As if the 2006 12-episode live-action TV drama wasn’t bad enough, it seems that a new piece of media is worthy of joining it in Hell alongside all the damned souls Ai Emma has ferried there over the centuries. The new 2019 live-action Hell Girl film was released on November 15th in Japan and as if having the whole theater to myself on premiere day wasn’t a bad enough sign, it also received a very limited release in select theaters.
On the positive side, the cast and their acting is believable and enjoyable. While Hell Girl is normally presented as a first-year middle school student, the 2019 adaptation instead casts Tina Tamashiro (age 22) to play the leading role. Though not the normal way long-time fans of the series are used to seeing Ai, Tamashiro brings a brand new and refreshing interpretation of the character. There is a fine line where, in the anime, Hell Girl is presented as emotionless, tragic, and innocent. Tamashiro instead portrays her as merciless, frightening, and sinister every second she’s on camera. Despite the differences, there is still a pale stillness around her that bares the same likeness to the original anime series.
The story opens with a 1965 high school scene of Ai Emma subduing a female student who is revealed to have been bullying another. Then it cuts to the present day, showing reporter Kudo (Kazuki Namikoa) interviewing the bullied student, now on her death bed. Having followed the stories of Hell Girl, Kudo is trying to document it all for his career, but before he can proceed, Ai Emma comes to collect the woman’s soul, thus sealing the pact they had made so many years ago.
As Ai tells all who ask for her help, there is always a price to pay. In exchange for sending your tormentor to Hell, your soul will also belong to Hell when you die.
The main story is a stand-alone piece intertwined with shorter stories. Miho Ichikawa (Nana Mori) and Hauka Nanjo (Sawa Nimura) are two girls who meet at a concert of their favorite band, later get connected with the group’s frontman, Maki (Tom Fujita) after a chance encounter in a cafe and receive tickets to a special show. At the show, a psychotic fan attacks Maki’s female vocalist, Sanae Mikuriya (Mina Oba), scarring her face permanently with a knife. Between an injured songstress, betrayed friendship, a nosey reporter, and a backstabbing musician, this is where the chain of requests to Hell Correspondence begins, as well as several laughs.
Hell Girl is known for attention-commanding vengeance scenes in which we get to see a glimpse of every soul’s Hell when being ferried there. The film either skips over such entirely or is brief and chopped up to CGI that looks like it belongs back in 2006. Often, the element holding any tension or suspense is the film’s soundtrack. Effects accomplished via animatronics and makeup are only so believable, and appear choppy and minimal in camera shots.
Several details are either missed or null and void entirely. Ai Emma never collects the souls of anyone without a request, which is a law ignored in this film for one character’s death. Also, not once is anyone ever shown with the mark on their chest indicating their soul belongs to Hell Girl after they untie the scarlet thread.
Ai’s three assistants have almost no speaking lines at all, and are mostly just there for the sake of shock factor. This can be a letdown for anyone who watched season two of the anime and grew to like their backstories. However, all three are presented wonderfully from head-to-toe, including costume, makeup, and probably the only decent shots of any CGI effects.
The story’s clear focus is on the human characters, and not Ai Emma or her assistants. The origin of Hell Correspondance is never explained. However, the overall plot is cohesive and interesting enough to keep you in your seats. It has just the right touch of joy as well as terror, humor, sorrow, and nothing feels rushed or unnecessary.
As a stand-alone piece, the film serves as a great introduction to the series, but for anyone who has seen the anime, it will feel completely pointless about halfway through. While the plot and acting are great, the special effects are lacking, and what we’re given does a good job of killing the illusion.
Will Hell Girl (2019) come to the west? The answer is currently unknown, and it could go either way. While it has its ups and downs, if nothing else, the theme song, “Figure” by GIRLFRIEND is catchy!
