Hell Girl delivers vengeance for the desperate, but is her profession enough to carry an entire series?  There are whispers and rumors of an urban legend about a person who can take away one's troubles--for a price.  At the stroke of midnight, a website appears where all one has to do is type a name, and Hell Girl takes care of the rest.  

Once the request has been made, Hell Girl, who introduces herself as Ai Enma, appears to the person who asks for help and offers them a small straw doll with a red thread tied around its neck.  When the person unties the thread, they enter into a covenant with Ai.  She will drag the person's tormentor to Hell, but in return, the person in need of aid must also commit their soul to Hell.  The only reprieve is that their soul won't be collected until after they die.  

It takes an incredibly desperate person to enter into that kind of contract.  This opening set covers a variety of situations, from bullies to stalkers to gross acts of hypocrisy.  The victims turn to Ai, certain that she offers the only way out.  So far, all of the victims seeking help are young, mostly middle and high schoolers.  They have a great deal of living left to do.  The likelihood of other bad things happening, of other people who will take advantage of them, is high.  That's just the way of life.  Bad things happen.  These children sacrifice an eternity of peace for a temporary happiness, and that happiness is marred by the fact that they've been (literally) marked for Hell.

Even though the first four episodes in particular are extremely repetitive, the series is promising.  There are plenty of situations in which a person would feel trapped and seek Ai's assistance, so there is the opportunity for variety.  Unfortunately, the way the story plays out each episode is formulaic.  The victim is introduced, they encounter their nemesis, the nemesis does something nasty.  The victim overhears a conversation about Hell Girl or the Hell Link, and decides otherworldly intervention is worth a try.  Contact is made, the doll is handed over, and the victim imagines how awful an eternity in Hell would be.  One fun thing about this is that each person has a different vision of Hell.  They decide maybe eternal damnation isn't worth it, but then invariably, the nemesis does something even nastier, and there's no turning back.  The victim pulls the thread, Hell Girl appears, her helpers engage in a bit of psychological torture, the nemesis refuses to see the error of his or her ways, and he or she is ferried off to Hell.  Did I mention the series so far is repetitive?  I was reciting lines by the third episode.  

Just as all hope was thought to be lost, the fifth episode offers a bit of variation, and insight into Ai's operation.  Throughout these first offerings, there are glimpses of Ai's life on the other side.  She lives in a peaceful home by a lake with her grandmother.  We only see her grandmother's shadow, and she's always with a spinning wheel.  This is bound to be significant.  I'm not sure how, but it seems important.  Ai seems to spend her time playing marbles and bathing in the pond.  She's quiet, maybe a little sad, and doesn't seem to derive any enjoyment from her job.  The fifth episode shows that she is not required to answer a request for vengeance, and that her helpers sometimes research the petitioner before she makes a decision.  It turns out that some people ask for help repeatedly, only to be ignored if their cause is not deemed worthy.

Ai has three assistants, a woman, Hone Onna, a young man, Ichimokuren, and an older gentleman, Wanyuudou.  They seem to be coworkers and friends, but it's unclear whether these three share Ai's home.  So far, we know even less about these characters than what is revealed about Ai.  Only small hints are given to their personalities, and all that is certain is that they work with Ai, mostly gathering information.  The character profiles in the dvd extras offer a bit more about these characters, but it would have been nice if these facts were presented more clearly in the series, rather than having to rely on being told in a completely separate arena.  A pleasant variation in the formula of the series would be to delve a little more into these characters and what they can do.

The final offering on this dvd also brings a little insight into what might happen to a petitioner after their tormentor is gone.  Each person who enters a successful covenant is left with a small tattoo just below the hollow of their throat.  Since they are already damned, who's to stop them from doing the same terrible acts that have been done to them?  After all, their punishment can't get any worse.  Earlier episodes hint at remorse and unease on the part of the marked, but the fifth episode offers a more viable possibility for the series to get interesting.

The series pulls out all the devilish accouterments when Ai and her helpers give the tormentors their comeuppance.  Dark hallways, skeletons, blood, fire, and pointy objects are paraded across the screen, but the effect just doesn't work as well as one would hope.  Hell Girl lacks the moody creepiness of Witch Hunter Robin and isn't campy enough to be really fun.  Granted, it's difficult to create emotionally invested suspense in just over twenty minutes, and I'm hoping Hell Girl will pick up the pace and tighten the story in upcoming episodes.  There are hints of creepy goodness throughout the dvd; if those elements are strengthened, we'll really have something.

Hell Girl sports a clean, attractive look, but nothing that is hugely eye-catching.  The characters are unique, which is particularly impressive in this episodic series.  With so many characters passing through, it's good that there is no confusion from one episode to the next.  The best part of Hell Girl, visually, is the opening monologue.  The background consists of fascinating, grotesque drawings of traditional Buddhist demons doing what demons do best--tormenting souls.  Writhing lines, red, yellow, wild hair, and lots of teeth adorn these still shots.  Fantastic!  

I watched the English dub, which was perfectly satisfactory.  Like the other elements of this series, it's not bad, but it's not great either.  

Volume 1 offers extras in the form of a promotional "Making Of" video, a promotional music video, main character profiles, textless songs, and a few trailers for other series.

At present, the episodes follow a specific formula.  With luck, the formula will be changed up, as was hinted in the last episode.  These opening episodes raise questions that I very much hope will be answered.  What happens if the tormentor learns their lesson?  Will that person be released and the contract dissolved?  What about the petitioner?  Will he or she still be damned for attempting to obliterate another soul?  Will the petitioner decide that pulling that red thread isn't worth risking their own soul, and try to find another way to deal with the situation?  These questions, and the glimmers of improvement the last episode promises will keep me watching, and hoping.