How far would you go for revenge? That's a question that FUNimation's latest series Hell Girl puts out there, front and center. You may have heard of it before if you have kept your finger on the pulse of what's popular in Japan. Known as Jigoku Shoujo in its original form, Hell Girl has gone on to garner a second season, manga, and live action version. That speaks volumes to how well it was received in Japan but how will it fair with the American audience?

With 26 episodes in its first season Hell Girl originally aired between 2005 and 2006. It's unfortunate that it took so long for the show to make its way here to the States but the wait was well worth it in my opinion. Studio Deen did a fantastic job on this show as the first volume showed. The writing was sharp, the sense of drama was a cut above, and throughout it all the creepy atmosphere really made the hairs on the back of your neck stand up at times.

The basic premise follows a mysterious website that people can only access at midnight. Have someone who pissed you off? Did an enemy do you wrong in a major way? Type the person's name in on the site and revenge will be yours. By logging on and doing such a thing you not only guarantee that the person in question will have a bad day but that they'll receive a one way ticket to hell. It's a comforting thought to keep in mind if you feel like really smiting someone; of course this comes at a price. The fine print within this contract is that even though you'll be dooming your tormentor you'll also be dooming yourself. By entering into the agreement you also condemn yourself to an eternity in hell when you die. Revenge doesn't look so great now does it?

Over the past couple of volumes Hell Girl has upped the ante a tad by offering us some new characters to explore. Rather than Ai Enma and her ragtag bunch of hellish cronies we met a tabloid reporter known as Hajime and his daughter Tsugumi. The cool thing is that the show presents Hajime as someone who wants to stop Enma and Tsugumi who is able to see her actions somehow. In the previous volume there were some more one-shot storylines about revenge but Hajime was able to dig in deeper and look at the history of Hell Girl. What he discovered was startling but not surprising as this has been going on throughout history long before computers were available.

The fourth installment of Hell Girl is just as atmospherically creepy as the previous ones; and that's a good thing! This time around there is more vengeance to be had that will make you question your own feelings. Any time an anime can make you squeamish simply by watching it that is a very unique thing. Shows like this simply do not come along often enough and tone is so often undervalued when it comes to animated series.

Some of the cases this time around involve a girl on an island, a girl in a circus, and a girl with some dogs. The show is trending back to young girls seeking out revenge rather than exploring older characters and subject matter. Even so each of these tales is haunting in their own right especially the final one which was quite disturbing. One source of disappointment is the lack of the horrific violence that was displayed in earlier installments. Not that I necessarily want to see someone ripped in half but for a series named "Hell" Girl it is certainly toning down its hellish content.

Going back to the Tsugumi and Hajime storyline this volume explores their characters at length some more. In particular Tsugumi's connection to Ai Enma is growing stronger and that's something which scares Hajime. Put yourself in his shoes and imagine if it was your daughter seeing visions of a devil girl. All he can do is use these visions to attempt to save people while protecting his own daughter but the connection stirs some interesting questions about Enma and her motives.

FUNimation has been doing a fantastic job with the licenses they have acquired and Hell Girl is no different. This series is creepy and makes you think while it tells its horrific tale which is a winning combination. It's the atmosphere that makes Hell Girl as successful as it is and the characters are well-developed enough to follow suit. This is a solid series that only seems to be getting better as it nears the end of its first season.

Hell Girl is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen aspect ratio and features a marvelous transfer. FUNimation did a fantastic job of bringing this show to DVD and though some of the typical problems like grain and compression appear is little to complain about. Colors in the show appear vibrant though I must admit that some of the gradients looked kind of funny in some scenes. This third volume continues the unique look of Hell Girl and promotes Studio Deen's prowess as far as producing anime is concerned. The art direction is second to none and as subdued as many scenes are the contrast helps to craft a fascinating atmosphere.

Like most current releases from FUNimation Hell Girl comes with Japanese and English 2.0 as well as a 5.1 English track. The dubbing quality for both languages is superb and I can honestly say that I didn't have a preference either way. The English track in particular impressed me with spot on emotion and pitch that matched what I expected it should. Technically speaking the 2.0 selections are competent for stereo inclusions but the 5.1's greater presence definitely impressed me. The directionality on the soundstage for effects was slightly more subdued than I would have liked but the overall quality of the audio was very pleasing.

This volume of Hell Girl features clean animations and trailers as you'd expect. There is also an original Japanese feature which is essentially a behind the scenes interview of sorts. It's interesting but no quite as much as the cast discussions about the series in the prior installments.

Hell Girl is original, intriguing, and empowering all at the same time. The creepy atmosphere really breathes life into the program and the quality of the writing helps craft interesting stories. While there are individual tales of vengeance in this volume the real intrigue comes from Hajime and his daughter. Everything is up in the air at this point but if you have been following the series to date then you'll undoubtedly appreciate what transpires here. This is a fascinating and original program that is definitely a must see!

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