Jigoku Shōjo, written by Japanese animator Hiroshi Watanabe, is one of those few anime which are actually adapted into a manga, instead of the other way around. The episodes I watched are self-contained short stories in which someone is harassed and/or tormented by one or more antagonists. The issue escalates until it is unbearable for the character, at which point they access the Hell correspondence website, which only appears for those with significant grudges and only at midnight. This is where Ai Enma, the beautiful young girl with bright red eyes makes her entrance.
Ai will pull the client into a realm of perpetual twilight (apparently in Hell) to discuss the details of the contract. He or she is given a straw doll with a red string wound around its neck. If the string is pulled, Ai and her companions will immediately ferry the offender to Hell, in dramatic fashion, I might add. However, Ms. Ai doesn’t work for free, people. Once the client's life has ended, they too will go to Hell, and a black crest-shaped mark appears on the client's chest to serve as a reminder of what has been lost.
I’ll admit, it’s sickly satisfying to see deserving people get theirs over and over again, but what is frustrating about this anime is we want to know more. We want to know how a seemingly sweet little girl, Ai, was cursed with this responsibility. We want to know who her three assistants are and why they do what they do. And who is (figuratively) pulling the strings? It must be Satan himself considering he’s getting two souls with one stone in each case. Someone must be in charge of the website, and I don’t think its Granny (old people hate computers) and it definitely isn’t Ai. She’s too busy bathing in a pond, dressing in her kimono and flying off to exact revenge in a small cart pulled by a flaming Wanyudo. If only I had her life.
As I was writing this, I was also doing some research. It seems like all the answers are revealed in season 2, so I just need to quit whining and keep watching this unique horror anime. Turns out there are 52 episodes I haven’t seen, which in my little otaku world is a veritable gold mine. There’s also a live action series, which is probably pretty cheesy but might be interesting.
FYI someone put up an actual Hell correspondence website if you are looking to damn someone to Hell, and you don’t even have to wait until midnight for it to appear. It even tells who the last person to receive judgment was and when. It’s pretty interesting even if it’s pretty creepy. So don’t cross me people. I have no soul so I have nothing to lose …
http://jigokutsushin.co.nr/
J.L. Dodd
While seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself.
- Douglas Horton
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