Studio MAPPA and Twin Engine’s Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2 returns with direction by Kaori Makita, scriptwriting by Akira Kindaichi, composition by Yoshiaki Dewa, and character design by Akitsugu Hisagi. The story continues to follow the ninja Gabimaru and executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri as they search for the Elixir of Life, and a way off the dangerous island of Shinsenkyo/Kotaku. The season adapts the manga’s “Lord Tensen” and “Hōrai” story arcs, covering the 6th to 9th volumes.
Storywise, this season was filled with grand schemes and political intrigue from both sides—the Yamada Asaemon and prisoners, and the Tensen. While there were a lot of dynamic fights throughout the season, there was a lot of lore or world-building dumped. The primary element that almost every character discussed throughout the second season was the use of Tao. This concept that the Tensen use Tao was introduced in the latter half of Season 1.
“Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2 was an impressive follow-up to Season 1, ambitiously expanding the lore and offering some exciting fights.”
The explanation of Tao was simple enough, with the visuals and explanation that basically boiled down to Pokémon strengths and weaknesses, with a mix of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The same could be said about the explanation of how Yin and Yang account for why each Tensen member has a female and a male figure. It was funny when the bricks-for-brains swordsman, Tamiya Gantetsusai, flat-out said he was confused by all the talk of Tao.
The five elements in both real Taoism and in Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku are wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. The characters in Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2 explained that everyone represented one of those five elements, including the Tensen, which meant there was a counter for everybody. For example, the most obvious would be that someone with a fire affinity would be weak against someone with a water affinity. It was simple enough to understand, just confusing to remember which character represents which element, while the fights happened unless the characters mentioned it.
The pacing was slightly slow in the first four or five episodes, as Gabimaru, Sagiri, and the remaining survivors essentially had a mini training montage—along with all the Tao exposition. But by Episode 6, the heist-like atmosphere ramped back up the pacing. Other than the animation and art style staying consistent with Season 1, the colouring and composition stood out to me the most this season. Of course, anytime Gabimaru uses his flame ninjutsu is always a treat to flash across my screen because of the mixed coloured design versus simple orange-and-yellow fire.
The way the muted colouring of the characters and human architecture allows the flowers of all the Tensen, Doshi, Soshi and natural environments of the island to stand out makes all of these characters and settings vibrant and beautiful. The colouring technique was also a standout in Season 1, but Season 2 refined it by making everything else a little more washed out.
If I am not mistaken, the hard, dark lines around many of the characters’ attacks also helped create a cleaner visual aesthetic because the colours within these black lines were more pronounced. The animators and compositors who worked on the line shading this season went into overdrive. I loved it when a character was distraught or disappointed, and the hard, dark black lines streaked across their face, a similar style used in Attack on Titan when MAPPA took over production.
On the composition side, I continue to like it when MAPPA uses different aspect ratios, vignettes, blurred edges, and graininess to emphasize flashbacks or a cinematic moment for a character, whether that is a character fighting on the brink of death or making a long speech/monologue. Utilizing all of these techniques sold the emotions with technical intention.
“Season 2 refined it by making everything else a little more washed out.”
The only other unignorable critique I had for Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2 was how the general world felt a little too similar to Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba. The Tensen are a group of super-strong evolved beings similar to the Twelve Kizuki. Some of the Tensen have backstories in the same way the demons Tanjiro Kamado slays get their whole backstories told, and the Tensen have a base called Renten Palace, while the Twelve Kizuki have the Infinity Castle. There was even a Tensen made up of twins, which was very reminiscent of the Daki and Gyutaro fight in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba’s Entertainment District arc.
As there are only 13 volumes of the manga, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2 is probably setting up a final season or movie to finish the rest of the story. The first 10 episodes felt like the show was getting into the weeds of everyone’s backstories and laying the foundation for a final showdown. The last two episodes truly showed the chaos, with three separate parties at odds with one another. Whether Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 3 or a final movie concludes this story, the final fights and grand plans will surely be entertaining to watch.
Overall, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Season 2 was an impressive follow-up to Season 1, ambitiously expanding the lore and offering some exciting fights. If next season marks the end of this series, I would not be angry, based on the way events unfolded in Season 2. But if Gabimaru does not get to see his wife again, there may be a riot!
