What if I told you that purgatory isn't what you expected? What if it's not an endless void between life and death where you await your fate? Instead, imagine it as a hotel where lost souls check in but have no memory of themselves and don’t know whether they’re dead or alive. That’s the premise of the Tasokare Hotel.

The story follows our protagonist, Neko Tsukuhara, who discovers the hotel after realizing she may be dead. While she works as part of the staff alongside Aruto Hatori, Neko helps the hotel’s residents uncover their memories, as clues about their pasts are hidden in their hotel rooms.

The more they remember, the more their true selves are revealed, leading them to realize whether they are alive or not. Once they come to this realization, they check out of the hotel and move on either to the afterlife or back to their original bodies if they're still alive.

However, there are two important rules regarding the hotel: first, you cannot kill anyone under any circumstances; doing so will automatically send you to Hell, even if it’s accidental. Secondly, hotel patrons cannot stay too long, or they will vanish forever.

Despite the fascinating concept, I nearly dropped the show due to lackluster supporting characters and mystery elements at the beginning felt a bit too tame. That changed when the antagonist, Masaki Osoto, was introduced. He is such an intriguing character, and the chemistry between Neko, Osoto, and Hatori was enough to keep me interested in the story.

Thankfully, the last two mysteries involve both one of the idol girls that Neko looks up to and when a legendary musician helps give Hatori the confidence to try and play the saxophone again. These were the emotional impact moments that I hope we would've gotten in the beginning but beggars can't be choosers.

What truly sold me on the show, aside from the concept, was the final arc. It tied everything together for these three characters, revealing what happened to them, Osoto’s motives, and what the future holds. There’s also a clever twist involving another character and his intentions.

Overall, I enjoy a well-executed mystery, and the supernatural elements added a nice touch. While the concept of the hotel was captivating, I wished for more development of the side characters, especially the hotel manager. The main characters were great, and the final arc wrapped up the series on a high note. If you’re a fan of supernatural mysteries, I recommend checking out Tasokare Hotel as all 12 episodes are available now on Amazon Prime.

And remember.

“Don’t stare into the eyes of Hell.”