

After the whole chaos that ensued in the first season, and with the fact that not only Ai but themselves were getting tired of sending good people to hell, Ai's companions decided to go on full investigations (even without Ai's requesting) to try and avoid Ai having to ever again send someone innocent to hell. In the process, they also attempt to help people solve their problems without pulling the string. They believe they are doing a favor to Ai since they are protecting her from "bad" memories; not realizing the whole point of her punishment was this (otherwise, it would not be a punishment).

Ai's punishment

The "Devil" punishment to Ai, to enable her to enter "Hell", is to keep sending people to hell "REGARDLESS of what she thinks", which translates for her usual line "it's up to you". His true motive was to make Ai to get exposed to the same sin she committed by burning out her all village out of hate. Not only she starts to understand how futile, dumb and often not fulfilling revenge is, but she ends up getting cases in which the recipient of the revenge never really deserved such (the case of the Nurse in the first season is the perfect example, not even Ai or anybody could understand why she was sent to Hell, and they rush to locate the guy who contracted Ai trying to understand it, only to find he killed himself, thus they never understand it.) Ai slowly starts getting tired of this, and below her facade of emotionless person, she realizes people do not deserve to go to hell (nor the ones who are pushed to their limits and pull the string, as most of the first cases in the second season where people were literally forced to pull it due to the circumstances), but she cannot stop it or else her "two prisoners" would wonder eternal darkness (worst than hell!). By trying to prevent further suffering, her helpers actually are getting in the way of her redemption and realization, to counter this, Kikuri is sent.

Kikuri

Kikuri is, to put bluntly, an emissary sent by the "Devil", or perhaps a part of himself (he has 4 eyes, but most of the times only 3, alas in the last episode we see Kikuri holds one of his eyes) - at this point it's already becoming clear that he is in fact God - to counter Ai's protector’s actions and mess things up. Kikuri is often making things worst, and if early on we think it's only because she is a child, later it becomes clear it's purposefully. In the end, Kikuri goes to the length of bringing the insane mob to where Hotaru and Takumo's hiding place. You can also note this on the first episode where Takumo appears (14) as Kikuri is always medling with him and forces him to realize the city ostracism towards him, the same way Ai once suffered at her village. When Ai asks her why she did it, she says "because it's for the best". Clearly, it's the best because she knows that an direct assault on them (two good persons without sins) would bring up all of Ai's memories and emotions. Kikuri also contacts Tsugumi to help the detective to believe Hajime's book on the "Hotline to hell". She probably knew it would end with his death, but that was necessary to stir up the hatred. It's also pretty clear Ai knows Kikuri was sent/is the "Devil", since she accepts Kikuri immediatly, while the others don't even understand her presence.

During the last arch sequence of the second season, When Tsuyu mentions that the city has gone mad and Ai is having it hard, Wanyuudou mentions "but perhaps it's good, it will make Ai's job end faster". Clearly, at this point, Wanyuudou already noticed what was "Devil" intention on Ai's punishment (and that also explains why he is the most sane and stable during the ending as Ai dies)

Although they still call the 3-eyed spider as "The master of Hell", you just have to read it as the "master of the living". When Ai brings back Takumo and Kikuri becomes one with "Devil", as he leaves he tells Wanyuudou "Protect Ai". If he was any evil, he would never have said that. He was the whole time trying to get Ai to really understand her actions, and the same way some parents bring problems to their child and oversee them solving it to help them mature, he was creating bad memories and events into Ai's tasks on the same goal.

Another interesting fact: the light reflecton Kikuri's eyes are always 3 dots as in the spider's eyes. Also keep in mind that it's Kikuri that brings Tsugumi to confirm Hajime's book to the detective, reinforcing thus the oportunity to use the events on the city to open Ai's eyes.

Ai's answer

When Ai is taking Takumo to hell, Kikuri smartly starts stirring up her memories, mentioning, "this also happened to someone else before" and looking to Ai. Takumo notices it and asks Ai for help ... that was it, she couldn't handle it anymore, she knew she was doing the wrong thing by sending both him and Hotaru to hell and thus bring him back (note that the "Devil" could have forced her doing it at any time, during the first season we see he pretty much controls the river to hell space. Yet, this time he did not interfere, because this time she was returning for the right reason, while on the first season when he was sending her to hell, was because she lowered herself even deeper by trying to kill Hajime and Tsugumi).

Ai realized that burning her village was wrong, and she want on to save Takumo from doing the same mistake. It's actually unclear but Ai probably did NOT loose her memories, she only wanted to proceed when confronted by her three helpers. Just before she dies, she looks straight to them with a smile. Wanyuudo says "This is Ai's answer".

When Ai is trying to leave with Takumo, one of the insane townspeople hit her with the shovel the same way they did it with her ages before, but this time, Ai learned her lesson, she have no hatred toward her offender, she understands him, she now understands that people can go thru events that turn them into evil, the same way as once she was such evil. She lets them kill her, with a smile. She basically relives her death all over again, except this time she does not have hatred in her heart. This is Ai's answer to the "Devil", even though she thought this would end up with her parents' souls being dragged to eternal darkness, she now knows that you will answer for your actions alone, regardless if you were being manipulated or not: it's your fault for being manipulated. Perhaps, once achieving this enlightenment, she also realized that the "Devil" was merely bluffing.

Ai is free from her curse, and spent more than enough time in punishment and agony. She is freed to Heaven (or back to the reincarnation cycle); her parents are also freed.

The new Jigoku Shoujo

After the end credits, we clearly see there is a new Jigoku Shoujo. It's nothing to be amazed off, the spider (let's drop the "Devil" act) will always have his ways to remove really evil people from the world. Not to hell, but just reset them. Besides, as we well watched on 52 episodes, there are plenty of people that go mad with hatred to take on the part of Enma Ai, the same way there are plenty of people who deserve to be "removed" from Earth.

The End

As a parting gift for the viewers, Hotaru did not die at the lake. She is in hospital, but we are hinted she will be ok. So is Takumo's father, and his fame as the "Child of Devil" is cleared. In fact, as soon as the anime went back to that town, it was clear that Kikuri and God would use that opportunity, that good-natured boy, as the trigger to get Ai to finally reach her redemption. During the last sequence, we see a heartless Ai (even more than usual), she just sent people to hell with no investigation or care, and when Hotaru access the site (and it's quite clear that Hotaru does not hate Takumo enough as required), she also sends Takumo to hell. One can say that Ai is already on her limit, operating at some sort of "auto" mode trying to protect her feelings; she is on the verge of cracking. And Kikuri's act with Takumo on the way to Hell was just "it" to break her.

So much for the "one eye for an eye" .... Jigoku Shoujo have a clear message, and only someone really stupid won't get it.