‘Hell’s Paradise’ Season 2 Episode 5 review: “Human and Sages”

Well, that was quite the cliffhanger. Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 5 throws everything at us while we watch, then leaves us hanging at the very end. “Human And Sages” tosses so much information at the audience that it almost drags down an otherwise solid episode. Thankfully, some moments shone through the overload of lore, making it an easy watch.

There is a lot of information that builds out the world in this episode, so we have to pay attention or risk missing something crucial. And while the show absolutely needed to explain all of this, it wasn’t done in the most digestible way. Getting into the nitty-gritty of a power system within an anime is a huge task to undertake.

A major showdown looms over “Human and Sages”

Unfortunately, the explanation of the Tao power system falls victim to this. Similar to Episode 4, it doesn’t quite handle the exposition as well as earlier episodes. That said, the information sets up the big battle coming next week.

At long last, the main group of protagonists comes face-to-face with the Tensen. Gabimaru (Chiaki Kobayashi) and co. learn that their plan was foiled because of Chōbei (Ryōhei Kimura). His ability to see Toma’s (Kensho Ono) tao was revealed during Rien’s research on him. Because of this, the plan was doomed to fail from the start. As a result, fans finally get to see an ultimate showdown between the crew and Tensen.

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 5 finds time for silly character moments before the battle commences.

The silver lining of Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 5 is the humor throughout the first half. Something that is easy to overlook in the grand scheme of the episode is the moment when Gabimaru holds Mei up as she tells the group about the palace’s layout as they plan to infiltrate it. His hands are under her armpits, and he’s holding her out in such a silly way that you can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous it looks — especially with his often remarked on diminutive size. Gabimaru is not our tallest hero.

Even when Yuzuriha (Rie Takahashi) and, later, Gabimaru put on Senta’s glasses while teaching, it’s a funny gag. The two of them clearly take their “teacher” roles seriously, befitting their shinobi ways. These little character beats bring a sense of levity that is necessary. This humor also highlights the group’s dynamics in a different light.

Give us more of Sagiri and Yuzuriha’s relationship.

For instance, there’s Sagiri’s (Yumiri Hanamori) relationship with Yuzuriha. Their connection is more layered than people might think, obviously, but that’s just scratching the surface. Episode 5 clearly shows that they connect as the only two adult women in the group, which allows them to act differently with each other than they would with the other members of the group.

This is most obvious when Yuzuriha rubs her chest against Sagiri’s neck and shoulder as she’s teaching the group how to dampen their tao. If they weren’t comfortable enough with each other at this point, Sagiri wouldn’t have allowed her to do something that intimate to her. As their relationship progresses through the season, it’ll be interesting to see just how heavy-handed the yuri tropes with them are.

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 5 is a strong follow-up. Additionally, it lays the groundwork for what is sure to be one hell of a battle. It has its faults when it comes to storytelling, but “Human And Sages” manages to stand on its own without collapsing in on itself. With what we can assume is the ultimate showdown of the season incoming, the setup will pay off.

Hell’s Paradise Season 2 Episode 5 is now streaming on Crunchyroll. 

Images courtesy of MAPPA. 

Kayla Chu

Made up of feminism, sports, and cheap wine.
Questions, comments, inquries please be sent to kaylamchu@gmail.com