My oldest daughter was hooked on them for quite a while, and my youngest daughter has been watching the tv specials that were made from the books. Stein’s Goosebumps that were really popular. But, what really clinched it for me was when I got to the end of the veterinarian story, as he was being tormented before being taken to hell.Ībout 10 years ago there was a series of horror stories written for teen readers called R.L. The stories are very shoujo with young girls as the protagonists and lots of drama to drive them to the desperate action of seeking out Hell Girl. The art style, with the big eyes fits in with Del Rey’s other Teen titles for girls, Pichi Pichi Pitch: Mermaid Melody and Mamotte! Lollipop. So, working with the premise that this is actually a Teen rated book, everything else about it would make sense. This is definitely a title for a younger audience than 16. I will be very disappointed with Del Rey if it was the latter.

I really hope this was an oversight on Del Rey’s part, and not a concession to any groups that may have been upset with the title or the subject. It’s marked OT (16+) on the book, but the Del Rey website has it at Teen (13+). I don’t know what happened, but the age rating on this volume is wrong. Other than those small changes, this volume follows the beginning of the anime fairly faithfully.įirst, to get one thing straight. Ai also gives those looking to make the contract a taste of what they will be getting after they die and go to hell. If they decide to make the contract with Ai, all they have to do is pull the string. And in the anime, those that ask for Ai’s help get a straw doll with a red string around it’s neck. There are some minor changes, such as Enma Ai is seen as a student at the schools the girls go to, instead of always waiting in her home with her “Grandmother” for a request to come through the computer. I’ve seen the anime this manga is based on, and, on the whole, the first volume follows the first 4-5 episodes in it. What was so bad about Hell Girl Volume 1 from Del Rey? I just finished reading it, and can’t see any of the problems so many other reviewers seemed to have with it. Someone really needs to explain this to me.

By Miyuki Eto Original Story by The Jigoku Shoujo Project

Hell Girl 1 by Miyuki Eto