Charlie Morningstar, daughter of the Lord of Hell
himself, has a dream: to give the residents of Hell a chance at getting into
Heaven by giving them a second chance to do some good. With the help of her beloved girlfriend,
Vaggie, Charlie opens the Hazbin Hotel, Hell’s premiere Rehabilitation Center. Most in Hell see it as a joke. And Heaven has some rather not so gentle
plans for Hell itself. It’s up to
Charlie and her small collection of demented misfits to prove that even the
worst of the worst deserve a shot at redemption.
While this shows presumably (and hopefully) First Season
is a quick 8 episode breeze, there’s so much to discuss I’m not sure where to
even begin. I guess I’ll start with
Charlie. God what a girl. Her design is super cute, her voice is the
most Angelic Hell has ever had and her boundless optimism is insanely
infectious. But Charlie isnt blind to the
challenge she’s set for herself. As is
pointed out to her by the seasons main nemesis, the first Human Adam, people in
Hell are there for a reason. The thought
of undoing an entire lifetimes worth of damage is daunting and Charlie has
plenty of moments of doubt. She’s not
the only one. In a series as lewd and
unhinged as it is with its laughs, it’s not without serious heart. We get to see everyone in the Hazbin go
through their own little journeys, some more explored than others. Seeing things progress positively is enough
to get anyone to believe even more in Charlie than already possible. You don’t just wanna see Angel, Husk and
Pentious beat the odds and ascend, you wanna help them too.
Charlie’s backed by a very colorful and crass collection
of what you’d expect from a crowd living in Hell. Everyone swears, makes innuendos and performs
an unnecessarily violent act at their leisure cause hey, that’s life. Those aforementioned three main residents of
the Hazbin are all a lot of fun and likeable.
Angel is the standout with not just the most attitude but the saddest
story of them all, a strong case to see Charlie’s little experiment work. Vaggie is another instant fav because of her
loving relationship with Charlie that has its share of challenges but is
unwavering. I can also see why Alastor
is such a fan fav as well. His old timey
radio voice alone is one of his more cooler attributes and everytime he’s on
screen, he steals the show, oozing control and plenty of mystery as to his true
intentions. Oh and don’t think that just
because they reside in Heaven that the Angels are squeaky clean. Man, the stuff coming out of Adams mouth
makes one wonder why he hasn’t been cast out of the pearly gates already. MVP though goes to Niffty, the tiny murder
machine cleaning maid of the Hotel, she’s so demented and her comic timing is
perfect.
The music freaking slaps and every episode gets two
songs. Things start off properly Disney
like with Charlie’s talk of her hopes and dreams for Hazbin before quickly
descending into incredibly immature and foul mouth lyrics from the residents of
Hell with “A Happy Day in Hell”. And
while that’s hilariously unapologetic tune that sets the stage, the other
tracks are a blend of comedic, terribly tragic and sometimes even
heartbreaking. This show is a comedy and
it is very, very funny. But it takes the
right amount of time to address just how damaged everyone in this world is,
both in Hell and in Heaven. “Poison”
shows us the true darkness of Angel’s current mental state. “Out for Love” explores the boundless extent
of Vaggie’s bond with Charlie. And “Hell
is Forever” shows just how demented the Angels upstairs are under Adam’s
command. There’s not a single aspect of
world building untouched by Hazbin Hotel’s phenomenal soundtrack and I highly
recommend you listen to it even if you haven’t seen the show.
Now it’s usually at this point I discuss what didn’t work
with Hazbin Hotel. But I’ll be honest,
I’m having a hard time thinking about them.
My biggest nitpick might be the rules and execution of Heaven’s
Extermination Day. If their goal is to
eliminate everyone in Hell year after year, how are Charlie and her friends
still around? You’d figure Heaven would
be a bit more thorough cleaning it out so it can repopulate but it’s clear
characters like Charlie, Alastar, Rosie and, of course, Lucifer, have been
around for a very, very, very long time.
Are they just lucky and somehow avoid the slaughter? It’s something that did bug me but the rest
of the show is so good, I just pushed it to the back of my mind so I could
enjoy the music and whatever trouble the residents of Hazbin could get
into. There’s also some good setup for a
Second Season but even if that doesn’t happen (it will, no reason why this
wouldn’t get one), Season One feels very stand alone for the most part.
Hazbin Hotel might be set in the most wicked and vile
place imaginable but it’s easily one of the Best and Most Feel Good shows of
2024. With songs that are instant
classics, an animation style and execution very much in the vein of Anime, and
a story of hope, redemption and kicking some serious ass along the way, this is
a series destined for greatness.
Remember when Akira came out in 1988 and was hailed as true
“Anti-Disney”? Well it’s got plenty of
company in that club and Hazbin Hotel is a very welcome addition to that
hallowed hall of fame. I cant wait for
the next stay in Season Two.
10/10
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