Hell’s Paradise Manga Review: Perfectly Balanced

After finishing the anime, I had a feeling that Hell’s Paradise would be something I would want to continue reading. I eventually got around to reading the manga after finishing some others. And boy, it was a good read. Now, the main appeal of the anime was the vibrant colours and animation. Since I was reading the manga, those vibrant colours didn’t exist, but the art was still mesmerizing. As usual, spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

So, to start, I picked up the manga right where the anime left off, Senta’s death. Now, from this point onwards, we get a lot of lore drops and the main power system of the series. Tao, which is life energy, is what the monsters of this island have been using, and now that our protagonists know about its existence, they can use it too.

What I liked about this system was the nuisance and complexity within the system. At its core, Tao is about finding balance between yin and yang. The stronger characters are, the better they maintain this delicate balance. Besides representing life force, each person’s Tao can have one of five different affinities: wood, fire, earth, metal, or water.

In each of these elements, there is one element they are strong against, and one element that restores it. For example, the element of fire. Fire elemental Tao is strong against metal, and fire is restored by wood. This added layer of the power system made the fights a lot more interesting. It was no longer just who was stronger than who. Instead, in order to deal fatal blows, you need the element that is effective against your opponent. This opened up many situations where our protagonists had to be creative to exploit weaknesses.

Speaking of characters, I have to say I enjoyed our core group, the ones that originally landed on the island. Since I followed them since the anime and into the manga, I grew to enjoy these characters and their interactions with each other. I especially liked how their relationships as criminal and execution changed.

My favourite change had to come from Fuchi and Gantetsusai. Right from the start, you could see these two could never be friends, but after Fuchi’s selfless sacrifice, it was nice seeing Gantetsusai respect his fallen executioner. Besides all the side characters, the main leads of Gabimaru and Sagiri were fun to watch. They played off each other nicely, and when they fought together, they just oozed chemistry.

Personally, I’m surprised they both survived the events of the island, but I’m glad they did. When it comes to characters, the ones I wasn’t too attached to was the second landing group, and more specifically, Shugen, Kiyomaru, and Isuzu. They added another layer of conflict, which was interesting plot wise, but as characters, I wish we got a bit more from them.

Other than the characters, another enjoyable part of Hell’s Paradise were the fights, obviously. It was interesting seeing all the different combat styles from each set of characters. What made it even better was that most of the characters had to fight in pairs, and with people they were unfamiliar with. It led to some intense moments and great reads.

The only part I have to complain about was the back half of the manga and up to the ending. Throughout the whole manga, the beginning and the middle were paced perfectly. Each mini arc had its moments to build up and expand, while also moving the overarching plot at a reasonable pace. Where the ball drops a bit was near the ending.

Once all the groups on the island converge into one big war, it felt like everything rushed to a conclusion too fast. Each plot point passed in the blink of an eye, and it felt like some parts of the story was underdeveloped. I know we get glimpses into Shugen, Kiyomaru, and Isuzu, but I still feel like these characters were underused. I wish we got to see more of them and their interactions with the other characters.

Overall, though, Hell’s Paradise was a fun read. If you’re coming from the anime, the transition from screen to book is quite seamless. The middle of the manga is definitely the strongest portion, but the fights and character interactions were enjoyable.