Hazbin Hotel Review

 Sorry to disappoint but that's not where this ends!

Not too long ago the long awaited premier of Hazbin Hotel, the little indie animated darling that could, finally dropped after a four year hiatus hinging on the promise 'see you soon'. I've already touched a little on my feelings about the series up until episode six but I wanted to give a more complete overall summary of the product that we got in the form of an honest to goodness review because I ended up being much more invested in this product than I could have ever expected. (Honestly, I figured Helluva Boss would remain my go-to into this world and Hazbin would be a quirky side project; how absolutely backwards I got that!) So without further ado, I'm going to break the premise of this blog once more and talk about something with absolutely no ties to video games whatsoever; sue me.

Hazbin Hotel is a drama/crime fiction show (according to the deranged categorising of the Internet that apparently scoffs at the idea of comedies and musicals), following the Disney-Princess-coded heiress to the throne of Hell, Charlie Morningstar, as she embarks on a naïve quest to establish a rehabilitation hotel in Hell that permits Sinners to enter heaven. Behind her bubbles unrest as the Exorcists from Heaven travel down yearly to destroy the souls of the damned in a 'population control' effort to prevent an uprising that might upset the cosmic balance. What conceptually sounds like a bumbling slice of life turns into a rather complex exploration into the upper rungs of how this universe handles the Afterlife as we bounce from important and consequential characters each episode fast enough to give you whiplash. There's definitely something to be said for the show's pacing and simply how much worldbuilding the team at Spindlehorse crammed to shove into the brief 8 episode 20 minute per run.

The show already boasts a packed core cast with: Charlie, Princess of Hell, Vaggie, her devoted girlfriend and muscle for the Hotel, Angel Dust, spiralling addict feigning control, Husk, disgruntled bartender kept against his will, Alastor, mysterious overlord with questionable motives and Nifty- the best character ever. Exploring all this lot in the time allotted would be a task all of it's own if it wasn't for the added fact that every episode apart from the finale introduces equally interesting demons and angels in the same breath- to the extent that some of the core cast either doesn't get the chance to be explored in the open season or worse- gets their stories crammed around other stories. (I hope Vaggie has a bit more going on because otherwise she really did get sidelined across two episodes around distinctly bigger events.) It should be noted as a testament to writing, design and performance, however, that even with our brief glances every single character sticks out as interesting. I love Nifty to bits and she has nothing but unhinged one-liners throughout the entire show- that takes layers of talent!

The villains are another casualty of the speedy pacing of Season 1, with the advertised badguys that followers of the show's production were already intimately familiar with, the Vee's, getting sidetracked pretty heavily for the incredible Adam and Lute. (Or should I say; 'Dickmaster' and 'Danger tits'?) I think this underpins the change in scope that I think might have dawned not just on my expectations but on the development process as well. What seemed like perfect foils to a preppy story about trying to fix the unfixable, the media-controlling Vee's don't seem to have a place in a narrative that rapidly develops into an exploration of the flaws in systems of ultimate judgement of good and bad, calling to question the justice in a Heaven that damns the ills and rewards the healthy. A leaner production might have cut the Vees altogether and left their concept as a vestige of earlier concepts. Perhaps the security of a second season gave the team the courage to play it a bit more loose with simply how many forces of control they crammed in this narrative. And to be fair- I am excited to learn more about them in the stories to come, so there is that!

Of course we can never get too far away from the defining aspect of the show- it's Musical theatre layout which permits two narrative guiding songs in each episode. This leans off a tradition for Spindlehorse animated episodes which always feature a song, however Hazbin leans into the more 'spontaneous break out' musical numbers rather than Helluva Boss' 'in universe songs'. I can't be sure whether we can chalk this up to the hard work of four years or if the team really were just that good, but there isn't a bad song in the playlist. Spread across a breadth of genre's, featuring solo's, duets and ensembles- juggling different themes playing with complex emotions and sung by a cast of musical theatre stars- Hazbin Hotel's musicals are it's greatest beacon of quality.

