Hell’s Paradise 2×01 Review – Dawn and Delirium

The premiere episode of Hell’s Paradise anime season 2 took fans back to the hellish nightmare being faced by our (as of yet) alive characters without missing a beat, which is impressive considering the first season aired back in 2023.

Before taking us back to the mystical island, ‘Dawn and Delirum’ opened with Yamada Asaemon Jikka being asked questions about how he managed to return to the mainland. I liked Jikka’s personality. Even though he answered during the interrogation process, I smiled at the creative team showcasing his true emotions via flashbacks that the interrogators weren’t privy to. Considering the type of man he was, Jikka was elated not to set foot on the island the moment the criminal he was in charge of was killed by Chobei during the voyage.

Of course, the treacherous waters still managed to send Jikka to the island, and he had to face a dangerous sea creature to make it out alive, but from what was shown, he hadn’t had to go through the horrors of facing a Tensen. I mean, he could have seen one from afar. However, we’ll have to wait for the anime to share more details.

With the Shogunate still wanting the Elixir of Life, Jikka’s ordered to head back to the island, much to his disdain. However, this time around, he would be accompanied by a couple of other Yamada Asaemon, including the leader Shugen, as well as ninjas from the Iwagakure Clan. With the Chief of the Iwagakure Clan involving himself in the expedition and sending a handful of powerful ninjas, I can’t wait to see Gabimaru coming face-to-face with people he likely trained with. Even though it’s bloody, Hell’s Paradise focuses a lot on exploring emotional connections. So, I know Gabimaru’s reunion with his fellow clan ninjas is going to be quite interesting.

Speaking of Gabimaru, ‘Dawn and Delirium’ showed him still struggling to regain his memories. He knew a major part of his emotional core memory was missing. It’s clear he will get back his memories involving his loving wife, but it’s kind of nice to see him struggle to unleash his full potential when using Tao. An OP character like Gabimaru does need to be taken down a few pegs to make his arc hold some kind of weight.

The major battle in the premiere episode was between Gabimaru and Chobei, with Chobei showing tremendous regenerative ability due to the flower-like infection taking over his body. Even though Gabimaru couldn’t keep Chobei down for long, it was cool to see him ensure every attack left a severe injury, if not outright kill his opponent. Gabimaru’s a beast you wouldn’t want to go up against. The Iwagakura ninjas making their way to the island are likely going to fight in a similar manner.

Most of the emotional scenes focused on Chobei’s relationship with his younger brother Toma. While we have seen Toma talk highly about Chobei during the first season, I think ‘Dawn and Delirum’ was the first time we got to witness Chobei mention how he only needed Toma by his side to take on the rest of the world. Fighting Gabimaru pushed Chobei into a corner. And Chobei’s strong feelings for always wanting to protect Toma encouraged him to allow the infection to further morph his body into a more monster-like form. I don’t know if Toma will need to step in to calm Chobei down or if the infection will kill him, but I’m excited to see how Gabimaru will continue fighting such a stubborn opponent.

As for Sagiri, Yuzuriha, Nurugai, and Shion, those four basically talked about their next course of action. Sagiri wanted to meet up with Gabimaru, while Yuzuriha wanted to escape the island. I liked how Sagiri clocked Yuzuriha’s true intentions behind teaming up with Sagiri and the rest of the Yamada Asaemon during the current mission. The more Yamada Asaemon that Yuzuriha had on her side, the higher the chances of them standing up for her in front of the Shogunate upon their return without the Elixir of Life.

However, being a kind person and after everything they had gone through together, Sagiri didn’t hold Yuzuriha’s intentions against her. Sagiri understood where the female ninja was coming from. Sagiri wanted the nightmare to be over as well. However, Sagiri refused to leave the island without Gabimaru.

The two groups will be reunited soon. With Gabimaru acting strangely due to memory loss, I’m curious about his dynamic with Sagiri. She’s likely going to be the one to make him fully remember his wife. But that’s going to be easier said than done. Season one had Yuzuriha bring up the possibility of Gabimaru’s wife not being real and merely a way for the Chief of the Iwagakure Clan to control him. Yuzuriha’s words managed to sow doubt in Sagiri’s mind. Heck! Even I’m confused about Gabimaru’s marriage. That’s why I have my fingers crossed that Gabimaru’s wife is indeed a real person, because going down the opposite route will simply be cruel storytelling even by Hell’s Paradise standards.

In the queer representation department, we had Jikka flirting with a man, offering to take him to female sex workers, or inviting him to his bed chambers instead if that’s what said person preferred. Jikka’s shown to be a troublemaker, including his sexual adventures.

The Tensen continued to practice their use of Tao with the first episode of the sophomore season showing them attending a sex party/training session for their followers. While they were busy having fun, it’s only a matter of time before they would need to pop up again to face the criminals and the Yamada Asaemon walking around the island.

If you haven’t consumed Hell’s Paradise yet, I recommend that you get on it. Airing from April 2023 to July 2023, the first chapter consists of only 13 approximately half-hour episodes. The narrative includes queer representation (the Tensen are genderfluid beings, capable of changing from male to female forms), emotional weight, and a lot of well-choreographed bloody action. And yeah, it has a bunch of strong female characters, with Sagiri being someone who worries even someone like Gabimaru.

Did you watch Hell’s Paradise anime season 2 episode 1 ‘Dawn and Delirum’? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary