HooZuki no Retitetsu: episode 1 review
In hell there are two major divisions and some subdivisions. There is a lot going on, as in life every Government needs a calm peacekeeper. This is a very important job. We shall now tell the story of Hell’s most calm peacekeeper. Hoozuki. This is his story.
…Okay, enough with the law and order! Let’s get started!
Lord Enma is swamped with work, Hoozuki is also swamped with work! However, It’s time for more problems to come to him. More importantly, heaven’s problems. They need a new caretaker in Shangri-La!
As if this isn’t enough of a problem! Momotaro is in town! no, it’s not a bunch of peaches. It’s the legendary Momotaro the ogre slayer! Who has now mistaken Hoozuki for an Ogre despite him being a demon. They whisper behind…or right in front of Momotaro….and…
WAIT, THE DOG TALKS?
OH GOD, IT’S NOT JUST THE DOG! THE MONKEY TOO!
AND THE TURKEY…..CHICKEN….pheasant thing, talks too. However, what need is there for a duel against a very important man. Hoozuki is a very important man, he has a tower. okay…he really doesn’t.
but violence is never the….
oh wait. this is Hell, Violence is all the answer! First up comes Shiro, [The dog] and he gets beat in an insult fight! Next is the monkey which is downed by his horrid past! Then the pheasant…who is worthless.
Now it’s a duel between Momotaro and Hoozuki! Sword vs Spike Bat! It’s the Ultimate showdown, of Ultimate Destiny. Good guys, Bad guys and…
one swing and the bat wins! Now, Momotaro must face himself. Hoozuki slaps him and tells him to be ashamed of his actions after death. After a few moments of finding himself. Hoozuki hires Momotaro to manage Shangri-la and the pet spirits to work in the Animal Torture department. Solving all the issues we’ve had since the start of the story!
And that was story one! time to hit the mid-way of the episode and now we have….
Fish…..Plants….Plant Fish….
Okay, so it’s lunch time and Hoozuki is watching TV because apparently Hell gets amazing reception! How this is a thing, i’ll never know! King Enma sits down to eat with him.
The rest of the episode is honestly exploring more into Hoozuki’s personal life. We find out that he likes cute animals.
Judges Goldfish plant contests.
and likes ladies who aren’t afraid of bugs and snakes.
Halarity ensues when at the end of the episode Hoozuki wins a trip to Australia from the show he was watching and Enma wants to go too.The episode fades out to credits and we are left with one very important question….
WILL ENMA GET TO GO TO AUSTRALIA???
Find out next time, on Drago-….okay fine. No DBZ jokes. I hope to find out next time on Hoozuki no Reitetsu. Seriously though, this show is a ton of fun. I’m already really attached to the stoic and yet oh so cute Hoozuki and hope to learn more about the others as time goes on.
Part time abridger? What series to you abridge?
And ohoho, I can’t really explain why, but I absolutely loved this first episode! It seemed to be just the right blend of craziness and smart conversational humor and had me laughing at every turn. I’m also a bit of a Japanese mythology/history nerd, so having an inkling of knowledge as to what some of the characters were talking about probably helps my case as well. And even without all that, Hozuki is an extremely charming main character and ‘cute in his own way’ as Enma-sama put it. His eternally sour expression is great, especially when you find out that he’s actually the type of person who enjoys life for the most part.
The background art was also really unique! I’m excited for more episodes.
I love animes with this kind of art. Have you watched Mononoke? It’s also very good for art like this and people who are Japanese Mythology fans.
I’m glad they’re kind enough to explain some background so audiences who doesn’t know much about Japanese’ view of hell can at least have some basic understanding. I read the manga so I knew, but I was wondering if they can pull it off correctly. I’m glad they did.
Maybe I should try reading the manga after I’m done covering the anime. I really like Hoozuki as a main character, he’s charming ^^
I didn’t fully understand how much the Softbank reference was (even when reading the manga) until I saw this…
http://live.wsj.com/video/softbank-talking-dog-ads-are-a-hit-in-japan/252191AF-6EC6-405C-8266-0D543BD2E866.html#!252191AF-6EC6-405C-8266-0D543BD2E866