Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Hell’s Paradise Episode 12 – Quick Summary
In Hell’s Paradise Episode 12, “Umbrella and Ink,” Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta looked on in astonishment as Mu Dan snapped his fingers – and instantly severed Houko’s. This was all before any of them could even react. When Yuzuriha tried to escape by sprinting in the opposite direction, Sagiri and Senta didn’t even see Mu Dan move. But he caught up to Yuzuriha in an instant. How can the three fight this being if they can’t even see him move? And how are Gabimaru and Mei doing?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Hell’s Paradise Episode 12
Sagiri’s sarcastic side comes out when she’s exhausted. Or maybe it’s incredulity. It’s hard to tell for sure under the circumstances. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Things were looking bad for Sagiri, Yuzuriha, and Senta. Yes, I know that in terms of this episode, that description doesn’t narrow it down much. So let me be a little more specific. They thought they’d cornered Mu Dan by cutting off his arms and legs. But when Sagiri moved in for the kill, the Tensen flew into the air, regrew his arms, and turned into a woman. Then she unleashed an aerial attack that sent our three heroes running for cover.
From her position under a statue, Sagiri noticed something concerning. She had begun to bleed from the nose. Her vision blurred. She realized her heavy use of breathing techniques must have cost her more than just stamina. Given everything she just witnessed, she thought she was out of the fight.
Then Yuzuriha gave her a pep talk. She said stuff like Sagiri should not give up, that this was a sign Mu Dan was getting anxious, and that Sagiri’s technique was hitting him hard. Well, “her”, by this point. Even when Sagiri tried to make a statement about “that monster,” Yuzuriha turned it into a positive. She said a monster can be killed, as opposed to a god.
“You’re rather optimistic,” Sagiri said (14:58). I am certain I caught a hint of sarcasm in her voice.
I could do with more sarcastic Sagiri in my life.
Favorite Moment from Hell’s Paradise Episode 12
Senta knew exactly what he was doing. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: My Inattention or the Writer’s Skill?
The title only made sense in retrospect. All I can say is, “Ouch.”
Foreshadowing is at its best when you don’t even see it as foreshadowing. Maybe you saw the death flags before I did. It’s unusual that I don’t see them. I’m using one of those folks who scream for characters to stop setting death flags. But this time, Hell’s Paradise got past my defenses.
I didn’t see Senta relating the story of his youth as an aspiring artist for what it really represented. Sure, I felt sorry for the guy. I grew up on a farm, and my tendency to enjoy science fiction, animation, and literature/fiction in general marked me as different. In retrospect, I recognized my parents tried to discourage me. But, well, I’m a bit single-minded, and at the time, I just plowed through.
I remember my parents telling me once that my drawings sucked because I didn’t spend months on one individual drawing, like Leonardo Da Vinci did. I didn’t say anything – as a kid, I didn’t talk back like that. But I remember thinking, “Well, yeah, he’s a master artist and I’m a kid.” Just now, writing these words, I made a connection: I didn’t draw after that. My writing, though… that wasn’t up for even internal debate. I kept writing.
Well, that shot’s depressingly familiar. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
But I did so within a culture that, at least overtly, praises individuality. I had that to fall back on. Maybe it’s what made it possible for me to stick with my writing. Senta didn’t have that. His culture backed his parents’ contention that he should drop the pen and start slicing off heads. So he did.
When Senta said he was sick of the killing, Sagiri’s words made me think that sequence served to bolster her character development. I was busily laughing at how she phrased her response (19:25): “It’s really only a little, but I kind of understand how you feel. Why don’t we look for a way to save everyone who came to the island?”
Delivery: Maybe Both?
Not only did I think the sequence was for Sagiri’s character’s benefit. From the narrative’s perspective, I thought it made it plausible for at least two of the executioners to support their criminals.
The episode even distracted me by switching the action back to Gabimaru. In fact, sad to say, I didn’t suspect how badly I’d misjudged until Yuzuriha asked if Mu Dan’s corpse had always sported that many flowers. By the time my brain could think, “Run!”, Mu Dan fired an injector at Yuzuriha.
Sagiri, exhausted from the battle, only had time to gasp. But Senta acted. He threw himself into the path of the projectile. In doing so, he saved Yuzuriha. He also turned himself into a standing flower garden. And you know what? I think he knew exactly what he was doing.
Beauty is powerful. It can change a soul. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
If that wasn’t poignant enough, the following scene that showed Yuzuriha coming into his life proved Senta didn’t think he had a chance to be with her. He didn’t act out of a sense it would benefit him in any way. Senta just appreciated her free spirit, as evidenced by her kicking the pile of heads he had severed into the air and dancing in the macabre rain. He appreciated the perspective she brought to his life, and he didn’t want that spirit to depart the world.
All the signs clicked into place. I want to think that the writer intentionally misled me; that it was a clever ruse. I feel better about that than thinking I’m just an idiot and missed the red flags!
What did you think of the fight against Mu Dan? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Hell’s Paradise Episode 12: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Jigokuraku • Hell’s Paradise – Episode 12 discussion
- AngryAnimeBitches Anime Blog: Hell’s Paradise Episode 12
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 1: Criminal and Executioner
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 2: Screening and Choosing
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 3: Weakness and Strength
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 4: Hell and Paradise
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 5: The Samurai and the Woman
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 6: Heart and Reason
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 7: Flowers and Offerings
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 8: Student and Master
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 9: Gods and People
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 10: Yin and Yang
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 11: Weak and Strong
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 12: Umbrella and Ink
- Hell’s Paradise Episode 13: Dreams and Reality
Senta may have been a free spirit but she WAS sentenced for something… Probably not for being excessively gorgeous.
Though, to be fair, she’d likely be found guilty of excessive gorgeousness. At least, the evidence seems compelling!
I predicted that Yuzuriha’s ninjutsu would be water-based, as opposed to Gabimaru’s fire-based ninjutsu, so I had that moment of satisfaction.
I began sensing Senta’s death when they began talking about both his past and his hopes for the future. I sense a pattern has been established: character deaths seem to be immediately preceded by flashbacks of their life. They did it with the giant, then with Tenza, and now Senta. It *seemed* that they killed Mu Dan because they managed to strike the weak spot with the right kind of tao, but when they stuck around instead of immediately moving on, that’s when I knew they’d made a lethal mistake. I have to applaud Senta for going out that way, protecting Yuzuriha, but that makes it all the worse to know his fate now. He deserved better, and it ticks me off that we just barely got to see his surprising badassery in a fight!
Good call on Yuzuriha’s ninjutsu!
Yeah, in retrospect, the signs were there. I’m still maintaining my excuse that the writer cleverly hid the clues in ways that confused me, but we all know they were really there, out in the open.
That, and like you, I really hate seeing the guy go like this. He was surprising fast in a fight!