Jigoku Shōjo

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Jigoku Shōjo
Promotional image for Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori, the series' second season
地獄少女
(Jigoku Shōjo)
Genre Horror, Mystery, Psychological, Fantasy
TV anime
Directed by Takahiro Omori
Studio Studio Deen
Network Japan Animax, MBS, Tokyo MX, KIDS STATION
Original run October 4, 2005 – April 4, 2006
No. of episodes 26
TV anime : Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori
Directed by Takahiro Omori
Studio Studio Deen
Network Japan Animax, MBS, Tokyo MX
Original run October 7, 2006 –
No. of episodes
Manga
Authored by Miyuki Eto
Publisher Kodansha
Serialized in Nakayoshi
Original run October 2005 – still running
No. of volumes 3 (currently)
TV drama
Directed by Makoto Naganuma
Studio Izumi TV Production
Network Japan Nippon Television
Original run November 4, 2006 –
No. of episodes 12

Jigoku Shōjo (地獄少女? lit. Hell Girl), also known as Girl From Hell, is an anime series, produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen. It premiered across Japan on the anime satellite television network, Animax, between October 4, 2005, and April 4, 2006. Following the success of the first season, the series was followed soon after into a second, Jigoku Shōjo Futakomori (地獄少女 二籠?), which premiered October 7, 2006 across Japan on Animax.[1] A live-action television series adaptation started airing in Japan on Nippon Television from November 4, 2006.[2]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Contents

[edit] Story

   
Jigoku Shōjo
 闇に纏いし哀れな影よ。 人を傷つけ貶めて罪に溺れし業の魂 ・・・　一遍、死んで見る？'
"O miserable shadow clad in darkness! Hurting and disdaining people, a karmic soul drowning in sin...Would you try dying for once?"
   
Jigoku Shōjo
 
— Enma Ai.

"At midnight every night, you can access Jigoku Tsūshin online. If you type in the name of someone who you have a grudge against there, Jigoku Shōjo will appear and send that person to hell. Rumors of the site spread among children living in cities. However, no one speaks of one thing, that you must make a contract with the Jigoku Shōjo to carry out revenge against your grudge."

The series is mainly a collection of short stories. Each of them describes the suffering of a different individual caused by one or more antagonists, and the subsequent punishment inflicted on the antagonists with the help of Enma Ai, aka the "Jigoku Shōjo" (Hell Girl).

During each story, the protagonists' dramas are explained in detail from the start of their grudges, through the escalation of their torment until it becomes unbearable and they resort to the "Jigoku Tsūshin"(correspondence with Hell) - a mysterious black colored web site only accessible at midnight. The contents of the site are only a text: "あなたの怨み、晴らします。 (We will take revenge on your behalf.)", a text box where the grudge's object must be written, and a "送信 (Send)" button. Some time after the post, they are visited by Enma Ai, a young red eyed girl wearing a traditional sailor school uniform. She delivers them a black straw doll (In the second season, the doll may also be red or dark blue depending on who turns into it) with a red string tied to its neck, and she tells them that if they want their vengeance to be delivered, they must remove the string from the doll, and their enemies will be immediately taken to Hell. However, a crest shaped mark will appear on the protagonists' chests, always reminding them that after their lives come to an end, they must give compensation by having their own souls also sent to Hell.

Enma Ai doesn't work alone. She lives in a house in an unknown world that is in eternal sunset with her grandmother who orders her around and whose face never appears. Ai also counts on the help of her three assistants. When they are not under her services, they stay in the form of three straw dolls, otherwise they assume the form of Ichimoku Ren, a handsome young man in casual clothes, Hone-Onna, a beautiful woman wearing a kimono and Wanyūdō, an old man wearing a hat and a red scarf. They help her during the event when their victims are confronted with their own sins, prior to the moment when Ai (dressed in traditional kimono with floral patterns) ferries them to hell. Also, the trio helps her investigate the true nature of their cases when something seems suspicious.

