Hell's Paradise Season 1 Limited Edition Blu-ray Review: Packing in Its Best Assets (2024)

With the premiere of Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku season 1 on April 1, 2023, acclaimed studio MAPPA completed its Shōnen Dark Trio alongside Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man adaptations. But of these three anime, Hell's Paradise boasts the most concise and focused plot, along with Yuji Kaku's exceptional artwork amalgamating beauty and terror. With season 2 on the way, Crunchyroll released Hell's Paradise season 1 with a limited-edition Blu-ray & DVD package at the end of Summer 2024 as a mighty incentive for avid anime collectors.

Hell's Paradise separates itself from the Shōnen Dark Trio by being set in an alternate Edo Period-era depiction of Japan as Gabimaru the Hollow joins other death row criminals for a special mission. Unable or unwilling to die by normal means, they're paired with mighty Yamada Asaemon executioners to travel to Shinsenkyō and retrieve the Elixir of Life. The premise creates a self-contained and highly focused plot for Hell's Paradise season 1, giving itself space to introduce characters while pruning those unable to survive carefully.

How Does Hell’s Paradise Stand Out Among the Shōnen Dark Trio?

Beauty and Terror Collide

As the name and overall aesthetic more than suggest, Hell's Paradise stands out against Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man for its vibrant color palette and historically-inspired setting. Unlike the other two anime, which feature a contemporary backdrop, Hell's Paradise doubles down on its gritty, fantastical world. The anime is full of real concepts from shinobi, samurai, and religions like Buddhism and Taoism, far more overt even than Jujutsu Kaisen's symbolism. However, fans will thoroughly appreciate MAPPA's continuous dedication to strong fight choreography and memorable fatalities.

Hell's Paradise is a battle shōnen series, just like the rest of the Dark Trio, but arguably pushes the envelope earlier than Jujutsu Kaisen or Chainsaw Man in terms of mature content. However, despite its source material making bold strides in its depiction of nudity, the anime is distractingly censored in this regard despite also being an incredibly gory anime. The result doesn't take away from the plot. Still, this censorship somewhat undermines the genderfluid depiction of the enigmatic and powerful Tensen villains and the series' topics related to Taoism and sexuality.

But beyond the typical gripes of an imperfect anime adaptation, Hell's Paradise feels remarkably focused on briefing viewers about what they can expect. By the end of season 1, Tao is explored, and a hierarchy of terrifying enemies is discovered, ranging from human-faced insects to anthropomorphic animal titans like sōshins, mōnshins, and more. The series also notably isolates its main cast on a remote island instead of their antics affecting the mainland or large urban areas, at least in season 1, creating a self-contained meat grinder for its main cast.

Hell's Paradise Season 1's Exclusive Content Wisely Showcases Its Best Asset

A Beautiful Anime Deserves Gorgeous Art Books

Despite censored mature content, Hell's Paradise adheres well to the source material with stunning renditions of Yuji Kaku's fantastic art. The lush yet perilous terrain is what stands out the most, with shots from various Shinsenkyō locales across the forests of Eishū, the abandoned villages of Hōjō, and the central Hōrai, home of the Tensen. Hell's Paradise season 1's limited edition wisely includes a 64-page art book featuring these locations and mini-bios of the anime's characters and even teases about their roles in future seasons. With its manga beloved by Yuji Kaku's artwork, this makes a worthy tribute.

The art book is easily the best feature for Hell's Paradise collectors, as it's a vivid realization of Yuji Kaku's methodical and gorgeous scenery and character designs, a trend even in his recent new series. Each character is thoughtfully showcased, with special attention given to more crucial survivors who get more screen time. While the included art cards' featuring the side profiles of characters like Gabimaru, Sagiri, and others can leave something to be desired, the art book indulges fan curiosity about the anime's visuals. However, with Hell's Paradise's particularly memorable strengths, the art book has two key advantages.

The Hell's Paradise season 1 limited edition art book includes fascinating storyboards of the beautiful opening title sequence, frequently considered among the best anime OPs of 2023. The elaborate and mesmerizing visuals, teasing the Tensen's role in the plot and its various characters in action, give a tantalizing glimpse at how the magic is made. The fact that viewers also get glimpses at the storyboards behind episode #1, establishing how Gabimaru rediscovered his will to live while being assigned to Sagiri, is truly exciting. It contributes to an especially strong impression for anime collectors.

