Hell’s Paradise Episode 7

Tensen and Proof of The Elixer of Life

We got a decent amount of new information in Hell’s Paradise Episode 7. But, that doesn’t mean it was an exciting episode. I’d say this was probably the worst episode so far. Not all that much actually happened.

Something we learned is that the two mysterious women we saw at the end of Episode 6 are the Tensen. These are god-like figures who inhabit the island. Though, it doesn’t seem like they’re actually gods. Instead, they’re just perfect, immortal beings. And yes, I understand that makes them sound like gods.

But, Hoko never refers to the Tensen as such. He says that they’re the strongest beings on the island. He also says that they’re responsible for ensuring no human makes it off the island alive. And, most importantly, he says they’re proof that the Elixer of Life is real.

So, does this mean the Tensen were once humans who drank the Elixer of Life? That’s possible. But, if that was the case, why are they still living on the island? Do they want to continue living there because it’s paradise and they have nothing to worry about?

That doesn’t seem quite right. If a human traveled to the island and found the Elixer of Life, I doubt they’d stick around. They’d want to use their newfound immortality to return to human civilization. What’s the point of immortality and absolute power if you can’t use it to control others?

I have a feeling that these two are, in fact, the hermits of legend. And something I’d like to point to as evidence is their shapeshifting abilities. We see the blonde woman turn into a man. So, even if the hermits were once old men. That doesn’t mean they have to still look that way.

Three Regions of Shinsenkyo

Besides the existence of the Tensen, Hoko also tells Gabimaru about the island. According to him, it’s divided into three main regions. These are Eishu, Hojo, and Horai. Eishu is the coast, Hojo is the forest and village, and Horai is the center.

The Elixer of Life, also known as Tan, is somewhere within Horai. And, unfortunately, we don’t really know anything about Horai. The center of Shinsenkyo is covered in a thick layer of mist. So, the only thing we can make out is that there’s a mountain there.

But, now that Gabimaru knows the Elixer of life is in Horai, he can ignore Eishu and Hojo. Though, this does bring up the question of why those regions were even named. What’s the point of telling Gabimaru about the three regions? Wouldn’t it have been easier to just say that the Elixer of Life is in the center of Shinsenkyo?

We also learned the source of the Elixer of Life. Hoko tells us that those who the Tensen kill become flowers on the island. We can assume this is what happens to anyone killed on the island. And, the Elixer of Life comes from those bodies.

So, it seems like the entire ecosystem of Shinsenkyo works to create the Elixer of Life. The animals on the island kill intruders and then the plants break them down into the Elixer of Life. So, what that means is that the Elixer of Life is actually just human juice.

Oh, and speaking of human juice. That’s how I would describe what we saw of Yuzuriha’s ninjutsu. I know that’s a bit of a tangent. But, I didn’t know where else to tie that in. Yuzuriha’s jutsu has something to do with secreting slime from her body.

Hoko and Mei

I’ve mentioned Hoko a few times in this review now. But, who is Hoko? He’s the tree-golem thing who takes care of Mei. And who is Mei? She’s a “young” girl who lives on the island. She appears to be human.

When Hoko is talking about the village, he says it wasn’t an overgrown ghost town 1,000 years ago. That implies that Hoko is over 1,000 years old. And as he shows Gabimaru, the Elixer of Life has some effect on his body. His injuries regenerate almost instantly.

From this, we can assume that it’s through the Elixer’s power that Hoko has lived for so long. And he’s not the only one who seems to be affected by this power. He also mentions that he’s been watching over Mei for centuries. So, she’s at least a few hundred years old, despite her appearance.

The thing is, Mei hasn’t only not aged physically in that time. She still acts like a child and doesn’t seem to know how to speak. My guess is that she’s a human. And as for how she came to be on the island, she was probably part of an earlier expedition.

It could be that those who brought Mei to the island didn’t know what the island was. And after they all died, Mei was the only one remaining. Unfortunately, we don’t know for sure yet. The one thing Hoko wouldn’t discuss was how he came to be Mei’s guardian.

I was going to theorize that the Elixer of Life might be the island itself. That could explain why Hoko and Mei have lived so long. And it could explain why the Tensen don’t leave the island. But, we also know the leader of Iwagakure is immortal.

Conclusion

What do you think of Hell’s Paradise Episode 7? Who do you think the Tensen really are? What do you think Yuzuriha’s jutsu is? And, how do you think Mei came to be on the island? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 8 is available now.