I cannot understate how inescapable these songs have been for me. I listen to them pretty much everyday, noticing little nuances that only talented voice-actors and singers would be talented enough to shove in. From the heavy conflict songs like 'You Didn't Know' and 'Respectless' to the emotional ballads like 'Whatever It Takes' or my personal favourite 'More Than Anything'. It's actually somewhat galling that in a year preceding Disney's 100th anniversary this show holds a much better chance of being nominated for a Grammy than anything the house of mouse, formerly kings of animated Broadway, could manage. To think the latest Disney Villain song is the pathetic 'This Is The Thanks I Get', and Hazbin easily trounces it in character, catchiness and cleverness with 'Stayed Gone'. (What a shame.) 

Of course, the heart of Hazbin is- it's heart. On it's surface Hazbin can come across as a very lewd and crass show overflowing with F-bombs and sex references- but there is an emotional intelligence underpinning everything which makes the bad words worthwhile. Angel's oversexualisation is played for laughs at first until the trauma behind it starts to become apparent, Adam's hilarious irreverence to all things holy is complexing giving his position until the core conceit of 'ultimate good' is challenged directly through the course of the story. There is a wealth of substance beneath the surface and though the rather speedy delivery of these episodes means we're still thirsty to drink up the full vintage- the taste we've had is rich and refined. Only Vivziepop could have a world this crass still be this heartfelt under the hood.

Hazbin Hotel is a passion project come to life with every ounce of the passion utterly untouched- a rarity in the modern age. A24 must be commended for their help putting this show in front of as many people as possible and all I hope for in the future is a bit more rope through which to truss up the world of Hazbin in the future. More episodes, slightly longer episodes- a split season; whatever to give this show more chance to breath- because I just know with a bit more working room this is the kind of show that can easily slip into become a undisputed Masterpiece. Literally every bit of talent is on point- the reel just keeps running short. I don't do grades for TV shows, but I'll slap a 'Watch this right now' out of ten with the comment that my only serious gripe is that I wanted more episodes- which is a good problem to have, 

Hazbin Hotel Season 1 (Midway thoughts)

 Yes, this will be fun!

So you know how video games... well you see when a video game... the thing about independent animators... Yeah, I got nothing. Look, I just want to talk about a show I really love- it don't gotta be no deep thing, right? Hazbin Hotel has finally started dropping after the four year wait since the pilot first graced our screens and in that time we've really seen the independent animators of Youtube pop and show what they can do. Incredible 3D animations bringing Warhammer 40k to life in a way no one could have imagined, other indie teams creating their own pilots for perspective series' and the creator of Hazbin, Vivziepop, even developing a companion show for Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss, which has been chugging along in the background over the past couple of years whilst we've all waited. But now that the show has an animation studio and a star studded cast- was it worth all that waiting?

Hazbin Hotel is an adult animated show set in the raunchy recesses of the pits of hell, just like Helluva Boss. Unlike the slice-of-life antics of Blitz and his gang of murderers for hire, however- Hazbin has a grander world to frame whilst navigating the crass yet ultimately exceedingly human and empathetic stories of Hell's most curious denizens. Therein lies the real strength of the show. It's never just a full blown comedy intent only on kicking your funny bone, nor is it some grim melodrama about the endless broken citizens of the universe's dumping grounds, hell. Rather, Hazbin Hotel presents a look at the ugliness of people and their relationships squeezed through the drama of hell and fluffed up with healthy doses of debaucherous humour and the occasional sweet moment of connection to make it not seem all so hopeless.

I think that aspect of the hope and the rebuilding of one's self is really what makes Vivziepop's content more watchable than your typical decent into the extreme worsts of man. If Helluva Boss merely told the story of a brash and flawed Imp who revelled in burning bridges with everyone in his life and carried on doing that forever, repeatedly self destructing, then the shtick would ever get old or depressing fast. (Just watch any CW show for an example of what that feels like. They all fall that exact foible.) If Angel Dust was merely a sex worker with the 'horny' dial turned all the way up with nothing more to him- he would be a one dimensional and forgettable character. Vivzie's team are great at finding the relatable flawed humans underneath these larger than life characters in order to highlight how everyone, even the most hopeless, is trying to be better- and there's always a way to rebuild burnt bridges.

