Jigokuraku

What could easily be a generic BR rip off quickly becomes something different as it steadily adds to what is happening. At first it looks like a general shonen, but has a surprising level of unreliable narration and people lying to themselves. It even plays with formalistic structure in a way similar to what some of the 80s DC mature titles did. Even something as simple as exposition can be delivered with a constant series of crosscuts and scene jumps which wouldnt even quite work in film. It really takes the medium as far as it can.

And thats all before the issue of the flowers comes up. Basically, this is a ero guru masterpiece. Worth reading for the character design and mutations and bodily warping/destruction alone.

"That's not weakness. It's a type of strenght."

I'm really impressed with Jigokuraku, I didn't expect that much from a shounen, since shinobi fights are not my favorite style. But this one got me.

This review should begin talking about the characters.

When they say this is a story about Gabimaru, or an adventure-fantasy-fight story, I tend to disagree. It's about every character, their relationships and their redemption. While the shogun must give one pardon, we are open to pardon all of the worst outlaws from Japan. Those characters are beautifully shown to us through flashbacks, casual moments and fights. No, the fights are not simply fights, but an excuse to show what's happening at the character's mind - and we would hardly know them if it was not the fights. Forget the condemnations, the bushido. Now they are exposed, we can see them clearly. We can see their motivations, the flow of their thoughts, and because of that, the change is evident. Most of them are not plain; they change wonderfully and humanly, almost tangible. The terrible Gantetsusai, or the egoistic Yuzuriha, Gabimaru the Hollow - they are not the monsters we think they are. They can change, and they are good, but their development is hard, not a miraculous that turns the bad guy into a good guy. They must suffer, love, hate and see other's suffer, and only then they can change. On the other hand, we have those strict, close-minded samurai, who walk through the same path of suffering until they can open their mind to see goodness inside criminals - in such a way they even renounce their samurai duties! Because they are more than samurai who follow rules - they are human,, and see how the criminals are similar to them. I can't forget the villains, who also show a potential of changing. Of course, not all of them could be good, but the glimpses of humanity that those immortals deities reveal is an indicative that they are also open to change, and they could be good if the conditions were different. It doesn't mean you'll love them, or every character, but your judgement won't be that limited.

Next, the story: to summarize, Jigokuraku is about a group of condemned to death super-criminals who are sent to an island - from where it's impossible to come back - where, supposedly, they could find the elixir of life. The one who brings it to the shogun will be pardoned. With each criminal, there is a highly-trained samurai to kill him if necessary. The problem is: the island is ruled by immortal deities who control the Tao, and whose immortality comes from a juice made from humans. If the criminals and the samurai want to come back to Japan, they have to fight together, kill those deities and their monsters.

I must admit, I didn't expect the story to be so deep. I mean, I thought it would be a battle royale of criminals and samurai. But it's about how the criminals and the samurai must adapt to defeat immortal beings. It can be a bit complex, because taoistic references are everywhere, and westerners may not understand it well, so you'll have to pay attention, or you'll get lost. Besides the characters, other subjects made me very glad: the author doesn't explain everything about the power of the characters. Oh, why are the shinobi that strong? Oh, how can they can see Tao? Oh, how the samurai can be that strong without knowing the Tao? It doesn't matter. Actually, it would take more time and brain cells to explain it. This is not Naruto, you'll have to suspend your disbelief and let things go. The narrative technique of telling character's past through flashbacks during fights is really nice, and the story doesn't seem rushed; the flashbacks can hold the fights, explain the characters, and then give the fight a deeper meaning. On the other hand, I didn't like how the fights were developed sometimes; the willpower saves them more than I could deal with, and there should be more deaths if it was not because of that. Maybe I have said before that it's not necessary to explain everything, but "the Tao" is not the answer to everything! It's just deus ex-machina. The fights should have another rhythm if the villains should die. What balances this problem is how hard things get through the story, with more problems coming until the end. They always have a dilemma to solve, so the psychological pressure on the characters is always at the peak.

