[Rewatch] Jigokuraku • Hell's Paradise Episode 2 Discussion

**Hell’s Rewatch Host, subbed**

[Welcome back, everyone!](#michaelwink)

[Here were my original reactions to episode 2](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/comments/12fpglm/jigokuraku_hells_paradise_episode_2_discussion/jfgn9vx/), if anyone wants to read those.

---

- I do think there’s something a little bit… disappointing, I suppose? About last episode establishing Sagiri as someone who managed to scare the shit out of *Gabimaru*, then when it switches to her POV this time, goes [actually she’s scared about her own job.](https://i.imgur.com/rf9dZhy.png) [Later spoilers]>!It does work out in the end with Sagiri ending up able to use tao *extremely* easily compared to most of the rest of the cast, at least.!<

- [Gabimaru is a fun character now that he’s out of his funk.](https://i.imgur.com/2LOWuWQ.png)

- [It’s fun to look at the overhead shot of all the prisoners](https://i.imgur.com/HnNAtm3.png) and spot the ones I know go to the island.

- [Kinda funny to be showing that off when all the prisoners have paper blocking them from seeing.](https://i.imgur.com/aD0b5ov.png) [](#yousaidsomethingdumb)

- [Time for a little free-for-all.](https://i.imgur.com/PFs5d56.png) [](#popcorn2)

- [Sasuga, Gabimaru.](https://i.imgur.com/TbEm9dG.png)

- [Rude.](https://i.imgur.com/6pbDJ0k.png) [](#psh-mongrels)

- For someone who says he doesn’t want to kill, [Gabimaru sure](https://i.imgur.com/jxn5BRo.png) is [*brutal* about it.](https://i.imgur.com/Nir5dDl.png) [](#crazedlaugh)

- [We’re here…](https://i.imgur.com/Kq4LG8M.png)

**Rewatcher**

[In my comment for Episode 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/anime/s/AJQHFWbLCo) I remarked on the significance of the very first three images we see for the narrative. Now that episode two rolls around, I see the first three episodes are also follow on this order. The first episode is a portrait of Gabimaru, the second one of Sagiri, and the third will be of Shinsenkyou.

Well you all saw the episode so to make matters short, I think Sagiri is best understood here by how Eizen _mis_ understands her. My impression of him here is I think a bit kinder than on first watch. What he tells Sagiri could be taken to be sexism and well, it is. But beyond that, I don't think he means to imply anything but exactly what he says. He is repeating the common views of his context and not bothering to think further than that.

He says to Sagiri that she should just go home, prepare food, be a wife and take care of family. In his estimation this is actually a gift. An opportunity that Sagiri has as a woman to be away from the worst violence and death that the relatively peaceful Edo Period has to offer.

But Sagiri feels hunted by this even at home, because even if you do not take lives yourself, all the Yamada Asaemon are destined to make a living through death. Recognizing the inescapable reality of death, she would rather instead face it head on, until she is able to perform an execution that is such at peace with it as she saw her father perform.

This is finally perfectly summarized at the end where Eizen thinks Sagari sheds a tear from being overwhelmed by the situation, when in reality she was moved to tears by the new perspective Gabimaru showed her in the reflection of her blade. She even completely ignored that he was delivering Mortal Kombat Fatalities left and right, for which Eizen criticized him. That's actually a little bit twisted of her lol.

Although Eizen was merely a supporting element of this episode I wanted to focus more on what he adds to Sagiri's protagonism in my comment because it shows that a portrait of Sagiri is not complete without highlighting how she is out of place with the rules and customs that make up the civilization she grew up in, as a woman who runs towards violence wishing to understand it, instead of falling in line and performing her duties, while leaving the men and the deviants to deal with the ugly stuff. And it tells us that it _will_ be an element of the narrative going forward.

Now for some miscellaneous notes.

First timers should realize by now that there's a lot of problems with the logistics of this whole operation. Well here is your explanation: the fucking bum Shōgun. He is just a spoiled, untouchable manchild, that doesn't think too deeply about anything and seems to think everyone else is just there to alleviate him if his boredom.

The name is fictional, there was no Shōgun named Tokugawa Nariyoshi. The real 11th Shōgun of the Tokugawa dynasty, Tokugawa Ienari, apparently kept a harem of 900 women and fathered over 75 children, which certainly seems like something this luxurious bum would do. It also situates this story between 1787 and 1837. Well more to the latter years as the man is clearly in his twilight. Perhaps during the Tenpō Famine from 1833-1837, as such events tend to raise the criminality and violence rates. Impossible to narrow down the years further as the only other clue we have, the "Sagiwa Castle" that Yuzuriha is said to have infiltrated last year, doesn't turn up anything when I Google it.

