In society, there was a rumor that resembled an urban legend. “If you write your grudge that cannot be cleared on the website ‘Hell Correspondence’ that can only be accessed at midnight, Hell Girl will appear and send the hateful person to hell.” However, that rumor was true.
Immediately after a person with a grudge writes in the ‘Hell Correspondence’, Hell Girl Ai Enma, dressed in a sailor suit with long black hair and red eyes, appears in front of the requester. Ai hands the requester a straw doll, a proof of the contract, and says, “If you untie the red thread around the doll’s neck, the contract will be established, and the hateful person will be sent to hell.” However, she also warns, “As a consequence, you too will suffer eternally in hell after death.”
The requester is forced to make a decision in the midst of conflict, whether to untie the thread and clear their grudge, or reconsider and hold back.
Character
地獄少女プロジェクト『地獄少女』スタジオディーン
地獄少女プロジェクト『地獄少女』スタジオディーン
Ai Enma The protagonist of this work. She is a girl who receives requests to clear unrelenting grudges as Hell Girl. She wears a sailor suit with an old-fashioned design, and changes into a glamorous kimono when she sends people to hell. Originally a human girl, she was betrayed by the person she trusted the most and committed the great sin of burning down the village in hatred. As a result, she was ordered from hell to carry out her duties as Hell Girl.
Ichimokuren One of the three straw dolls serving as Ai’s familiars, he was originally one of the ninety-nine gods of a man-slaying sword. He has a modern, handsome appearance and is a narcissist recognized by himself and others. He was once abandoned on a battlefield and was picked up by Ai, becoming one of her companions ever since. His ability is to be able to see distant rooms and such by projecting his eyes onto walls or ceilings.
地獄少女プロジェクト『地獄少女』スタジオディーン
地獄少女プロジェクト『地獄少女』スタジオディーン
Hone Onna One of the three straw dolls serving as Ai’s familiars, she appears as a sexy, mature woman. Originally, she was a human woman just like Ai, but she was killed in a chain of betrayals. Unable to fully die from hatred, she became a yokai that surprises people, and was picked up by Ai. Her ability is to turn her body into a skeleton, which is mainly used to surprise others.
Wanyudo One of the three straw dolls serving as Ai’s familiars, he is the oldest among the three and has the appearance of a middle-aged man. He is the most senior and also the leader among the three straw dolls. Originally, he was a wheel of a carriage carrying a princess. While trying to escape with the princess, he caused an accident which resulted in the princess’s death. Overwhelmed by guilt, he turned into a yokai and was picked up by Ai. His ability is often to transform into a wheel to transport Ai to her destination.
The charm of this work
If you write your grudge into the Hell Correspondence and make a contract with Hell Girl, you can send the object of your resentment to hell. However, you can only do this once. Moreover, as the saying goes, “When you curse someone, you dig two graves.” After death, you too are destined to go to hell. Such is the nature of the Hell Correspondence, used by a different person each time.
This is the basic flow of the series.
What’s interesting is that everyone has a different reason for using the Hell Correspondence.
There are those who have suffered misfortune and, out of hatred, send their adversaries to hell. Some use it as a result of an unfortunate love affair, using it to commit a lovers’ suicide with the person they adore. There are even instances where someone mistakenly sends another person to hell, or uses it to save a loved one, only to end up hurting that person instead.
It’s not always about “resentment” that leads to sending someone to hell, and many stories end in a bad ending.
In an era where stress-free anime is increasing, the fact that Hell Girl presents us with episodes that leave a “bad aftertaste” is one of its strengths.
