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The afterlife consists of Heaven and Hell. The Japanese hell is divided into Eight Fiery Hells and Eight Frozen Hells, while those are further subdivided into 272 sections. In both our world and the afterlife, proper governing requires sound decision-making. Unfortunately, there are far more charismatic leaders than there are wise decision-makers. The Great King Enma, may be the ruler of all the above, however Hoozuki, the chief of staff to his greatness is the one owning the attributes of both charismatic leader and wise decision-maker. And even after all of the minor torture, experiments and cold blooded pranks his assistant puts Enma through, ittakes quite a long time for the gigantic but naive Daiou sama to realize that Hoozuki would make a better Great King. Although the facts from Hoozuki's perspective follow that kind of process: I am well-suited to working on site, my position enables me to whomp you, the toughest man in hell, while manipulating that very hell behind the curtains, what could be better?
Kaburaki Hiro may have directed renown romances such as Kimi ni Todoke and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, however, Hoozuki no Reitetsu feels like Gintama's cuter, little cousin. In each autonomous episode a new comical story unfolds, occasionally accompanied by black humor. What is also similar to Gintama is how the show does not have a clear goal, the last episode could be whichever one as well as mistaking the order of the episodes does not necessarily harm the flow of the anime. At times, anime of that sort, lacking in excitement or suspense and agony, have a different charm, as the enjoyment is more instinctive and less tiring. Of course, the number of episodes is not a substance of insignificance, for the more episodes one have watched the better he will enjoy the upcoming, because you steadily grow attached to the characters and come to like more of the anime's nature as it progresses.
The concept of a comedic guiding through the bizarre sections of hell, might seem unappealing initially, even gloomy or scary, but this certain show deviates greatly from that notion. Hoozuki no Reitetsu affects positively as its main purpose is making fun of the way we imagine hell to be using intriguing stories with their foundation lying in historical, traditional, Japanese folk tales. The flaming mirror that will present all of the embarrassing moments of one's mortal life is actually the monitor for all the hidden cameras on earth, the most savage torturer goes by the form of a furry rabbit with high pitched voice and tanuki traumas.
All of the cast in general, has its own story to tell, and without vast amounts of screen time they remain alluring and intriguing. Hoozuki's only rival is a Chinese medicine expert working in Shangri-la-the equivalent of Heaven-leading a life directly related to booze and women, unlike his heavenly position and his polar opposite, Hoozuki, whom aside his sadism, remains surprisingly moral and intact. Moreover, two of the most prominent subordinates of Hoozuki are the minions getting the most development and having the feel of mascot like characters. Karauri-the Japanese pronunciation of Crowley, holding the same meaning as
D.Gray-man's Crowley, as the name is most likely taken from Edward Alexander Crowley (Aleister Crowley), existent person and known for rejecting the fundamental christian faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism and founding the religion and philosophy of Thelema-he is the more serious and reserved of the two, but hiding a perverted side which equals to pure adoration for the adult ladies around him, adding cuteness to both of them. And Nasubi, his constant companion and co-worker, Nasubi's outer appearance make him look either utterly retarded or permanently stoned, despite that he is a natural genius when it comes to art and most of his actions accidentally end up contributing to something notable in the anime.
Wit studio released the anime in 2014 while the manga had its original run at 2011, therefore the art is quite a strong asset in Hoozuki no Reitetsu. Bright, unique and exceptionally graphical with the character's movements never being inadequate in cohesion. The visuals are startlingly beautiful at times, while utterly distinctive at all times. One of the show's best qualities is how it shows off traditional Japanese art, which property might render the background as childish drawings in paper at times, but intentionally matches the historical and narrative nature of the anime. In addition, the art is not just pleasant to watch due to its folk tale appeal but also about the interesting material it has to offer, each scene is poured with imagination and originality, the background on occasion stands still separating the characters from it and having them look as if they're performing on stage, but the scenes rest unique.. from the goldfish garden to Sangri-la's medicinal forest.
In Hoozuki no Reitetsu, being knowledgeable in the Japanese culture will assist you in grasping a complete understanding of the humor, however the explanations are thorough enough for the average viewer to understand them. In spite of this, the fact that it frequently makes use of traditional history and myths remains. One might be reminded of Naruto, as words like Susanoo, Amaterasu and Orochi will be mentioned, and at the same time acquiring the chance to deepen the meaning of them. When it comes to the sound, it more or less wavers between the same lines. The opening theme is a funny song created solely for the series and performed by the main voice actors, while its cheerful rhythm remains at the back of your head. Furthermore, all of the seiyuus voices match the character's personality perfectly while resonate surprisingly imposing, which helps in focusing on them. Lastly, narrator for the series is Junji Inagawa, hugely popular as a producer and narrator of ghost stories, he becomes the last component of Hoozuki no Reitetsu success.
The anime itself might not be immensely well-known, but the manga has met a lot of recognition, with quite a few of best selling achievements and often rated in the top ten of several manga charts. All in all, Japan's hell is a multi section hell, and all together, it has 272 sections.. The cool-headed Hoozuki is the only demon fit to properly rule them all, and that demon ogre working under the Head Judge of hell makes it a worthwhile comedy.