Perhaps that guiding philosophy is what makes the lead of Hazbin Hotel, Lucifer's Disney-coded daughter, so entertaining. The endless optimist floating on an endless sea of hope, Charlie embodies the exaggeration of perfect innocence, highlighting sweetness and purity to a frankly unrealistic degree given the flawed and human denizens she works with. But rather than Heaven who use that deficit as a rod to punish, Charlie finds endless purpose in her efforts to fix and help her people. And of course, Charlie herself is not perfect. The bleeding heart always addresses herself least. She's naïve, inexperienced often foolhardy, but she's not a quitter. I once thought that Hazbin would mount an opposite trajectory to Helluva Boss and tell the story of a hopeful character who loses her hope to dream (which would also mirror the apparent loss of her Father's hope) but I'm coming to realise that would drive a dagger through the heart of the show. Charlie is heart, and for the premise to survive she can never break. She can be shaken, but the moment Charlie breaks irreparably, the show betrays itself.

Angel Dust is probably the most diverse character in this regard, balancing his own many traumas and personal faults with disarming over-sexualisation, placing up smokescreens and illusions to make himself seem stronger than he is- but in placing all those walls he also forces out people who could get close and come to work at the real him. He is a very raw character in that sense, that touches a lot more people than many would like to honestly admit. You don't need to be as broken and abused as Angel is to relate to his coping mechanisms and self destructive spurs, but it can make some people uncomfortable to see themselves reflected in an unflinching mirror like that. I suspect that is why he has also become one of the most controversial characters on the show by people who seem desperate to carve away his breadth of character and chalk him down into a pithy facsimile that can be ridiculed and discarded.

Hazbin is also a musical, and rather distinct from the way that Helluva Boss endeavours to wind it's songs naturally into every episode as 'within the box' performances, Hazbin balances atop a more 'musical theatre' sensibility both in the style of songs it creates and the arguable non-canonicity of the songs themselves. I can only imagine that Velvette did not break into a confrontation song against Camilla during the meeting of the Southern Overlords, but when it aids the humour of the show to nudge the forth wall a little and acknowledge the sudden vocal range of every hellish denizen, I appreciate the wink to the camera. Funnily enough this is another aspect of the show I've seen critiqued by traditional published reviewers who seem unimpressed by the straightforward nature of each song. Which is strange, because this is musical theatre. Every song has to push the plot along, that would be difficult if they coated themselves in poppy allegory and abstract conceptualism. (I suspect reviewers are choosing not to bother engaging with 'another adult animated show'.) 

The one general thematic compliant I think is clear comes in what I like about the show the most- it doesn't present an open hand to the viewer. In that, it's not really the kind of show you can stick on for an uninterested party and they'll find themselves gently invited into the world. Hazbin Hotel has a grand world it wants to present and it kind of expects the audience to give themselves into the premise a little from the get go. If you are hostile towards the show, everything will just seem a little chaotic to you. If you want to engage with it, you'll find a lot of richness of substance somewhat uncommon from animated shows of this ilk. (Then again, how many Animated shows are the product of several years of world building, stories and head canon deciphering?)

By the time this blog is out I will not have seen every episode, afterall the last two don't air until next week, but barring some colossal screw up I don't really think I'm going to change my general opinion on Hazbin Hotel. I love the show. I think it's emotionally intelligent, irreverent and entertaining- which is all the show really needed to be. Perhaps the humour is not quite as snappy as the pilot was, and the animation takes less self-indulgent gallivants into impressive excess- but the heart of what made that pilot work all those years ago is totally intact and that is what matters when it's all said and done. I really like the show, I hope for more like it and I pray it finds it's audience despite the lax amount of advertising Amazon has afforded it. (The Hazbin universe has self advertised itself for this long, I suppose.)

Hazbin has been

 

I've always found myself tickled by the prospect of Independent content, as though the creation of such was itself an implicit call to action of the availability of the creative world to everyone. Even when the obvious talents involved are so transcendent, such as they are for Vivzepop's adult animation hell-themed series, that she might as well just be an underfunded animation studio in her own right. What, in talent and presentation, separates the likes of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss from any other 2D animated series in the world? Nothing but the delivery venue. And in fact, given that Hazbin Hotel has just dropped it's full first season on Prime, even the delivery venue is no longer 'underground' and 'for the people'. Still, it carries that magical word 'independent' and that somehow cements the series as belonging to 'one of us' as it were.

