Hell is a bureaucracy, and business is running smoother than ever thanks to the demonic efficiency of Hoozuki, chief deputy to Lord Enma, the King of Hell. Whether offering counsel to the Momotarou of Japanese folklore or receiving diplomatic missions from the Judeo-Christian Hell, the demon who runs the show from behind the king's imposing shadow is ready to beat down any challenges coming his way into a bloody pulp. Metaphorically, of course...
The poster boy for micromanagement and armed with negotiation skills worthy of Wall Street, Hoozuki no Reitetsu follows the sadistic and level-headed Hoozuki as he spends his days troubleshooting hell. With an abundance of familiar faces from popular Japanese legends and East Asian mythology working middle management positions, this referential and anachronistic dark comedy brings new meaning to the phrase "employer liability." Just how hard could it be to manage employees from hell, anyway?
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Vallety
Loads of anime have a hard time being original, espacially in the comedy genre. Hoozuki no Reitsu has been a fresh breath of air. I mean, how often do you see the king of hell being treated like a little punk. Hoozuki is a badass. Story: 7 The anime is episodic and does not follow a story with a clear end goal. It revolves around the funny cast and their interactions. The consept they used with the multiple hells and meetings between their respected cheif was brilliant. Art: 8 The art is just awesome. The way they incorporate old classic japenese art into the background is fantastic. Theanimation is good for a comedy anime and the designs are pretty unique as far as I have seen.
Sound: 9
THis is one of the strongpoints of this serie. The opening theme keeps playing in your head, it's hard to get rid off. Well timed sounds and music always seems to crack me up, and that is somthing Hoozuki no Reitsu does well.
Characters: 9
I Love most of the characters. Some of them have a bit of background story based on old asian folklore. Most of the characters are pretty likeable and doesn't turn sour and annoying. I have to say that the characters were really well casted. Fitting voices for everyone. Perfekt for dry jokes (I'm a big fan).
Enjoyment: 9
I'm launghing out loud every episode, that's actually quite rare in my case. I'm having tons of fun watching it (it's still finished at the time I'm writing this).
Overall: 8
I have a hard time giving any comedy anime higher then 8. Mostly due to the lack of any deeper meaning. This anime is both unique and hilarious. It makes the most out of every character and non of them betrays my expectations
Edit: I have finished the series completely now and my opinion has not been altered in any way. I have watched alot of anime and this is definitely one of the better comedies.
Fuggyber
This is one of those animes that just make you happy. I have to say I quite like the layout of the series and how it's made up of lots of mini stories. It makes it easy to watch and you can just play it whenever you just feel like having a laugh. Also throughout this series you come to love the main character. He's got dark humour, always seems to know what he's doing and is literally the strongest and most sadistic person in hell (although maybe I'm not making him sound appealing). I would highly recommend watching the series, it's something with character so thatyou will actually remember as well (unlike a lot of animes nowadays which follow similar styles and trends-not to say they are bad though)
Oh and the art style is brilliant!
literaturenerd
Cool Headed Hoozuki came out almost 10 years ago and to this day remains one of the most underrated comedy anime outside of Japan. The basic premise is that Buddhist Hell is an incompetently run bureaucracy and is only kept operational due to the incredible micro-managing and organizational skills of a single ogre named Hoozuki. Reception in the United States was mixed at best with many critics calling the series inexcusably boring, dry, and even "A Japanese Dilbert that requires a PhD in Japanese cultural studies to get any of the jokes. The series was licensed in the US and quietly given a physical release,but it never received a dub.
Honestly its reputation as dry, boring, and difficult to understand, is rather undeserved. Comedy is highly subjective, but I personally think Hoozuki is hilarious. The series does reference a lot of Japanese folktales and myths, but you really don't need a PhD in Japanese literature. All you really need is a cursory knowledge of some very famous Japanese stories that you've probably seen referenced in dozens of other anime and manga. The average viewer will have to look up a few of these stories if you want to fully appreciate every joke, but it's not that bad. It also references 1980s anime like Fist of the North Star and Urusei Yatsura almost as often as it does mythology! Let me give you an example. One of the jokes is that they meet Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who is a character from a Japanese epic poem called Tale of the Heike. Yoshitsune is a highly effeminate looking samurai who is secretly a badass and was trained by the tengu, who are Japanese mythical creatures who live in the mountains and according to tradition taught humans how to do sumo wrestling. Since Tale of the Heike repeatedly describes him as effeminate, the anime imagines him as a stereotypical "pretty boy" character with a large female following. However, he was raised by tengu and wishes to become fat so he can learn the ways of sumo, much to the horror of his fangirls. The joke isn't really hard to follow once you have a basic idea of who this character is supposed to be. This guy shows up in the game "Okami" as a character named Waka btw. I told you that you've probably seen these characters before if you consume Japanese media.