In episode 8 of the series, two other recurring characters are introduced: A journalist named Shibata Hajime who is investigating the stories involving the Jigoku Shōjo, and his daughter Tsugumi. After an encounter with Enma Ai, Tsugumi starts to have visions of what Ai sees and thus the two become more and more involved in Ai's matters. The fact is Hajime doesn't agree with Ai's methods; he believes people should solve their problems by other means than resorting to vengeance, and tries to stop those who contracted to the Jigoku Shōjo from sending their grudges to Hell with Tsugumi's help. As the story progresses, Tsugumi begins to question if Ai's ways are as wrong as her father believes, but little do they know about the true reason why their thoughts are connected.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

It turns out that Hajime and Tsugumi were the descendant of a man named Sentaro Shibata. Sentaro and Ai were very close friends and were cousins. Because of Ai's powers, she was hated and feared among the villagers in the village that they lived in. When it was time to sacrifice a seven year old child for the mountain god, Ai was chosen. Sentaro was enraged when he knew she was to be sacrificed to the mountain god, and argued that she was chosen on purpose because of her powers. Therefore, he and Ai's parents decided to hide her instead. This went perfectly well for about 6 years but during those years, there was a great famine and the villagers were terrified. They thought that the mountain god was angry at them.

Then the terrible day arrived. While Ai and Sentaro were having fun in the water, the village men that had bullied Ai in the past caught them and brought them to the village. They tied up Ai and her parents and knocked them out. After that, they threw them in a pit and forced Sentaro to bury them as repentance. Ai was conscious at this time and felt betrayed by him, as he has sworn to protect her. As he ran away from the confusion, the villagers buried Ai.

After Ai was buried, Sentaro woke one night, and went in the fields for a walk. When he returned, he saw the whole village burning and in the fire was Ai, singing a song they used to sing (it was cute when they sang it but scary when she sings it in this scene) while setting the houses on fire. Out of insanity and guilt, Sentaro ran away. He grew up in regret of what he did and built a temple as a sign of his regret. He opened a candy store named Shibataya that sells a black candy that he and his descendants and other owners of the store send to the temple as an offering.

Having failed to directly kill Hajime and Tsugumi, Ai escaped her punishment to be sent to hell by the spider and decided to settle the score by having Tsugumi send her father to hell. After showing how her mother died and her father's denial of his responsibility, Tsugumi was left shaken and unsure. While Ai kept pressing her on to pull the string, Hajime was trapped in Ai's world but was able to escape thanks to Ai's grandmother who let him out for an exchange (whatever the exchange actually was was never shown). Hajime then arrived just in time for another trip to the past. This time, he admitted his faults and told Tsugumi to pull the string. This angered Tsugumi not because of what Hajime did but because that his acceptance to be sent to hell inferred that he did not value their moments together which is the thing that Tsugumi truly values. She threw her arms around her father and told him that she was happy being with him and that even if it was hard to be without a mother, she was able to make it though because him and after a few more tearful moments, she returned the straw doll back to Ai and said she didn't need it. Tsugumi then explained how Sentaro was very regretful of what he did and built the temple as a sign of regret but after hearing of this, she incinerated the temple either as a way of letting go of her grudge (in this case, the destruction of the temple would symbolize Sentaro's release from his regret) or as a sign that she would not forgive Sentaro despite all that he did to show his regret (the destruction of the temple in this case would symbolize the refusal of Sentaro's apology). The season ends with Hajime and Tsugumi going back to normality and Ai continuing what she's been doing for centuries - sending people to hell.

Spoilers end here.

In the beginning of season 2, there is a mysterious girl who shows up in glimpses during the first episode that has a kimono similar to Ai's and seems to smile after the people that make the covenant review their situation, as in episode 1 where she appears just after Ai walks away and smiles maniacilly. After episode 4 the girls's name is revealed to be Kikuri.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Main Characters