Hell's Paradise Season 1 Limited Edition Box Set Is a Stunning Collector's Item

MAPPA's Dark Fantasy Gets a Worthwhile Treatment

While the special features are somewhat sparse on Hell's Paradise season 1's limited edition release, the tangible collectible items, and elegant packaging are especially appreciated. It's a worthy and entertaining omnibus with predictable inclusions like a creditless title sequence feature for those wishing to enjoy the OP in its purest form in perfectly crisp HD. But beyond that, it's an excellent season of television culminating in its convicts and executioners developing awareness of their Tao, with the grand ambitions of Lord Tensen still undiscovered. For any anime collector, its packaging aces the bookshelf spine vibe check.

Like any limited edition, though, it retains a narrow appeal. It is intended for hardcore Shōnen Dark Trio fans, MAPPA anime collectors, and longtime Hell's Paradise readers. With the smart decision to focus on the anime's visual strengths, this box set feels like a definitive way to own the first tease of an immense and rewarding shōnen journey. For Hell's Paradise season 1's limited edition, the best is yet to come, whether fans crave glorious moments as memorable as Shion carving up a Tensen or Aza Chōbei maniacally pushing the boundaries of humanity.

The box set may lack the flashy appeal of a more elaborate collection like the Code Geass Collector's Edition from 2023, but that's to be expected. Fans will appreciate the quality of everything packaged down to the slipcover as a sure sign of the continuously thriving physical media demand in the anime community. Sparse special features notwithstanding, there's plenty to enjoy in the action-packed first season. With Hell's Paradise season 1, one can discover Gabimaru's journey, be horrified and mystified by the juxtaposed beauty and terror of Shinsenkyō, and question where the plot can go and who will survive in season 2.

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Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku

TV-MA

Animation

Action

Adventure

Hell's Paradise delivers a harrowing narrative set in the Edo period, following condemned ninja Gabimaru and executioner Yamada Asaemon Sagiri as they journey to a mysterious island in search of the elixir of immortality, facing monstrous creatures and moral dilemmas along the way.

Cast

Chiaki Kobayashi , Yumiri Hanamori , Ryōhei Kimura , Kensho Ono , Rie Takahashi , Tetsu Inada , Aoi Ichikawa , Chikahiro Kobayashi , Makoto Koichi , Daiki Yamashita , Mamiko Noto , Konomi Kohara , Junichi Suwabe , Yuhko Kaida , Yuu Wakabayashi , Yuichi Mizuguchi , Mugihito , Chō , Takahiro Sumi , Shunichi Maki , Makoto Furukawa , Takaaki Torashima , Hinata Tadokoro , Yu Okano , Volcano Ota , Kenji Nomura , Chafurin , Minami Hinata , Miyuu Ogura , Shunichi Toki , Yûsuke Kobayashi , Ryōta Suzuki , Kazuya Saji , Ryûnosuke Watanuki , Takayuki Nakatsukasa , Ritsu Takahashi , Satoru Ito , Ai Kaneta , Kyoko Chikiri , Masafumi Kimura , Hidenari Ugaki , Hayato Fujii , Taiki Yamashita

Character(s)

Gabimaru , Yamada Asaemon Sagiri , Aza Chobei , Yamada Asaemon Toma , Yuzuriha , Tamiya Gantetsusai , Yamada Asaemon Fuchi , Yamada Asaemon Shion , Nurugai , Yamada Asaemon Senta , Yui , Mei , Rien / Ju Fa / Zhu Jin / Mu Dan / Ran , Mu Dan , Jailer C , Disciple , Village chief , Hoko , Doshi B , Twisted Keiun , Yamada Asaemon Eizen , Adachi Matagoro , Rokurota , Official with flower , Yamada Asaemon Genji , Narrator , Tokugawa Nariyoshi , Aza Chobei (young) , Yamada Asaemon Toma (young) , Yamada Asaemon Kisho , Yamada Asaemon Tenza , Yamada Asaemon Shugen , Chief retainer , Criminal B , Tattooed criminal , Boy / Child , Feudal lord , Rokurota's mother , Rokurota (young) , Nurugai's grandfather , Kichiji (Sagiri's father) , Townsman B , Samurai

Release Date

April 1, 2023

Seasons

1

Network

TV Tokyo

Writers

Yuji Kaku , Kindaichi Akira

Directors

Kaori Makita

Main Genre

Animation

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