Hozuki's Coolheadedness

This is one of those animes that just make you happy. I have to say I quite like the layout of the series and how it's made up of lots of mini stories. It makes it easy to watch and you can just play it whenever you just feel like having a laugh. Also throughout this series you come to love the main character. He's got dark humour, always seems to know what he's doing and is literally the strongest and most sadistic person in hell (although maybe I'm not making him sound appealing). I would highly recommend watching the series, it's something with character so thatyou will actually remember as well (unlike a lot of animes nowadays which follow similar styles and trends-not to say they are bad though) Oh and the art style is brilliant!

Cool Headed Hoozuki came out almost 10 years ago and to this day remains one of the most underrated comedy anime outside of Japan. The basic premise is that Buddhist Hell is an incompetently run bureaucracy and is only kept operational due to the incredible micro-managing and organizational skills of a single ogre named Hoozuki. Reception in the United States was mixed at best with many critics calling the series inexcusably boring, dry, and even "A Japanese Dilbert that requires a PhD in Japanese cultural studies to get any of the jokes. The series was licensed in the US and quietly given a physical release,but it never received a dub. Honestly its reputation as dry, boring, and difficult to understand, is rather undeserved. Comedy is highly subjective, but I personally think Hoozuki is hilarious. The series does reference a lot of Japanese folktales and myths, but you really don't need a PhD in Japanese literature. All you really need is a cursory knowledge of some very famous Japanese stories that you've probably seen referenced in dozens of other anime and manga. The average viewer will have to look up a few of these stories if you want to fully appreciate every joke, but it's not that bad. It also references 1980s anime like Fist of the North Star and Urusei Yatsura almost as often as it does mythology! Let me give you an example. One of the jokes is that they meet Minamoto no Yoshitsune, who is a character from a Japanese epic poem called Tale of the Heike. Yoshitsune is a highly effeminate looking samurai who is secretly a badass and was trained by the tengu, who are Japanese mythical creatures who live in the mountains and according to tradition taught humans how to do sumo wrestling. Since Tale of the Heike repeatedly describes him as effeminate, the anime imagines him as a stereotypical "pretty boy" character with a large female following. However, he was raised by tengu and wishes to become fat so he can learn the ways of sumo, much to the horror of his fangirls. The joke isn't really hard to follow once you have a basic idea of who this character is supposed to be. This guy shows up in the game "Okami" as a character named Waka btw. I told you that you've probably seen these characters before if you consume Japanese media. Hoozuki is an episodic comedy, so of course it relies heavily on its colorful character cast to carry the goofy humor. Hoozuki is the very deadpan, loveable asshole. King Enma is the "boke" or funny guy who does the stupid shit that Hoozuki reacts to. My favorite character though is the rabbit from the fairy tale "Kachi Kachi Yama". There's this weird Japanese fairy tale about a tanuki who was caught by a farmer. The tanuki begs for his life so pitifully that the farmer's wife lets him go. The tanuki then repays the farmer’s wife by raping her, murdering her, and cooking her flesh into a stew. The tanuki then disguises himself as the wife and tricks the farmer into eating the stew before immediately transforming back and mocking the farmer for having eaten his dead wife. The farmer is so crushed with sadness and rage that he visits his friend the rabbit who agrees to carry out the wrath of heaven on the tanuki. The rabbit ends up playing a series of incredibly painful tricks on the tanuki including setting him on fire, rubbing pepper in the wounds, and eventually drowning him in a lake while bashing his head in with an oar. The rabbit appears in the anime as Hell’s most gifted torturer and like in the original fairy tale is kind of an unhinged psychopath. Even after centuries, the rabbit still holds a powerful grudge against the tanuki and is driven into a blind rage whenever anyone mentions the word “tanuki” in any context. For example, the rabbit carries out extreme punishment on corporate white-collar criminals when she is reminded by Hoozuki that they are referred to in Japanese slang as “clever tanuki”. Hoozuki also has a Chinese rival that's extremely similar to him, but they've hated each other for so long that neither can remember how it started, and of course it was over something extremely ridiculous. Japan's cultural rivalry and pointless antagonism with Chinese civilization is poked fun at frequently. Hoozuki could get into offensive territory for some, but it gives shit to everyone. Momotaro is a very important folklore figure for Japanese nationalists and the series jobs him out in the first 2 episodes and makes him a complete chump. Hoozuki makes Satan and the demons of Christian Hell into absolute buffoons and also makes fun of some Chinese figures, but it's definitely NOT a series that Japanese ultra-nationalists would appreciate. While Hoozuki may not be to everyone’s comedic tastes, I would highly recommend checking it out. The series is widely available with excellent subs that explain all the cultural references that non-Japanese audiences might miss. As for who I would especially recommend this to, the Hoozuki mangaka is a huge fan of Urusei Yatsura and this is immediately evident if you’ve seen or read that. This is definitely a must watch for fans of Rumiko Takahashi. Even if you’re not a big fan of Grandma Takahashi though, I would still recommend watching a few episodes and seeing what you think. You’ll know pretty quickly if this is going to be your kind of comedy or not.