Enma Ai (閻魔あい )?, (Seiyū: Mamiko Noto)
The main character of the series. With long, flowing hair and red eyes, she is a spiritual entity with a tragic past, she lives in a world of perpetual twilight with her grandmother, and is the one who receives and delivers vengeance on her clients' behalf. She normally wears a black seifuku, or sailor uniform, but always wears a flowery kimono when delivering the vengeance of a client. Enma Ai started her career as the Hell Girl by her own act of vengeance on the villagers who sentenced her to a sacrificial death; her task of fulfilling other people's vengeance and ferrying people to Hell is her punishment. A task which she has performed for the better part of 400 years. Although this task is presented as atonement, it is unknown whether she will ever be freed of it. Since she has done this for so long, she initially seemed to have become emotionless, numbed, as it is shown by her expressionless face. Wanyuudou noted she still had feelings, though, although she did not express them strongly, and it was later revealed that Ai had been ordered to close her heart by the Spider. The experiences she has with the Shibatas first reawoke her discontent with her terrible fate and later apparently reawoke other emotions, or at least Ai's ability to express them. Before meeting the Shibatas, it was even possible that Ai had managed to suppress memories of her own grudge and past. When enraged, Ai demonstrates the power to hurl great blasts of energy, as well as the power to create elaborate illusions and teleport others and herself.
Ichimoku Ren (一目連 )?, (Seiyū: Masaya Matsukaze)
An assistant of Enma Ai who appears to be a handsome young man with one eye covered by hair. He can manifest a single, very large eye that can be directed anywhere, allowing him to see inside of a building through walls. This manifests as an eye on a wall etc. The large eye can also be used as a weapon, by projecting intense flashes of light. When so required, Ichimoku Ren becomes the blue straw doll by kissing a pendant he wears around his neck. Sometimes referred to as "Moku". He, along with Hone-onna and Wanyuudo, was saved from going into Hell by Ai. There is a glimpse into his past in season two, though all that is seen is a woman and a katana.
Hone Onna (骨女 )?, (Seiyū: Takako Honda)
Assistant of Enma Ai, and appears to be a beautiful woman in a kimono with its obi tied in front--the trademark of a prostitute. She becomes the red straw doll when necessary by tossing her red obi strap over her neck. Hone Onna, along with Ichimoku Ren, researches the people who make a contract and the ones they have a grudge against. Hone Onna usually infiltrates human society in casual clothing to investigate cases. On certain occasions, she uses throwing knives as weapons; Hone Onna is apparently extremely skilled with these weapons. These knives seem to carry some mystic charge, since they can be used to quickly dispatch supernatural enemies. Hone Onna also seems to have some skill as a contortionist, which allows her to squeeze into very small places. Getting out of those same places, however, is an area she is less talented in. Hone Onna seems to suffer from mild vanity; she can be quite offended when she is addressed as obaasan ('old lady' or 'auntie'; a Japanese form of address for any woman of middle age and above). She can expose the bones in her body, scaring the target of the grudge; the name Hone Onna actually means bone woman. In episode 8 of Futakomori she jokingly reveals that she is "200 years old".
Wanyuudou (輪入道 )?, (Seiyū: Takayuki Sugo)
Assistant of Enma Ai, who becomes the black straw doll with a red string around its neck which is very obvious why he wears a red scarf in human form. He also frequently takes the form of a burning wheel on Ai's coach when she goes to the human world to claim a soul. The coach incidentally bears the same black flame-crest that appears on the chest of those people who contract with the Hell Girl. At all other times, Wanyuudou appears as an older man whose eyes remain mostly shut, wearing a fisherman's hat and fairly old-fashioned Japanese clothing. Despite appearing quite mild-mannered at most times, Wanyuudou possesses considerable skills in martial arts. Wanyuudou's name means "A wheel entering the road" a reference to the flaming wheel form he most commonly assumes.
Ai's Grandmother (あいの祖母 Ai no Sobo)?, (Seiyū: Eriko Matsushima)
Never actually seen in the series, she is always spinning thread in her room, and occasionally talks to Ai and gives her advice. She never talks to anybody but Ai, with the exception of talking to Hajime once as a deal for her to get him out of captivity for a favor.
The Spider (あいの祖母 Ai no Sobo)?, (Seiyū: Hidekatsu Shibata)
An oddly-coloured spider with three eyes upon its back, which appears in the sunset world where Ai and her assistants reside between assignments. The spider is probably the same creature as the giant jellyfish-like entity which watches whenever Ai ferries a soul to Hell. It speaks with the voice of a man and is apparently Ai's superior, having been the one to pronounce sentence on her after she killed the people of her village. It claims to be holding the souls of Ai's loved ones - namely her parents - hostage against her good behaviour; if Ai did not do the job she was given, they would wander for eternity. The spider at one time demonstrates an ability to pilot the ferryboat to Hell and tries to restrain Ai, but she appears to be too strong for it to hold her without her consent. The spider is not liked or trusted by Ai's assistants, with whom it in turn does not speak.

