Hell's Paradise (TV series)

Last updated

Hell's Paradise
Jigokuraku Key Visual.png
Genre
Based on Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku
by Yuji Kaku
Written byAkira Kindaichi
Directed byKaori Makita
Voices of
Music by Yoshiaki Dewa  [ ja ]
Opening theme"Work" by Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade  [ ja ]
Ending theme"Kamihitoe" by Uru
Country of originJapan
Original languageJapanese
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes13 (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerNozomi Ishii
Animator MAPPA
Production company Twin Engine
Original release
Network TXN (TV Tokyo)
ReleaseApril 1, 2023 (2023-04-01) –
present

Hell's Paradise [a] is a Japanese anime television series based on the Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku manga series by Yuji Kaku. The anime was directed by Kaori Makita, animated by MAPPA and produced by Twin Engine. The story follows ninja Gabimaru and executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri as they search for the elixir of life.

Contents

The first season consisted of 13 episodes and ran from April to July 2023, on the TX Network of TV Tokyo. A second season was announced after the airing of the thirteenth episode. It is set to premiere in January 2026, with the cast and staff returning to their roles. Crunchyroll streamed the series internationally outside of Asia, while Netflix broadcast it in the Asia-Pacific.

Plot

The story follows ninja Gabimaru being sentenced to execution, but nothing seems to kill him due to his superhuman body. Believing his love for his wife to be subconsciously keeping him alive, executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri offers him the chance to be pardoned of all crimes by the Shogunate if he finds the elixir of life on Shinsenkyo, a legendary realm recently discovered southwest of the Ryukyu Kingdom. After losing five expedition teams sent to the island, this time the Shogunate sends a group of death row convicts. The convicts are each given a Yamada Asaemon executioner, who they must return with in order to obtain the pardon.

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
1 13April 1, 2023 (2023-04-01)July 1, 2023 (2023-07-01)
2 TBAJanuary 2026 (2026-01)TBA

Cast and characters

CharacterJapaneseEnglish
Gabimaru (画眉丸) Chiaki Kobayashi [3] Alejandro Saab [4]
Sagiri (佐切) Yumiri Hanamori [3] Marisa Duran [4]
Yuzuriha (杠) Rie Takahashi [3] Jill Harris [4]
Aza Chōbei (亜左 弔兵衛) Ryōhei Kimura [3] Nazeeh Tarsha [4]
Tamiya Gantetsusai (民谷 巌鉄斎) Tetsu Inada [3] Phil Parsons
Nurugai (ヌルガイ) Makoto Koichi [5] Cassie Ewulu [4]
Rokurota (六呂田)Hinata Tadokoro [6] Ray Hurd [7]
Tōma (桐馬) Kensho Ono [3] Matt Shipman [4]
Fuchi (付知) Aoi Ichikawa [3] Justin Briner
Shion (士遠) Chikahiro Kobayashi [5] Reagan Murdock [4]
Senta (仙汰) Daiki Yamashita [5] Jordan Dash Cruz [4]
Shugen (殊現) Ryōta Suzuki [8] —
Jikka (ジッカ) Kōji Yusa [9]
Isuzu (威鈴) Sayaka Ohara [9]
Kiyomaru (清丸) Maaya Uchida [9]
Tenza (典坐) Yūsuke Kobayashi [5] Ben Balmaceda [4]
Eizen (衛善) Makoto Furukawa [10] Cody Savoie
Kishō (期聖) Shun'ichi Toki [10] Bradley Gareth
Genji (源嗣)Volcano Ōta [10] Gabe Kunda
Lord Tensen (てんせん様) Junichi Suwabe (Yang form), [11] Yūko Kaida (Yin form) [11] Ian Sinclair (Yang Form), [7] Michelle Rojas (Yin Form) [7]
Mei (メイ) Konomi Kohara [11] Macy Anne Johnson [7]
Hōko (木人) Chō [6] Jim Foronda [7]
Iwagakure Chief (石隠衆長 おさ) Mugihito [6] Bill Jenkins [7]
Yui (ユイ) Mamiko Noto [10] Skyler McIntosh [7]

Release

Season 1

In November 2022, Crunchyroll had announced an anime adaption for Yuji Kaku's manga series Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku . [12] The first season was produced by Twin Engine and MAPPA and directed by Kaori Makita. With Akira Kindaichi writing the scripts, Koji Hisaki designing the characters, and Yoshiaki Dewa composing the music. [13] [14]

