Volume 4 isn't great; it's still repetitious, but it's better than what came before.  I get so frustrated with this series that it is sometimes difficult to just accept the storylines and try to enjoy it for what it is.  Hell Girl is a decent enough series, and this volume offers some genuinely creepy, suspenseful moments.  Ai's business is vengeance, but in an interesting turn of events, she reveals her sense of compassion.  These tidbits, the little surprises that pop up, are keeping me going with this series.

Shibata continues his search, seeking out the people who have asked Hell Girl for assistance.  Following Tsugumi's visions, the pair find themselves visiting a small island where a jealous aunt attempts to control her niece's life in a creepy, Hitchcockian turn of events.  A trip to the circus reveals a pair of twins, one of whom is abused.  Fearing that her student has unearthed a terrible secret, a bitter woman blackmails the girl with the lives of her dogs.  While investigating a sanatorium, Shibata and Tsugumi find themselves in need of assistance.  Help can come from some of the least likely places.

Most of the episodes in this volume tend to follow the same pattern established earlier, with the slight variation of Shibata's attempts at stopping the vengeance.  Shibata's determination to make a difference, however, is admirable and is beginning to attract undue attention.  Ai's helpers are not amused by Shibata's continued interference, and only Hell Girl herself is keeping them from doing something really nasty to him. 

With the first three episodes, that pervading sense of creepiness that I'd been hoping for works well.  The aging sanatorium was appropriately decrepit and derelict in a horror movie sense.  A small, remote island with a close-knit community is just the setting to invoke suspense and spookiness.  For me, nothing is more horrifying than clowns, and the very idea that they could be lurking about the circus is enough to be unnerving.

The final episode on the disc, the story about the blackmailed girl and her dogs, bothered me greatly.  This is probably more of a personal preference than anything else, but the abuse of the little girl's dogs was disturbing.  I have problems with animal abuse, and this particular storyline, with the woman using the dogs' pain to emotionally abuse the little girl just seemed a bit too cruel and extreme. 

Volume 4 isn't fantastic, but it isn't bad, either.  These four episodes are still a vast improvement over the beginning of this series.  I really like Shibata and Tsugumi, so it's fun to watch how they attempt to save the victims.  If you've been following the series, it's worth renting, but it's not something I'd buy.

Details: Runtime 100 minutes, contains episodes 15-18.  Extras include "A Past Revealed" discussion, textless songs, trailers, art card, and a reversible cover.