Why was Hell's Paradise so disappointing?

Key points

• The Hell's Paradise anime failed to live up to high expectations due to lackluster animation.
• Studio Mappa's reputation for stunning animation hasn't carried over to Hell's Paradise.
• Despite a strong premise, the anime failed to meet fans' expectations in terms of visual spectacle.

The heaven of hell was a new Shōnen anime with a lot of potential and hype behind it and yet, for some reason, it failed to meet fan expectations and went largely unnoticed in terms of conversation and general praise. He is one of what fans call the “Dark Trio” of Shōnen Jump The Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisenand the Paradise of Hell. But fans saw the story behind the manga and the author.

When they found out that the anime adaptation would be made by Studio Mappa, the same people behind it The chainsaw man, Attack on Titan, and Jujutsu Kaisen, the excitement was overflowing. However, fans became increasingly disappointed with the adaptation once the anime premiered and progressed. Why was the Hell's Paradise anime so disappointing and underrated by fans?

Hell's paradise has fallen behind

Great expectations were dashed

Hell's Paradise follows the story of Gabimaru the Hollow, a young ninja who is seemingly unable to die. After being captured during an assassination mission, he is sentenced to death, but every single execution attempt fails due to his superhuman body. Gabimaru meets the executioner, Yamada Asaemon Sagiri, who offers him pardon for his crimes from the Shogunate if he completes a very special mission.

Gabimaru must find the elixir of life in the legendary kingdom of Shinsenkyo. But he is not the only one sent to the island. A large group of death row inmates accompanied by executioners just like Sagiri, and whoever finds the elixir and brings it back with the executioner alive gets pardon for their crimes.

The premise of the anime is a fresh, darker idea that immediately captures audiences, Shōnen Jump has had a resurgence of much darker manga serialized in magazines, and Hell's Paradise, Chainsaw Man, and Jujutsu Kaisen are the best examples of this. With the rise of dark anime Attack on Titandarker anime are often widely accepted and even fan-favorites, but just an interesting concept isn't enough to guarantee a successful series.

My life is top priority and I have no intention of dying. My goal is to survive and return home. At home with my wife. I'm not going to sacrifice my life. But I will sacrifice anything else. My ideals, reason, sense, even my humanity.

There are many other series that have less or simply not as captivating premises but have been hugely successful in the anime sphere over the last decade. Show how Demon slayer o Jujutsu Kaisen have often been accused of getting carried away by their animation, proposing the idea that their stories are nothing special but the incredible animation created by their respective studios has done wonders for the success of the stories and the appeal of the public.

Nowadays, thanks to the success of Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen and Chainsaw Man, whenever fans think of studio Mappa they think of spectacular and breathtaking animation, so when Hell's Paradise was announced that it would be animated by the same studio, there was a lot of high expectations already about the series. And when the time came, Hell's Paradise simply didn't do the job that Mappa's previous works had done. In today's anime industry, a good story is simply not enough to ensure the success of a series.

Audiences now more than ever prioritize good animation and art over anything else, for better or worse. While Hell's Paradise had a good premise and a good story, the lackluster animation compared to its predecessors simply made it fall behind what fans expected from it. While it was still popular and garnered many fans, Hell's Paradise simply didn't deliver on the promises made in Studio Mappa's name. Most of the conversation was simply based on superfluous aspects, such as the character of Yuzuriha, who became incredibly popular thanks to her seductive design and personality.

And while the second season of Hell's Paradise has already been announced, it's safe to say that the first season went largely unnoticed and was disappointing to most anime fans, who were expecting a visual spectacle similar to others modern action anime shows by Studio Mappa. It will be up to the second season of the story to satisfy the expectations that manga fans and new fans had of the anime.