The afterlife consists of Heaven and Hell. The Japanese hell is divided into Eight Fiery Hells and Eight Frozen Hells, while those are further subdivided into 272 sections. In both our world and the afterlife, proper governing requires sound decision-making. Unfortunately, there are far more charismatic leaders than there are wise decision-makers. The Great King Enma, may be the ruler of all the above, however Hoozuki, the chief of staff to his greatness is the one owning the attributes of both charismatic leader and wise decision-maker. And even after all of the minor torture, experiments and cold blooded pranks his assistant puts Enma through, ittakes quite a long time for the gigantic but naive Daiou sama to realize that Hoozuki would make a better Great King. Although the facts from Hoozuki's perspective follow that kind of process: I am well-suited to working on site, my position enables me to whomp you, the toughest man in hell, while manipulating that very hell behind the curtains, what could be better? Kaburaki Hiro may have directed renown romances such as Kimi ni Todoke and Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun, however, Hoozuki no Reitetsu feels like Gintama's cuter, little cousin. In each autonomous episode a new comical story unfolds, occasionally accompanied by black humor. What is also similar to Gintama is how the show does not have a clear goal, the last episode could be whichever one as well as mistaking the order of the episodes does not necessarily harm the flow of the anime. At times, anime of that sort, lacking in excitement or suspense and agony, have a different charm, as the enjoyment is more instinctive and less tiring. Of course, the number of episodes is not a substance of insignificance, for the more episodes one have watched the better he will enjoy the upcoming, because you steadily grow attached to the characters and come to like more of the anime's nature as it progresses. The concept of a comedic guiding through the bizarre sections of hell, might seem unappealing initially, even gloomy or scary, but this certain show deviates greatly from that notion. Hoozuki no Reitetsu affects positively as its main purpose is making fun of the way we imagine hell to be using intriguing stories with their foundation lying in historical, traditional, Japanese folk tales. The flaming mirror that will present all of the embarrassing moments of one's mortal life is actually the monitor for all the hidden cameras on earth, the most savage torturer goes by the form of a furry rabbit with high pitched voice and tanuki traumas. All of the cast in general, has its own story to tell, and without vast amounts of screen time they remain alluring and intriguing. Hoozuki's only rival is a Chinese medicine expert working in Shangri-la-the equivalent of Heaven-leading a life directly related to booze and women, unlike his heavenly position and his polar opposite, Hoozuki, whom aside his sadism, remains surprisingly moral and intact. Moreover, two of the most prominent subordinates of Hoozuki are the minions getting the most development and having the feel of mascot like characters. Karauri-the Japanese pronunciation of Crowley, holding the same meaning as D.Gray-man's Crowley, as the name is most likely taken from Edward Alexander Crowley (Aleister Crowley), existent person and known for rejecting the fundamental christian faith to pursue an interest in Western esotericism and founding the religion and philosophy of Thelema-he is the more serious and reserved of the two, but hiding a perverted side which equals to pure adoration for the adult ladies around him, adding cuteness to both of them. And Nasubi, his constant companion and co-worker, Nasubi's outer appearance make him look either utterly retarded or permanently stoned, despite that he is a natural genius when it comes to art and most of his actions accidentally end up contributing to something notable in the anime. Wit studio released the anime in 2014 while the manga had its original run at 2011, therefore the art is quite a strong asset in Hoozuki no Reitetsu. Bright, unique and exceptionally graphical with the character's movements never being inadequate in cohesion. The visuals are startlingly beautiful at times, while utterly distinctive at all times. One of the show's best qualities is