{"id":606719,"date":"2024-01-30T19:53:30","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T16:53:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-hazbin-hotel-explores-what-it-means-to-be-human-in-a-hell-ish-place\/"},"modified":"2024-01-30T19:53:30","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T16:53:30","slug":"how-hazbin-hotel-explores-what-it-means-to-be-human-in-a-hell-ish-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-hazbin-hotel-explores-what-it-means-to-be-human-in-a-hell-ish-place\/","title":{"rendered":"#How \u2018Hazbin Hotel\u2019 Explores What It Means to Be Human in a Hell-ish Place"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n [This story contains mild spoilers for season one of Hazbin Hotel<\/em>.]<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n \u201cOn paper, there\u2019s a lot of people that might say no to something like this \u2014\u00a0a very raunchy animated musical comedy world written by a young woman,\u201d Hazbin Hotel<\/em> star Stephanie Beatriz tells The Hollywood Reporter<\/em>. But for the Brooklyn Nine-Nine<\/em> and Encanto<\/em> actress, showrunner Vivienne Medrano\u2019s \u201cweird, cool, fantastical imagination\u201d has produced a series<\/a> that is not only \u201cdelightfully horny, unhinged and ridiculous,\u201d but uniquely special beyond its \u201csmall minutiae of cock jokes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt somehow manages to have this through line of true gay love and this very big idea about whether it\u2019s possible to redeem a soul, to change after being damned for all time,\u201d she says of A24\u2018s first foray into animation and Prime Video\u2018s latest push into the medium\u2019s R-rated adult space. \u201cI just love Vivian\u2019s world-building.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Broadway star and lead voice actress Erika Henningsen offers similar praise. \u201cEvery moment is so chock-full to the brim with nuance and detail,\u201d she tells THR<\/em>. \u201cI cannot akin it to anything that exists currently because it is its own world. And that\u2019s what excited me about the project. It\u2019s so rare to walk into something that is truly original and fresh, with a unique perspective and musically intimate, vulnerable moments \u2014 but that\u2019s also laugh-out-loud funny.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Born from concepts Medrano had been working on since her school days, Hazbin Hotel<\/em> \u2014 currently rolling out the first of two seasons \u2014\u00a0centers around the princess of hell, Charlie (Henningsen), desperate to save her subjects from being murdered en mass in an annual culling orchestrated by heaven. To help prove their worth to the angels above, Charlie opens the Hazbin Hotel, a place where demons can work to reform their sinful behavior. <\/p>\n

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Angel Dust in Hazbin Hotel <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Courtesy of Prime Video<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n \u201cThe hotel itself is just deliciously rich with detail \u2014 the windows, the wallpaper, the books on the shelves. The jokes that you see all around,\u201d Beatriz shares. \u201cIt\u2019s like looking at a piece of art. If you stare at a [Mark] Rothko [painting] for 20\u201330 minutes, you\u2019re going to see more and more. And not to compare this show to Rothko, but the animation is very layered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n To help fund, build and run her hotel, Charlie recruits a host of underworld citizens, including her lesbian girlfriend Vaggie (Beatriz), porn star Angel Dust (Blake Roman), and Alastor, the \u201cRadio Demon\u201d (Amir Talai). Through each of these characters, Medrano ushers musical animation into new territory, expands the R-rated comedy genre, and explores deep, complex theme<\/a>s around the influence of media<\/a> and technology<\/a>, sex work, and religion alongside questions about what means to be good, bad and find redemption. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cLife is lived in the gray. That\u2019s the journey that Charlie comes to over the season,\u201d Henningsen says. \u201cShe\u2019s always for forgiveness, but I do think she sometimes sees the world in black and white and the real world is not that. So the thing that we do in earnest because it\u2019s the right thing sometimes comes at other people\u2019s expense. What if what she thinks is right is potentially not? What if there is no right or wrong? What if there is just listening to people and maintaining a sense of integrity?\u201d<\/p>\n

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From left: Sir Pentious, Husk, Charlie Morningstar, Niffty, and Angel Dust in Hazbin Hotel<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Courtesy of Prime Video<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n Even in the world of adult animation \u2014 which is increasingly home to series like Blue Eye Samurai, Scavengers Reign, Harley Quinn, BoJack Horseman<\/em>, Invincible <\/em>and Praise Petey<\/em> \u2014\u00a0Hazbin Hotel<\/em> is in uncharted space that could make it a hard sell. That was especially true in 2019, when Medrano debuted her original, self-funded pilot on YouTube. But cast members swear by the show\u2019s themes \u2014 despite some of their its R-rated nature \u2014\u00a0and what their show is doing in the medium. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cHazbin Hotel<\/em> believes that no matter what choices you\u2019ve made, or what your background is, you deserve a second chance. That to me is not an R-rated concept. The themes are adult, but the way that they are discussed is with nuance and care. It\u2019s never gratuitous or superfluous,\u201d Henningsen says. \u201cIn these super adult moments of growth and transformation, you will see yourself in these characters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Part of that is because of how Medrano has shaped characters, each into their own exploration of specific, and often complex, human issues \u2014 tied together by an interrogation of what makes something \u2014\u00a0or someone \u2014\u00a0sinful. When discussing her attraction to portraying Vaggie, the show\u2019s \u201cstraight man, that\u2019s not quite straight,\u201d\u00a0Beatriz celebrated her character\u2019s ability to \u201cground everybody, but also have these moments of deep intimacy and vulnerability.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n \u201cA lot of us externally, we\u2019re polite. We\u2019re kind. We do all the right things. But internally, we\u2019re struggling with feelings of guilt, self-hatred, intrusive and depressive, terrible thoughts. We judge ourselves a lot. It\u2019s part of being a human, asking do I measure up to the people around me? Do I measure up to what society tells me I\u2019m supposed to be?\u201d Beatriz says. \u201cViewers get to see [Vaggie\u2019s] internal struggle, and one of the most interesting things about that is, what happens when you feel like that internally, but have somebody that\u2019s good and in love with you? Is that, in and of itself, enough to redeem you?\u201d <\/p>\n

