REVIEW: ‘Hell’s Paradise’ Episode 12 — “Umbrella and Ink”

Hell’s Paradise Episode 12 does the seemingly impossible by once again raising the stakes in our protagonist’s ongoing combat against the Tensen. At this point, after we’ve seen them face and defeat in some capacity many of the strongest fighters on the island, they’ve become such an overwhelming foe that it’s tough to see any outcome where Gabimaru and co., are victorious in any battle. This week, we see a few get close through the concerted and combined efforts of Sagiri, Senta, and Yuzuriha, and even they, while delivering some near-fatal blows, still suffer a devastating loss.

While there’s been plenty of deaths so far in this series, with most of the Asaemon having been wiped out, Senta’s is the first that delivers a real, emotional blow considering we’ve spent a decent amount of time traveling with him. A tactician with a curiosity about different religions and cultures, he’s often played the part of either light, comic relief, or our exposition narrator, a role he shared with Hoko in recent episodes. In “Umbrella and Ink” we’re given greater insight into his character that both proves to emphasize his humanity as well as further digs into some of the lesser attributes of the Asaemon.

Their main component is Mu Dan, who greets the three once they’ve entered the gates of Horai, allowing them little more than a breath to take into the lavishly grim surroundings before decapitating Hoko. The episode manages to balance exposition with strong action that offers a great contrast to Episode 11, with Sagiri, Senta, and Yuzuriha all being different fighters than Gabimaru and Gantetsusai. Lacking the sheer size and strength of Gantetsusai and the sharpened skill and speed of Gabimaru, they must all work together to defeat Mu Dan, with Senta, to Sagiri’s surprise, putting himself in the middle to protect Yuzuriha once Mu Dan sets his sights on her.

A fan favorite, Yuzuriha is given her spotlight moment in Hell’s Paradise Episode 12. After learning about Tao at length in the previous episode, we’re led to believe momentarily due to Mu Dan’s own observation that Yuzuriha is able to see Tao herself, making her difficult to capture as she can telegraph their moves. She, however, calls it qi, and due to the slight differences in approaches still manages to gain a brief upper hand. In a mostly well-executed piece of action, we watch as she unleashes her Ninpo, a technique that allows her to utilize medicines she’s ingested and secrete them, turning them into a slime string that acts as whatever poison she’s swallowed. In this case, it’s deadly snake poison, which sears through Mu Dan.

But even that isn’t enough and it takes until Sagiri is able to pinpoint her own strength through Hoko’s guidance that she’s able to buy them a moment, having learned where the core of the Tensen’s power resides in their bodies. The episode, directed by Teruyuki Ōmine, manages to fit a lot of action into the runtime. And while the action for the most part possesses the expected level of fluidity — though there’s a significant lack of tension and strain in the scenes where Yuzuriha must use her slime string to restrain Mu Dan — the most devastating blows come through either the result of violence or the hardships of faith being stolen.

Because early in the episode, Mu Dan tells Hoko that his beliefs were fake — there is no sanctuary for souls in Horai, no matter how devout. This island they’re on has always existed for the sake of human experimentation with no higher meaning assigned to it. Humans deemed worthy are turned into tan, and those not being used for even less humane experiments, are best described as playthings for the Tensen to do with as they wish. It’s news that doesn’t just wound Hoko, but Sagiri as well, who realizes with clarity that not only has their venture been in vain, but that it condemns Gabimaru to death with no means to grant him his pardon.

The episodes crescendos on a note of hopelessness. Kind Senta tells Sagiri following her questioning of if he has special feelings for Yuzuriha, that it’s more a level of envy that he can’t quite contain. He sees her and her freedom, her willful ability to lie working in tandem with her ability to spot the truth of someone’s character, and envisions a path for himself he was unable to take. It’s less so that he wishes he could’ve gone rogue and, rather, he’d had a passion unbecoming to his family name, and had always detested the act of killing, no matter the cause that led the guilty to their execution. It’s why, in part, he’s so eager to learn about other traditions and religions, seeking less so the justification for his actions but some form of atonement by higher meaning.

It’s what makes his ultimate sacrifice of bodily shielding Yuzuriha from Mu Dan’s attack all the more pivotal. It both further blurs the line between the virtuous and the damned, as well as showcases Senta found peace in being able to make a decision of his own. In his eyes, Yuzuriha and her spirit are worth saving, so he does so, and the result is instant as his body begins to bloom.

With only one episode left in season one, Hell’s Paradise Episode 12 continues to plow ahead with major plot developments unearthed through kinetic and engaging action. While “Umbrella and Ink” may not be the strongest installment of the series, it’s integral in setting up the next wave of the story, as we begin to realize that the chances of success are incredibly slight with less of a chance of a triumphant than we’d thought possible.

Hell’s Paradise Season 1 is available now on Crunchyroll.