Episode
Hell Girl: Inside the Straw
Overview
Upon receiving a request from an elderly woman, Yamawaro begs to be the straw doll. Yuzuki goes to the mansion, asking to speak to the elderly woman but a much younger woman answers the door, leaving Yuzuki confused. Yamawaro explains that in the past, he witnessed the young couple lose their child, Hikaru. After many years, he appeared before the now elderly wife, and the wife believed her son had returned. However the husband, knowing Yamawaro is not human, used him for his experiments to achieve eternal life. When the man feeds the resulting potion to his wife, she regains her youth. However, the wife discovers Yamawaro is being used unethically, and urges him to flee. Now, unable to forgive her husband, she sends him to Hell and commits suicide by exploding the mansion.
Details
- Series
- Hell Girl
- Season
- Season 3
- Episode
- Episode 17
- Air date
- 2009-01-31
- Runtime
- 25 min
Episode context
Inside the Straw is Episode 17 in Hell Girl: Three Vessels of Hell Girl. It aired on 2009-01-31. The runtime is 25 min.
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Episode 16: Trap of Temptation
Yuzuki senses a man about to pull the string on one of Ai's straw dolls. As she rushes to stop him, Ai tells her that her attempts are futile. She shows Yuzuki the man's future. Instead of socializing with coworkers after work, Naowa has always instead played with a young girl named Kaya because he likes children. He has sent his fellow worker, Nakajima, to hell because of Nakajima's disturbing behavior and inappropriate interest toward Kaya. Nakajima's girlfriend, Yuki, joins their company to investigate. She forms a romantic relationship with Naowa, keeping silent about who she is. One night, Naowa finally reveals he is unworthy of her because he sent Nakajima to Hell. Yuki then reveals her true identity and sends Naowa to hell. Despite seeing this future, Yuzuki still has hope.
Episode 18: Special Radio
Yuzuki listens to a popular late-night radio show. Most of the letters read on the show are from a frequent sender called "Chi-chan." Chi-chan, whose real name is Chiriko, has fallen in love with the DJ host Joutarou and his sweet-talk. She becomes friends with Kaname, another well-known mail sender on the show. Wanting to thank Joutarou, the two go down to the radio station and meet Yume, the scriptwriter. Kaname says that she wants to be a radio writer too and Yume lets her have a script of the broadcast, shocking Chi-chan and making her realize that Joutarou's sweet words were all scripted, crushing her fantasy him. Hating Kaname for crushing this fantasy, she sends her to Hell. Afterward, she returns to her fantasy, refusing to accept that Joutarou's words are scripted.
More episodes from this season
Episode 15: The Rabbit and Tortoise
Shinohara Usagi is a schoolgirl who is always being helped because she is too slow at everything. One day, her classmate Endo asks her to date him. However, Endo is forced to cheat on her by her jealous older brother Michito, and he leaves her, ashamed. Usagi reveals she has accessed the Hell Correspondence, intending to send her brother to hell. Shocked, he reveals that he has done the same. The two have a heartfelt talk about their sufferings. It is implied that Usagi is actually in love with her brother. They drop their straw dolls into the river. However, Usagi realizes Michito will never return her romantic affections so when he leaves, she retrieves the doll from the river and sends her brother to hell.
Episode 19: Snow, Moon, Flowers
Kaori Nakiri is the next heiress to the Nakiri school of flower arrangement but despises this predetermined future. Yuzuki recognizes Ai's companions working at the funeral despite being her school's staff. As Yuzuki can see through her companions' magic disguise, Ai realizes Yuzuki will 'awaken' soon. Yukina, the result of the father's affair with another woman, demands that Kaori give her the Nakiri school. Tsukio, Kaori's childhood friend and love, discovers Yukina planning to poison Kaori so as to inherit the land, and drinks the poison in her place. Kaori learns of this and discovers family secrets, including that Tsukio is her brother. Broken, she accepts her role as the family head and sends Yukina to hell. Ai reveals to Yuzuki that she is fated to become the next Hell Girl.
Episode 14: Street Corner of Malice
Convenience store worker Tsuzuki helps student Kashiwagi Hidemi after she misses the last train home. Someone posts a picture of them together online, sparking rumors about Kashiwagi's character. Kashiwagi wants to send the person who uploaded the picture to Hell, but Yuzuki tries to persuade her not to. Tsuzuki is arrested for assault and Kashiwagi believes it will worsen her reputation if everyone sees his arrest in the papers. Tsuzuki breaks out of jail and Kashiwagi tells him to stop, but he doesn't recognize her right away. Saddened, she sends him to Hell. Yuzuki later sees a completely changed Kashiwagi, with dyed hair, excessive makeup and tattoos. She becomes overwhelmed as she now senses many people around her about to contact Hell Girl.
