Hells paradise is the third of the dark shonen trio that includes jujutsu kaisen and chainsaw man. The darker and more adult themes have been all the rage lately and with good reason. Anime used to be almost exclusively directed to a younger audience but now the shonen genre (shonen literally translating to teen boy) is consumed by people of all ages leaving room for manga and anime that directly targets those demographics. Which personally as fan of shonen anime no longer in my early teens it's extremely refreshing to get away from the constant themes of friendship and perseverance for your 'dream'. With that said of the dark shonen trio hells paradise is easily my favourite which in my opinion couldn't be greater praise considering just how good the other two are.
Hells paradise follows Gabimaru "the hollow" a ninja and convict from the Iwagakure clan as he ventures to a mystic island in pursuit of the elixir of life. A simple premise but one that's enhanced so brilliantly by the general atmosphere of the show. The music, animation and themes of death, divine justice, redemption and spirituality create an entrancing experience that will grip you from the first episode only to blow your mind by the 3rd.
The music is fantastically absorbing never falling into j-rock cliches that take you away from the uniqueness of the setting (aside from the OP which I'll excuse for just how catchy that is). The animation is similar to both JJK and Chainsaw man with soft pastel colours, rich backgrounds brimming with detail and the occasional 3D model. If your familiar with studio MAPPA's work you'll immediately see the resemblance. Where the animation is truely able to rise above the competition is bringing to life the setting itself, bursting with colour the island is loaded with rich floristry and wildlife both of which are not of this world.
The story without giving away to many details is also brilliant. The characters all pop with a similar vibrancy to the setting in both personality and design. Gabimaru, the protagonist, being the obvious standout with his soft and aloof demeanour contrasting to his near otherworldly power. He'll almost immediately endear you to his cause and have you suckered in with his astounding coolness.
The core plot of the show basically works as a mystery, what is the elixir of life, what is the island and what resides on it? As you immediately grow attached to Gabimaru and the crew you'll be drawn in and desperate to get these answers and the show won't disappoint as it lays out more and more otherworldly concepts and creatures for the crew to encounter.
With all that said the strongest feature of this show is the directing and the pacing. Unlike other anime this will grip you immediately and not waste a moment of your time. The direction of the episodes will cross between the characters in almost a poetic way not fearing that what could be a whole episodes worth of content is shown in mere seconds. This along with the music and art style being so entrancing you'll enjoy every second of it. Genuinely one of the best anime I've seen in years and the only thing holding it back from a 10 is that this is only just the beginning.
