HOOZUKI NO REITETSU
STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
13
RELEASE
April 4, 2014
LENGTH
24 min
DESCRIPTION
Hoozuki is the aide to the great king of Hell, King Enma. Calm and super-sadistic, Hoozuki tries to resolve the various problems in Hell, including a rampaging Momotarou and his companions. However, he also likes spending his free time on his hobbies, such as fawning over cute animals and raising "Goldfish Flowers."
(Source: Crunchyroll)
CAST
Hoozuki
Hiroki Yasumoto
Daio Enma
Takashi Nagasako
Hakutaku
Kouji Yusa
Shiro
Yumiko Kobayashi
Nasubi
Touko Aoyama
Karashi
Atsumi Tanezaki
Karauri
Tetsuya Kakihara
Okou
Eri Kitamura
Peach Maki
Sumire Uesaka
Koban
Noriaki Sugiyama
Ono no Takamura
Gou Inoue
Momotarou
Daisuke Hirakawa
Kakisuke
Hiroki Gotou
Rurio
Takashi Matsuyama
EPISODES
Dubbed
RELATED TO HOOZUKI NO REITETSU
REVIEWS
AmishaelAL
88/100A lot of deadpan humour, episodic stories and general randomness, all taking place in HellContinue on AniListBoy am I glad I decided to pick up this anime. I’d been looking for something like Saiki K no Psi-Nan, one of my all-time favourites, and found this on the list of recommendations. The two anime are actually totally different in many aspects, but Hoozuki no Reitetsu definitely filled the void left by Saiki K, at least for a little while.
The anime was fun to watch, it was interesting, it had an utterly brilliant and hilarious set of characters, and it even ended up teaching me a lot of Japanese folktales and history. Granted, there were a lot of references that I either needed to look up or only knew from other anime/manga, but that isn’t a bad thing so no negative votes on that. It’s actually a tribute to the anime that I enjoyed it so much despite likely missing a lot of the references.
Okay, now to the individual parts of the series.
Art/animation – not fabulous or anything, but appropriate for the type of anime that was being shown. It’s a very specific style, reminiscent of the old paintings and drawings associated with the folktales themselves.
Sound – here I do have to say, I actually couldn’t stand the opening. It was one of the only ones that I’ve ever skipped every time in an anime. That is, until I found out what it meant, and then it just became hilarious. The rest of the sound was great, lots of old style music which again fit in perfectly, and the seiyuus were fantastic. Hozuki’s seiyuu, in particular, managed to capture his character so well.Story – very episodic, random, and sometimes nonsensical. Many of the stories had a Gintama-like feel to them in the way that events unfolded or the way the characters reacted to them, and especially due to the amount of (well-handled) gag humour.
Characters – absolutely great. The cast was lively, quirky, interesting and hilarious. From the bumbling king of Japanese Hell to the whimsical playboy Hakutaku, the cast of somehow adorable trainee torturers and especially the utterly deadpan ‘coolheaded’ yet brutal general secretary Hozuki, there will always be someone who is enjoyable to watch. The characters don’t really get much in the way of development, it’s more about exploring their lives and the events happening around them than seeing how they grow throughout the series.
I guess you could call it a satire, or parody of the slice-of-life genre, but basically, it’s just a lot of amusing and entertaining insights into the life of an administrator of hell. Exactly what it says.
I’m not entirely sure who to recommend this to, but if you like series with a lot of deadpan humour, episodic stories or general randomness – like Gintama, Saiki K, Arakawa Under the Bridge, One Punch Man, or Nichijou (The daily lives of High School Boys), try checking this out.Meistro
73/100An acquired taste better suited for those who grew up in Japan.Continue on AniListThere was a time when both anime and manga were niched forms of entertainment, even in Japan. That changed over the past two decades and anime have since incorporated much more universal themes and even western or American styles that would appeal to non-Japanese viewers. However, there are still one or two anime and manga out there that are more appealing to Japanese viewers because of their historical references, such as "Hozuki's Coolheadedness", a slice of life comedy about the eponymous aide to the King of Hell and the many other colorful employees working their 9-to-5 in the underworld.
Unlike a comedy like "Gintama" or "Nichijou", Hozuki's Coolheadedness' form of humor is more low-key and dry, kinda like if "The Office" or "Dilbert" were set in Hell. However, I found that most of its humor doesn't work for me because it often makes fun of characters extracted from traditional Japanese folk lore like the prideful Momotarō still seeking his glory days, the herbal expert Hakutaku whose real life counterpart is often worshiped as a spirit of herbalism, or the flying taxi Oboroguruma (who has a human face on the front) taken from a Japanese bestiary collecting many similarly spooky creatures from Japanese folklore. The fact that I inadvertently stumbled onto such an anime shows just how niched anime can still be in spite of their diverse genres and themes.
Oftentimes, its brand of comedy also involves the mockery of the Japanese culture like the workaholism in Japan or how bureaucratic the system in Hell is in the anime. There's a playfulness in its writing where the normal expected traits of Hell and its elements are subverted or played for laughs, such as the famous Lilith who's portrayed as an adulter that left Adam because they argued over whom should be "on top" in bed, or how the European Hell is far more subdued than the more cruel and punishing methods of the Japanese one, with Satan himself even becoming shocked at how the residents of Hell are being punished for their sins. The anime's worldbuilding in particular is quite extensive, showing the other unusual parts of Hell you wouldn't expect like the existence of paparazzies chasing after the latest pop star idol or holding sports day events and obon festivals (Buddhist event to commemorate one's ancestors) in Hell. Evidently, this can sometimes lead to the humor being too random and not having any real point. That's usually the main trait of slice of life, I suppose, though I personally find it difficult to see the appeal of watching characters doing random things just for the fun of it.
In all fairness, Hozuki's playful parody of Hell and its punishments has a charm to it. In the final episode of the second season, for example, Hozuki breaks the fourth wall by addressing the audience, "So, what did you think of daily life in Hell? Should you find yourself here one day, in accordance with your crimes, you can rest assured I will give you the treatment you deserve." Even the opening theme of the anime feels like a corporate video promoting how fun and positive the company of "Hell" really is. The anime would often show the punishment of the sinners in a comedic light, with Hozuki flamboyantly preaching about how they should repent for their sins while the minions of Hell indulge in their own vices (be it alcoholism or adultery). To them, working in Hell is just another job.
But ultimately, Hozuki's Coolheadedness feels like an acquired taste, one which you would get more enjoyment out of if you actually grew up in Japan listening to these folk tale bedtime stories. Its unique aesthetic style is arguably its strongest point, bearing striking resemblance with ink wash paintings of East Asia. The humor might not always land, but its animation is often beautiful and distinctive from your run-of-the-mill anime. And yet, that's another thing that you would have greater appreciation for if you grew up in Japan where such a traditional artstyle is an essential part of their culture, even today.
SIMILAR ANIMES YOU MAY LIKE
- ANIME ComedyMairimashita! Iruma-kun
- TV SHORT ComedySaiki Kusuo no Ψ-nan
- ANIME ComedyJashin-chan Dropkick
- ANIME DramaNatsume Yuujinchou
- ANIME ComedyMaou-jou de Oyasumi
- ANIME ComedyUramichi Oniisan
SCORE
- (3.7/5)
TRAILER
MORE INFO
Ended inApril 4, 2014
Main Studio Wit Studio
Favorited by 547 Users
Hashtag #鬼灯の冷徹