When audiences first take note of the jumpy, vibrant animation of “Hazbin Hotel,” they might fall into memories of shows like “Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends” and “The Powerpuff Girls.” The shows friendly and inviting character designs set a welcoming scene for some looking to rest in nostalgia. It is clear that animator/director Vivienne “Vivziepop” Medrano (“Too Loud”) is not only incredibly talented, but also has a very specific vision for the show. 

Five minutes into its first episode, a city-slicker spider-demon solicits sexual favors in exchange for cocaine before attempting to murder random demons out of habit. Then audiences found what was truly at the heart of “Hazbin Hotel.” Its pilot was released on Oct. 28 and is currently sitting at over 5.8 million views at the time of writing.

The show concerns Charlie (Jill Harris, “Fairy Gone”) the princess of Hell, who plans to open her own version of demon rehab, the “Happy Hotel,” which would redeem the souls of sinners and let them pass onto Heaven. Predictably, she is immediately made into a laughing stock. Until she is offered a deal by a radio-headed demon named Alastor (Edward Bosco, “Fire Emblem: Three Houses”).

The craftsmanship of the show is present from the outset. With vivid and imaginative visuals, alongside snappy, witty back-and-forth from all of its characters, even including musical numbers that toe the line between endearing and annoying.

However, many have found themselves repulsed by its off-putting, raunchy and aggressive writing style. While not toilet humor, it is rare to see more than five seconds go by without someone swearing or hurting someone else. With the aforementioned spider-demon Angel Dust (Michael Kovachs, “Death Battle”) being noteworthy for his constant sexual language. That is not to say that they are not exciting or even funny, but it is understandable why some might find its constant dive into pure depravity to be a major turn-off. 

The show does have an essential charm to it. Each demon moves with an earnest flashy style that reflects their personality. Even with their violent tendencies it is refreshing to see that the show does not turn them into one note tropes. 

Despite Charlie’s happy, upbeat and optimistic behavior she is clearly just as aggressive as her peers. But in a very reserved way, with little eye twitches here or there, snide remarks under her breath and the odd thrown punch all add extra dimensions to her character.

Hands down the best moments of the pilot center around Alastor, whose warped, crackling and radio-filtered cadence is both terrifying and somewhat alluring. His intentions are purposely vague but he acts as a mysterious benefactor. That is not to say he is not happy making the lives of everyone else miserable in the process.  

“Hazbin Hotel’s” next episode is up in the air. With the show being entirely funded by Madrano’s patreon account, “Hazbin Hotel” seems to lack the reliable funding of more commercial projects. It is worth noting that this pilot was fully finished a week before being published. Meaning that it’s second episode might not have even entered production yet. 

While “Hazbin Hotel” will certainly not appeal to everyone, those who can appreciate good animation and fun characters will certainly find themselves tortured by what is likely to be a long wait until the next episode. The pilot is available on Madrano’s YouTube channel “Vivziepop.” Just skip the musical numbers. They are not good.

Image from Vivziepop via YouTube