REVIEW: ‘Hell’s Paradise’ Season 2 Episode 10 – “Master and Student”

Compared to the most recent battles, Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 tones down the excess of bloodshed and violence. But, more than anything, “Master and Student” repurposes the series main themes of loss and evolution through a new perspective with a character who, up until now, hasn’t fully had his moment in the spotlight. The effect is strengthened by some notable voice work and the sense of long-gestating grief and regret spooling over in a moment of necessary catharsis. 

Because of the pacing of the series and the fact that it took a few years for MAPPA to deliver a second season, it’s easy to forget that very little time has passed since our band of antiheroes arrived on the island. The Asaemon, in particular, has been dealt numerous devastating blows due to the community of its group. And yet, as Shion points out in his fight with Zhu Jin (Junichi Suwabe/Yūko Kaida), he’s yet to have the chance to grieve – especially the loss of his former pupil, Tenza. Tenza, who gave his life to protect Shion (Chikahiro Kobayashi) and Nurugai (Makoto Koichi).  

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 shows a man caught between his ideals, survivor’s guilt, and the crossroads of avenging his friend and living to fight for a new tomorrow. The writing scrapes down to the bone in this exacting character study that illuminates Shion as a character through his past and present. We learn that, while he was born blind, he was given his scars by his mother to sell their act better to earn them money. He’d use his Tao to dodge the blows of men signing up to see if they could strike him with a wooden sword. 

We finally learn more about Shion through his backstory. 

These moments shape Shion into who he is in the present, though he recalls how active Tenza’s (Yūsuke Kobayashi) role was in changing his perspective. While he was ashamed of his upbringing, softening his edges when he joined the Asaemon, Tenza was wholly himself and uninhibited. While he trained with Shion to become a great swordsman, his rougher exterior eventually calming, he never showed remorse or shame over how he was raised. It’s a stark contrast that further highlights how much Shion misinterprets others’ actions through his own understanding of the world and his belief that he must shoulder so much weight alone. 

It’s why his fight with Zhu Jin in Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 is so well matched and why it makes sense for Nurugai to be his partner. It’s not so much that they have complimentary elements or that Nurugai can sense Tao. Nurugai, in this fight, is unable to do much as Shion actively tells her to stand back. Instead, it’s how Nurugai grounds Shion both by being a new, self-declared student of his and by offering a different outlook on Tenza. 

Zhu Jin isn’t as strong as some of the other Tensen, making the drawn-out, laborious battle even more exhausting. Because both they and Shion are at their limits, it makes their final stand all the more stirring in its patience. The two both look to siphon the life force out of the other, steady in their meditative stalemate of death. The animation does a strong job in conveying the stifling, chilling sensation as Zhu Jin tries to wrap their Kishikai vines around Shion in an effort to inflict pain and strangle him. Meanwhile, Shion endures it to keep his blade pierced into Zhu Jin’s tanden so they can’t quickly regenerate. 

As is often the case with the series, Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 highlights balance. 

All of this is done because Shion believes he must atone. That he is responsible for Tenza’s death, and that the younger man must have died suffering and enraged. He believes that he failed Tenza as a student and that avenging him is his obligation, even if (better if) it means he dies too. This is where Nurugai comes in, and a seismic shift shakes Shion out of his steadfast self-destruction. Because she saw Tenza’s death as Shion ran, carrying her away, his back to him. And Tenza was smiling, relieved he was able to give his life to save those he cared for. 

The moment is so powerful because it reinforces the delicacy and significance of life in a world so corrupted by decay. Characters like Shion and Gabimaru might be willing to give their lives to “win,” but they shouldn’t have to. A battle can be won without them having to throw away their lives. Hell’s Paradise explores balance and the idea that one force of life must equal another, whether in the characters, the imagery, or the narrative itself. “Master and Student” reinforces this idea by reminding us that for all of Shion’s steadiness and ease in battle, he, too, has much to learn from those around him who seek his guidance. 

Chikahiro Kobayashi is superb in Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 because of how much he conveys with no explosive moments. But his pain is evident, and the character animation amplifies it through subtle facial expressions as his facade wavers. Makoto Koichi is similarly strong, especially in Nurugai’s standoff with Shion as she tries to wrestle him away from Zhu Jin’s tendrils while also trying to make him see reason. 

“Master and Student” digs deep as characters process guilt and grief. 

In an episode that plunges into the depths of despair, it’s fun to see how it introduces unlikely sources of levity. For all that Nurugai has been placed in dire situations, she’s still a kid and behaves as such. The character acting in her wrestling, Shion, away from the vines, is hilarious in execution, despite the very real consequences he’s facing. But this small beat conveys her youth, his care for her, and the genuine fatigue he feels as he isn’t so easily able to release himself. 

Throughout the course of Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10, the story certainly lays it on a bit thick at times, especially in the vision of Tenza through the blade of Shion’s sword. But it doesn’t so much matter because the effect works. We do care about these characters even though they’re two small pieces in a sprawling ensemble. The writing has done strong work in ensuring we’re able to root for them, and that’s in large part due to the emphasis put on balance. One character can’t succeed without the aid of another.

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 is a haunting fight for atonement that allows Shion to demonstrate why he’s one of the best supporting characters in the series. Possessing surprising emotional depth and strengthened by impassioned performances, “Master and Student” understands that some of the biggest battles are ones waged internally. 

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 10 is available now on Crunchyroll. 

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