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Welcome to the Solaris Blog! ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ”
Rumor has it that at midnight a certain website becomes available. On this very simple page, you can enter the name of a person you hate. Doing this will summon the Hell Girl, who will offer you a chance at revenge…for a price. (｡+･｀ω･´)
If you were given access to this site, would you do it?
Halloween may be over, but the spirit of the season lingers. China-based figure maker Hobby Max decided to summon the departed and haunt us with the beautiful yet eerie figure of Enma Ai, aka Hell Girl. (´♡ᴗ♡`)
This 1/7 scale figure is a welcome sight for fans despite the chilling story of the anime. Official scale figures of her have been very sparse, which I personally find to be a shame. Pictures of angsty Ai have been staples of many an emo and goth Tumblr account as well as forum signatures of old. While not many may have watched the anime series, Ai’s character design is unmistakable.
Alter and Chrono Gate released their 1/8 scale versions of Ai back in 2008, but finding them seems to be even more difficult than seeking out her cursed website. The ones we had in stock are also gone, unfortunately…
Granted, the anime is quite dark and heavy, so it’s not for all otaku and absolutely not for a gentle soul. For those who have never watched the series and are ready for the gloomy revelations this anime brings, read on for a spoiler-free synopsis.
If not, skip past the gifs and onto the pictures of the figure. (｡•̀ᴗ -)
The Hell Girl anime series was created by Hiroshi Watanabe and produced by Aniplex and Studio Deen. Its first season aired in 2005, then three more seasons followed between 2006 and 2017. A live-action movie released in 2019 is the last we’ve heard of the series.
Right away this anime makes you realize that hell is not just the realm beyond death, where the wicked suffer eternally; there is hell in this world too, and it’s other people. Each episode shows the story of a person who has a reason — any reason — to hate someone else: a bullied girl, a stalked woman, a victim of medical neglect, a jealous co-worker, a child looking to avenge her murdered father, a bride-to-be refusing to participate in her family’s schemes…anything that could inflict enough pain and cause enough hate that they would want to send their tormenters and wrongdoers to hell. (っ◞‸◟c)
Upon entering the name of the one they wish to see undone, they are summoned to Enma Ai’s world, a limbo universe of eternal sunset.
There, she gives you a black straw doll with a red rope around its neck, and explains the terms of the contract: pull the red string, and the one you hate will be sent to hell right away. However, all curses eventually return home to roost; when the person who pulled the red string dies, their soul will also be sent to hell, regardless of how good and worthy of heaven they may have been in life. (´Ｏ｀)
While most people do take some time to reconsider casting the curse, many still end up going through with it.
So, in a way, this anime is like a slice of…lives that are about to end terribly, now and later.
(´Д｀;) It is, basically, schadenfreude serialized. It comes with enough sorrows to suit everyone, so you may just find yours among its 90 episodes. If you want to watch despicable people suffering, this is your daily dose of retribution. And you can enjoy the beautiful visuals of Ai’s send-off ritual too. (☆ω☆*) Death doesn’t look so bad when your ride looks like this…
Though, it’s not always about revenge. As I mentioned before, Ai will take people to hell for *any* reason. She doesn’t always have a say in who gets to make a contract with her. Therefore, when a wicked one enters the website…she has to deal with them too. There are bitter episodes here and there, of sorrows and curses that should not have been. q(╯ᆺ╰๑)
Throughout the series we can also catch glimpses of Ai’s personality: this beautiful Charon is not without lore or reason. Behind those crimson eyes lies a sealed heart trying to atone for a centuries-old sin. The melancholic, blood-tinged world she lives in is her prison. The only flowers growing here are red spider lilies, historically found around graves. ⚰️
Then, she puts on her kimono and rides off to fetch the unfortunate soul.
Ai’s kimono constitutes the most colorful parts of the series, though we don’t get to see it in the episodes as much; the more intricate designs appear only in the art for DVD covers and posters. This elaborate scene in the 1/7 scale figure by HobbyMax is based off of this illustration:
Hobby Max made sure to reproduce every little detail and pattern. Not a single petal on the silken strips or the delicate embroidery was lost in the figure. ٩(˘ε˘˶ )
I can also see why they chose this one out of the many beautiful covers (you can check out the others in our store!) as it is the one with the most symbolism.
Personally, I love the flowy sculpt of the kimono and how it seems to hang like the delicate petals of a red spider lily, a symbol of death in Japanese culture. One reason is because the bulb is poisonous; before cremation became customary, planting these flowers around graves ensured that wild animals wouldn’t dig the corpses up. 🦴💀ฅ^•ﻌ•^ฅ
Out of the PVC figures of her released so far, this seems to be the first one without a black straw doll. However, it’s not like the curse motif was completely removed. Instead, subtle red threads are elegantly incorporated into the kimono on the base, weaving in and out of the yellow silk. Notice how they’re loose, like they’re seeking the soul of the one who cast the curse. Each red thread symbolizes a contract with Ai; she keeps track of all those who she has helped, and those are her accounts receivable…
The kimono rises up in the wind. It brings a message for Ai: four souls have just been condemned to hell. While only two threads are visible in the illustration, this figure is serving up an extra hearty helping of doom — the number four is heavily associated with death in multiple Asian cultures.
Ai’s face remains expressionless. She’s been doing this for centuries. This is just another day at the job. Still, her heart is only sealed, not gone. At times, you can almost glimpse the sorrow she feels in those blood-red eyes. 💔 Hobby Max did a great job of reproducing her child-like features! And compared to the original illustration, there is something terrifying about it too, with an unsettling mix of cuteness and lingering horror. (・´ｪ｀・)
This chilling and stunning 1/7 scale figure of Enma Ai will be released on October 31st, 2023. We’ve still got a year to go, but scale figures from the Hell Girl series are quite elusive. We currently have an Early Bird promotion on her as well, but only for a limited time. So, don’t miss out on this deal: pre-order today and save 6%! (ღゝ◡╹)ノ🌟
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So, pitiful shadow lost in the darkness, bringing torment and pain to others…damned soul wallowing in your sins…
Would you like to see what death is like? (ᇴ‿ฺᇴ)
We hope you enjoyed this one!
Until next time! ヾ(＾∇＾)
Comment (1)
I really love this series and I’m very interested in this figure as I always loved Enma Ai from Jigoku Shoujo growin up as the series continued. I hope we get another season though I still have to watch S3 and S4 :)
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