[edit] Season One Only

Hajime Shibata (柴田 一 Shibata Hajime)?, (Seiyū: Yuji Ueda)
A former journalist who now earns money by blackmailing celebrities with evidence of their scandals. He began to investigate Jigoku Tsuushin merely out of interest, but becomes more heavily involved once he realizes that it's more than just a rumor and people are actually being dragged into Hell. Furthermore, his daughter Tsugumi seems to have a mysterious connection with Enma Ai that allows her to see anything significant that Ai sees.
Tsugumi Shibata (柴田つぐみ Shibata Tsugumi)?, (Seiyū: Nana Mizuki)
Hajime's daughter. Even though he's her father, she always refers to him as "Hajime-chan." She saw Ai one day and has had a mysterious connection ever since. At first, she reports everything she sees through Ai to Hajime, but as the series progresses, she becomes more reluctant to do so as she begins to disagree with her father on whether they should try to stop Ai or not. She appears strong and sassy on the outside but is actually very vulnerable and confused on the inside.
Ayumi Shibata (柴田あゆみ Shibata Ayumi)?, (Seiyū: Hitomi Nabatame)
Hajime's dead wife. Hajime devoted more time to his work than to his family and in her loneliness, she had an affair with a politician that Hajime happened to be spying on. Because of that incident, he cast her out of the house and forbade her from ever seeing Tsugumi. However, just a few moments later, she got into a car accident and died. Tsugumi keeps her mother's earrings as a memento. Hajime loves her very much, and regrets not forgiving her because he believes she would be alive if he did.

[edit] Season Two Only

Kikuri (きくり) (Seiyū: Kanako Sakai?)
An enigmatic little girl introduced in season two. Little is known about her except the fact she is not an ordinary human as she can wander freely between the mortal plane and Ai's house, sometimes interfering with her and her associates' job.

[edit] Anime

The Jigoku Shōjo anime series was produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen. Directed by Takahiro Omori, the first season spanned 26 episodes and premiered across Japan on Animax between October 4, 2005, and April 4, 2006. The series' second season, Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori (地獄少女 二籠?), premiered from October 7, 2006 across Japan on Animax. The first season of the series also received its international premieres across Animax's various worldwide networks from October 2006.

[edit] Episodes

First season:

Episode Number Title in English Title in Japanese Air Date
(Y/M/D)
1 From the Other Side of Twilight 夕闇の彼方より 2005-10-04
2 Entranced Girl 魅入られた少女 2005-10-11
3 Blemished Mound 汚れたマウンド 2005-10-18
4 Inaudible Scream 聞こえぬ叫び声 2005-10-25
5 Woman of the Tall Tower 高い塔の女 2005-11-01
6 Early Afternoon Window 昼下がりの窓 2005-11-08
7 Cracked Mask ひびわれた仮面 2005-11-15
8 Quiet Acquaintance 静寂の交わり 2005-11-22
9 Sweet Trap 甘い罠 2005-11-29
10 Friends トモダチ 2005-12-06
11 Torn Thread 千切れた糸 2005-12-13
12 Spilling Fragments 零れたカケラ達 2005-12-20
13 Purgatory Girl 煉獄少女 2005-12-27
14 Across the Blind Alley 袋小路の向こう 2006-01-03
15 Woman of the Island 島の女 2006-01-17
16 Night of the Travelling Entertainer 旅芸人の夜 2006-01-24
17 Glass Scenery 硝子ノ風景 2006-01-31
18 Bound Girl 縛られた少女 2006-02-07
19 Bride Doll 花嫁人形 2006-02-14
20 Hell Girl vs. Hell Boy 地獄少女 対 地獄少年 2006-02-21
21 Kind Neighbor 優しい隣人 2006-02-28
22 Rain of Regret 悔恨の雨 2006-03-07
23 Hospital Ward's Light 病棟の光 2006-03-14
24 Twilight Home 夕暮れの里 2006-03-21
25 Hell Girl 地獄少女 2006-03-28
26 Basting かりぬい 2006-04-04

Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori (second season) - in progress:

Episode Number Title in English Title in Japanese Air Date
(Y/M/D)
1 The Girl Within Darkness 闇の中の少女 2006-10-07
2 Froth うたかた 2006-10-14
3 Beloved Kei-chan 愛しのけいちゃん 2006-10-21
4 Secret 秘密 2006-10-27
5 Rampage to Hell 地獄への暴走 2006-11-04
6 The Place Where the Sun Shines 陽のあたる場所 2006-11-11
7 Bonds 絆 2006-11-18
8 Fake Hell Communication 偽地獄通信 2006-11-25
9 Elder Brother, Younger Sister あにいもうと 2006-12-02
10 Anna Sone's Wet Holiday 曽根アンナの濡れた休日 2006-12-09
11 The Distant Adjacent Room 遠い隣室 2006-12-16
12 Black Furrow 黒の轍 2006-12-23
13 The Calm Lake Shore 静かな湖畔 2006-12-30
14 Tragedy of V Vの惨劇 2007-01-06
15 For This Country この国のために 2007-01-13
16 A Wicked Woman's Desire 悪女志願 2007-01-20

[edit] Music

The music for the first season of Jigoku Shōjo was composed by Yasuharu Takanashi, while the music for second season will be composed by Takanashi and Hiromi Mizutani.

