I've seen the first two seasons and am currently following Mitsuganae. I admit that while it does get a bit repetitive every once in a while, each episode seems to play a small part in the larger scheme.

SPOILER (click to view)

Like in season 2, a lot of the episodes focus on the characters' backgrounds, bit by bit, whereas season 1 sort of set up the background for Hell Correspondence in general. It's hard to tell where season 3 is going right now, but it seems to be focused on the people around the girl that Enma Ai is currently possessing. It also appears that somehow, Kiri (was that her name?) also needed a new body, although I'd have to rewatch the end of season 2 to remember why.

Anyway, I don't really remember how I heard about the series... I think I found it because I had heard of the Live Action version first, while on my rampage looking for Asian horror films/dramas/etc. However, while I've seen two seasons of the anime and am on the third, I haven't even started the drama yet... Even though it's on my external harddrive.

Maybe i should just wait for the 3rd season to finish and watch season 2 and 3 in one go

Spoiler Time / Overview of seasons:

Season 1 (in my opinion was and still is the best)

SPOILER (click to view)

Set up the backstory of the Hell Correspondence Site, built backsory for Ai Enma, showed different viewpoints through the story (the "victim" could or could have not deserved it)

Season 2

SPOILER (click to view)

New character: Kikuri (used as a host by the spider/master of hell) Focused on the 3 straw's back stories, and focused on a MAJOR story arc between a village full of hate and revenge with only one boy who took all the pain and suffering, being blamed for the village's spite. I'm thinking the theme of human cruelty and hope. MAJOR:

SPOILER (click to view)

The ending for this season is Ai Enma sacrifices herself to save the boy (he was sent to hell) and she died being killed by the villagers panicking about going to hell, beats her, through this though Ai was freed from the grasp of the Master of Hell, who originally tasked her to collect vengeful souls in the first place.

Season 3

SPOILER (click to view)

New Character, a boy with golden eyes, Ai Enma reincarnates. Im guessing season 3 is juggling between something new, I've observed that it's trying to put humor and the revenge (before the said person goes to hell. It's going back to it's roots of normal people going vengeful because of the evils in this world, killing for gain etc...

I see thanks for the overview

Sure, don't mention it, there's also a manga based on the anime, art's a bit different and it follows the same formula as the 1st season, new stories and one taken from the anime (1st volume). 3 in total.

Only 3 volumes for the manga?
so..why do you think ai enma was chosen to be the shrine maiden in her village?

She was most probably chosen cause she 'seems' to be bring bad luck to the village or had special powers.

Actually, it's discrimination, much like Lucy from Elfen Lied, she was discriminated for being different.

MAJOR Spoiler of 1st season, 2nd season (also possibly 3rd season)

SPOILER (click to view)

Note: My description is unaccurate; it's been long since I watched the anime, bear with me. In the village where she used to reside (Ai Enma's centuries old), they have a ceremony every four years that they would sacrifice a 7 year old girl to the mountain god to ensure good harvest by burying her alive. Ai Enma was / might have been chosen by the village elders because she was gifted {she had powers [ She brought a butterfly back to life (In their universe, very few people were born special or becomes special (Japanese culture plays a big role here; ghosts, vengeful spirits, demons, etc; Hell Boy, from 2nd Season was said to be killed by hs parents because he was born with powers, he came back from hell itself and killed his parents and Ai who was killed but came back for vengeance)]} She was discriminated by all exept her parents, her cousin and his father. Her cousin cared for her and was the only one who played with her or stood up for her. When she was chosen, her parents plotted with her cousin to save her from certain death and brought her to the mountains to live, without the village knowing. Soon, crops were dying, and no food could be grown, causing Ai Enma's to be conspicuous to the villagers, at night they followed him, seized Enma and her family burying them alive, forcing her cousin to help. She was sad, frightened, and vengeful. At night, her cousin went back to her past living quarters in the mountain remembering what he used to do with her before she died and went back to the village, what he saw surprised him, Enma, still alive due to her vengeance, burned down the entire village, sparing no one, while singing a nursery rhyme she and her cousin used to sing together as they played. This scared him and he ran off. Enma, still vengeful, dies, she is then taken to hell by the Master of Hell, telling her that because of what she has done, her unforgivable sin(killed in the name of her vengeance using her last breath) she must wander the world, emotionless, fulfilling the vengeance of human kind until she reaches a quota, if she doesn't, her soul and the souls of her loved ones will forever wander in suffering and pain, ie Hell.So throughout centuries, she wanders the earth granting revenge to those who wish for it, meeting / collecting her servants throughout the times, as long as hatred exists, so will she.

I think they weren't hiding her,but that was her already being the sacrifice.
the problem the villagers had is that her cousin is coming to see her and bring her food and stuff. Ai enma stayed in there for about 7 years I think.

Sorry, but I'd have to disagree with that, her parents asked him to bring her food and cloths secretly during the night right? It's just that her mountain home looks like a shrine (I thought so) and when the villagers found out they were pretty angry so, I'm pretty sure that they were, in fact hiding her. As for the time, the anime said 1-3 years I thinks, the harvest was failing bad, if they didn't suspect a thing by that time, I'm guessing they would have just moved, but, yeah Ai did age a lot.

Well I watched it in animax. and she was living on a small shrine or whatever it is.
I'll take a look at the american dubs.
anyone played fatal frame here? cause the show reminded me of fatal frame at first.

Sorry, I'm console-less though, my friends have that game though, it's supposed to be hell scary, taking pictures of ghosts, having to get up close, then when you snap the picture, you find out it's right behind you, there are 3-4 installments, I think, your talking about the 2nd game right? The crimson butterfly, it also has to do with a village, a sacrifice, and a butterfly, but the girls are twin sisters, one is looking for the other, pretty similar actually, though in Hell Girl it's about vengence

Well it actually reminded me of all the 3 fatal frames.
cause there are 3 different rituals and 3 different shrine maidens in the 3 games.
they all lost something and were sacrificed and came back for vengeance.

Shrine maidens eh... this sounds as interesting as Jigoku Shoujo hehe...

Been quite a while since I played them. the 1st one's prety short.
the first shrine maiden kirie in fatal frame 1 had a guy she's fallen in love with.
when the people found that out they killed the guy.before the strangling ritual,kirie asked to see the guy but they wouldn't let her,she probably knows that something bad has happened to him. they went on with the ritual with kirie in a distressed state and the ritual failed and kirie killed them all.

kinda the same with ai enma cause she wanted to see shibata(can't remeber his name.) while she was being buried alive.

2nd one later.