DEVILMAN CRYBABY

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionDevilman
ANIME ActionDevilman
OVA ActionDevilman: Tanjou-hen

REVIEWS

• 

  Azureal

  92/100
  DEVILMAN: crybaby is the perfect example of a modern classic. It's fun, it has style and it's substantial.

  - I N T R O -
  I had never seen anything related to Devilman prior to this anime but when I saw the trailers and the fact that Yuasa was directing it, I was already on board. So I actually watched the entirety of it in one sitting, it was that good, I couldn't stop until I had finished all of it.
  So, let's get into the other segments of the review.

  - S T O R Y synopsis -
  The story is about Akira Fudo, a wimpy boy with a good heart, one day due to a chain of events he meets his childhood best friend Asuka Ryou who asks Akira for help to go with him to a Sabbath party because he's the only one he can trust and thus explains about the devils and how they can get rid of them by spreading awareness to the whole world. Sabbath parties are where the devils have the highest chance of emerging.
  So a devil emerges and the place becomes a blood-bath, as Ryou was about to be killed by a demon, Akira starts running desperately towards Ryou and is possessed by the great demon Amon right before another demon was about to eat him from behind, ultimately destroying every demon there, rescuing Ryou and in the process changing physically due to the transformation.
  His will manages to triumph over Amons' and Akira effectively becomes someone who is neither a human, nor a devil.
  He is Devilman.

  - S T O R Y review -
  The overall execution is fantastic, Devilman: Crybaby does it's share of social criticism, the humans' cowardly nature of being unable to accept anything different from them because they don't feel safe from what is different and always resorting to hostility in result and the recurring theme of keeping your love/faith in humanity despite their flawed nature to eventually get your existence across to them.
  The themes it covered all got across really well.

  The show also really likes to play with your heart strings, especially at the latter half of the story.

  The story's pacing is perfect, it never stops for a single second to waste your time with pointless dialogue, it always gets straight to the point, making it more enjoyable to binge.

  - C H A R A C T E R S -
  The characters are all really likable, nuanced with their share of problems, some did go a tad bit unexplored, but that doesn't hold back Devilman's purpose whatsoever.
  Most of them have a certain amount of psychological depth behind them, as they're characterized with both subtle scenes and In-your-face character development.

  - A R T -
  Of course, the art is fantastic, it's Yuasa we're talking about here.
  He brought his usual style into Devilman, which made it a blast to watch.
  The extremely vibrant use of colors that's actually used to portray a dark gritty setting is aesthetically pleasing and makes for some really unique scenery.

  The character design is what stood out the most to me, all main characters look extremely memorable and iconic and have that vibe that they will definitely be remembered as something more than just your typical characters.

  - S O U N D T R A C K -
  So what kind of soundtrack does this extremely gritty, gory, violent anime have? Metal? Rock?
  Nope.
  SYNTHWAVE!!!!! (A modernization of the 80s Neon synthesized disco songs)
  And it works great with every single scene, the aesthetic meshes so well with the OST that the chances you will be bobbing your head to the music while watching through out the whole anime are extremely high.

  It does also have some really touching and hype inducing orchestrated tracks like "Crybaby" and "D.V.M.N" which do not feel out of place with the synthwave that's present in so many scenes and only add up to the many emotions the show's soundtrack will make you go through.

  - O V E R A L L -
  As a whole, Devilman: Crybaby is a fanastic anime and proves that a great concept is timeless with it's straightforward dive into the issues of the social construct and other themes, all complimented by it's amazing and unique art style.

  It became one of my favourite anime.

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• 

  TapiaTG

  50/100
  Devilman Crybaby stumbles in several ways, but still you may find enjoyment where I couldn't.

  I wanted to enjoy Devilman Crybaby. Masaaki Yuasa seems to me a talented guy. I like his style and I really enjoyed Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei. And yes it's true, I haven't seen all his works, I still have to watch his other two acclaimed series, Kaiba and Ping-Pong the Animation, but I feel that he knows what he's doing and his skills don't go unnoticed. And still, I feel that with Devilman Crybaby, Yuasa's potential was wasted.
  
  In its visual and musical sections, Crybaby is successful; none of them may reach an exceptional level and I would even dare to say that the former feels less inspired compared to what was achieved with Yojouhan Shinwa Taikei, but they work. Both aspects feel like a more than necessary breath of fresh air and I'm thankful for being able to experience something different. What happens is that, from my perspective, the anime is not entertaining enough when it tries to be or sufficiently transcendental when its narrative changes its focus to a more serious one. It doesn't find a correct tone and, in the end, its development doesn't feel satisfactory. And it's true, the main theme addressed, related to good and evil, the possible decline of humanity to chaos and its capacity for redemption is cannon fodder for a more nihilistic, cynical, and tragic approach. Therefore one could assign that "bitter taste" to this style, but even there I feel that Devilman stumbles.
  
