Hell’s Paradise 2×06 and 2×07 Review – “Hindering and Restoration” and “Two People and One People”

Hell’s Paradise anime season 2 episode 6, titled ‘Hindering and Restoration’, and episode 7, titled ‘Two People and One People’, said f*$# it! Let the fans enjoy a well-choreographed bloody brawl!

Episode 5 of Hell’s Paradise season 2 had Gabimaru and the rest of the team training to become better at controlling their Tao while also understanding the concept of weaknesses associated with pitting certain types of Tao against each other. The primary plan was to retrieve the Elixir of Life and secure a boat to escape the island ASAP. Their strategy would fail if combat with any of the Tensen was initiated. So, of course, things went downhill for our main characters with the fifth episode concluding with them walking into a trap laid by the Tensen and an inevitable battle to the death staring them in the face.

I really thought that episode 6 would be about the characters doing whatever possible to run away from the Tensen, or at least show some of them serving as a distraction while the rest desperately stuck to the plan. But I was wrong because ‘Hindering and Restoration’ revealed that there was indeed a Plan B. And that particular plan was… FIGHT!

I mean, I’m not complaining at all. Escaping from the Tensen was impossible from inside their ever-changing castle. Also, with only a handful of episodes left in the sophomore season, I’m so here for well-choreographed battle sequences instead of having characters running away again. Also, kudos to the creative team for having me worried about Gabimaru and the team because of how shocked they were after being approached by the Tensen and losing the element of surprise in episode 5. Give Gabimaru, Yuzuriha, and Sagiri their Oscars!

Before Gabimaru and Yuzuriha vs Ran could commence, I liked how the writers gave Mei a moment with her ex-family member. She had been wanting closure after everything she had been put through on the island. And while I wasn’t into supporting her when she brought it up during the team meeting, I’m willing to let it slide because Mei didn’t drag out her emotional stance in front of Ran, who wanted her to return. Regardless of Mei getting the answers she was looking for, she was determined to leave the island with the humans. So, yay for that!

Due to the Tensen wanting to perform the Hekiji Fukusho ritual to convert a whole lot of Tao into Tan simultaneously, it was clear Ran held back against Gabimaru and Yuzuriha. The Tensen needed to capture the humans alive for the ritual.

The ‘Hindering and Restoration’ part of the episode came from Gabimaru figuring out how to injure Ran by messing with Ran’s Tao. The powerful foe had the ability to cover his entire body with dense Tao to act as armor. Also, with Gabimaru’s Tao being weak against Ran’s, our ninja protagonist had to be very careful about not taking too many hits.

With Gabimaru being the frontline attacker, Yuzuriha stayed true to her character and waited on the sidelines to exploit the perfect opportunity to strike. Due to her Tao being strong against Ran’s, she was the duo’s trump card. Gabimaru couldn’t risk her getting gravely injured.

We have seen Yuzuriha talk a lot about how her only goal was to sail away from the island and how she was more than okay with leaving anyone behind as long as it guaranteed her freedom. However, similar to every other character, Yuzuriha had also changed after what she experienced on the island. Even though she had the chance to flee from the current battle, leaving Gabimaru to his fate, the kunoichi put her life on the line to save Gabimaru from Ran’s rampage. She was still focused on being as far away from Ran, but she was going to take Gabimaru with her.

I mean, it was obvious the two wouldn’t be able to escape from Ran. But seeing Yuzuriha save Gabimaru made for a nice character moment for her. Looking out for friends can get you killed during battle, but hey, humans have feelings. So, putting yourself at risk to help someone else can’t be helped. Also, the duo isn’t dead yet. So, I’m excited about seeing how they will manage to defeat Ran after he activated his Kishikai state. I still think Shugen and his peeps are going to show up to lend a hand.

Episode 7, ‘Two People and One People’, focused on Toma, Gantetsusai, and Fuchi being confronted by Chobei, Tao Fa, and Ju Fa. Of course, Chobei wanted Toma to join the Tensen and become immortal while abandoning his current companions to be sacrificed.

Gantetsusai encouraging Toma to be with his older brother was an interesting moment. It made sense for him to push Toma in such a manner. As Gantetsusai put it, he would rather face an uncertain enemy than an uncertain ally. If Toma were to betray them to be with Chobei, Gantetsusai wanted him to do it now instead of later during battle.

A major twist was Chobei and Toma betraying Tao Fa and Ju Fa instead of the humans. Having the brother communicate via a secret signal was a nice touch. Turns out, if any of them said something while their hair was unbraided, it meant they were lying to the other. Chobei asking Toma to join the Tensen was a lie because Toma had noticed Chobei’s hair unbraided. It was a simple yet very effective way to secretly communicate.

Toma and Chobei’s rematch with Ju Fa didn’t go as the Tensen expected because both brothers had leveled up since their initial encounter. The title of the episode related to how, to Ju Fa, fighting the brothers was similar to fighting two of the same person. They were perfectly synced and caused Ju Fa a whole lot of trouble. Toma’s training with Gantetsusai, about going for the kill, had paid off. The younger brother was now skilled enough to fight alongside Chobei. I get that both characters were villainous, but I couldn’t help but root for them during the battle.

As for Tao Fa’s fight with Gantetsusai and Fuchi, while Tao Fa’s Tao was weak against Fuchi’s, it didn’t matter because, unlike the rest of their group, Gantetsusai and Fuchi had trouble harnessing their Tao due to different reasons. Gantetsusai was a fighter who focused on what he could see instead of what he could sense. Fuchi, being a scientist, preferred interacting with tangible things. The existence of Tao aka invisible energy or Chakra, flew over their heads.

I enjoyed how the creatives had such characters grasp the severity of the situation. They needed to understand Tao, in their own manner, if they were to survive against Tao Fa. Being a visual learner, Fuchi decided to use the destruction of the environment to detect Tao. And later he decided to use himself so Gantetsusai could see the aftermath of being hit by Tao attacks.

Gantetsusai figured out his body was capable of sensing Tao if he didn’t rely too much on his eyesight. With one eye’s vision being blurred by blood, Gantetsusai decided to gouge out the other eye. I mean, the dude could have closed his eyes to have the same effect. But nopes, Gantetsusai just had to take drastic measures.

As for the development between the two humans, Fuchi had grown to sympathize with the criminals they were ordered to monitor and kill if they strayed away from orders. Fuchi’s feelings related to how you can learn to connect with people different than you if you are willing to spend time with them instead of always being judgmental.

Another interesting moment dealt with Tao Fa putting away her jolly facade to share what the Tensen really felt. They had spent thousands of years trying to perfect Tan and gain immortality. They lure humans to the island. Harvest Tan. Finesse their Tao. It’s a brutal cycle with no end in sight. According to Tao Fa, if she didn’t keep laughing, she might lose her mind, or maybe she laughed because she had already lost it?

Seeing Tao Fa talk in such a manner was very unexpected to me. It helped humanize (and I use this term very loosely) the Tensen. The powerful yet poor “living” beings were stuck in the roles determined by their creator.

The upcoming chapters will continue the fights. I’m hyped!

Did you watch Hell’s Paradise season 2 episodes 6 and 7? What did you think of them?

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.

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