It is said that life's encounters are governed by fate.
Tangled up in the threads of fate...
...are the ill-fated blossoms, pitiful and frail.
Lost in anger, sorrow, and tears...
Beyond the veil of midnight,
the retribution that you are helpless to reap shall be yours.
A butterfly, hanging upside down, that will head towards the light sometime
The reflection in the mirror as we cut our hair
Footsteps echoing in the hallway during class
The sound of rain follows us ceaselessly
Purely what we feel is blinding and can take the shape of a sweet flower
Or the shape of a poisonous fruit
Rain again today
I want to link that day to now, sky-to-sky
In this craziness, uncertainty
Will we be able to leave a trace of each of our emotions somewhere?
In this craziness, you gave me life
To what bounds can we safeguard one emotion?
In this craziness, uncertainty
Will we be able to leave a trace of each of our selves somewhere?
In this craziness, you gave me life
To what bounds can we safeguard each of our selves?
"Ryoko Takamura"
"Mayumi Hashimoto"
"Misato Tamura"
"Purgatory Girl"
"Regular Coffeehouse"
Tsugumi...
Hey, Tsugumi?
Could it be you saw something?
Yeah.
Where? What place did you see?
A bookstore. They had old books.
Must be a used bookstore.
What was the name of the store?
Then, what kind of bookstore was it? What kind of books did they have?
What kind of books?
Like did they have manga? Or novels? Or foreign books?
I won't know if you won't say anything.
Even just the title of a book...
Why can't you tell me?
Let me guess. Did they have adult magazines or something?
Bull's-eye, huh?
I see, so it's a bookstore with lots of pervy books...
Hajime, you jerk!
"Free Time Hanseido Bookstore"
"Newly Remodeled"
The place Tsugumi saw
"Newly Remodeled" was an old antiquarian bookstore that sells nothing but risque books.
Was an old antiquarian bookstore that sells nothing but risque books.
"Planned For Development Ohkuchi Bookstore"
"Used Books"
Next door is an old café.
The owner is a middle-aged man who has a parakeet and looks like a toad.
Where the heck is this store?
What's that girl up to?
I wonder what the Miss plans to do.
Who knows?
It doesn't matter.
If it ever comes down to it, we'll take care of that man.
You know that, right?
Yeah.
"Regular Coffeehouse"
"Egurodo We buy used books."
I see.
He looks like a toad, all right.
Now, what to do?
Guess I'll just go for broke.
Hell Link.
You know it, don't you?
We deal in most magazines of this sort up to around the Showa year 40, (Showa year 40 is 1965.)
But I don't recall any called "Hell Link".
Around when was it published?
W-Well, if you don't have it, that's fine.
Titles composed of 4 characters are pretty common in every era.
What does the cover look like?
Like is it realistic? Or psychedelic?
Clothed or unclothed?
Uh, I'm probably remembering it wrong. Forget I asked.
Is this man unrelated to Hell Link?
My gut instinct tells me otherwise.
And what's up with that bird?
It's suspicious! Too suspicious!
The man or the bird? Which is the boss of which?
No, that's not the issue! Get a grip, me!
Why was Ai here? Think!
There was a girl that came by before noon, right?
Oh, do you know her?
No, I just saw her come in here and it made me wonder.
What was she doing in here?
She read without buying. The book over on that shelf.
We used to see them once in a while in the old days.
Girls, who look like model students.
They probably came out of sheer curiosity.
But that was the first time we'd seen a pretty girl like her.
Th-This is...
"Purgatory Girl" Th-This is...
"Purgatory Girl"
"Purgatory Girl"?
"'Have you heard of something called Purgatory Link? '
An old friend of mine brought it up one day.
I could not suppress my murderous rage,
and I finally tossed the letter addressed to Purgatory Link into the mailbox.
Instantly, I felt a presence behind me.
I turned around to find a beautiful, yet sweet looking girl.
Standing there was Purgatory Girl."
Beautiful, yet sweet looking, huh?
If you access Hell Link,
they say Hell Girl will get revenge for you.
This story is the same.
Send a letter to Purgatory Link and Purgatory Girl
will get revenge for you.
"Publication Date Showa 25 (1950) Published by Shinnosuke Miyaji Publisher Heiwado Publishing" will get revenge for you.