Hoozuki is an episodic comedy, so of course it relies heavily on its colorful character cast to carry the goofy humor. Hoozuki is the very deadpan, loveable asshole. King Enma is the "boke" or funny guy who does the stupid shit that Hoozuki reacts to. My favorite character though is the rabbit from the fairy tale "Kachi Kachi Yama". There's this weird Japanese fairy tale about a tanuki who was caught by a farmer. The tanuki begs for his life so pitifully that the farmer's wife lets him go. The tanuki then repays the farmer’s wife by raping her, murdering her, and cooking her flesh into a stew. The tanuki then disguises himself as the wife and tricks the farmer into eating the stew before immediately transforming back and mocking the farmer for having eaten his dead wife. The farmer is so crushed with sadness and rage that he visits his friend the rabbit who agrees to carry out the wrath of heaven on the tanuki. The rabbit ends up playing a series of incredibly painful tricks on the tanuki including setting him on fire, rubbing pepper in the wounds, and eventually drowning him in a lake while bashing his head in with an oar. The rabbit appears in the anime as Hell’s most gifted torturer and like in the original fairy tale is kind of an unhinged psychopath. Even after centuries, the rabbit still holds a powerful grudge against the tanuki and is driven into a blind rage whenever anyone mentions the word “tanuki” in any context. For example, the rabbit carries out extreme punishment on corporate white-collar criminals when she is reminded by Hoozuki that they are referred to in Japanese slang as “clever tanuki”.
Hoozuki also has a Chinese rival that's extremely similar to him, but they've hated each other for so long that neither can remember how it started, and of course it was over something extremely ridiculous. Japan's cultural rivalry and pointless antagonism with Chinese civilization is poked fun at frequently. Hoozuki could get into offensive territory for some, but it gives shit to everyone. Momotaro is a very important folklore figure for Japanese nationalists and the series jobs him out in the first 2 episodes and makes him a complete chump. Hoozuki makes Satan and the demons of Christian Hell into absolute buffoons and also makes fun of some Chinese figures, but it's definitely NOT a series that Japanese ultra-nationalists would appreciate.
While Hoozuki may not be to everyone’s comedic tastes, I would highly recommend checking it out. The series is widely available with excellent subs that explain all the cultural references that non-Japanese audiences might miss. As for who I would especially recommend this to, the Hoozuki mangaka is a huge fan of Urusei Yatsura and this is immediately evident if you’ve seen or read that. This is definitely a must watch for fans of Rumiko Takahashi. Even if you’re not a big fan of Grandma Takahashi though, I would still recommend watching a few episodes and seeing what you think. You’ll know pretty quickly if this is going to be your kind of comedy or not.
_Megami
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.
Parabi
I just finished watching this anime and I have to say that it's brilliant! Art and animation etc are all great. Story is minimal, its an episodic anime but it has quite an interesting cast. I pissed myself at some of the jokes but many of them are very Japanese orientated and if you aren't really knowledgeable about the culture a lot of these will fly right over your head. When I saw the first episode I was a little confused; it's a somewhat strange anime., but I ended up getting hooked by the second episode. The opening and ending credits are quite weird but alsoreally fun, it was one of the few anime I watched the opening and ending credits for every episode. I highly recommend watching the closing credits at least once or twice as they are part of one of the best jokes I have ever seen in any anime (this comes up in the last episode).
Fragglepuss
Hoozuki no Reitetsu Review By: John Fragglepuss Evans Hoozuki no Reitetsu uses a lot of Japanese mythology and history in its episodes. For example, there are many different levels of Hell for people to be sent to, based on their wrongdoings in life. There is an animal cruelty hell, where people are sent that abused animals in life. In this hell, the animals abuse the people relentlessly. The whole Hell system in the anime runs like the normal world does, with demons taking jobs and being able to travel to the different sub-hells. They even put on festivals and Satan from European Hell comes for a visit. Youmight enjoy this if: You want to watch slice-of-life in Hell.