Not that this is really crucial, but it's fun to try anyway!

It's curious that the Yamada Asaemon seem to be viewed with scorn by the common people, and we can assume even the higher classes though they do tolerate them given that they perform vital functions. Still, normally you wouldn't ever dream of throwing a stone to a Samurai clan member. Maybe this has to do with the culture at the time relating to the "burakumin", an outcaste group in Japan because their professions have to do with death, such as executioners, butchers and undertakers. I don't know enough to say if a clan of _some_ prestige such as the Yamada Asaemon would be considered burakumin outright, but certainly they are thought to be tainted by death.

Actually now that I think about it, while I can't remember right now any explicit mention that the Yamada Asaemon were Samurai, it actually did jump out to me that the Magistrate described them as Rōnin, which is curious because I thought Rōnin were typical more... _unemployed?_

Plus they don't wear the traditional Samurai daishō, the katana and wakizashi, that was obligatory during Edo, and which you _can_ see the Samurai at the front with the Shōgun wearing, instead just using a lone katana.

In any case it certainly appears the Yamada Asaemon are in a sort of grey area, and I'm curious if the story will elaborate and/or tie in more to real history, or if it's just something we accept for the sake of the plot like Yuzuriha's excuse for clothing.

Rewatcher

Dub

So we get Sagiri's deal and...for a certain percentage of the show, we will get some dubious imagery. I don't exactly see why they use that particular set of images to show her uncertainty but here we are. But this leads towards our meeting of the freaks and the setting of the goals. Also, we see the results of flower guy from yesterday. Anyways, this show making a fairly direct Shigurui reference was not expected but fits the time frame. Gabimaru not seeking to fight is an old Ninja Scroll referant I believe. But anyways we head towards the island.

QotD: 1 Could've had different visualization...

2 Kunoichis are rare these days.

**First timer participating in the ~~Hunger Games~~ selection for the next expedition on the Island, French Subs**


*On today's episode:* A shogun a bit too appreciative of bloodbaths, Gabimaru have to say farewell to his pacifist run and another flowery corpse... WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAA [HE'S ALIVE?](#dighole)

I already talked about chara-design yesterday, and I feel I could digress on several paragraphs on the criminals introduced in that episode. I mean, you could tell immediately who would get their ticket to the Island : unusual hair color and haircuts, detailled clothes, having a different height, or a tanned skin, or cool looking scars, or being giant, ~~or being a woman~~. Gabimaru himself checks some boxes from that list.


What's more interesting is how the reverse apply for Sagiri. I talked yesterday about her appearence conveying a form of confidence and seriousness, but here she was appeared so small and *dull* compared to her cooler looking peers. She may be a capable executioner already, she still is a shonen character that have room for character development and probably will grow alongside Gabimaru.


I mean, her backstory clearly show she aim for a goal similar to Gabimaru : freeing herself from her inner demon and in time get over her fate as a Asaemon executioner.


Because for now, she still is, deep down, the [little girl that felt rejected from society, forced to follow the path of a executioner that would trap her with the tormented souls of the convicted people she had to take their life](https://imgur.com/a/gRxeYDe)


And the fact she is a woman in a mysognistic setting (just count the ''not bad for a woman'' lines in that episode) doesn't help for her sanity.


Speaking of critiscizism of inequalities in society, Gabimaru is obviously the one to point out how idiotic the selection process is. To call out how the Shogun considers the convicts gathered here as mere toys for his amusement, trapped between the cloths that delimit his domain. I may be overthinking here, but once Gabimaru begin to call out the Shogun, you can see [a torn cloth in the background](https://imgur.com/a/TOhvG2w), as if Gabimaru began to tore down the Shogun control with his word. Before [breaking it altogether with his feats](https://imgur.com/a/JxfLEKF), enforcing the quest for a life of freedom with his wife.

And the scene suddenly shifting in a twilight light may symbolize how Gabimaru is actually done with his previous life as a ninja as he gazes towards the ocean, towards the new life he wants to begins.


So, now that we have a good idea of our two main characters backstories and ideals, the story can now properly begins with their arrival on the island.


**Questions of the day**

> What about Sagiri ?

Already talked about

>Most hype criminal ?

The little gremlin of the Mountain, with the tan skin.

After today, I'll be so far out of sync with this that there's no way I'll be able to remember what's relevant to the current episode, so I'll just toss out the thought I had after watching this yesterday: The whole imaginary shadow hand molestation imagery... I think they probably could have gotten that point across another way. Felt pretty out of place in a series without any notable ecchi elements.

[First time watcher](#loliwave)

For question 1, I don't know, but I think it's going to be interesting to see how it develops or where it leads. And others have already shared quite a bit on that.

For question 2, probably the cute Kunoichi girl. Incidentally Sagiri is cute too.

