Devilman: Crybaby

[bartholen_v1legacy]

...Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

I'm at a loss for words.

This is the latest adaptation of the iconic Devilman manga by Go Nagai, produced by Netflix and... umm...

It sure is something.

It's hard to talk about it without spoiling what makes it so effective. It's safer to talk about how one can see how massively it influenced manga and anime: you can spot countless ways it directly inspired such iconic works as Evangelion and Berserk.

Spoiler: Fuck it, I just want to talk about that fucking ending

Holy motherfucking shit. This is in the top 3 most nihilistic, sadistic, mean-spirited and cruel works of fiction I've ever read, and the only reason it's not number 1 is because I haven't had time to think about it yet. And after watching it to the end I'm not even sure I'd recommend it, since there's no payoff here: only unpleasantness, tragedy and nausea. You think Game of Thrones is hard to watch? You think Berserk sometimes goes over the top with the brutality? You think Evangelion fucks over its characters? Boy howdy does Devilman shit on all of them in those terms.

The last 3-4 episodes are some of the most vicious and cruel fiction I've ever seen. Everything goes to shit. Nobody wins. Everyone loses. Sympathetic main characters die in horrifying, sickening, sadistic ways. There are no rescues, no respite, no hope. Seeming glimpses of hope turn out in vain.

What really pushed it over the line for me was Miki's death. Up to that point I was going along with it, "Yeah, I like a bit of nihilism in my movies, Sicario's one of my favorites, yeah". But then for the anime not only to kill its most sympathetic character in such a horrific way, but also parade her dismembered corpse around on sticks was one of those "Despair Event Horizon" moments for me where I could just stare blankly at the screen. And the next episode turned it up to 50 with the annihilation of the human race and the entire planet.

Would I recommend this anime? Kinda hard to say honestly. It has a stylish presentation, great action, relatable characters and the such. But the ending pushes it into what I would call Requiem for a Dream territory where it's hard to say you'll enjoy it. If you have the stomach and want to see what the fuss is about, go on ahead. Just know what you're getting into...

Edit: One thing I forgot to mention is that the soundtrack is fucking dope, and serves as pretty good synthwave music on its own. But it sounds increasingly inappropriate the further the series digs its way into a sinkhole of misery.

 

[Samtemdo8_v1legacy]

Is this a remake or a new adaption to it, because I seem to remember said "event of a certain female character" happening in an older anime?

 

[PapaGreg096]

Is this a remake or a new adaption to it, because I seem to remember said "event of a certain female character" happening in an older anime?

Its a new adaption, On topic thought the show was fine but the pacing in the last 2 episodes were two fast for my liking.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Going for brutally, uncompromising nihilism is always a tightrope act. It can so easily fall into just being hateful shit. Titles like Berserk, Evangelion, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and Cronenberg's The Fly pull it off very well, but sometimes you end up with Genocyber or Inuyashiki.

I haven't seen this new Devilman, as I don't have Netflix, but I have seen most of the more impactful moments, and it never seemed too obnoxious in its portrayal of tragedy. Though that may be because I didn't get the whole picture.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Is this a remake or a new adaption to it, because I seem to remember said "event of a certain female character" happening in an older anime?

Its a new adaption, On topic thought the show was fine but the pacing in the last 2 episodes were two fast for my liking.

I went and checked out the original manga's ending for comparison's sake, and hard as it might sound to believe, it's even more rushed. It takes literally 25 pages and less than a hundred panels between the main character's final decision and the final page. It's downright bizarre. It would almost pass for a joke if it wasn't preceded by such horrific imagery.

Going for brutally, uncompromising nihilism is always a tightrope act. It can so easily fall into just being hateful shit. Titles like Berserk, Evangelion, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and Cronenberg's The Fly pull it off very well, but sometimes you end up with Genocyber or Inuyashiki.

I haven't seen this new Devilman, as I don't have Netflix, but I have seen most of the more impactful moments, and it never seemed too obnoxious in its portrayal of tragedy. Though that may be because I didn't get the whole picture.

Avoiding spoilers I can say that in its last third the series goes through a tonal shift that's even darker than Evangelion's. And it doesn't really work, since the series prior to it is at least in comparison relatively lighthearted. It dips into total misery porn with a couple of fakeouts.

And I wouldn't really call Berserk "nihilistic" per se. Maybe the first arc, which I still consider borderline laughably edgelord-y and grimdark. For all its carnage and misery, even in its darkest arcs Berserk always leaves with a tinge of hope. There are even characters who find somewhat lasting happiness. "Pessimistic" would be a better word in my opinion.

 

[Casual Shinji]

And I wouldn't really call Berserk "nihilistic" per se. Maybe the first arc, which I still consider borderline laughably edgelord-y and grimdark. For all its carnage and misery, even in its darkest arcs Berserk always leaves with a tinge of hope. There are even characters who find somewhat lasting happiness. "Pessimistic" would be a better word in my opinion.