You might not like it if: You want character development and a continuing storyline.
Note to the Viewer: Be prepared to pause the anime if you are not familiar with Japanese mythology. Subtitles will pop up with an explanation of what is happening, but they do not stay up for long.
EXPANDED REVIEW FROM SLC ANIME: WARNING, MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS!
SLC Anime reviewed Hoozuki no Reitetsu as their anime of the month and this is what they thought of it. We will start with the positive parts of the show. The focus on Japanese folklore was appreciated by the group. There were a lot of references to folklore in every episode, which were mainly Japanese, with a few Western references peppered in. The group liked the animation style of the show as well. The characters were well done, each having a unique look and personality. The only criticism of the characters look was that Hoozuki’s single horn in the middle of his forehead was annoying.
One negative review of the anime that was shared by several people was that the episodic nature of the show did not engage the viewer. The episodes did not end and make you insist on watching another episode. The lack of an involved storyline made the show difficult to finish for some group members.
There were mixed reviews regarding some aspects of the anime. The humor was enjoyed by everybody, but some group members enjoyed it more than others. Some people thought that the jokes took too long to set up, or that the punchline of the joke ran flat. Other people thought the humor was spot on, being very dry.
Jammin_Rabbit
There aren’t many anime in the comedy genre that does well what Hoozuki no Reitetsu has done. That is delivering an amusing tale that parodies a mythology. And it is made even more interesting as it teaches you the history behind the mythologies portrayed in the show. The show operates under the premise that the viewer has a basic gist of Japanese Hell, as well as other worlds such as European Hell and Chinese Heaven. It follows the character, Hoozuki, a very sadistic, no-nonsense-but-sometimes-I-want-my-own-fun, advisor to the King of Japanese Hell in a slap-stick and often subtle humor that takes a little thinking of theviewers’ end.
This comedy isn’t just a show where there are simply running gags, well-delivered punchlines, and clichés that you would typically see in a comedy. The jokes in the show evolve. That is because in HnR, the incorporation of different mythologies permits that. You see interactions that you normally wouldn’t see between demons of Euro Hell when meeting their Japanese counterparts. The jokes and gags become even more complex as new characters are introduced, but never does the complexity of a joke require too much information of the actual mythology for one to understand.
One could almost hear the writers thinking ‘What would happen if Lucifer and Enma meet?’ or ‘How do we make a demon piss his pants?’ Suffice the say, the results of the writers’ and directors’ efforts are successfully pulled off and you’re left with one hell of a hilarious concoction.
One of the most fascinating things about the show is the back stories of each character. They’re minced in with truth and fiction, and most of the time they form a very volatile kind of humor that are brought out by the characters’ interaction with each other. IE Hoozuki and Haku, Hoozuki and Enma, Haku and the various women of each Hell, among many other combinations. However, you begin to see a pattern that different combinations have different dynamics, but none I assure you, are boring. Each have their own personality as dictated by the history they’ve been given by the real world, putting you at the edge of your seat to see how they react to one another’s antics.
Nightcreed101
This is my first Review ,I hope you like it. This Anime was a life saver, i have been feeling bored for a very Long time and havent been able to watch many animes in the past few weeks but this anime saved me. It was funny ,sincere,full of references that could reach the level in Gintama ,here is the status : Art: 9 , the art is really unique and you feel that it is new, although its close to a comical one but its truly fantastic and special in its own way . Music : 8, The music is really more to the Funside than the Epic Side , Its the kind of music that you dance to ,ALONE!!
The music was really fun and interesting and very different than what we hear these days in Anime.
Character : 8, This series has many characters and all of those characters had their own specific time on Air , there isnt any character development because it is not the kind of series which needs one , The characters are all different and memorable and funny in thier own way.
Enjoyment: 10, This series encouraged me to write my first review because of how FUN AND AMAZING IT IS , I am not the kind of person who likes comedy or anything like action, i watch psychological, tragedy ,supernatural genre And this name was surprisingly more enjoyable than animes like OPM or any other normal comedy .
