I think at this point in my life, everyone knows I’m a pretty big fan of anime. Whether it be more on the wholesome side with shows such as Spy x Family, or anime that have truly broken my heart into a million, trillion different pieces, like Attack on Titan, there’s so much to love about this genre of animation. And in 2023, there’s plenty of new anime to look forward to, but one I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did was Hell’s Paradise.
The anime started releasing back in April 2023, and has only since been a mainstay on Crunchyroll since its first episode. While I knew the series was created by MAPPA, one of the studios that has created some of my favorite anime of the last year, I didn’t know if I’d be into a show called Hell’s Paradise. It felt like more of an oxymoron than anything else.
But I decided to give it a shot and dug deeper – and wow, I’m not going to lie, this anime blew my mind more than I expected it to – and I have to talk about it.
The Story Is Really Unlike Any Other Anime Out There Right Now
Again, I was not expecting much going into this show. I knew that it was going to be a more intense anime judging from the trailer, but I didn’t know just how deep I was going to feel the story deep in my bones. Now being several episodes in, this show just keeps finding new ways to surprise me.
It starts off with our main character, Gabimaru, who is known to be an elite shinobi assassin and is supposedly able to kill anyone and anything without feeling anything – hence his nickname that he has been given, “The Hollow.” Gabimaru is intensely strong, and throughout the first episode, we see people try to kill him in several different fashions, but even though he claims he is empty on the inside and emotionless, he just won’t die.
Enter Sagiri, an executioner from the Yamada clan who is rare for her kind, as she is a woman in a man’s occupation. She is hired to recruit Gabimaru for the shogun, who wants to use wanted criminals in a quest to travel to a dangerous island that is rumored to contain the Elixir of Life.
From there, we watch this interesting dynamic play out between the two of them, and while I honestly expected Hell’s Paradise to be like any other dark anime out there that messes with your mind, it surprisingly has so much heart and makes every episode not only stand out on its own, but further enhance the characters as time goes on.
You would never expect a show that’s surrounding traveling to an island full of monsters and terrifying creatures to be filled to the brim with enriching characters, amazing animation and so much more, but Hell’s Paradise has that – and I’m a huge fan as the story only gets more intense as time goes on.
Gabimaru May Be Deadly – But He’s Not Impossible To Relate To
Here’s the thing with anime – sometimes, the protagonists might be hard to relate to. There are a few that I’m sure we can all think of off the top of our heads. I could bring up Denji from Chainsaw Man and how normal of a man he is with his desires (besides the Chainsaw Devil within him). Or I could sway all the way in the entire direction and pick someone very sweet and kind, such as Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service.
Sometimes there are just protagonists that are impossible to follow because they annoy you so much, or they’re truly just the worst people around. Light from Death Note is a good one I can think of. They may be powerful, but man, they are not relatable.
But Gabimaru is like the perfect combination of both. The man is powerful as hell, and has kicked off several people’s heads with literally just a kick and barely broken a sweat. He was trained to kill and to be emotionless. However, behind his stoic gaze, there is a lot that is relatable about him.
While I’m pretty sure all of us in his situation would most likely not play it as cool as he does in taking down literal monsters, I think we can all agree that his sole driving force is what we can relate to – wanting to get back to someone he loves. That is what makes him so different – that even though he’s a killer, he is doing all of this to get back to the one person he truly feels a connection with so he doesn’t lose it – that fear and anxiety hit me hard because it’s not like I wouldn’t do the same.
And Sagiri Is Truly One Of The Best Female Anime Characters
There are plenty of great female characters in anime that are iconic to this day. Mikasa Ackerman from Attack on Titan is badass in her own right. Sailor Moon is iconic in many ways for her anime. Heck, you could even count Chihiro from Spirited Away as one because that movie is so iconic.
There’s just something about Sagiri that makes her better than all the rest for me, though. It is so rare in many anime that I have watched to see a female character so openly speak about her mental health regarding her past, as well as how her role is gendered within the show. Her determination, strength and wit are unlike any other present-day anime character that I have witnessed, and that’s just something I love about her.
While she’s willing to follow the rules for the sake of her job, to prove herself, this show is all about her and Gabimaru’s journey. While he is learning to slowly trust more people in order to return home to his wife, including this growing partnership with Sagiri, she is moving in the opposite direction – that in dire situations, it’s ok to break a few rules, which has gone against her principle in the past. But she recognizes that now is the time to change in order to survive, and she does it despite her doubts.
I don’t know, it’s just refreshing to see a female anime character that has so much depth to who she is and the core of her being, and I love her so much.
The Animation Is Freaking Beautiful
MAPPA has truly stepped it up in its animation game, because Hell’s Paradise is really on another level. I knew MAPPA has some serious talent – not only has it done all of Attack on Titan Season 4, but it’s also done shows such as Jujutsu Kaisen (and its movie), Chainsaw Man, Kakegurui and more. But this show really just showed out what they can do if MAPPA is given a budget.
This show is so wonderfully animated with its fight sequences. The island of Shinsenkyō is beautifully terrifying, and the monsters on it are even better – but we’ll get into that in the next section.
I don’t think it beats out Demon Slayer Season 3 for its animation, but it’s up there this year for some of the best anime sequences I’ve seen on television. I love it.
The Monsters Are Also Effectively Terrifying
Look, this is coming from someone who has seen so many amazing horror movies and horror TV shows, and whose favorite anime television series is Attack on Titan, where humanoid monsters rule that world. It’s hard to make me get skeeved out in my seat.
But Hell’s Paradise easily achieved that the first time we see those terrifying monsters and demons rolling around that island. Not only do they all have disgusting human faces which makes them even worse, but some of them are made to look like bugs which is so disgusting. And the giant ones are literally horrible to think about.
I need my own Gabimaru in that scenario because there is no way I’ve been able to survive all that.
Hell’s Paradise is certainly going to end up being one of the best anime of 2023 by the end of the year, and if you haven’t gotten the chance to watch it yet, seriously, go check it out. You won’t regret it.