After having faced more peer pressure than I ever have to read Hell's Paradise, I finally gave in. And you know what, no matter what criticism about it I point out throughout this review, I actually had a blast reading it. It's one of those series that's so bizarre, you overlook the flaws on your initial read.
A bunch of criminals are dumped on an island with their samurai supervisors, to look for the elixir of life. Where do we go from there? Well, we establish our main characters of course! The MC Gabimaru is initially presented as hollow, and it's made out to be a pretty big deal. Only for him to do a 180 in like 3 chapters because he..loves his wife? Don't get me wrong, on its own, that's a great idea. I just felt like more flashbacks of his time with Yui(his wife) and perhaps more of his inner thoughts were needed. I found it hard to believe he's that head over heels for her so early in the story. Kaku later fixes that problem, by making him talk more about her and showing us more of their time together, but to me, it came off as an “Oh I screwed up let's fix it!”.
Once the story really settles, there's a wonderful set of characters. Distinct personalities, fun designs, and interactions. My favorites ended up being Yuzuriha, Gabimaru, and Chobe. A kunoichi that has tricked people so much she can't even trust others, a cold-blooded killer with a soft spot, and an angry but smart meathead? Sign me up! Aside from these three, Sagiri really stood out to me. Not because I liked her character arc that much, but because Yuji Kaku devoted himself to writing a good female lead. This should be the norm but it's not, so I wanna praise him for it. She's strong but allowed to be vulnerable. She didn't fall in love with Gabimaru either, which is a well-known cliche in this kind of story(In fact if I had to pick a love interest for her, it would be Yuzuriha. So much chemistry!). The main message of Jigokuraku is that weakness and strength are very interconnected, one can't exist without the other, and I think out of the whole cast, Sagiri embodied that the most.
The way the characters began to slowly care about each other, reminded me so much of the first Guardians Of The Galaxy movie. Timeless trope, that was executed really well here. Whenever they would help or work together with the person they were ready to kill some chapters ago, it made me smile.
The antagonists in this series..well they certainly were there! Honestly, they managed to not leave an impression at all, I can't recall any of their individual names besides Rien. Nothing that special visually, almost non-existent motivations(and the one that did have a motive, had a beyond stupid motive). The Tensen are definitely not going into my top villain groups list. I gotta admit that they're pretty cool when they turn into monsters though.
The pacing was great, aside from the last arc. I felt like it was dragging out. Also couldn't see the point in introducing Shugen? He was annoying and did not contribute much, but that could just be me.
Hell's Paradise is a stunning series. Yuji Kaku took unconventional horror to the next level. I might actually be scared of flowers now. The island looked terrifying, and at the same time had something beautiful about it. Truly, hell in paradise. I also love the way Kaku colors his spreads. There's something special about them, maybe it's in the way he shades.
Its other strength is fight choreography. As someone whose favorite series doesn't really shine in that department, I appreciate it. Any fight involving the ninja Gabimaru and Yuzuriha was a pleasure to read. I've been watching Naruto for several months now, but the characters there just don't measure up to Gabimaru and Yuzuriha. These two definitely feel more like “real” ninja.
Hell's Paradise was a letdown because I went into it with too high expectations. It's not the second coming of age, but it's still an awesome series that is a must-read. Looking forward to more Yuji Kaku craziness in his new series Ayashimon!