"Publication Date Showa 25 (1950) Published by Shinnosuke Miyaji Publisher Heiwado Publishing" The problem is that
"Publication Date Showa 25 (1950) Published by Shinnosuke Miyaji Publisher Heiwado Publishing" this story was written over 50 years ago.
"Contact Info Kouhokuchou Aza Hanauchidai Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo Printer Bisho Printing" this story was written over 50 years ago.
Is this similarity a coincidence?
"Art and Text by Goto Hell"
"Egurodo We buy used books."
Goto Hell...
"Egurodo We buy used books." Go-to-hell! Go-to-hell!
About this author...
Purgatory Link...
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" Purgatory Link...
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" Oh, so what you were looking for earlier wasn't a magazine, but this...
-That's ri... -That's right. What else has he written?
That's right.
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms"
With magazines like this,
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" authors commonly used multiple pen names
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" or made up pen names for one-time use.
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" Goto Hell... So he did both the art and text.
This illustration looks just like the work of the artist Fukumoto,
but the rest are completely different.
Hold on. It's possible that multiple people worked on it, too.
Oh, this is "Flesh and Cherry Blossoms", right?
The chief editor's still alive.
His name's Miyabe.
I apologize for the late hour.
I called earlier. My name is Shibata.
Father? He's here.
Pardon me.
I'm Shibata.
This is about "Flesh and Cherry Blossoms", correct?
Please have a seat.
Oh, yes, sir.
Goto Hell...
"Purgatory Girl" Goto Hell...
"Purgatory Girl" Yes. He wrote a story called "Purgatory Link".
This is a story that Fukumoto wrote.
Fukumoto?
An artist who used to draw covers and illustrations for us back then.
This is probably the only time he also wrote the story.
The owner of Egurodo told me
that one of the illustrations looks like Fukumoto's work,
but that the others were different.
I believe he changed his style on purpose.
Here it is.
"Purgatory Girl"
What is this photo?
Oh, that.
We once took all the writers to Atami on vacation.
The one on the far left is Fukumoto.
This man in the cape?
That's right. And the one next to him is Ohkouchi.
He was our main writer back then.
He worked as a pair with Fukumoto.
They were apparently good friends outside of work, too.
It was right after this that Ohkouchi passed away.
Ohkouchi passed away so suddenly,
we were in a real furor about how to fill in for him.
That's when Fukumoto suddenly showed up with that story.
The subject matter wasn't entirely satisfactory,
but we didn't have time,
so we printed it with an eye towards just filling the pages.
It was poorly received.
After all, neither the story nor the art fit in with our style.
In particular, Purgatory Girl was far too neat and clean.
This was?
Originally, a different illustration was supposed to go there.
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" Originally, a different illustration was supposed to go there.
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms" I replaced it with another piece that Fukumoto had drawn before.
The illustration itself was extremely good.
It just didn't fit the magazine.
It might be his greatest masterpiece.
This is the original Purgatory Girl.
Hell Girl...
Ai...
The protagonist in "Purgatory Link" is an illustrator.
He has a beautiful wife.
One day, popular author, O, has his way with the wife
and in her distress, she commits suicide.
The protagonist comes to feel a murderous rage towards O.
And then...
Fukumoto's wife was an incredibly beautiful woman.
But one day, she took her own life.
It wasn't clear why she committed suicide.
And Fukumoto never talked about it.
It was right after that, that Ohkouchi passed away.
The cause of his death was never clear, either.
It's similar.
Huh?
The wife commits suicide and the friend dies...
In terms of the storyline, it's exactly the same.
Oh, that's true.
He must have thought of the story because of their deaths.
Where is Mr. Fukumoto now?
I haven't the slightest. Not even if he's alive or dead.
After that, the industry fell into decline due to regulations and such.
I heard rumors that Fukumoto became a movie billboard artist, but...
If you're all right with a 50-year-old address...
"Minowabashi"
"Umezawa Hall of Photography"
50 years...
"Umezawa Hall of Photography" The town must look completely different by now.
"Miwanobashi Shopping Arcade" The town must look completely different by now.
"Miwanobashi Shopping Arcade"
Could Fukumoto still be living there?
Things couldn't have possibly changed more.
The town was gone.
"Do Not Enter" The town was gone.
"Do Not Enter" There were some private homes here and there,
but it could no longer be called a town.
An old apartment building that must have been elegant once.