TO DESCRIBE THIS ANIME IN ONE WORD IT IS "FUN "
MsCommunication
This show aaabsolutely cracked me up. It is full of dry humour, which I love, so I guess it is a bit of a biased review in that sense. It is episodic, often episodes are split into two stories. All the reviews here go into detail about the story and characters so I'll leave that. I found it to be supremely enjoyable to watch. Easy-going, good light watch, funny enough that I'll probably watch it again sometime. I'm sure there are tropes in here, but unlike many anime (and other genres), you don't sit there and notice them like you do with most series thesedays.
Due to the fact that I laughed multiple times through every episode, and had a low-key permanent grin on my face throughout, I'd say it's one of my favourites. It aims only for comedy and it delivers. I absolutely recommend you watch it. I do wish we got another thirteen episodes of shenanigans, but there's so much going on that I'm sure I'll discover things I missed the first time around.
One thing to note: you should have your finger at the ready to hit pause, as there are many cultural jokes and references that are explained, but often too briefly to finish reading.
Unthinkable92
This was a great anime personally, ill get straight to the point 8/10 from me. Story: Now about the story there is none .... You might be thinking well if there is no story how did they manage to put this together, the answer is they made it like there are mini stories within each episode, very smartly put together and the comady is different from the usual intake within other anime out there. Art style : depending on how you look at it, it can be good or it can be bad your own opinion personally its great at times but at other moments it just lacksthe modern type of arts style considering they implemented the mordern era aswell and basing it around hell.
Sound:
Same as usual nice simple and the songs are very catchy and some even make you confused but summing it up very nice.
Character:
At first you don't know what to think naturally you wait a few episodes and see what happening and that's what they have done, while bringing new charactes in you get the feel of the main characters past life while also likeing the new characters which is what i like about the show, this makes it easier to enjoy the show it self.
Enjoyment:
The way the producers have done this is brilliant its different from all the other animes try hard style to get you to laugh. It almost makes it self a rare type not unique but there are hardly any like tgis that makes you laugh atleast twice every episode and depending on your age you will also understand some of the inside jokes and the random BS that happends when they talk ( id get confused and have to watch the sceane twice).
Overall iv said that at the beginning and now ill say it again 8/10 nicely put together rare and something that must go in to your collection of watched animes.
Dreary-Deary
If you're looking for a great laugh then this is it. I didn't expect this show to be so funny. I think part of my enjoyment had to do with the characters, Hoozuki especially. He's such a straight faced sadist who does some crazy things. The whole cast is very lovable. Just the way they interact with each other is hilarious. Another thing that I liked were the jokes themselves. There are a lot of references that you get, that you don't have to be Japanese to understand them. There isn't much of a plot which is understandable. The show is basically the everyday life inhell and the people that live there. I like that though, because something new is always happening in each episode.
I also want to say that I enjoy anime that shows a lot of Japanese culture and history. There are many stories and real life people referenced that makes me want to research it. Not to mention the setting of the show has a traditional look to it. So all in all, I would try it out. I don't think it would disappoint.
otaku86
It's possible you might have talked to someone like Ms. Eguchi before. A person who has two or three very specific interests and is very knowledgeable about them. You might know a thing or two about those things as well, but not at all like that person. You end up doing all the listening. She goes on talking about the things she likes and it might be a little hermetic at first, you might even consider coming up with an excuse to leave, but soon you get caught up in her web and things get so interesting you end up completely immersed in it. Then,when you realize it, hours have passed and you were having a great time listening to that person, even though you didn't think much of it at first.
That's how I feel about Ms. Eguchi's title, Hoozuki no Reitetsu. She has a fascination for ink wash and traditional Chinese and Japanese painting, especially landscapes. But that's just the beginning, because she also knows a lot about Chinese and Japanese mythology and folklore, particularly things related to the other worlds. Hells and Heavens. Naturally she knows her Buddhism as well. When talking about these fantastic matters, she organizes everything around the type of men she likes. You can see this is going to get very interesting. Ms. Eguchi is a fascinating person, but you have to give her time to really enjoy where she's going.
