Jigokuraku Tokubetsu-hen: Mokke no Mori
Hell's Paradise: Jigokuraku Side Story - Forest of Misfortune

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*Disclaimer: this review mentions spoilers for the original series, so do not read if you have not finished Jigokuraku yet*


Taking place sometime after the events of Jigokuraku, this short story shows us how Gabimaru acclimates to life as a normal man outside of the Iwagakure clan. And while it isn't as action-packed as its parent series, the former Hollow still finds himself facing danger. However, instead of finding allies in powerful warriors, he now toils alongside children from a local village.

The best parts about this short series are the interactions Gabimaru has with the kids. At first, they view him as an outsider and even ... try to kill him, but over the course of the manga he earns their trust as he learns about normal life. The bonds between the ninja and his new neighbors is built up well, especially over the course of a montage halfway through.

The art is exquisite, just like the main series. When action does occur, the pictures are amazing and convey what is happening perfectly without becoming over-detailed.

Finally, the one-shot does a great job of throwing back to the main series without going, "Hey remember that thing?! Remember it?!" too much. Yes, there are references to the adventure on Jigokuraku, but they come about in a way that doesn't feel forced in there.

The only problem I have with this one-shot is the lack of Yui, Gabimaru's wife. I was hoping that it would show us the two of them living together in present time, unlike the flashbacks throughout the parent story. But she is not physically present at all here. She could have easily come in at the end, but instead it gives us a bit more of Gabimaru with the villagers--which does work, but I was left disappointed.

So yeah, go read it if you liked Jigokuraku. It's only seventy-ish pages, so it's not that long a commitment.

I don't know what else to say, one-shots are difficult to give in-depth reviews on.

Funny how my first review is about this, whose primary work I couldn't even be bothered to finish.
What urged me to do this was the shockingly low rating for a work of this tier.
Now the original story didn't do much for me, or maybe it's my fondness for short stories, but this side story had it all.
A protagonist we all care for, a reasonable set-up to the plot, lovable secondary characters, interesting villain(even predictable for the assiduous readers), and with some action, weirdness, and a sweet conclusion.
In fact, I'm wondering now if I should have given it a 10.
I agree with Fujimoto, ... this work is interesting and definitely worth reading.