Review of Devilman: Crybaby
Overall : I am happy that I saw this show and went into it blind. I would not say I would want to see more shows with this animation style, maybe because it is not very tasteful, but once in a while, I welcome this kind of novelty. As for music, it was very fitting and I wish there was more of it, but it could have ruined the feel, I am not sure. I will have appreciated a slower and more consistent pacing and more episodes, but apparently the source material follows the same pacing and the anime industry is not very generous tothe creators. I would love to see a remake of this show, some years down the line, where they polish the rough edges and still keep the essence of the original. I will recommend this show to anime fans because even with it's quirks, it is worth a watch. Don't expect an easy ride, because it is not. The story, music and the way this show captures emotions is what makes it worth a watch.
The first episode told me where the limits for this show in terms of gore/sex fell. The animation did feel wonky and in many cases lazy, with so many dark scenes where I am unable to tell what is going on. The pacing seemed very rushed and the story felt incomplete, with gaps which either had to be filled with my imagination or just not bother to care about them.
I have a no drop guideline, so I continued watching it. After ep5, when the world goes to shit, the portrayal of how humanity reacts to fear, hit a homerun for me. I could feel the frustration of Akira. The ep 8 and ep 9 really made the whole anime worth watching. Those feelings were captured very well by the music and the animation, which I had dismissed this whole time. The pain I felt was something very real and very scary.
The finale seems very satisfying to me. I feel that was a very fitting ending. No better ending could have been possible, we all can be happy in the fact that a cleansing was in order and well deserved by the humans and demons alike. The shot from space after the credits, show a the start of a new beginning and a hope that things will be better this time around.