It's practically deserted now.
He's here!
Mr. Fukumoto? Mr. Fukumoto?
Mr. Fukumoto!
You're home, aren't you?!
There's no doubt that he's in there.
What can I do?
Mr. Fukumoto, there's something I'd like to talk to you about.
"Yamanashi Mandarin Oranges"
Mr. Fukumoto,
"Yamanashi Mandarin Oranges" I'd like you to tell me about this girl.
It's your work, Purgatory Girl.
But I've met her in real life.
Her name is Ai Enma. She is known as Hell Girl.
"Yamanashi Mandarin Oranges"
Come on in.
Y-Yes, sir.
I have no time left.
I don't want to be bothered by unnecessary things.
No time?
My body is beginning to fail me in various ways.
I could drop dead today and it wouldn't be surprising.
Then I will get straight to the point.
You've met Hell Girl, haven't you?
"Flesh and Cherry Blossoms"
What's written in here is something you actually experienced, isn't it?
Wh-What is this nonsense?
I want to know just who she is.
And why she does this.
There's a homepage called Hell Link.
There are rumors that if you write in there, your grievance will be avenged
and young people are accessing that site.
There are even people who have really gone missing!
I would like to stop this somehow!
In my time, it was in the newspaper's missing persons column.
I heard about it from Ohkouchi.
He asked, "Have you heard the rumors about Hell Link?"
The rumor went that if you wrote a letter to Hell Link,
your grievance would be avenged for you.
The contact address was written
in a blank space in the newspaper's missing persons column.
But only those with a strong grievance could see it.
At the time, I thought it was of no concern to me.
But...
For the first time in my life, I seriously considered...
When I thought that...
"Your grievance shall be avenged."
It all happened just as it's written there.
"She told him, 'However, once you have your retribution,
you will have to pay the price for it as well.
Curses come home to roost.
After you die, your soul will also go to Hell."'
That's right.
And this is the price for it.
The seal that marks me as being bound for Hell.
When I entered into that covenant, I thought that was a long way off.
Thinking back now, my life has been a battle against this seal.
"Choice Movie Premiers All Production Companies"
In an attempt to forget about the seal,
there was a period where I devoted myself to my work.
I also tried seeking salvation through religion.
In utter despair, I even became absorbed in gambling.
Then, thinking to at least make myself useful to my fellow man,
I threw myself into volunteer work.
But no matter what I did, nothing lifted my spirits.
This seal proclaims my fate.
That when I die, I will go to Hell to suffer for eternity.
I'll show you my final piece of work.
Ai Enma...
When I go to Hell, I may get to see her again.
That is the one thing I look forward to.
Look forward to?!
She ruined your life!
You're wrong about that.
The one who ruined my life is Ohkouchi.
But!
Back then, Ohkouchi carried a handgun for his own protection.
If I had tried to avenge my wife myself,
he might have turned the tables on me.
I am even grateful to her.
Just what in the world is Hell Girl?!
A being that is not human.
No, perhaps she was once human.
There are texts from as early as the middle of the Edo period
that have accounts of Hell Girl.
The Edo period...
No, likely, it goes back further than that.
Probably the Azuchi-Momoyama period or so...
The Warring States period...
Why did you decide to write "Purgatory Link"?
Perhaps that was not my will, but hers.
At any rate, I had to tell someone.
Someone? Is that...
Yes. You.
You would cry for me?
Mr. Fukumoto?
At last, we meet again.
You haven't changed.
You're as beautiful as ever.
Will I see Ohkouchi in Hell?
Hell is...
...a pretty vast place, too.
Always a dead end
There is no escape
I place my sorrow upon a bird in the sky
And I'll let it fly
This place is ephemeral
An eternity that binds me
Coming or going
All that passes by are dreams
"This is a work of fiction and any similarities between the names of characters or organizations in this story and actual names are entirely coincidental."
Your name?
Saki Kirino.
You say that your father did nothing wrong?
The one in the wrong is that man!
All Father tried to do was to reveal his crime!
And yet...
Poor Father!
Your wish?
Banish him to Hell for me!
Your grievance has been heard.
"Hell Girl Beyond the Dead End" Your grievance has been heard.
"Hell Girl Beyond the Dead End" Next time, "Beyond the Dead End".
"Hell Girl Beyond the Dead End"