Episode 20: Hell Doctor vs. Hell Girl
An old man named Mizuragi Shōgo types Tsugumi's name into the Hell Correspondence. Each sensing the request, Yuzuki, Ai, and Tsugumi go to his mansion. Shogo explains that he gained interest in Hell after his mother used Ai's services to send his father to Hell. After years of research, he yearned to meet Ai and so had an artificial grudge against Tsugumi planted in his mind through hypnosis in order to feel enough hatred to meet her. The others all protest, as Tsugumi has done no wrong, but luckily, just before Shogo can pull the string to send her to Hell, he is instead sent to Hell by his assistant due to how Shogo took in many orphaned children only to treat them cruelly and try to send them to Hell for his research.
Episode 13: The Six-Script Lantern
A woman named Azusa Mayama is angry that investigator Norihisa, the father of Yuzuki's best friend Akie, halted investigation on her father's accident because it involved the son of a prestigious family. At the lantern festival, Yuzuki sees her reflection at the gate to Hell but Tsugumi Shibata, now a grown woman, warns her that she may not return if she crosses. Yuzuki realizes Akie is in trouble and contacts Norihisa. To get revenge, Azusa sends a man in to rape Akie but Norihisa arrives in time. Ai separates from Yuzuki, receiving back her real body as a festival gift. Yuzuki believes that she is finally free of Hell Girl, but Akie later disappears right in front of her when Azusa sends Akie to Hell. Yuzuki's eyes flicker red as she screams.
Episode 21: Right in Front Behind You
Yuzuki believes she can escape her fate of becoming the next Hell Girl as Tsugumi had. She meets a young boy named Kaito, who is being abused by his stepmother Nanami. Nanami used to treat Kaito with love; however, ever since she became pregnant with a girl she names Mao, Nanami begins to fawn over her and unreasonably punish Kaito. Kaito only desires to return to those earlier days of happiness when Nanami was much kinder. Yuzuki is shocked to realize that Kaito's father is aware of the domestic violence against his son, but refuses to acknowledge it. Believing his son is in the way of their family's happiness, he almost kills Kaito; however, he comes to his senses when Kaito sends Mao to Hell, and Nanami also returns to her old, kind self.
Episode 12: Mid-Summer Graph
Nomura Nobuo works part-time at a food stand beside the pool. Every time someone agitates him, he draws them and puts their face up on the model on his calendar chart. The person who reaches the top of the model first will be sent to hell. In the meantime, his manga debuts in a monthly manga book, so he decides not to send anyone to hell since he is in a good mood. It is only when he sees his crush Sasayama Kokoro trying to commit suicide because her boyfriend Ryuu, cheated on her that he decides to send Ryuu to hell. However, Nobuo is sent to hell by Kokoro, who believes that he will spread rumors about what she told him.
Episode 22: Flower and Moon
Yuzuki asks Tsugumi for advice on avoiding her fate, but Tsugumi does nothing, believing only Yuzuki can save herself. Sumika is the reserved twin of the famous model and actress Yuika. Yuika is quite cruel to Sumika. Only a birthmark on Sumika's side distinguishes the two. After Yuika injures her arm, she orders Sumika to take her place in a photo shoot. Sumika thrives in the role and enters a relationship with her sister's boyfriend Masato. Yuika's arm heals and the sisters argue over who should continue the role of celebrity. Masato breaks up with one of the sisters (unspecified who), and she sends her twin to Hell. At an event, the place where Sumika's birthmark should be is hidden by her arm, leaving the true identity of the doomed sibling vague, though it could be Yuika.
Episode 11: The Blotted Page
Kamisaka Rokurou is a novelist whose mystery book has received publicity because of real copycat murders resembling its plot, committed by a student. Kamisaka is interviewed by a reporter, Asaba Sumi, but the editor-in-chief changes her manuscript to lies so the magazine will sell more. Asaba apologizes to Kamisaka. The first victim's older sister, Michio Yui, Kamisaka and Asaba meet and decide to each send one person to Hell so they can get rid of three people at once. Michio chooses the murderer Chouchi, Asaba chooses her editor, and Kamisaka chooses his friend. Afterward, Kamisaka is unexpectedly sent to Hell by the murderer's mother, who blames him for her son's crimes.
Episode 23: Twilight Hills
Fumio Mizuhara is bullied by Tomohide Matsuda because Fumio is from a rich family while Tomohide is poor. Tomohide overhears that Fumio is going to the high school that Tomohide wanted to attend. He feels unfortunate, as he has to enter work instead of attending high school to support his mother and sister. The mark of Hell is seen on Tomohide's chest and it is suggested that he sent his abusive father to Hell. When Tomohide physically assaults Fumio, Fumio sends him to Hell out of desperation. Ai appears to Yuzuki, who senses people about to send someone to Hell again. Yuzuki wants Ai to leave her alone but when Ai reveals her hidden desire to send Ai to Hell, Yuzuki flees, unable to face the possibility that she too has been consumed by hatred.