I suppose, but it still shares that same sort of brutal indifference. I just referenced it as an example of a story that does extreme misery well without it spilling over the side.

But I guess it's subjective; Many people adore the emotional gutpunches of Made in Abyss, to me it's just really overselling it (along with the rather creepy fetishes).

 

[stroopwafel]

It's alright. The orginal Devilman OVA is probably one of the first anime I've seen and I liked that one better. Granted, I haven't seen every episode yet(about halfway through) but so far despite the often brutal violence I can't really consider it 'dark' partially b/c of the animation style which makes it look like Loony Tunes and partially b/c it oscillates between taking itself serious and slapstick comedy(thrown in with some cartoon erotica for good measure). It's so ridiculously over the top I often feel like I'm watching a violent Ren & Stimpy.

The original OVA had this sequel of sorts Violence Jack which I think was way more nihilistic. Espescially that episode 'Hell's Wind' was some hardcore shit. Those were the days. The weaboo anime of today seems to be made solely for autistic virgins. The exception probably being Inuyashiki. I absolutely loved that anime. Espescially when that one guy declared war on the entirety of Japan. It was cool to see the progression of the sociopath and the empathic old man and how they eventually joined in a mutual cause. I'm bored pretty quickly and rarely binge anything but Inuyashiki is probably the best anime I've seen in over a decade. I watched like all the eps in one afternoon.

 

[Trunkage]

I gave it a try, immediately watched a character watching some other character's breasts jump up and down. I thought,"This is what the creators want to point out as the main trait of the main character." I now class this is as a stupid pandering to teen boys show

 

[PapaGreg096]

It's alright. The orginal Devilman OVA is probably one of the first anime I've seen and I liked that one better. Granted, I haven't seen every episode yet(about halfway through) but so far despite the often brutal violence I can't really consider it 'dark' partially b/c of the animation style which makes it look like Loony Tunes and partially b/c it oscillates between taking itself serious and slapstick comedy(thrown in with some cartoon erotica for good measure). It's so ridiculously over the top I often feel like I'm watching a violent Ren & Stimpy.

The original OVA had this sequel of sorts Violence Jack which I think was way more nihilistic. Espescially that episode 'Hell's Wind' was some hardcore shit. Those were the days. The weaboo anime of today seems to be made solely for autistic virgins. The exception probably being Inuyashiki. I absolutely loved that anime. Espescially when that one guy declared war on the entirety of Japan. It was cool to see the progression of the sociopath and the empathic old man and how they eventually joined in a mutual cause. I'm bored pretty quickly and rarely binge anything but Inuyashiki is probably the best anime I've seen in over a decade. I watched like all the eps in one afternoon.

I also recommend Made in Abyss if you want something dark and adventurous

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

I gave it a try, immediately watched a character watching some other character's breasts jump up and down. I thought,"This is what the creators want to point out as the main trait of the main character." I now class this is as a stupid pandering to teen boys show

In a way it's a throwback to the days of over the top gory OVAs like MD Geist and such (notice the shitty but famous example, I haven't watched any of those), so it has a sort of trash exploitation style to it.

...until you get to the last third of the show and it switches to 100% misery porn.

After thinking on it for a while, the show really seems to be at odds with itself in multiple ways. Again, much of this has to do with the last third and the ending in particular, but I feel there's a disconnect between what the show says, and what it actually does.

Spoiler: Here we go again...

Throughout the whole show there's the oh so original theme of what it means to be human, the definition of good and evil, how good people turn evil and so on. This is very much present in the character of Devilman himself: he should be evil, but keeps his human mind and nature by struggling against his primal urges. The other devilmen, and the scenes of humans regaining their empathy add to these themes. But the ending disregards this altogether, just going "durrr, humans suck lol". The question of "can demons feel love?" is far too absent in Satan's character to have any meaningful impact, since when it finally does come up there's nothing left for it to affect anything or for the audience to care. Oh, he just literally drove all mankind to extinction and destroyed the planet, but now he feels sad, boo hoo isn't it tragic. In order for it to work Ryo would have to be depicted as a far more sympathetic and conflicted character, either himself or on the audience's part (like Griffith for example). Now he's just a mad Bond villain.

Thinking about it now nearly all I can even remember about this show are the last 2 episodes, and everything prior just blurs into a fog. How did Silene matter? How did Miki's family matter other than being more fodder for the meat grinder? How did Akira's most defining character trait, his overwhelming empathy, matter? In the end everything the show sets up gets torn down in the most sadistic way to no particular payoff, which makes it feel mean-spirited. All the talk about being good, the human spirit and such never pays off. The demons stay evil, humanity reverts to total madness without any shades of grey, and the element of devilmen being in between seems like an afterthought since they don't make any difference in the end.