Now, the art. It's gorgeous. Even when the manga is black and white, I can see the colors through that psychodelic hell's paradise. The characters design is really remarkable, and reflects well their personalities. The contradiction between beauty and brutality in the scenery fills our eyes, and we can understand why the characters say it seems "artificial". The influences of Chinese and Japanese aesthetics, as well the Taoistic and Buddhist imageries turned into monsters and scenarios is astonishing. You see how Eastern this manga is. The eroticism is also attractive, but not vulgar, what means it's done correctly; and this same eroticism counterparts the brutality and blood, following the concept of yin and yang. Finally, remember to spend some time admiring the watercolor paintings before each chapter, and the huge canvas covering entire pages.

I don't think that is necessary to waste more time talking about the enjoyment, as I stated my impressions through this review.
Story: 8/10
Art: 10/10
Character: 10/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall: 9/10

Jigokuraku focus on the story of a former ninja searching for the elixir of immortality in a mysterious land, so he can be pardoned from his crimes. Overall, the premise of the story isn't quite new, but not quite old. However, the author makes up for this!While the story is young and still developing, the author has done a great job with the series. This is due to great world building, art and characters expression.

Because of the plot, we're suppose to be in a mysterious world with the unknown; therefore, we (the readers) are suppose to feel that and feed off that energy. My hair is suppose to stand! And from this author I can feel it! The author has done a great job of keeping that energy and constantly introduce new elements to keep the readers on their toes and interested.

Secondly, the author can't keep that energy going unless he has great art to portray expressions of characters. This I might say is where the author excels the most. He constantly brings better art each week which is nice. This allows the reader not to get bored or distracts by bad art instead of the art helping the story come along.

Overall, while it is a young story, I feel like it is moving in the right direction to becoming a main stay in the action manga we talk.

Hell's Paradise is the least known member of what I've seen referred to as Shonen Jump's "Hell Trio", consisting of this manga, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Chainsaw Man. However, least known does not mean worst in this case, as I'd put Hell's Paradise on par with either of the aforementioned series (It's written by a former assistant of Chainsaw Man's author, and the eye for quality shows). While the action scenes are awesome, it's the character interactions and art direction that really distinguish this series from other Shonen Jump titles.

The main reason why I found myself so engrossed in reading this manga when I first picked it up last summer was just how likable all of the characters are. This may seem strange if you've only read the synopsis, seeing as half of the characters are death row inmates, but the author does an excellent job of explaining the circumstances surrounding each character's imprisonment. You can safely assume that any character that doesn't die immediately after they're introduced has redeeming qualities beyond their criminal history and genuine depth. This is especially true for the main character, who I kept forgetting is the most feared assassin in all of Japan due to how endearing he is. The samurai executioners who are assigned to each criminal are understandably biased against their partners in the beginning, so seeing them gradually begin to warm up to the criminals is also really fun to watch.

The other aspect of the manga that really shines is the art and overall style. This series incorporates elements from several different religions, and blends them into a disturbingly beautiful island that looks as much like heaven as it does hell. Watching the characters be hunted by disturbing imitations of divine figures is both exciting and surreal, and each character having a unique fighting style and demeanor keeps the action scenes varied and interesting. I often found myself going back through a chapter after reading it just to look at some of the art again.

One last thing I want to touch on is how different the character's attitudes towards death is in this series. Most typical Shonen has every death be drawn out and the characters have to be sad about it for a full five chapters before the story can get back on track, but not Hell's Paradise. Given that each character has seen their fair share of death in their lives, deaths tend to push characters forwards towards their goals rather than driving them to despair, which I really liked. This is necessary to the story as well, seeing as characters die pretty often in this series.

TL;DR - Hell's Paradise is an exciting dark Shonen with beautiful art and one of the most interesting and likable cast of characters I've seen in any manga. I'd absolutely recommend this series to anyone looking for a new action manga to read, and I'm excited for what the author does in the future. I'm also excited for the upcoming anime to release, so if you're here from that then 100% give the manga a shot too.