Adult animation is a criminally underserved sector of the animation industry, with most of the money and focus for animation falling into desperate shots for slots in the handful of kids channels out there. But one of the very few advantages of our new age of media, controlled by streaming services constantly at each other's throats, is that finally there's a place for these commonly shunned genres of media. No longer does every Adult Animation product have to fight for a place on Comedy Central or FOX, they can go get themselves proper distribution! And in this vein I am very happy to finally see the Helluva Boss universe get it's expansion with Hazbin Hotel, even if Hazbin Hotel was actually conceived of before Helluva Boss was. (Or at least, it made it to be actually developed before Hotel was.)

The Hazbin/Helluva universe is something of a celebration of the possibilities of high quality traditional 2D animation when uncoupled from restraint and plunged into an often juvenile extreme of adult excess- although what keeps me coming back is the fact that show never loses itself to meaningless shock factor drivel, but contains something of a battered and abused heart that it nurtures every now and then between meaningful character relationships. Also the songs are great. So good! It's quite rare to have a show that forces a musical into every episode to not become annoying after a while, but Helluva has managed to make their songs highlights of every outing. I can't think of any other show I would give that same praise. Except... maybe Phineas and Ferb?

Of course, with the coming of Hazbin, and the presumed high barrier to success that the product is juggling with- what with the 97 million odd views on Youtube that the pilot racked up over the years, so too come those stories leeching off the fame of the property. As is their right, I should affirm. There's nothing wrong with recognising the moment and seizing upon it. Why do you think I write so often about red hot topics? It's what scores the interest. But every now and then you get someone who either takes things a little too far, or just far enough to steal away attention from the big event in all the wrong ways. Or right ways, if you are indeed a greedy little clout goblin like so many are nowadays. (That has to be the number one profession of the current 'young generation'.)

There is, in the infinite expanse, one Youtube Channel known for cutting it's teeth on a grind of 'animated rap battles' that you might have seen clipped and cropped over the years on meme channels. Or heck, perhaps you're a regular viewer! The guy as been around long enough to warrant that sort of respect on his channel's name. Verbalase is not a low-effort content creator by any stretch of the imagination, producing fully animated evergreen videos that have earned him 10's of millions of views of the years. Expensive projects, no doubt- although none quite so expensive as a video he commissioned three years ago that has finally seen the light of day. One that the Internet has been flabbergasted over trying to figure out. An AMV that features the star of Hazbin Hotel, 'Charlie Morningstar Nee Magne', thirsting over Verbalase's OC self-insert and 'sensually' dominating him. (It's essentially fullblown Softcore.)

Now Vivziepop has always designed her characters with a certain amount of sexual appeal, that has been a cornerstone of her design philosophy since before she blew up for her animated projects. I don't think there's anything deeply abnormal about finding one such character attractive, but commissioning a $47,000 personalised animation? That's at a different level. In unconfirmed leaked Discord messages, this was apparently a big project for his secondary channel that he ended up just... never posting... for some reason. Well, given it's nature the video would no doubt get flagged as adult content by Youtube, affecting his second channels' CPM- but at least his $50,000 odd investment would start getting some returns, right? That's better than burying the thing for years until someone leaks it over discord, right? Unless... unless that wasn't the point...

It really is anyone's guess what this man was doing with a tailor-made sexually charged $47,000 animation sitting on his hard drive. Especially one that seems to feature some version of him in a story where an attractive fictional character is psychotically obsessed with him. But most who claim to have some sort of connection to the project at any time (not the animators themselves. They're keeping sensibly quiet in all this.) seem decently convinced that this video, produced somewhat more expensively than his typical rap vids which apparently cost $10-20 thousand, was a personal project. I'm sure it saw a great many plays over the years at it occupied an honoured position within the hell-themed goon cave.

Okay, enough speculation. As funny as it is, no one will ever likely know the truth as Verbalase seems happy to just ignore this entire situation until it washes away under the tide of the Internet. And I'm not going to roast the guy. There's plenty of people who pay for their 'entertainment'. (Not sure how many pay quadruple digits, but I guess my man has expensive tastes.) At the very least, I'll bet that Vivziepop got a good laugh out of all this. She seems like the type to see the humour in such deeply coated cringe. Although... one has to wonder. If this came out after being hidden for so long... who knows what other projects are still hidden on the darkest places of this man's hard drive? Probably best we never go digging, eh?