Volume 3 rewards those who have stuck with Hell Girl by addressing some nagging questions and developing a plot.  The first two volumes of Hell Girl tended to disappoint with their baddie of the week format and no real attention to developing any further storyline.  It was entertaining enough, and the individual stories were well done, but it lacked any real punch.  The introduction of the curious photographer, Hajime Shibata, and his daughter, Tsugumi, near the end of Volume 2 promised good things, and this current volume of Hell Girl delivered.  It held my attention through all four episodes.  It was interesting, it answered some questions, and in answering those questions, raised new ones.  Good stuff, that.

The more incidents there are involving Ai, the more curious Shibata becomes.  His daughter, Tsugumi, who has a strange connection with Ai, continues to have visions with increasing regularity.  Is her connection to Hell Girl getting stronger?  Regardless, Shibata uses Tsugumi's visions to track down Ai, and to try to make contact with those who have sought out her services.  His doubts about Hell Girl's existence and the threat she might pose are cleared away, and his conviction that she poses a very real threat is strengthened with each encounter.

On the other side, Ai's assistants disapprovingly watch Shibata's attempts to interfere with the contracts.  As far as they're concerned, his meddling is doing more harm than good, and the time might come that they will need to intervene.  For now, they observe his actions, but it's clear that Shibata might be in for a heap of trouble if his attempts to save damned souls disrupts Ai's work.

Hell Girl hits its stride in this volume.  All that atmosphere and moodiness of the first two volumes finally have an appropriate home.  The episodes are tense and suspenseful as we watch Shibata scramble to put the pieces together even as new pieces are added to the puzzle.  I found myself practically holding my breath waiting to see if he would make it to the victim in time, or if he'd be able to convince the tormented person to give up on revenge.  I also appreciated that some of Shibata's good-intentioned attempts at help backfired, showing that all actions, even well-meaning ones, can have unexpected ramifications. 

Shibata is scruffy, and considering his occupation--selling incriminating photos back to celebrities--he isn't a shining example of virtue, but he has a good heart.  He's an endearing character, and I want him to succeed.  What started out as a scoop for a great story and the opportunity for an impressive paycheck has turned into a quest for redemption.  Not for himself, but for others.  Shibata genuinely wants to help these people who are so lost, they'd rather sell their soul for revenge than go on as they are.  What Ai offers is a temporary fix.  Is an eternity in Hell really worth it?  Shibata recognizes that revenge is rarely the answer, and tries very hard to find another way, a new answer to the problems he encounters. 

Volume 3 made me happy to have stayed with this series.  Even though I was disappointed by earlier episodes, the promise of something better, the inkling that this series could be great, kept me coming back.  Volume 3 isn't the best volume ever, but it's good.  Really good.  Good enough that I'm excited about this series now, and am anxiously awaiting the next installment.  If you've been half-heartedly watching, this set of episodes is worth renting.  If you're just coming to the series, stick with it.  It's worth it.

Details: Runtime 1:40, contains episodes 11-14.  Extras include a roundtable discussion with the principal Japanese voice-actors, textless songs, and some trailers.