[edit] Theme songs

First season
Opening theme:
Sakasama no Chō (逆さまの蝶? lit. The Inverted Butterfly)
Ending theme:
Karinui (かりぬい? lit. Basting)
  • Performance Mamiko Noto
  • Arrangement and composition: Masara Nishida
  • Lyrics: Hitomi Mieno
Jigoku Shoujo Futakomori (second season)
Opening theme:
NightmaRe
Ending theme:
Aizome (あいぞめ? lit. Indigo Dye)
  • Performance: Mamiko Noto

[edit] OST

The first original soundtrack for the Jigoku Shōjo anime series was released on January 25, 2006. The second original soundtrack for the series was released on April 19, 2006.

Jigoku Shōjo Original Soundtrack

Track Number Japanese Title Translated Title
1 焦燥 Impatience
2 悪意 Malice
3 影差して Differing
4 蜘蛛と老婆と少女 The Spider and the Crone and the Girl
5 地獄通信 Hell Communication
6 少女降臨 Advent of the Girl
7 三藁捜査線 Three Straw Investigation Line
8 真昼の太陽 Midday Sun
9 いじめ Bullying
10 朱(あけ)に染まる To Be Dyed Red
11 父と娘 Father and Daughter
12 復讐の行方 Direction of Revenge
13 あたたかいもの Something Warm
14 芝居 Theatrical Play
15 うつろな穴 Empty Pit
16 覚悟 Determination
17 地獄流し Hell Flow
18 満ちていく闇 Brimming Darkness
19 哀れな影 Miserable Shadow
20 暗黒イリュージョン Dark Illusion
21 地獄ロック Hell Rock
22 地獄の川流れ Carried Away by Hell's Current
23 優しい気持ち Kind Feelings
24 かりぬい(フルバージョン) Basting (Full Version)

Jigoku Shōjo Original Soundtrack II

Track Number Japanese Title Translated Title
1 逢魔が時 Dusk
2 依頼人 Client
3 想い出 Recollection
4 袋小路 Blind Alley
5 憎悪 Hatred
6 柴田走る The Shibatas Run
7 逡巡 Hesitation
8 幸せ Happiness
9 狂い出した歯車 Gears that Began to go Mad
10 せつない思い Painful Thoughts
11 地獄の仕事人 Worker of Hell
12 三藁熱血篇 Three Straw Hotblooded Chapter
13 一目連 Ichimokuren
14 火車 Fiery Cart
15 骨女 Hone Onna
16 満月 Full Moon
17 廃屋 Abandoned House
18 地獄ワルツ Hell Waltz
19 六道郷 Six After-death Worlds
20 地獄少年 Hell Boy
21 刻まれる音 Engraving Sound
22 火焔 Flames
23 迷妄の果て Edge of Delusion
24 桜吹雪 Raging Snowstorm
25 地獄少女 Hell Girl
26 さくらうた Sakura Song

[edit] Manga

The Jigoku Shōjo anime series was later adapted into a manga, which featured art by Miyuki Etoo. It has been serialized in Kodansha's Nakayoshi manga magazine since October 2005.

[edit] Live action

The Jigoku Shōjo live action television drama series premiered across Japan on Nippon Television from November 4th and is set to air 12 half-hour episodes. The director for the series is Makoto Naganuma. The theme song for the series is Dream Catcher by OLIVIA.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Episodes

Episode Number Title in English Title in Japanese Air Date
(Y/M/D)
1 Cracked Time ひび割れた時間 2006-11-04
2 The Boy in the Box 箱の中の少年 2006-11-11

[edit] References

  1. ^ Animax's featured lineup of October (Japanese)
  2. ^ Nippon Television official website

[edit] External links

[edit] Official sites

[edit] References

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