 

[maninahat]

I've only seen the first couple of episodes, and I am forcing myself to give it the benefit of the doubt. For instance, the animation looks kind of shoddy and cheap, but I'm trying to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is going for "stylised" rather than incompetent. Similarly, the crotch shots and nudity I am trying to see as part of its broader message, and not just lazy fanservice.

How long that benefit lasts for depends on whether it'll actually pay off. So far I don't like it.

 

[PapaGreg096]

Also what does everyone think of the rap in this series, for me its one of the best things about this show

 

[Scarytown_v1legacy]

I found it a breath of fresh air because it tried to be different from the current anime trends. However, it is by no means perfect. The pacing is everywhere and it really needed 2 or 3 extra episodes to fully flesh out the series. I can also understand how the animation can be a huge put-off. Seeing any of Yuasa previous works helps immensely in getting a sense of his style. That being said, the final episodes and OST really carry this show.

I'm reading a couple people here that are just a few episodes in and are having trouble finishing the rest. I think once you get to episode 6 or 7, you finally get past some of the wackiness and monster-of-the-week type feel and actually start getting to the main point. While no guarantee you'll come around to liking it, it does feel different from there on and (least for me) finally get the hook set in.

 

[Broderick]

I unfortunately already knew about the ending due to me being in the know about pretty old manga, but I think the adaptation was pretty damn good for what it was. It certainly was rushed in some areas, and possibly needed an episode or two more to really flesh things out. I almost think the fast pace was almost the point though, that when a situation like that happens, things can escalate very quickly.

The original was an anti-war story, and this one, according to interviews with the director, was about love,

Spoiler

and how the lack of it can destroy not only a single person, but humanity as a whole

. If you think the ending is screwed though, its even worse than you think

Spoiler

The whole thing is in a time loop. After the events of the story happens, god creates earth again, and the events of the story happen again. With satan killing the only person he ever loved, and only learning the lesson too late. Its his own personal hell he can never escape from

.

 

[tippy2k2]

I absolutely adored it. The show is absolutely unflinching in what it does and I loved it. It is brutal and incredibly hard to watch but it has been one of my favorite things on Netflix after just finishing it off.

I've only seen the first couple of episodes, and I am forcing myself to give it the benefit of the doubt. For instance, the animation looks kind of shoddy and cheap, but I'm trying to give it the benefit of the doubt that it is going for "stylised" rather than incompetent. Similarly, the crotch shots and nudity I am trying to see as part of its broader message, and not just lazy fanservice.

How long that benefit lasts for depends on whether it'll actually pay off. So far I don't like it.

I can't really pinpoint for myself when it changed but the urging of friends kept me going. But I thought exactly what you thought when I first saw it and I ended up loving it. The buddies said the halfway point is when it really kicks into gear and I fully agree with them; if it hasn't caught you by Episode 5 or 6, you're probably safe to dump it. Although it's such a (relatively) short series that I would think it's worth the gamble anyway.

Spoiler

The whole thing is in a time loop. After the events of the story happens, god creates earth again, and the events of the story happen again. With satan killing the only person he ever loved, and only learning the lesson too late. Its his own personal hell he can never escape from

Neat. That was my exact interpretation of the ending so it's nice to see my thinking was in the right direction.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

I unfortunately already knew about the ending due to me being in the know about pretty old manga, but I think the adaptation was pretty damn good for what it was. It certainly was rushed in some areas, and possibly needed an episode or two more to really flesh things out. I almost think the fast pace was almost the point though, that when a situation like that happens, things can escalate very quickly.

The original was an anti-war story, and this one, according to interviews with the director, was about love,

Spoiler

and how the lack of it can destroy not only a single person, but humanity as a whole

. If you think the ending is screwed though, its even worse than you think

Spoiler

The whole thing is in a time loop. After the events of the story happens, god creates earth again, and the events of the story happen again. With satan killing the only person he ever loved, and only learning the lesson too late. Its his own personal hell he can never escape from

.

The problem I have with the above interpretation/theme of the story is that it renders pretty much everything prior to around episode 8 pointless, and strips all the characters other than Ryo of agency: he is the only one whose choices ultimately drive the plot. The whole world dies regardless of anything else. It doesn't matter if Miki or her family lives or not, whether Akira convinces other Devilmen to turn against the demons or not, whether Silene or anybody else dies, whether Akira learns of the demons' nature or not; none of these influence the outcome in any way. It all just becomes effective, but empty shock value.

Ryo/Satan has no more involvement in any of the subplots or other characters than he has with what happens in Paraguay or the UAE. Most of the show is spent with and about Akira, his struggle against the daemons and the conflict between human and demon nature. And then in the last 2 episodes the show suddenly decides it's actually about Satan, his lack of love, and his rebellion against God. Ryo, at least in this adaptation, isn't fleshed out nearly enough to suddenly become the lynchpin and main character of the story. It's like the show skips at least 2 episodes of character backstory and development and fast forwards from the downfall of humanity to the literal annihilation of the planet and total human extinction.