Enter her main character, Hoozuki. He's a demon working in Hell for none other than Great King Enma, the ruler and supreme judge of the underworld. Hoozuki is handsome, quiet, self-contained, strong, level-headed, master of several arts, from gardening to cooking and medicine. He's reliant, chaste, organized, focused and can hold his liquor. Ms. Eguchi loves to talk about how cool he is and of course we agree, Hoozuki is a pretty amazing demon, he's awesome.
Ms. Eguchi is also very interested in language and her characters talk in a very literary manner. They don't talk in an old style, in fact their dialogues are very modern, contemporary business-like style, but they tend to use literary words, usually with very clear Chinese roots that nobody else uses. She'll make lots of jokes about it, too, so you'll have to watch it more than once… maybe thrice to really get them all.
She loves to think about folklore heroes and mythological creatures as entities who screwed up at some point and she loves to see their ugly side. It's hard to tell if she likes to drag those characters through the mud for its own sake, or if she does it so Hoozuki can fix them up, making him ever cooler and more attractive in the process. Probably a little bit of both. I'm not complaining, it's actually quite entertaining.
As you can imagine by what I've said so far, Ms. Eguchi's humor is rather peculiar and it doesn't always work outside her own head, but the atmosphere and the world where the jokes happen are so interesting you don't even mind. Also, her characters' designs are adorable when it needs to be and grotesque when it needs to be, everything works very well. They look good, endearing and cute. Not many people can draw traditional clothing like she does. Quick but elegant. Her art really stands out, though the anime may not convey it at all times.
Hoozuki no Reitetsu is a fascinating work and I'm really happy to find out she still has lots of ideas she wants to express. Soon after finishing Hoozuki, she began another title, Dekin no Mogura. Let's hope it's as good as this one.
Blaufisch
If brutal honesty in polite situations is your idea of comedy, this show delivers! Story (6) Story wise, it's mostly just slice of life / office storys; most don't even have a real story arc. The Setting is japanese hell and chinese heaven; japanese hell seems pretty accurate and well researched, and the enviroments unique propertys are used for comedy. As for chinese heaven, it's only a side thing; they're rarely there, but it seems fine, but you already notice that they don't use the places full comedic potential (also way less respect). It only gets really obvious when they talk about western ideas of hell(and western hell characters) that the author obviously didn't bother to research any of it. Pretty inaccurate, i mean dantes inferno is prety explicit about the topic, but it doesn't look like the author bothered.
Art (7)
The Animation itself is okay, tho not aoutstanding. The backrounds are pretty standart too. They sometimes use scrolls in a different style to explain studd, so that's pretty neat. The Art only really shines in the Character designs; they all have different, unique faces, that are still pleasant to look at, and still instantly recognisable. Even the girls. The colours are also well done, both in the chracterdesigns and the backrounds. It's different and still easy on the eyes.
Sound (7)
Music is okay, and fits the scenes. Sometimes it is used for comedy, but the voice actors usually provide most of it. And that pretty well! They manage to play characters more than stereotypes, and go over the top in different ways; the variations help making every charcter stand out more.
Charcter (9)
The best thing about the show are it's characters; they are familiar types, but either pushed to an extrem, or with a twist, which makes them unique enough to be enjoyable. The main characters is the typical "strong and silent" type, mixed with a"pretty but stern" personality; the twist is that he's a total asshole, by crushing everyone with his brutal honesty. Judging everyone even though he himself is pretty wierd too. And childish; the funnyest episodes are in my opinion, the ones where he plays of his "rival" whom he hates for a very trivial reason, and just goes above and beyond to make his life miserable. My only complaint would be that everyone likes him too much, and that he rarely has to face consequences for his deeds. Still really great.
Enjoyment (9)
Most jokes work great, and a lot of the characters are great at working off of each other. There are few jokes that don't work
(for me personlly the european hell stuff, because a) the infos they have are often just wrong and b) it's one of those "japan is better than everything" stuff)
But if assholes being rude to each other and a kind of british humor sounds like fun to you, it's very entertaining
Overall (8)
Watch the first 3 eps. If you like the episodes and the comedy style, the show (and it's ovas) just bring it (comedy wise). If you're looking for a deep story or character arcs, you will be dissapointed.
diabolicalx
I'll cut the whole "i don't normally write reviews" short and get right into why I would rate Hozuki to be one of my absolute favorite anime. Personally, I enjoy thriller, mind-bending, mysterious, or sometimes a (guilty) pleasure of an occasional Kamisama-kiss type romance. If I'm watching a comedy, I enjoy good sarcasm, irony, and satire like references...especially considering the kind of strong hold Japan has on a possible mainstream show. Why Hozuki? Almost every character is unique. Sometimes an anime will have a great story, great personalities, amazing art, and wrap it all up at the end with an amazing twist. However, the viewercan feel a bit unsatisfied, as if they didn't get what they either wanted, or expect to feel from the show.