  And yes, I can say that the first episodes are genuinely entertaining, but I can't find anything of value beyond, well, that. The characters don't help much when it comes to praising the quality of the anime. When the chaos runs loose and the blood starts shedding, the events that should elicit an emotional response feel like one more death or one more problem. Another piece that goes off the board, but that is not the King or the Queen, not even a Rook. There is a possible exception to this rule with a member of the cast I deem likeable. But this one is "built" to be lovable and that doesn't stop it from being a one-dimensional character like the rest of the ensemble and no story in retrospect was enough to convince me otherwise. Moreover, those backstories didn't help the last episodes of the anime which were already damaged by the inconsistent rhythm, lack of sobriety and numerous tonal changes.
  
  I have no problem with excessive violence or the constant sex scenes that the series shows, because I understand that they are inherent to its narrative and the idea of ​​"demons arise from human baseness". What I do consider a problem is its lack of focus, inconsistent rhythm, bland characters and its nihilistic approach which, in my opinion, doesn't have enough impact to make me reflect on his message.
  
  Devilman Crybaby stumbles in several ways, but that is simply my perspective. There is genuine talent behind its construction and therefore, I understand the people who really appreciate this anime, because it means that they found something here that maybe I couldn't. Who knows, its message may strike you deeply or you may find it thouroghly enjoyable.
  Thanks for reading and allow me to apologize for my English. I'll try to get better at it.

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• 

  Etyo

  75/100
  This review will be my first attempt at a spoiler free review, convincing you either that, this is great or not.

  Devilman Crybaby - Non spoiler

  This review will be my first attempt at a spoiler free review. An attempt at convincing you either why this show is great and deserves to be watched, balanced with man this show absolutely sucks and you should keep it away from you. My arguments will hopefully not be too vague as most spoiler free reviews are.

  Plot
  Devilman Crybaby is in light of production surprising because it is a Netflix original work, the way that the story is presented is in a very "Western" way. What I mean by Western is the themes and the view toward the foundation of the plot. Demons in this show is viewed with a lens generally not used in Eastern Mythology, Middle Eastern is probably the closest. I found this aspect of the show interesting, because the setting was still Japan. Yet the family we follow is not Japanese or seems Westernised. I thought that it was particularly fascinating that they used the Book of Revelation within the foundation of the plot, now I don't argue this as Western but I do think generally it is seen as Western. I thought the plot was a bit jagged in direction most of the time, but I valued it's lack of direction as a plot tipping point. Especially since throughout most of the show we know little about the villain of the show and his actions. Until it hits us straight in the face. Even though it was very chaotic structurally, oddly enough it fit the theme of the show. The story is significantly linked with the villain and his actions and is very ambiguous for most of the show. But this is not a weakness this is a strength and will be appreciated if you do some investigation behind what people believe about the Book of Revelation versus reality.

  Characters
  As I mentioned, from the villain we don't really see much of his actions till the latter half of the show, yet this build up really makes you hate his guts and is implemented well. In all honesty the only characters developed throughout the entirety of the show is the Main Character and Miki with long hair, I valued those characters the most out of the show mainly because they had the most to struggle against. There are a lot of other side characters and supporting characters that had a lot of potential but was never capitalised on. Generally there are a lot of deaths in this show, but I don't think they were unexpected, this show doesn't lie to you even through the characters. I don't think that the value of the deaths are supposed to be something we care about deeply, but rather points us to the impact they have on the Main Character and the plot. The show makes it clear who the important characters are, and I wasn't disappointed by the way they implemented that. As a whole the plot was well integrated with the general established purpose of each character, even the ones you don't care about too much. This is generally how I view those deaths; by the end of the series you value the lack of impact most of the deaths had on you, because it gives you a true view into the characteristics of the villain.

  Music
  There is something magnificent about the OST in this show, and its the value they put on rap music. There are multiple scenes that you read dialog of someone rapping within the show, and it is directly linked either symbolically or literally to what is going on in the progression of the story. It is well written and has a massive impact on how you perceive the episode. But don't be surprised when all of a sudden a soothing master piece closes the episode or a rough punch hits you in the ear drum, like a sucker punch to the face. The music was produced well and implemented well into the show to give meaning beyond just sounding great.

  Art Style and Animation
  Don't be put off by it, without it the character of the show would not be able to flourish. There is a big impact made by it due to the major theme of the show, spirituality. In life we generally have this view of reality versus fiction/myth and I think the attempt to draw that made an effect weird enough to get the artists to this style. There are times where the animation seems really out of place, and that's okay the show is attempting to draw you away from thinking it to be fantasy at the same time as keeping it a fantasy. Its amazing how the art is able to fit in with the theme so well. To quote The Usual Suspects - "The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing everyone he didn't exist."

  In conclusion I would recommend this if you are looking for a really good depiction of demon "mythology" or "reality" which ever perspective you prefer to view them in. I don't recommend it to people under the age of 20, because of it's themes. Furthermore, I don't think people appreciate the themes if they haven't read the Book of Revelation at least once. I quote C.S Lewis from The Screwtape Letters "It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality our best work is done by keeping things out." Overall the show is a solid 7.5/10 most of the lost points are due to character development, even though I talked it up and argued for some of its faults, there are still some lost opportunities.

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