**First Timer in Hell’s Dubbed Paradise**

Now I feel lazy. I have to wait until there is a 0 or a 5 at the end of the time to do anything. This person still out here doing shit after his head’s cut off.

I’m not going to change my ways, but I will applaud his dedication.

Who is the eye patched hottie?

Just slices off heads for practice around all these smilikg observers. I get a panic attack is my grandboss wants to call me. Good for you, babes.

“For a woman” 🤏🏾

I can see some high school jazz band tricking their band teacher into doing an arrangement of the OP for one of those “fun” student-led concert nights. We did that to our jazz band teacher.

I guess that was a skippable cut scene.

*Expedition* you say? 🎵Clair Obscur🎵

It’s like Poison Ivy and Joker combined terrorist tactics, goodness gracious.

I can think of several other ways more mystical to go than flowers blossoming from my skin.

Well, beheading is better than abusing bulls so they split a man open, so.

I guess I can’t call that shogun weird. We all have our qurks.

Why didn’t you just use the red seal peple?

Oh eyepatched hottie is less hot now, damn.

Blood Breathing, Second Form: Strike of the Executioner

Why so shocked Shogun, are you not entertained?

Apostate? **Wat?** He was a man of the cloth at once point? Or was it political?

Cannibal courtesan? Oh god.

“It’s not dangerous” Then *you* go explore it, bitch, don’t be shy now, get in there! Embrace your Dora, and go exploring!

***

**Additional Thoughts**

Shogun did the death battles because why not, but logistically and strategically, just pick the red seal people. Damn. But at the same time, you get wanted criminals executed this way without sullying your hands.

I have never seen Bleach outside of short videos and that huge Bleach overview, but why do these executioners look like them Bleach soul society people if I’m recalling what they look like correct?

The monikers for some of these criminals were something. “Cannibal Courtesan”. Dear lord.

Seeing no one attack Gabimaru and actively give him a wide berth really hit that he’s made a name for himself up in here, and he’s not to be trifled with even during a death match like this.

I’d like to go back blushy Gabi who freaks out his wife kisses him, but this is nice too.

***

**QotD**

1. Considering the society she’s in and her history, her navigating those emotions while being Gabimaru’s monitor feels right.
2. The bandit king. I like fictional black flags. The two ladies tie for second.

**First-timer, subbed**


So this is Sagiri's episode. We see how she's been trying to walk in her father's footsteps from when she was a child and become as good an executioner as he was. 


Wait, is that Shirogane's VA, I hear? Definitely sounds like him. So he's playing eyepatch guy. Potential love interest or just tough love fellow Yamada? 


Had a feeling they were going to ask the criminals to weed out the weak in a fight to death when I saw they'd gathered so many of them. That Shogun is one who deserves to die though. Evil scum. Hope he gets his comeuppance eventually.


Gabimaru is the most legendary killer, huh? Ok yeah, I see why now. That was some brutal display. He actually bit someone's neck off! 


But it's not that he enjoys killing people. He does it when he has no choice and despite the heavy burden it will be to deal with having killed other people. And that helps Sagiri realise what she's been lacking. It's not that she needs to get rid of her fear but rather that she needs resolve to bear the burden of her actions. 


The final chosen bunch has some interesting characters. The kunoichi is the one from the clips I've seen before iirc. The bandit who took the initiative and started killing first seems intriguing and I think I recognise his VA but can't place him yet. The little fellow who asked what if there's no elixir seems like someone I'll like too.


Good set up episode with a detailed look at Sagiri's background. I'm definitely liking this so far and can't wait to see more. 

[deleted]

**Rewatcher (Dub)**

In yesterday's post, I mentioned how the first episode serves as a kind of prologue to the main story, and I feel like this was like part 2 of that. This time around, we get a bit more focus on Sagiri. I liked getting to see how she got into this kind of work, through her father, and how she hardened her killing resolve due to the bullying as a kid.

I like the idea of the stuff in the present, with the prisoners being forced to fight for their chance to go to the island. The action here was fittingly brutal, and generally well done. And Gabimaru's role was interesting, as we're once again reminded that he doesn't relish violence like the others seem to, but won't shy away from it when he views it as necessary. It's great seeing the reactions of the nobles, other prisoners, and Sagiri herself towards his bizarre stance here.

Now we're finally about to get into the real meat of the story. I do like the buildup they've had towards the mystery of the island (first showing the foot with the flowers in the first episode, and then showing the full "survivor" in this one). The power dynamic they're setting up between the prisoners and guardians is an interesting one.

