A couple new characters and some plot variation makes Volume 2 of Hell Girl an improvement over the introductory volume, but the series still feels anaemic.  Hell Girl has potential.  This volume shows that potential by mixing up the pattern of each episode, and...I want to say building suspense, but that's the problem.  The suspense is almost there; some episodes did keep me guessing, but then the plot fell back into the same repetitive pattern, and the suspense fizzled away to next to nothing.  Hell Girl has atmosphere; it's gothic and dark, but the lack of suspense has much the same effect as a badly told joke.  The punch-line lacks, well, punch.  I keep watching, and seeing improvements, but it's not quite enough.  I keep hoping, but am left with this nagging sense of dissatisfaction.  Hell Girl should be really good, but instead it's just okay.  

After a slow start with a story about a woman being harassed by her neighbor, and another about a greedy young actress, Hell Girl shifts gears, and introduces Hajime Shibata, a reporter.  Or, more accurately, a photographer who sells incriminating photos back to celebrities for exorbitant sums of money.  Yup, he's paparazzi, but with heart.  He becomes very curious about Hell Girl, and sets out to prove whether she's just an urban legend or something more sinister.  When his young daughter realizes he plans on writing an article about Hell Girl, she asks him not to get involved.  Curiosity piqued, Hajime learns his daughter has had contact with Ai, and now she has visions of Hell Girl's handiwork.  Both father and daughter are thoroughly freaked out, and try to follow Ai's movements in an attempt to save the damned souls. 

Hajime becomes a presence in the remaining episodes, and definitely helps break the established pattern.  More and more, he is drawn into this world of revenge.  He seems to be driven partly by a strong desire to learn more about was supposed to be a legend, especially after witnessing a person disappear without a trace, and the need to stop more people from vanishing.  Hajime might soon be in danger himself, considering his profession.  How many has he angered with his photos and blackmail?  Word of Hell Girl is getting around, and is no longer confined to schoolyard rumors.  

The series picks up momentum, but it still suffers from a serious case of painful repetition.  I like repetition.  Done well, a repeated phrase or an image that is frequently revisited can very powerful.  Just think of a Chuck Palahniuk novel.  Now there's a guy who can reuse a phrase, and it somehow ties the whole story together.  It's meaningful.  It draws attention to a particular point.  But in Hell Girl, all that repetition is just silly.  Every episode dredges up the same images, the same lines.  These scenes come across as nothing more than filler until the next bit of action.

As disappointed as I have been with aspects of this series, I still want to see future episodes.  The addition of Hajime and his daughter is a vast improvement, and it's interesting to see the Hell Girl legend through the eyes of an outsider.  Hajime vaguely connects the last three episodes, and I'm hoping his appearance indicates a larger plot, rather than the revenge-of-the-week setup we have now.  Volume 2 is worth renting, and is an improvement over the earlier episodes.  I'm curious to see if Volume 3 improves upon Volume 2.  Now wouldn't that be something!

A note:  Hell Girl is pretty tame, but you might want to mind the kids for episode seven.  The language is salty.  Very salty.  I did a double-take and wondered if I was watching the right series.  In context, the language makes sense, but just beware of the numerous f-bombs if you're watching with little ones.

Details: Runtime 1:40, contains episodes 6-10.  Extras include a montage of previous episodes, textless songs, and some trailers.