SHOGUN’S NOTE: We’re still taking a break from our regular episode-by-episode write-ups in Watch & Learn to cover as many new shows debuting this season as we have time for. Read our blurbs on…
Hozuki is a bishi demon guy who is kind
of a big deal in Japanese Hell. He's second only to King Enma, who
passes judgement on the souls of the dead, and basically everyone
runs up to him with whatever problems they have, like not having
enough animal staff to attack the souls of animal torturers. To tell
you much more—and thus inform you of HOZUKI NO REITETSU's
story—would be a disservice to you as a viewer. It is best if you
jump into it's surrealness headfirst and stare wide-eyed at just how
banal torturing the damned can be when you have to deal with
paperwork.
OK, fine, here's one thing: Satan comes
to visit in the second episode.
Sure it's water cooler shop talk, but
the cooler's actually full of human blood. Think of it as "slice
of afterlife."
I get a real kick out of seeing the
juxtaposition of the supernatural nature of the world with the utter
mundanity of paper pushing and new employee training. It's sort of
like if a Japanese person was told to make an anime based off Gary
Larson's THE FAR SIDE cartoons. Everything is tinged with menace,
even if you're just grabbing a quick bite to eat with the boss and
discussing what's on TV.
Aw shoot, I gave you more details
again. Sorry.
If there's one thing that may trip
foreign viewers up, it's the fact that the show is obliquely
Japanese. Characters reference particular show hosts and
sub-divisions of Hell that even a rabid anime watcher would be
scratching their heads over. I didn't find this too distracting.
Indeed, quite the opposite; being out of my depth just made the
experience that much more fun.
But that's just me. We want to know
what YOU thought of HOZUKI NO REITETSU! You can watch the first
episode here
and leave a comment about it in the talkback below.
About the Author
 | Matt Murphy is a freelance nerd who has contributed to many nerd websites. You can reach him by going to where the light meets the shadow, by sending out zeta-brainwaves or by following him on Twitter @Murphix. |
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