If there is confusion whether a place is hell or heaven, you can be sure it’s hell. And this particular hell is all about sexy times between Buddhist sculpture, Taoist esoteric teachings and Boschian thicc predatory plantlife. Body horror meets clerical gardening in a tale that’s interesting to look at, but not so much to actually read through.

It’s a fresh Asian-themed flavor of the deadly mutant-infested “zone”, normally characteristic of post-apocalyptic settings. It’s just that it’s pre-apocalypse for now and not a wasteland – like really, it’s quite lush.

And it’s also often so pretty. In later chapters a reveal of a new landscape makes you stop and whoa – it’s imaginative, beautiful and striking like best comic locations are. The designs of the characters are also masterful and well thought out (author’s notes on how he designed clothes were impressive).

In addition it’s a battle royale. With a culling of the cast coming early, heads flying and real final deaths even for named characters.

So yeah, there’s blood and there’re naked bodies. Jigokuraku is an example of fanservice done in an adult almost proper way. Characters pose naked when it’s logical for them to be naked, sex is a thing that people do. The fanservice is very male-centric in its vibe, with only female bodies being shown off, thought there’s narrative BL bait for ladies, some clothed handsome men and there’s attention to the struggles of women in their world. Yet I say almost, because while it’s written so much better than the vast majority of similar manga, a bunch of same worrying stereotypes is present – an age shifting mute loli with a dark past, several evil seductresses, an incestual bromance… There’re hints on sexual violence (which is fair considering the context, but it may make some potential readers reconsider). Oh, and the unique fetish this manga can satisfy is gender-flipping hermaphroditism with a darker edge.

…Too bad that all of this still isn’t engaging enough. And a big part of the reason is because the plot is overstructured. It’s a typical battle shounen with power levels, bosses and skill acquisition, and a battle royale with additional interpair relationships between executioners and their charges. The system is too rigid, familiar and predictable – no miracle has happened because of the fusion, no fresh meat has been grown on the bones. Now, it may change with the addition of new characters and forces, but it’s a maybe at 70+ chapters.

And the rest of the reason is that the concepts of the characters are also old. Gabimaru, the repentant ninja, is basically Mumon from Shinobi no Kuni, but less interesting, or the main character of Basilisk, and the executioner, Sagiri, is a great female character bound to be protected, sidelined and too ideal for her own good, like Tokine from Kekkaishi or Hime from Bleach. The worst part of writing is the tell-don’t-show approach to aggrandizing, when the author spells verbally how great the characters are – a character is often “thinking” that another one is oh-so-strong or cool: “Look, she/he is so cool, look”.

Additionally I honestly can’t say that battles are exciting. Too much is delegated to energy levels and weird ninja magic, so you can’t exactly build expectations, worry and celebrate, you just follow the lines.

In short, the manga drags, because it lacks emotional hooks. You know who is going to win and the character development isn’t engaging. Plus only several characters in the focus get it, side chracters remain largely simplistic.

When I read Jigokuraku I constantly feel the pull of two opposing forces. I want to see more of the gorgeous disturbing feast that the world of this manga is, its visual proficiency and mature (both in themes and in skill) narrative ideas make me want to continue to follow and enjoy it. But then the plot drags and drains, most revelations are predictable, I struggle to care. Tastes and mileage may vary tho, so Jigokuraku is totally worth checking out – for its interesting hellscape and rare brands of body horror, for a big amount of great female breasts and bi-everything plant handsome people, for Buddhist inspirations and historical fantasy fighting. Maybe the story will redeem itself, but for now it tests my patience, you can see for yourself how much it strains yours.

I really enjoyed this manga, and I think most other people would enjoy it as well. Its pretty mature/graphic, but the gore never feels gratuitous. The art is also stellar, and although there is nudity, it rarely comes across as fanservice. I guess the best way to describe how Jigokuraku handles nudity/gore is moderate, which is cool taken how the characters in the manga moderate their emotions to gain power.

