Is a person really in any position to rightfully judge another person, being as flawed as all humans are?

Story:

The world of Jigokuraku is mind-boggling, be it visually or morally. The story is very interesting, and keeps the reader involved at all times. Once you start reading it, you just don’t want to stop. The pacing doesn’t seem rushed, nor is it too slow. Essentially, it’s a ‘good’ vs ‘evil’ shounen-type story, packed with good action, interesting characters and a lot of plot-twists. However, it goes beyond that, in a sense that it portrays lives of the individuals pretty ‘realistically’; although half of the cast is consisted of humans deemed criminals deserving of the capital punishment, we get to see the all too well-known human traits and emotions pouring out of them. This manga does not simply paint its world in black and white, rather, it serves to show how nothing really is just one or the other. Throughout the story, we get to see ‘the beautiful’, ‘the ugly’, ‘the perfect’, the ‘abominal’, ‘strength’, ‘weakness’, ‘the good’ and the ‘evil’, explored in such a way that it makes us wonder if anything is as it seems and whether we are worthy of judging the nature of things or not. It also touches upon topics of personal goals and to what extent is someone willing to go in order to achieve them, self-doubt and rebuilding oneself, finding new strength, loss, hate and forgiveness. The story also relies heavily on the principles of Tao, and such a religious motive gives it a whole new level of complexity.
I do, however, feel like the love is the biggest motive of all, in it’s many shapes and forms.
Really, if you’ve ever loved any shounen manga, chances are you’re gonna like this, since you will be reminded of a lot of good characters and lessons from them.

Art:

Beautiful. No matter the scene type, the mangaka manages to preserve art’s dominant beauty and a degree of consistency. However, when circumstances call for it, it goes very, very well with the overall vibe of the moment, adapting to the point it’s trying to make. Character’s outer appearances go pretty well with their personalities for the most part, and when it comes to panels that really focus on something or someone, the details are absolutely on point and done with a lot of care.
It interesting how even in those panels where the reader’s supposed to get shocked or feel goosebumps, the art maintains its high level, in spite of the repulsive, eerie or gory nature of the scene.

Characters:

It is a rarity to find such a fine mix of seemingly similar characters and their motives, but so utterly different at the fundamental level. It becomes pretty obvious early on that we can crudely divide the characters into two groups by many standards: social standing, status, gender, good and evil, intelligence, species. However, it is with the progression of the story that we see the tiny bits and pieces of their personalities and personal history that truly make it impossible to simply deem any one of them as purely ‘good’ or ‘evil’.
Absolutely every character of any importance for the story gets character development, and most of the plot twists are character induced – be it due to their intelligence, resourcefulness or adapting power.
A person might be a villain in the eyes of the world, but the biggest hero to have ever lived in the eyes of a single person. Due to this, a lot of characters in this manga hold the MC potential, as well as the main villain potential. However, everything is well balanced, and in the end the respectful roles they end up having is story-wise justified one way or the other.
One thing that separates Jigokuraku’s characters from others is how beautifully and tragically human they all are: be it a high-class samurai, a murderer or a god-like creature, all of them will show some type of imperfection at some point, being reminded in the process of just how nothing is ever carved in stone, nor is it forever.
You might find it hard to actually hate any character; you get their motives, stories, hearts and souls displayed in front of you, and as you follow them through their battles, getting attached to at least some of them is pretty much inevitable.

Enjoyment:

This is a highly thought-provoking piece of art, there’s just no other way for me to sum it up. Other than that, the battles are portrayed very well and little is left for discussion considering the outcomes. Character interactions and bonds are also very interesting to observe and follow, as well as their inner monologues and memories. Every time a comic relief scene is used, it is well thought-through and just in time to make the most of it.
I must say, this manga really is not for everyone, since most of the fight scenes are pretty gory and graphic to an extent, while the surroundings or the story’s setting fits the words eerie and creepy perfectly, as well as nauseating at times.
All in all, be it deep philosophical thoughts and ideas, or just sheer bloodshed and chaos, there is enjoyment in every layer of this manga, depending on your personal preference.