First Timer, Subbed

Y'know, it should've been really obvious that Sagiri was going to be a deuteroganist but I just... never thought that yesterday. A bit of a weird setup, with the MMC already in a committed relationship and marriage and doing things *for his wife* while having the FMC... there. I can't recall many others that do anything similar where they basically shut down the possibility of shipping the MMC and FMC outside of cheating from the getgo.

Anyways. WHY OF ALL THINGS IS SHE AN EXECUTIONER WITH A FOCUS ON BEHEADINGS?! I don't have anything against beheadings normally but the Reign of Terror was *JUST COVERED IN THE PODCAST I'M LISTENING TO AND I'M A BIT SICK OF THE HEADS ROLLING.* Aghhhhhhh.

Regardless of this very personal complaint that doesn't have any bearing on the actual quality of the show... I'm not sure what to think of her fear and doubt. On one hand, I kind of get it, even if it's just, it's probably not easy being the person who has to actually enforce the executions. Since we're already in internal monologue territory, I think it might've been nice or good to clear up what exactly she didn't like? Did she think some people were wrongly accused, or that they didn't deserve death? Or were they all people like the serial killers and arsonists that were gathered later on and she still felt morally culpable for their deaths? Like... I don't think she should need to feel or carry the weight of the executions of monsters like the ones whose crimes we know.

Also, I know it's more or less an excuse to allow Sagiri to continue to accompany Gabimaru to the island, but... are they just willing to lose 10 executioners/servants of the lords or whatever to the island as well? I thought the entire idea was that they didn't want to lose more valuable people to this island, so they'd only send criminals? It's a bit... counterproductive and contradictory, I'd say, they should *logically* just send the criminals out as a suicide squad to the island, and maybe just keep up a blockade to make sure they don't get off without the elixir.

Gabimaru's scenes were suitably vicious, reminded me a bit of Thorfinn in S1 of Vinland Saga with his daggers. I do think they need to clear up exactly what ninjitsu can and can't do soon, though, or face losing all tension as he can just pull out a new ninjitsu power out of thin air to resolve the situation. And of all the 10, well, Gabimaru is of course the obvious choice, but... The swordmaster has this manic look in his eyes I kinda liked the look of, curious to see how he went off the deep end.

[Revenge from the afterlife: If they kill him while he's telling the story, they'll never know how it ends!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/3830f62c7d10.png)

[](#slowgrin)

["Our" line of work...](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/2851c76cd487.png)

So she's a professional assassin and not a random criminal.

(Also I'm totally gonna use this "our" as extra motivation to ship them. They already share something!)

[](#delighted)

[Oh damn, they'll have babysitters.](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/5eeaf868b095.png)

I get that some of these guys are quite strong, but [couldn't they just send the Yamada folks for the mission instead?](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/d3fae72e5d64.png)

I feel like the benefits don't outweigh the risks!

I'd be more confident sending 10 professional soldiers, over sending 10 professional soldiers and 10 career criminals. Numbers aren't everything!

[Oh damn; So the babysitting will go both ways! If their monitor dies, they die!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/afcee18ea782.png)

So it seems they have a few too many criminals, so they're gonna try to turn away some applicants in a peaceful manner!

[Wait a minute, these aren't my glasses!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/d7dc53df0133.png)

[She can invade my castle anytime she wants](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/12b5aed202f2.png)

[](#towel)

[Already showing why adding criminals to the party isn't a good idea!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/4da2cc46609c.png)

Going at her with a rock? [She's used to that, and she throws back!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/4d35f7bf26d3.png)

[Otherwise known as 'Gabimaru's future wife'!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/719b88ded933.png)

Oh damn he already has a wife... Ah well, second wife!

[Cannibal courtesan?](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/8c52053a633a.png)

A praying mantis in disguise!

There were a lot of parallels/relatability between Gabimaru and Sagiri all over the episode... [Perhaps SHE will be his wife!](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/255ea65d5494.png)

(Shinobigirl will be my wife instead)

[](#delighted)

>Questions of the Day:

>1) What do you think of Sagiri feeling weighed down by fear and doubt?

I feel like they may frame this as her being a good person and therefore needing to feel "right" in what she's doing, but she might not be in the right career for that life philosphy!

Executioners aren't there to pass judgements on their victims, they're there to take out the victims after someone else passed judgements on them.

Of course, it may be righteous, but this may not be the era for this righteousness!

>2) Which of the ten criminals are you excited to see more of?

The main ship of the show, of course, Gabimaru and Shinobigirl!

(Wait, this is a romcom, right? just making sure!)

[](#urbansmile)

This is the best introduction arc a shounen can have. I literally had the same reactions as that silly shogun, i enjoyed the gore until he started to bite off the guys throat😭

Late to the party so atleast questions time!

1. ~~Interesting case of censorship~~ It makes her human? I mean, it would be boring if she was psychopath.

2. Gabimaru