The main plot is fine, but nothing stellar. If anything, it is pretty generic shounen stuff. However, the characters are what bring this manga to another level. In one piece fashion, everyone gets a sad backstory, and they almost always make you feel something for everyone, even the villains at times. Also, pretty much everyone gets a character arc, which I always love. I will say though, Gabimaru is not the best MC I have seen. I would have preferred that his one character trait wasn't just "has wife". I know this is a generalization, but he did bore me at times.

Overall, Jigokuraku was a fun shounen manga, that knew when to end. I will say though, they kinda botched the ending with chapter 127. It seemed like the author was pressured to show more, which is a shame because I thought the ending of 126 was really cute.

I would give this manga a 4/5, although you can't do that here. Idk if its a 9 or an 8 but it is certainly worth anyone's time. Anyone who can stomach a bit of violence should be able to find something they like in Jigokuraku.

The fight to survive and make it back home or find an elixir that is said to grant immortality?

The manga starts off at first like every other manga that takes place during its time period with the added in ninjas for a sprinkle of flavor. The main character starts off seeming like every other, overpowered or just has some kind of tragic backstory that makes them the way they are, Edgey. Now, as I continued to read this manga, it surprised me with how different it actually was. Sure, the main character has a tragic backstory as mentioned (no surprised there) but the way the character is written is unlike many others. After a certain chapter, I couldn't get enough. Each important character is given a spotlight that is well deserved. You are given insight into why that character is the way they are at the right given time. It gives the reader a nice break from reading all the battle scenes to take a small dive into who that character really is aside from what other characters have said, and what possible events either changed them for the better or the worse.

All in all, I really enjoy this manga and can't wait to continue reading it some more.

Since there are already several reviews, I will keep this brief. Jigokuraku is what the ideal action shounen manga should be. There are many battles, and while they last for more than a chapter or two, they aren’t repeatedly drawn out for 30+ chapters. Most of the characters are fleshed out, even characters introduced towards the end, and there is character development. While as with any action shounen there are convenient deus ex machina moments, it’s not near the level of Dragon Ball Z, and readers will have to say goodbye to characters. The story takes some common story ideas yet manages to create a situation that feel different enough. I strongly recommend this series.
Story: 8
Art: 9
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 9
Overall: 9

Jigokuraku is a little bit hard for me to describe, because it's not really a genre I'm too familiar with. I've never been big on shounens, let alone historical ones, but something about the style and flow of this series had me so captivated I felt a need to sit down and write about it. From the first chapter, something about it just instantly hooked me with the thought of oh, this will be good. And excellent it was.

This is one of those manga where after I caught up to the ongoing releases, I would wait months before picking it up again. I say this to mean that I don't think it's as good when you read each chapter individually, but somehow as a whole the story truly comes together and sings. The premise is almost like a twisted classic in a way, following a group of convicts and their executioners as they travel to a mysterious, spiritual island to find the elixir of life with the promise of being pardoned for their death sentences. Our main characters are the duo of Gabimaru, a well-known, cold-hearted shinobi and his appointed executioner Sagiri, a thoughtful woman trained in swordsmanship by the Yamada clan. As one would expect (this is after all a shounen manga), throughout their journey they gain respect and appreciation for one another alongside some other new friends.

I mentioned that the beginning of the series immediately struck me, and that's because from the very start, Jigokuraku has managed to make me really care about its characters. It's normal to find a series with interesting characters, but to form an emotional attachment is another story. Obviously, nobody in this series is particularly relatable (they're criminals and executioners from historical Japan), but something about their problems just felt real to me, and I was genuinely concerned and sad for almost each and every one of them. Additionally, despite having a decently large and scattered cast (characters spend most of their time traveling separately or in small groups), the author manages to elaborate on all of them in a way that you don't feel like you're missing anyone. Each person has their own carefully sculpted backstory, and there's rarely a feeling of someone being skimmed or missed.

