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Hola amigos, buenas vibras para todos.
**Hello friends, good vibes to all.
The reality is that most anime are strange and bizarre stories wrapped in a fantasy that as we watch it, the stranger it all seems to us. And that's okay because for me that's the true essence of an enjoyable anime. Jigokuraku is exactly that, a story that combines the inherent evil in humans with the most beautiful things that can exist in the world as nature itself is corrupted by this malice that inhabits our race. For me it has been one of the strangest anime I've seen, it's not hard that but the truth is that when you get into the plot you realize how (nonsense?!) it can be.
Does this mean it is bad or of low quality? - Not at all, I think it is a jewel that deserves to be seen by all enthusiasts and fans. And it has it all, good animations, a strange but engaging story, interesting characters and yes, violence, lots of violence. I don't know why but I noticed several similarities with respect to other anime or manga, I guess they are elements that tend to repeat themselves but there were some little things that at least in substance, not so much in form, seemed familiar to me. But nothing, let's talk a little more about this curious story full of assassins and flowers.
This story begins with Gamibaru who is a powerful shinobi or ninja who belongs to a clan but was expelled / betrayed because he did not want to continue in the line of what he had been doing. He is a guy with extraordinary power and trained to be a completely empty and unfeeling person, so killing him is not an easy thing to do. The reality is that the fact that he has no feelings is not so true because deep inside he feels a deep love for his wife who is his driving force. Because of this an executioner named Yamada Asaemon Sagiri offers him a chance to be atoned for his sins and faults and he has to go to a certain island to find the elixir of eternal life.
The detail is that that island is special because those who go there do not return. Gamibaru together with a series of assassins who also seek forgiveness, all guarded by executioners who are under the command of the authorities, embark to that place without knowing the horrors they would find. It turns out that there is an absurd amount of living creatures that are fused with all kinds of fauna and flora whose intention is to kill anyone who steps on the island and that in turn are under the control of the Tensen, some extraordinary beings. The plan is to survive all of this and return with what has been ordered. It is here where the story begins to get murky and dangerous.
One of the things that catch my attention when watching an anime is its animation, for me it always has to be as realistic as possible to make it more enjoyable. This anime does not escape from the typical fights, mutilations, decapitations and lacerations on the body as well as the high speeds and the always reliable slow motion. Being a story where ninjas or swordsmen abound is what we will see the most. That combination of the fantasy of the creatures full of killer flowers and poisonous roots with the more traditional aspect of Japanese culture such as the clans, the shogunate and the executioners themselves and all the interaction between them is the top of the story. Watching a samurai fight a giant flower is surreal but incredible.
Other aspects to highlight is the human factor and that of the Tensen themselves. The characters being mostly murderers we see how there is a certain lack of humanity in them, the anime in general is surrounded by a kind of dark aura where good things are rarely seen. A lot of selfishness, self-interest, hatred without any reason are some of the feelings that are seen here, the Tensen are completely broken beings, they have no affinity or light inside them and to see that struggle with those who seek, to some extent, to do the "good" that is so lacking in that place is also interesting. If you ask me, the real driving force of all the characters is INTEREST, they all fight for something that beyond benefiting them all is for their personal benefit.
The characters are top. Each one has a personality and a way of acting that differentiates them from the rest. Gamibaru has an existential conflict because he doesn't want to keep killing or anything like that but his love for his wife is more powerful, hence he always takes energy from where he doesn't have it to finish a fight, his goal is to see his wife again, he doesn't care about anything else. Sagiri is everything that is right in the story, always correct and looking to take the right steps but also has her ghosts that often stop her in her eagerness to be better and someone more important. There are interesting stories like that of master Shion or Yuzuriha, another of that group of assassins. In the end it is a very varied group of personalities.
I give it an 7.7/10, it is a very strange anime but its story is fascinating. As I said it has things very similar to what is seen in Attack On Titan or Dragon Ball itself but it is still something very good to watch. There are 13 chapters of this first season. The second season is already confirmed and is expected for next year. The trailer is below.
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Bueno mi gente por hoy es todo, espero que les haya gustado. ¡Un abrazo a todos, nos vemos en la próxima!
***Well my people that's all for today, I hope you liked it. ¡A hug to everyone, see you next time!