Hozuki is an anime where you wish the characters existed. That weird feeling where you want more of a particular character, almost as if you need it! I understand we are all a fan of any particular show, but to pull of this feeling many people get from anime, manga, or novel can prove difficult.
The childish theme song in the beginning may have lost a few viewers. Maybe the art will turn others off. Perhaps the overall mood when watched haphazardly will seem a bit lame. BUT.
This show is far from a child show. The humor is relatable, the characters act as normal people would if thrown into hell. The business feel, the actual history, and the idea of special sections designated to certain sinners can inspire any imagination.
Everything about this show is original. Whether you are an aspiring artist, writer, or creative thinker...or just a casual anime fan..this show is something I HIGHLY reccomened. Whoever created this show has a beautiful mind and I am looking forward to the next season!
Dunedane
This is one of my favorite shows, not just animes. The only problem I have with the show is that you need to pause constantly during your first viewing, because there is so much additional information subtitled in places other than the character dialogue location (so much worse to watch with a DvD player rather than a streaming site). I couldn't give the story a 10 because it is episodic with no real overarching story, but every episode is funny. It is a show that I was hesistant about because the pictures displayed on the info page didn't strike me as great, but Iwas very wrong to be worried. There are tons of jokes and references that a westerner will have difficulty understanding (being ready to google a bit can make the story more enjoyable), but enough jokes do land that you won't mind not getting a few.
This is a great twist on typical slice of life stuff and incredibly funny. The main character may just be the ultimate overpowered slice of life character (is that a thing even?!) there is. If you like comedy, you'll like this show. The second viewing is much better than the first; if you felt "meh" after watching it all the first time, you need to try again, because it just gets funnier everytime you watch.
Unconfidence
No Spoilers. This show was pretty enjoyable and quite humorous. It made me laugh a lot, and I liked the way they incorporated traditional myths into their worldbuilding. The light-hearted treatment of effecting eternal torment is tactfully done and adds a lot to the ability of the show to deliver some continuous laughs. But there were things which put me off from this show as well. Notably, the consistent direct-face shots of the characters speaking was repetitive over time. The way the demon characters' teeth would be drawn in such shots just made me feel weird, not in a good way. Iget the metaphors and allegory they were trying to impart through it but it still got old. Also Hoozuki's character is pretty annoying in the long run, and I found myself commiserating with the people who wanted to see him fail, which I don't think is the intention of the authors. Finally, I'm a binge watcher and this show had the same effect that Maria Holic gave, where it's consistently funny but gets almost droning after one episode. It's very conducive to the weekly episode format, however, so it's hard to fault the creators for that.
All in all a very funny and well-done anime which I feel deserves an eight on a more objective level, but which I gave a seven primarily for personal reasons. I'd recommend this anime to anyone who likes cleverly-written comedy, can stand condescending MCs, or who likes classical eastern mythology.
DonSarkerus
I don't remember how I found this anime, but I don't really regret it. It simply shows us how the Japanese Buddhist hell is managed, some of its divisions, and the roles of the characters, especially Hozuki-kun the right-hand man of the Underworld King Enma who constantly helps him to get everything in order. There is no story, only comic situations and with a limited cast. Of course, the visual section is very nice like a painting to move. He has a very fresh sense of humor. The bad thing is that it works a lot with the Japanese tradition and references such as mentioning the lifeof Katsushika Hokusai, an ancient Japanese painter, of playing with words or mentioning characters from ancient Japanese anime, which makes us miss the joke, it takes too long to arrive or we do not understand it and we remain with face of which it happened here. It is the essence of the program, we cannot blame it.
After watching half of the show, you may get tired of trying to understand the references or waiting for them to close the joke. Its an anime to have fun for a while, appreciate the art, know some mythology maybe and nothing else.