I want to attribute my feeling of connectedness to the atmosphere of the manga. Though very good and engaging, I don't think the plot of the series is remarkably strong, but the author has such a great talent for storytelling. I say this because the world he builds feels so vivid and immersive. I mentioned previously that this is a series that I would binge read rather than keep up with weekly updates, because it was hard to get the full experience reading just one chapter at a time. The series really struck me the most after my first 60 chapter binge read, and then going 15-20 at a time so that I could fall in love with the world again. There was something so stunning about the setting and its incredibly bizarre cast, and being a part of it always made me feel a sense of awe and amazement. I don't love shounen manga, so big fight scenes and toots of friendship aren't usually for me, but the fight scenes in Jigokuraku were so strange and captivating. I also enjoyed how the darker premise played into the series' morals and messages; I appreciated the careful balances between good and evil and light and dark.

I've never seen the show Mononoke so this could be incredibly off base, but something about the art style reminded me of a Mononoke poster. There's this sense of mystery to it, with the floral themes and the genderless villains and the true strangeness of the world. The constant florals representing intersections of life and death were particularly visually stunning. I didn't think that flowers growing from a person's face could feel so macabre. Looking at the villains, this is again incredibly evident, as each is associated with images of nature and growth to a dangerous degree. The juxtaposition of that concept was spectacular.

Ultimately I think Jigokuraku is such a storytelling feat. It's a classic journey-type plot with a dark edge and a thrilling, lovable set of characters. However, its true strength lies in the world-building. There is something so hauntingly beautiful about the story's set-up and slow burn, like being ushered into a rakugo theater or opening an old novel for the author to spin you away in a tale.

Fighting for survival/ Path of returning home or searching for immortality

I didn’t have any expectation. But after a few chapters or 65 chapters later, I came out close to addicted.

If you are searching for some fantasy fighting or shounen-ish manga while hoping it can combine the element of thriller or plot-twists, you should check out this manga~~ Oh yeah, not only this is a gory manga, but this manga also heavily details on its characters’ development.

***Warning, this is not a ninja manga that focuses on whose Jutsu is cooler or stronger. If you are trying to read a manga that makes you happy or laugh, this is not a manga for you*
*Minor Spoilers*

Before talking about the story, I must mention the MCs.
-Gabimaru: “Best” Ninja/ Prisoner.
-Asaemon: Sword Master/ Executioner.
Due to “coincidence” or “story setup”, these two MCs somehow “teamed” up together along with the other executioners/ prisoners to pursue the elixir of immortality on a mysterious island in order to be freed and return back to home.

Along the way, both of them must face or prevail their personal conflicts and weaknesses. More importantly, they must survive death-threatening opponents or challenges ahead of them.
For Gabimaru, he was supposed to be a heartless human killing machine; however, he must find a way to incorporate emotions and feelings to become his strength.
For Asaemon, she was supposed to be arguably the best swordmaster; however, she must find confidence in herself and her expertise in the samurai sword.

Other than the MCs, the side characters can be extremely interesting as well. Overall, the characters in this manga are hella striking in their own ways and can actually steal some spotlights away from the MCs.

For the story, the setup is extremely unique. Despite having the samurai/ninja element + Edo-ish vibe, the mangaka, Yuuji san, completely created his own universe. With the existence of a mysterious island, Yuuji san demonstrated crimson contrast between hope and despair, survival and death.

For the art category, it is definitely a highlight of its own. Don’t want to go further into this, go READ x)


Story: 9 (unique, well planned, smooth)
Art:10 (meticulous, aesthetically pleasing, astounding background, love the human sketches)
Characters: 10 (detailed, see growth, consistent)
Enjoyment: 10 (Became a huge fan of this manga)
Overall: 9.5 (highly recommend to give it a shot)


P.S. Yuzuriha is THE BAE