Friday, March 22, 2024

FIF#211-Hazbin Hotel

Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel.  In a land packed to the brim with the damned and cast out, this quaint little hotel in Hell is the place to come to get rehabilitation and a possible shot at getting into Heaven.  Eternally chipper Charlie Morningstar, daughter of Lucifer himself, believes in second chances and believes her hotel can deliver on its promise.  But Hell thinks it’s a joke and Heaven has their own apocalyptic plans for the souls Charlie wants to save.  The odds may be stacked against her, but Charlie will be damned if she doesn’t try to fulfill her greatest dream.
 
While it might not have been the most heavily cosplayed, the one title no one and I mean NO ONE could stop talking about at this past Katsucon was Hazbin Hotel.  Like a lot of titles in the past, the only reason I knew of this shows existence was because of the main character popping up at various cosplays (and Charlie has a very cute look to her too).  I had no idea what Hazbin Hotel even was or what it was about until I got a bit of intel from my fellow Otaku who have come to love this not quite Anime cartoon that’s not Avatar: The Last Airbender or the OG Teen Titans.  With that kind of a rep, I had to seek out the new Amazon series.  And boy oh boy, if I do decide to maybe do a review down the line, I’m in for, for lack of a better term, one helluva ride.
 
Everything you need to know about what kind of show Hazbin Hotel is going to be is right there in the first few minutes of episode one.  From the historical exposition of Adam, Lilith and Hell, presented by the gentle voice of Charlie to the toe tapping “Happy Day in Hell”, this is a series that’s trying to marry the raunchy, super adult tastes of Ralph Bashki and Deadpool with a Disney Princess inspired lead and music.  The depiction of Hell is naturally very dismal, disgusting and downright brutal, this show is not above showing every violent act you can think of unfolding on screen at once.  And yet its got that strange magic that never makes it a depressing setting.  Part of that comes from Charlie herself, who is wow, probably the most optimistic and positive resident of Hell you may ever meet.  Her dream to rehabilitate Demons and souls of the Damned seems unshakable and her attitude is infectious.  It certainly helps to have a gorgeous girlfriend in Vaggie at her side, both as loving support and the school of hard knocks needed to keep the dream alive.  By the end of the first episode, I want to see this Hotel run by these two awesome girls succeed.
 
Musicals and I have a bit of a mixed relationship.  It’s hard to get me into them but if they catch me, they catch me (West Side Story immediately comes to mind).  And Hazbin Hotel’s music definitely has me wanting to download its soundtrack as soon as I finish the series.  I already talked about the Adult Disneyfied “Happy Day in Hell” but “Hell is Forever” is a perfect marriage of styles and a good sign that we’re gonna get some nice diversity in music.  These are showtunes with all the production and flair of a Broadway musical.  But when you’ve got tons of explicit lyrics, guitar solos and super graphic imagery, the resulting recipe is incredibly entertaining and I’m already having a tough time getting either of these tracks out of my head.  I want to hear more.
 
I suppose it goes without saying that Hazbin Hotel has become a “must watch” for me and I’m heavily considering it for review this year (Halloween maybe?).  The animation, the characters, the no nonsense and no punches pulled musical lyrics and overall dialogue, this show has really caught me off guard with how depraved yet smart and fun it wants to show it can be.  What else can I say, when can I schedule a visit to this little joint in Hell?

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