Legendmons
For me this anime has been really enjoyable. The story is fresh, it is about the hell and how it is divided, and you follow the second in command of the Japanese version of Hell. It's story is made full of references to real life legends, urban myths and actual people and contains a lot of jokes as well. The art style was very nice to see and despite the fact that i dont like to watch most anime more then once this was definitely an anime i could watch multiple times due to its diversity. The music is fun to listen to and sing along to and overalli really like this anime.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants a anime which is fresh in its content and able to learn about some real life facts from Japanese Hell.
It's one Hell of an anime ;)
silvery-saber
If you like dry, slightly absurd humour and have a passing familiarity with Japanese folklore, I strongly recommend Houzuki no Reitetsu. It takes a couple episodes to get going, but the dry humour is great and the characters are a joy. Content Advisory: episode 3 part 2 has the old "is it a man or woman" transphobic chestnut as the foundation of an extended joke. Hakutaku and Houzuki had a bet whether the next woman who walked out of a bathroom had a large or small chest; they can't agree whether the person is a man or a woman, and in a later scene where theyactually ask the person - she's a non-op trans woman - the two of them argue about whether she's a woman. Again. OAD1 also has a gag about a person of indeterminate gender, where being trans is treated as "other." (I know I know, cultural differences and all that, but I'm writing this review in English about an anime licensed in North America, as an anglo North American.)
The series generally has a casual attitude toward death, pain, and suffering, and the various tortures are more slapstick than horrifying. On the other hand, the series condemns animal abuse and sexual assault-via-alcohol (rare mentions).
Humour is always a subjective thing, and HnR is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of show. A lot of the humour is in the ways characters bounce off of each other, not just references or punch lines, or in the juxtaposition of serious & silly. Some references are obvious (Lum in episode 2), and some are pretty subtle (in OAD3, the Addams Family theme music appears behind some dialogue, keyshifted up a bit). The crunchyroll subs do a good job of preserving the puns, and rarely substitute western references for the sake of the joke. Characters slide between the boke and tsukkomi/ridiculous person and straight man depending on the situation, and Houzuki himself has more than a few ridiculous moments. It's comparable to Hot Fuzz, where a lot of the laughs are from Angel reacting to his coworkers' ridiculousness/being ridiculous himself and from parodies of cop movies & rural English life.
(I laugh out loud at least once an episode, and I know there are lots of jokes that go riiiight over my head. It's entirely possible I would rate the series higher if I caught more of the references.)
Each episode is split into two parts, each adapting a chapter of the manga. The pacing is good and the sections don't feel like they're dragged out. (It's much less frenetic than Gintama.) The art is beautiful, with sight gags in the backgrounds based on characters and/or famous paintings. In my opinion the voice acting adds a lot to the experience, including the delivery and easier dramatic pauses. While there is little "plot" with each episode we learn more about the characters and the world, opening up more jokes & callbacks. All that said, it takes time to get to know the characters so I didn't fall in love until around episode 3.
I enjoy all of the characters I've met so far. They start as fairly stock characters, but the longer we see them the more we discover. Houzuki is both a good boss and a horrible underling, and he can act on a grudge and be nice to children within the same scene. (His seiyuu, Hiroki Yasumoto, does a fabulous job mixing deadpan delivery with Houzuki's not-very-buried rage; I like him much better here than as Germany in Hetalia.) Nasubi is both an airhead and a thoughtful artist; Hakutaku is a doctor and ladies' man who respects no, but he's happy to learn about other pursuits. Houzuki and Hakutaku's rivalry is in more than their don't-want-to-acknowledge-them similarities (and is a gift to rival shippers, just saying). In turn, this means that the characters are more than one trick ponies joke-wise and can support a wide range of stories.
I'm solidly in love with the series. I had originally passed on this series because I read a (very) critical review of the first seven episodes, and I regret that now. After the first time or two through an episode - so that I get my giggles out - episodes also make for good background entertainment (like while farming in an MMO, or organizing computer files); Houzuki's voice is strangely calming.
Bottom line: This is one of the few series where I finish an episode then immediately want to see it again. I enjoy the rest of the series enough to forgive episode 3, though I skip that part when I rewatch.