Season 2

Following the first season's finale, a sequel later to be revealed as a second season was announced. [15] [16] Returning director Kaori Makita is set to direct the season, with Yoshiaki Dewa returning as the composer. [17]

International release and distribution

The anime series was announced in late 2022. Crunchyroll had streamed the series internationally outside of Asia, while Netflix broadcast the series in Asia Pacific, excluding Mainland China and New Zealand. [9] [12]

The first season consisted of 13 episodes and ran from April to July 2023, having aired on the TX Network of TV Tokyo. [9] A second season was announced after the airing of the thirteenth episode. [18] [19] It is set to premiere in January 2026, [20] [21] with the cast and staff returning to their roles. [9] [22]

Music

The music for the series was composed by Yoshiaki Dewa  [ ja ] and the first original soundtrack album was released digitally on July 19, 2023. [23] The opening theme song is "Work", performed by Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade  [ ja ], while the ending theme song is " Kamihitoe " (紙一重), performed by Uru. [24] [14]

Reception

Critical reception

Digital Spy 's Ali Griffiths described in his review of the series' premiere that the series makes up a group affectionately known as the "dark trio of shōnen " by anime fans along with Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man due to their similar tone and themes, especially compared with their peppier peers. Ali praised the show's character-building, action, animation, visuals, humor, and the handling of Gabimaru's versions of his story which tells about "how he's feeling and what he wishes he'd done differently". He felt that some fans might found that the opening episode of the series was a little slow, but stating that "the way it centers the backstory of its protagonist and immediately emphasises the relationship between Gabimaru and Sagiri is emblematic of the kind of character-first action show they're hoping it will be." [25]

MrAJCosplay of Anime News Network reviewed the first three episodes of the series. While praising the anime for its colors, sound design and animation, he considered Sagiri's character as "strong" and endeared on how she can see right through Gabimaru's façade. He felt that "her decision regarding walking down the path of an executioner and characterization as a stickler for the rules wasn't the direction he expected the show to go." Her introduction in episodes two and three was considered to be a "little inconsistent", although he needs more time to root her. He also noting that Gabimaru was one of his favorite characters, while he found the character's backstory as "sweet" due to the subversion of his mentality. [26]

Adi Tantimedh of Bleeding Cool in his review of the first two episodes gave them a 8/10, feeling that they had a "stylish opening chapter to a brutal, bloody journey of death and redemption as a ninja is forced to take a suicide mission to find the elixir of eternal life, melding the samurai saga with a supernatural thriller drawing from Japanese folklore." [27] While Den of Geek 's Daniel Kurland would rate the first episode of 4 out 5, wrting "quite the bloody affair and is absolutely obsessed with death. That being said, this is far from a callous series. If anything Hell's Paradise doesn't criticize this brutal behavior, but rather emphasizes how there's a right and wrong way to slice off a head and bathe in blood." [28]

Accolades

The series ranked third in the anime category of Yahoo! Japan Search Awards, based on the number of searches for a particular term compared to the year before. [29] The series was nominated at the 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in eight categories: Best New Series, Best Fantasy, Best Art Direction (e-caesar), Best Character Design (Kouji Hisaki), Best Opening Sequence and Best Anime Song ("Work" by Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade), Best Voice Artist Performance – English (Marisa Duran as Yamada Asaemon Sagiri), and Best Voice Artist Performance – French (Yoan Sover as Gabimaru). [30] It was also nominated for eight categories, including Anime of the Year at the 10th Anime Trending Awards in the same year. [31]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
2023 Yahoo! Japan Search Awards Anime CategoryHell's Paradise3rd place [29] [32]
2024 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards Best New SeriesNominated [30]
Best Fantasy
Best Art Directione-caesar
Best Character Design Kouji Hisaki
Best Opening Sequence "Work" by Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade  [ ja ]
Best Anime Song
Best Voice Artist Performance (English) Marisa Duran as Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
Best Voice Artist Performance (French) Yoan Sover as Gabimaru
10th Anime Trending AwardsAnime of The YearHell's Paradise [31]
Boy of the Year Gabimaru
Best in Character DesignKoji Hisaki
Opening Theme Song of the Year"Work" by Ringo Sheena and Millennium Parade
Ending Theme Song of the Year"Kamihitoe" by Uru
Action or Adventure Anime of the YearHell's Paradise
Supernatural Anime of the Year
Best Voice Acting Performance – Female Yumiri Hanamori as Yamada Asaemon Sagiri