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Vaggie and Charlie in Hazbin Hotel<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Courtesy of Prime Video<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n It\u2019s the kind concept Beatriz tells THR<\/em> is even tucked into Vaggie\u2019s weapon-wielding Sailor Moon<\/em>-esque character design, which includes a face partially obstructed by her hair and an eye patch. \u201cThis signals to the audience that something\u2019s going on, something else is happening, we just don\u2019t know what that thing is yet,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n

\n There\u2019s something else happening beneath the surface of Roman\u2019s Angel Dust as well, although, here, the concept of badness leans towards how the sex worker, and one of the show\u2019s most vulnerable members of the underworld, grapples with others\u2019 assumptions about his line of employ. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe thing about Angel that struck me the most is his fierce independence, and that undoubtedly comes from an intense need to be free from people judging him; people trying to take advantage of him; people coming to conclusions about what his personality is before they even know him,\u201d Roman says. \u201cThere are ways in which Angel Dust tries to control the narrative and control people by giving into their assumptions, and he uses that to his own advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Roman\u2019s voice work helps capture what Angel \u2014\u00a0a character that possesses \u201cvarious multitudes\u201d \u2014\u00a0 is not only up against but how his character navigates (and survives) that. <\/p>\n

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Angel Dust<\/span><\/p>\n

Courtesy of Prime Video<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n \u201cWe had scenes where I had to voice and record a bunch of sex noises, and then later on, have a very intimate, or very emotional conversation that doesn\u2019t lie in any performative spectrum,\u201d he explains. \u201cThere\u2019s the side of Angel that is on when he\u2019s on camera, and there\u2019s the side of Angel that sometimes the door cracks open, and you see a whole different version. What is that inflection? What\u2019s the vocal?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n For Talai\u2019s Alastor \u2014\u00a0an Overlord of Hell who rules alongside other media and technology-related demons \u2014\u00a0instead of vulnerability, his voice teases something more powerful and frightening. \u201cThe old-timey radio voice is, at least in my circles of improv comedians and sketch comedy, a stock character,\u201d he tells THR<\/em>. \u201cWhat\u2019s difficult here is playing with what\u2019s going on underneath. He is a sinister, powerful overlord in hell, so when do you see those cracks? How does that show itself? He never lets the smile drop, but when do you let the pleasantness drop?\u201d<\/p>\n

\n Alastor also calls upon audiences to reflect on what can be perceived as a different societal ill: the power of media and technology. Radio, television \u2014\u00a0and even more so today, the internet \u2014 can be perceived and even twisted by humans into something hell-ish. Combined with the series\u2019 more biblical elements, Alastor asks viewers to examine their own beliefs and to question the nature of the conduits through which they are shared. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe Bible is viewed variously as an ancient text rooted in ancient times, and for other people, it\u2019s viewed as a living text that shines light on everyday life,\u201d he says. \u201cThe Bible was the media of however many centuries ago. Now, people will refer to a showrunners Bible. People say, \u2018Eat, Pray, Love.<\/em> That\u2019s my Bible.\u2019 People are using major texts as their own Bibles, and they\u2019re holding them up,\u00a0sometimes when maybe they shouldn\u2019t. Or they\u2019re reinterpreting them in ways that maybe they shouldn\u2019t, ways that the author may not have intended. So what Vivian\u2019s doing is sort of slyly encouraging people to interrogate their own Bibles.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Alastor in Hazbin Hotel<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n

Courtesy of Prime Video<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\n Through its characters and storylines, Hazbin Hotel<\/em> uses raunchy comedy and a hell-ish setting to confront the dangers around man-made issues \u2014\u00a0sex work, religion, technology \u2014 with assiduousness. It\u2019s what voice star Roman loves about the Prime Video show. <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThere\u2019s a ton of places that we\u2019re able to go through this medium when we\u2019re not restricted to a specific audience, when we\u2019re pandering toward everybody and anybody whose willing to see the humanity and authenticity in situations and characters,\u201d he says. \u201cHazbin Hotel<\/em> understands that in order to go to places that really need to be talked about \u2014\u00a0to be accessed and conveyed\u00a0\u2014 you\u2019re going to need to make people uncomfortable. You\u2019re going to have to press the boundaries of what people are OK with.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n A penis joke, or two, can seemingly help in that. \u201cIn this world of cookie-cutter art, and stuff that\u2019s mass marketed to reach as many people as possible,\u201d says Talai, \u201cit\u2019s cool to have a show and company go do something fucking weird.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[This story contains mild spoilers for season one of Hazbin Hotel.] \u201cOn paper, there\u2019s a lot of people that might say no to something like this \u2014\u00a0a very raunchy animated musical comedy world written by a young woman,\u201d Hazbin Hotel star Stephanie Beatriz tells The Hollywood Reporter. But for the Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Encanto actress,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":606720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/HZBN_S1_FG_102_00141117_Still319_3000.jpg?w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[1532,148467,78286,143887],"class_list":["post-606719","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-social-mediaa","tag-a24","tag-hazbin-hotel","tag-prime-video","tag-stephanie-beatriz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606719","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=606719"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/606719\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/606720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=606719"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=606719"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=606719"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}