For those who have been following Hell’s Paradise, a lot of information as to the setting and the mysterious elixir of life are finally revealed in this volume.

At the end of the last book Gabimaru, Sagiri, Yuzuriha and Senta had stumbled across abandoned villages and found one girl on her own. They are then attacked by one of the island’s monsters, a tree monster to be exact, which they attempt to fight. The girl herself is also strong and capable of landing a few blows on Gabimaru until he uses some vines to tie her up.

Read more at Anime UK News: https://animeuknews.net/2020/07/hells-paradise-jigokuraku-volume-3-review/

A battle for immortality against gods!
As death row inmates are left on a mysterious island to find the elixir of immortality, the task proves to be more than what any of them imagined. This is the plot that originally sold me on the hell’s paradise series and the character development and action sequences have kept me hooked. This volume does a great job unraveling part of the mystery that surrounds the island, giving our main characters an objective and a taste of what is to come. The ending gives us a sneak peek of what is to come, a council of super-beings aware of the existence of the prisoners and now ready to hunt them. This excites me to see the enemies’ backstory and the fights to come. Another thing the manga has made me enjoy is its use of nudity, the super beings are shown as very casual about the nudity showing that they really are godly beings thus making fights that much more exciting. This volume also sets in motion the idea that the prisoners who were once enemies might start working together to combat the bigger threat, especially when our “unbeatable” main character lost so early in the series. This is a very promising action manga. - Xocoyotzin Poblano, Otaku Hourly

Mangaka Yuji Kaku’s Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku is a series that is beautiful, disturbing, and action-packed. Published for English-speaking audiences by VIZ Media and serialized in Shonen Jump, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku is an 18+ title that is filled with action, bloodshed, monsters, body horror, religious symbolism, and characters you immediately latch on to. In the series, we follow Gabimaru, a ninja on death row with one chance to see his wife again. To do so, he must find the elixir of immortality on a supernatural island and deliver it to the shogun. But he’ll have to fight through fellow convicts and the fearsome creatures that roam the island to find the elixir.

In the last volume, the dangers of the island became even more apparent to Gabimaru and his executioner, Sagiri. Hit with attacks from the environment and convicts alike, the two explored the island and learned that the god-like creatures are more hellish than heavenly. Now, in Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Volume 3, which covers chapters 17 through 26, Gabimaru and his group find the first real clue to securing the elixir and learn about the island’s gods, rules, and lore from one of its sentient inhabitants. But, while Gabimaru, Sagiri, Senta, and Yuzurha learn more about the island called Kotaku, the remaining convicts and executioners face off against the Hermits of the island, god-like beings with no gender and no limit to their power, with varying success.

Like each prior volume, the art in Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Volume 3 is violent and blends the harshness of the grotesque with a soft beauty. This is no easy feat but Kaku’s linework excellently adds layers to each illustration of monster, human, and act. The creatures on the island would fit in any Del Torian hellscape or characters. The violent exchanges between the humans and the Hermits are some of the most shocking and well-balanced illustrations of the volume.

As body parts are hit, they begin to bloom, regenerating like plants from stumps of flesh and bone. It’s these moments where Kaku’s eye for the macabre and the beautiful hit an apex, especially in the final fight of the volume when Gabimaru finds himself at the mercy of one of the Tensen, the god-like beings of the island with nearly unlimited regeneration and stamina.

Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Volume 3is also a wonderful example of world-building. Not only do we get to understand Gabimaru’s past and his complex emotions and longing for his wife, but we also get more information on the backgrounds and hopes of other convicts on the island, specifically Tenza whose newly found devotion to protecting the child convict Nurugai provides some of the most emotional moments in the series so far.

Overall, Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Volume 3 is breathtakingly brutal and beautiful. This series remains one of the best blends of body horror and action available to pick up to date. Kaku’s storytelling is masterful and his art fit to be plastered across every horror fan’s wall.

Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku Volume 3 is available from booksellers on July 21, 2020.

Vol 1:

Volume 1 does a great job of introducing Gabimaru and his job as an assassin and how he keeps using his powers to evade death. After being interviewed by Sagari of the Yamada clan, it is determined that he will be given a pardon and can live his live with his wife in safety. It seems like a good deal, but there is definitely more than meets the eye on this deal.

Gabimaru and Sagari are very interesting characters that we learn about through the first volume. It is definitely rated mature and has a lot of violence and nudity throughout the book. The art is very detailed and well done. I found the story for the first book to be quite interesting and am looking forward in learning more.

Vol 2:

In this volume we learn more about the main characters Gabimaru and Sagari and what they have been through to become the killers that they are. After we are introduced to the other murderers and guards that will be going to the island, I started to lose track of who was who and what exactly was going on. While I liked the idea of the paradise plants and bugs taking over bodies and the mystery of what is going on, I was losing track of who’s backstory we were seeing flashbacks for and who was alive or dead.

Vol 3:

*received an ARC from VIZ via Netgalley for an honest review*

In the third volume, we learn more about the paradise and what is going on with the plants and insects. Like volume 2, I was confused who’s backstory we were learning about. We do learn more about Sagari and her strengths and weaknesses. I feel she is a believable character in the world this mangaka has created. If you like horror, I definitely recommend as the art is quite spectacular and the characters are interesting. Although it is a little confusing, it is still really interesting and I am curious as to what will happen next.

This series has gotten better and better with each volume! I'm really loving Gabimaru and the flashbacks with his wife. I also really like the friendship thats clearly starting between Gabimaru and Sagiri. The only issue I have is some of the action scenes kind of lose me and I just can't figure out whats suppose to be going on.

The story keeps getting better. We have finally met the big players and I’m excited to see how they fit in with the story. I’m also increasingly more intrigued with this world. As I learn more, the story continues to pull me in. Will definitely be looking for more books in this series!

Just when you think you understand the island, more dead bodies with flowers growing in the remains liter the island!

Gabimaru's story begins to develop more as he challenges even stronger monsters and Gods. With fewer criminals left on the island, plots begin to intertwine and developed a clear path. The gore is what readers should expect from the series. If anything, it was less graphic. There was minor female nudity which makes the series more appropriate for older crowds.

Looking forward to the next volume!

The story gets deeper as the current inhabitants venture deeper into the island. Unlocking more secrets and questions about the island bit by bit. Am really enjoying this series so far. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is unique.

Thanks to Viz Media and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

So this volume was quite the roller coaster of information and action. We begin to learn about the mystical island our protagonists find themselves on, multiple fights with deities, and a little bit of mystery makes this a gripping page turner. I thought it was a really good read and that the author seems to be coming into their own after the relatively sedate pace of volume 1. I cannot wait to see what happens in volume 4.