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 地獄楽, Hepburn: Jigokuraku

References

  1. 1 2 Santilli, Morgana (December 31, 2019). "REVIEW: A shot at redemption comes in HELL'S PARADISE: JIGOKURAKU". Comics Beat . Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ ここは地獄か極楽か。謎の島で繰り広げられるダークファンタジー『地獄楽』の待望の最新刊！. 朝日新聞デジタル＆M（アンド・エム） (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. June 4, 2019. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 18, 2022). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime's New Promo Video Reveals 7 Main Cast Members, April 2023 Debut (Updated)". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Mateo, Alex (April 13, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime Reveals English Dub Cast, Premiere". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Loo, Egan (January 29, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime's New Video Unveils 4 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on January 29, 2023. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023) Japanese Cast". Behind the Voice Actors. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku (2023) English Dub Cast". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on April 1, 2025. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  8. ↑ Cayanan, Joanna (December 17, 2023). "Yūji Kaku's Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Manga Gets 2nd Stage Play in February". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Cayanan, Joanna (September 30, 2025). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2's 1st Promo Video Reveals New Cast". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on September 30, 2025. Retrieved September 30, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Hazra, Adriana (March 20, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime Reveals 3 More Cast Members". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  11. 1 2 3 Hodgkins, Crystalyn (May 14, 2023). "Junichi Suwabe, Yuko Kaida, Konomi Kohara Join Cast of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on May 14, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Cardine, Kyle (November 19, 2022). "Crunchyroll to Stream Hell's Paradise Anime". Crunchyroll. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  13. ↑ Pineda, Rafael (December 19, 2021). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Reveals Anime's Teaser & Visual, Stage Play's Fall 2022 Debut". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on December 19, 2021. Retrieved December 19, 2021.
  14. 1 2 Hodgkins, Crystalyn (April 2, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Reveals Anime's Ending Artist, Manga's New 1-shot". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  15. ↑ John-Day, Michael (July 3, 2023). "Hell's Paradise Anime Gets Second Season". CBR. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  16. ↑ Griffiths, Ali (July 29, 2024). "Hell's Paradise season 2: Everything you need to know". Digital Spy . Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  17. ↑ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 21, 2024). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime's 2nd Season Reveals January 2026 Debut in New Video". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  18. ↑ Don, Kristine (August 9, 2023). "Hell's Paradise Director Kaori Makita on Yuzuriha's Surprising Charm Point and Fighting Censorship". Crunchyroll News . Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  19. ↑ Mateo, Alex (July 1, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime Gets 2nd Season". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  20. ↑ Chapman, Paul (April 1, 2023). "Hell's Paradise TV Anime Season 2 Officially Announced". Crunchyroll News. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  21. ↑ Donohoo, Timothy Blake (April 20, 2025). "Shonen Jump's Most Underrated 'Dark Trio' Anime Is Finally Coming to Hulu". Comic Book Resources . Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  22. ↑ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 21, 2024). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime's 2nd Season Reveals January 2026 Debut in New Video". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on December 21, 2024. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
  23. ↑ TVアニメ「地獄楽」Original Soundtrack (in Japanese). mora. Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  24. ↑ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (February 26, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Anime Reveals Opening Theme Artists, April 1 Debut in New Promo Video". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on February 26, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  25. ↑ Griffiths, Ali (April 1, 2023). "Hell's Paradise episode one puts characters first and earns it's 'dark trio' spot". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on July 14, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  26. ↑ MrAJCosplay (April 20, 2023). "Hell's Paradise: Episodes 1–3". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on May 10, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  27. ↑ Tantimedh, Adi (March 31, 2023). "Hell's Paradise Review: A Stylish Journey of Death & Redemption Begins". Bleeding Cool . Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  28. ↑ Kurland, Daniel (March 31, 2023). "Hell's Paradise Is an Anime Classic in the Making". Den of Geek . Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  29. 1 2 Yahoo!検索大賞アニメ1位は「【推しの子】」 「君たちはどう生きるか」や宮野真守も. Comic Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. December 5, 2023. Archived from the original on December 4, 2023. Retrieved March 1, 2024.
  30. 1 2 Hazra, Adriana (March 2, 2024). "All the Winners of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards 2024". Anime News Network . Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved March 2, 2024.
  31. 1 2 "Results of the 10th Anime Trending Awards". Anime Trending. Archived from the original on March 10, 2024. Retrieved October 8, 2025.
  32. ↑ Komatsu, Mikikazu (December 4, 2023). "Oshi no Ko Ranks First in Yahoo! Japan Search Awards 2023 Anime Category". Crunchyroll News . Retrieved October 8, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.