Review: 'Devilman Crybaby'

This past weekend, I finally got to unwind and catch up on all the new anime that’s been coming out. Aside from My Hero Academia (which I think is really good, so far), I finally got to sit down and watch Devilman Crybaby, a Netflix original that premiered on the platform on January 9th.

A modern retelling of the manga from 1972, the 10-episode series follows a young man named Akira Fudo who, along with his best friend Ryo Asuka, finds numerous creatures called Demons and destroys them. On their first night of Demon hunting, Akira is almost killed by said creature until a powerful demon named Amon possesses him and turns him into the fearsome Devilman. After his possession, he goes from a scrawny, timid teenager to a fearless butt-kicking wisecracker who struggles with his new identity.

As a whole, I was very split in half about this anime. There were some things that I felt worked for the show and some things I thought could either be toned down or left out altogether. It’s hard to explain without going into detail so I will express my thoughts via pros and cons.

PRO: What I Liked

Firstly, the animation was absolutely spectacular and added to the tone of the entire show. The way the characters flowed was very fluid and the artwork made it very cinematic. Also, I didn’t know anything about the Devilman series before watching this, but seeing how old it was made me impressed by how much they upgraded a lot of elements that would’ve made it dated.

The main characters are also very likable and the development they are given isn’t half-bad either. Even minor characters, while only apart of the story for a little bit, do have some significance to the plot and hold their own just fine. Also, as a personal bonus, no one was ever too annoying. I tend to watch anime and end up having to deal with at least one character who got under my skin. However, this show knew who to keep focus on and who to leave alone, so it never felt like you go too much of anybody.

CON: What I Didn't Like

As I mentioned, the animation was very stunning and practically cinematic. However, it’s because of those things that I wish it was a movie rather than a 10-episode story. I personally felt that it would’ve been better and much more impactful if it was condensed into an hour long movie, rather than 20 minute segments.

Aside from that, I also felt like religion was too heavy of a topic and downright disrespectful at times, mainly the portrayal of Satan. I’m aware that he was a fallen angel, but the way they designed him seemed like saying that Satan is beautiful and angelic, when he is quite the opposite. Also, it felt like adding references to the Bible didn’t seem to help either, as the whole series made it look like demons were good and anything holy was evil. Overall, I thought it would’ve been better or at least tolerable if there weren't so many allusions to religion.

Overall, it was an interesting viewing, but it left me feeling somewhat empty. Did I regret watching it? No, I’m glad I got to see it while it was still popular, as I tend to hop on the bandwagon after everyone else gets off. Would I watch it again? No, it didn’t leave wanting more or anything. The story and animation were nice, but the problems I mentioned overshadowed what I enjoyed and it wouldn’t make a difference if I saw it knowing what was going to happen next.

Conclusion: I didn’t hate this one, but it just wasn’t for me.