Trailer for Hell Girl, Volume One:

(no spoilers below, aside from what one could find on the DVD cases)

I received Volume Six (the final volume of the first season) of Hell Girl today. May 20 was the posted release date, but I had pre-ordered it, and I suppose RSI received it early. For those who are into anime, I highly recommend it. I haven't enjoyed a series this much since Cowboy Bebop, which, considering my collection, is saying quite a bit.

The animation is absolutely gorgeous, and the music is great; even the menus are cool. The character interactions and dialogue are realistic, and while Tsugumi Shibata (another seven-year-old girl; not the title character, who's actually hundreds of years old, despite her appearance) does seem a bit precocious at times, it's not enough to make her character unbelievable.

With a few exceptions, most of the characters are adults, so if you've had enough of high school and college age anime characters, this will be a nice change of pace. The series isn't heavy on action, and the plot moves at a slower than normal pace, but it works very well, getting better as it goes along. The series focuses on human beings' inability to forgive and the consequences of revenge, and that's where Hell Girl comes in.

Great stuff! 10/10, five stars, A+, etc.

Rating: TV-MA (not for anyone younger than high school age)