REVIEW: ‘Hell’s Paradise’ Season 2 Episode 2 – “Reality and Illusion”

While “Reality and Illusion” begins on an action-packed note as Gabimaru (Chiaki Kobayashi) and Chōbei Aza (Ryōhei Kimura) continue their fight, Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 is big on the character moments. As the ragtag group of executioners and convicts all reconvene after being forcibly parted, we watch unexpected moments of grief, growth, and friendship as they seek to determine just what their next step is in this unusual and hostile setting. And it’s in these moments that the series highlights what elevates it.

In many ways, Hell’s Paradise, created by Yuji Kaku, is standard battle shonen. Each character flirts with expectations and archetypal structure. From our stoic, near overpowered lead, to Sagiri (Yumiri Hanamori) playing the “straight man” to the more eccentric Gabimaru, and a world of gods and monsters that require a ragtag group to overcome to save, if not the day, then the promised day after that comes for those characters in question.

It is, by and large, accessible, backed by MAPPA, a studio that has continually delivered high-impact adaptations of other big-name action series.  But, as is the case with some of its best series, such as Vinland Saga, Chainsaw Man, or Dororo, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku is at its best when it leans a little weird. Or, instead, when it strays from the expected.

The characters in Yuji Kaku’s work are archetype-adjacent. 

Kaku’s series does this when it first introduces Gabimaru as a resident little Wife Guy. And while Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 doesn’t reach the heights the story has demonstrated it’s capable of in the past, it does remind us of that specific brand of peculiarity in dodging expectations that makes it more than just another soon-to-be-forgotten adaptation. 

And so much of it comes down to characters. By the time “Reality and Illusion” comes to a close, we’ve got ourselves a pretty formidable group of characters rounded up, many of whom have unexpected scenes throughout. Gabimaru, having extended almost all of his tao, is knocked out and hauled away from his duel with Chōbei, who, in turn, was nearly consumed by tao, before Tōma (Kensho Ono) steps in to force him to return to reason. 

Chōbei and Toma are separated, with the former telling Tōma to wait for him. But in the meantime, he’s brought along the remaining group, including Mei (Konomi Kohara), Tamiya Gantetsusai (Tetsu Inada), and Fuchi (Aoi Ichikawa), to meet with Sagiri, Yuzuriha (Rie Takahashi), Nurugai (Makoto Koichi), and Shion (Chikahiro Kobayashi).

Supporting characters like Fuchi get moments of surprising heartache. 

Sagiri and co., who, while residing in the Tensen castle, are realizing that even if they’ve been misled about the existence of an elixir of immortality on Shinsenkyō, there’s still something that has fundamentally shifted while they’ve been there. Even more so now that they’ve fought and defeated both Dōshis and Sōshins in this world. 

Many moments in this reunion speak to the unexpected depth of supporting characters and the sheer growth some of them have undergone. Fuchi, in particular, has a brief, heartbreaking scene in which he privately mourns Senta’s death. Having died in Season 1 after their party had already split up, this reminds us that the executioners are a tight-knit group and that, for all his scientific probing and apathy, Fuchi is still capable of tears, weeping over his fallen friend. 

But the best moments of Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 center on our two central characters, Gabimaru and Sagiri. Sagiri gets several strong interactions. Her hugging Mei, who, after using her fight to stop Gabimaru, has seemingly grown into a young woman, is a sweet scene that the series doesn’t linger on.

Sagiri immediately realizes something is off with Gabimaru. 

But it’s her immediately realizing what Gabimaru is dealing with when he goes to throw away his life, saying there’s nothing he has to return to, that highlights what a fantastic character she is. 

As she goes to heal him, utilizing their compatible tao, we both get a call back to Season 1 while also seeing how close the two have gotten. There’s a deep, platonic respect between them, even if Gabimaru isn’t in the moment able to understand why. And the direction takes great fun in watching Sagiri advance on him as he powerlessly swipes at her out of frame, a nod to his diminutive, feline energy. 

More than anything, what’s wonderful is that, through this healing, we’ve overcome a significant hurdle: the amnesia plot. An amnesia plot that, initially, I was worried would last much, much longer, making this a relief. While it didn’t tank the pacing, it came close to being a cheap trick to delay well-earned growth. No, Gabimaru doesn’t remember everything yet, but he’s getting close. Close enough that he’s able to say with certainty that his wife, Yui, isn’t another one of the island’s illusions. She’s real.

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 delivers strong impact through subtle animation. 

And he believes it due to the details he recalls, from how she looks when she smiles to the sound of her voice. It’s yet another unexpectedly sweet scene that reminds us that, for all of the monsters they face, and the feverish hellscape of nihilistic hedonism the island succumbs to, there’s a yearning heart at the center, desperate to return home. 

The direction and character animation are superb here, showing the subtle shifts in Gabimaru’s more typical, apathetic facade as it melts away into something wholesome and happy. There are moments when Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 feels lacking in animation, especially during the opening fight scene. But the characters themselves and their physicality remain a highlight. 

Ending on a cliffhanger where Chōbei runs into the head Tensen, following our group’s declaration to further pursue the island’s secrets to return home, all of them free to live their lives, “Reality and Illusion” raises the stakes in a drastic way. With strong writing and characters who continue to surprise us, Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 delivers another mysterious piece to the overarching puzzle while grounding this fantastic world in familiar elements. 

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 2 is available now on Crunchyroll.

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