how it shows off traditional Japanese art, which property might render the background as childish drawings in paper at times, but intentionally matches the historical and narrative nature of the anime. In addition, the art is not just pleasant to watch due to its folk tale appeal but also about the interesting material it has to offer, each scene is poured with imagination and originality, the background on occasion stands still separating the characters from it and having them look as if they're performing on stage, but the scenes rest unique.. from the goldfish garden to Sangri-la's medicinal forest. In Hoozuki no Reitetsu, being knowledgeable in the Japanese culture will assist you in grasping a complete understanding of the humor, however the explanations are thorough enough for the average viewer to understand them. In spite of this, the fact that it frequently makes use of traditional history and myths remains. One might be reminded of Naruto, as words like Susanoo, Amaterasu and Orochi will be mentioned, and at the same time acquiring the chance to deepen the meaning of them. When it comes to the sound, it more or less wavers between the same lines. The opening theme is a funny song created solely for the series and performed by the main voice actors, while its cheerful rhythm remains at the back of your head. Furthermore, all of the seiyuus voices match the character's personality perfectly while resonate surprisingly imposing, which helps in focusing on them. Lastly, narrator for the series is Junji Inagawa, hugely popular as a producer and narrator of ghost stories, he becomes the last component of Hoozuki no Reitetsu success. The anime itself might not be immensely well-known, but the manga has met a lot of recognition, with quite a few of best selling achievements and often rated in the top ten of several manga charts. All in all, Japan's hell is a multi section hell, and all together, it has 272 sections.. The cool-headed Hoozuki is the only demon fit to properly rule them all, and that demon ogre working under the Head Judge of hell makes it a worthwhile comedy.

Hoozuki no Reitetsu Review By: John Fragglepuss Evans Hoozuki no Reitetsu uses a lot of Japanese mythology and history in its episodes. For example, there are many different levels of Hell for people to be sent to, based on their wrongdoings in life. There is an animal cruelty hell, where people are sent that abused animals in life. In this hell, the animals abuse the people relentlessly. The whole Hell system in the anime runs like the normal world does, with demons taking jobs and being able to travel to the different sub-hells. They even put on festivals and Satan from European Hell comes for a visit. Youmight enjoy this if: You want to watch slice-of-life in Hell. You might not like it if: You want character development and a continuing storyline. Note to the Viewer: Be prepared to pause the anime if you are not familiar with Japanese mythology. Subtitles will pop up with an explanation of what is happening, but they do not stay up for long. EXPANDED REVIEW FROM SLC ANIME: WARNING, MAY CONTAIN MINOR SPOILERS! SLC Anime reviewed Hoozuki no Reitetsu as their anime of the month and this is what they thought of it. We will start with the positive parts of the show. The focus on Japanese folklore was appreciated by the group. There were a lot of references to folklore in every episode, which were mainly Japanese, with a few Western references peppered in. The group liked the animation style of the show as well. The characters were well done, each having a unique look and personality. The only criticism of the characters look was that Hoozuki’s single horn in the middle of his forehead was annoying. One negative review of the anime that was shared by several people was that the episodic nature of the show did not engage the viewer. The episodes did not end and make you insist on watching another episode. The lack of an involved storyline made the show difficult to finish for some group members. There were mixed reviews regarding some aspects of the anime. The humor was enjoyed by everybody, but some group members enjoyed it more than others. Some people thought that the jokes took too long to set up, or that the punchline of the joke ran flat. Other people thought the humor was spot on, being very dry.