Review of Devilman: Crybaby

NOTE: this review is for my own personal use only. i've noticed after a while, i forget why i rated a show highly or poorly, so i'm going to write reviews after completing each series so i can reference them in the future. this show has got me all sorts of fucked up. i don't know if i should cry or pop a boner. it was a blood, sex, and tear fueled roller coaster that left me speechless by the end. the one thing i applaud devilman the most is how it pushes the boundaries so unabashedly. it pushes a lot of buttons and doesn't seem scaredto do so. taboos like sex, drugs, violence, and rape are all fair game. and while these things may not be presented in the most mature way (usually displayed in an over-the-top manner), they still give us a platform to discuss and create commentary.

devilman is one of the few anime i've seen that has sex (or sexual topics) for a reason other than panty shots. sex serves more than one purpose that is integral to devilman's story and characters. sex is used to symbolize power, define characters, and gauge humanity.

we see miko get raped in the early episodes mirroring her lack of self-confidence and power to beat her rival, miki. we also see her masturbating, showing that she has a desire for power, but inability to grasp it. later in the series, we see her rape a random stranger, embodying her transformation into a devil, the power that brings, and her loss of humanity. it's also important to note that she ends up killing this man while continuing to rape him, all while keeping a stoic expression. this reflects her anger, frustration, and dissatisfaction. she couldn't really beat miki because the race never finishes and that infuriates her.

for koda, sex symbolizes his grief for junichi. when having sex with another man, koda screams out junichi's name while crying. koda is attempting to fill the hole in his heart with sex, but that enjoyment is fleeting and does nothing to mend his heart. again in this scene, we see koda taking the aggressive role, showing his acquisition of power by becoming a devil.

for our main boy akira, sex defines his will to cling to his humanity. he's constantly tempted, but ultimately refuses to have sex. i'm a bit fuzzy on what to say here because i'm not entirely sure if he has sex with silene. it's kind of hard to tell. and he does tiptoe the line while he motorboats her. so i'm not sure. maybe after i digest this more over time will i get it. it is important to note that he never has sex, showing that he does not have the power to save anyone.

we also devilman offer us a commentary on fanservice in anime today. when miki goes to the studio and see her naked in the bath being watched through a one-way mirror, we're meant to feel disgusted. the show points the finger directly at us saying, "you're the guy behind the mirror." we're meant to feel disgusted with ourselves for oggling at miki just a moment earlier as she undresses. devilman did this to us once before too, although with less impact. right after getting his powers, akira is seen watching porn in the school auditorium with the audio blaring.

i'm still mulling over in my head what all those orgies meant at the beginning of the show. they show us a lot of tits and ass and sex and i'm still not 100% what purpose that serves. maybe just to set up the over-the-top atmosphere and shock factor?

devilman's story asks us what it means to be human, much in the same way parasyte did or tokyo ghoul tried to. the show starts off with presenting a clear distinction between humans and demons. and with the name demons, we automatically assume they're just pure evil so humans must be good (because that's what we'd like to believe), but we're constantly shown that it's not so binary. we're shown a TON of cases where humans are evil. basically everyone by the end, save for the main characters, turn out to be the scummiest, most hate-inducing creatures. but we're also shown demons displaying acts of humanity with silene and kaim's love for each other and ryou's eventual love for akira.

i also appreciate that the show strays away from the deus ex machina. in fact, akira nearly never shows up at the right time. he saves miki once near the beginning, but fails to save anyone else. he's always too late. he couldn't save his parents, couldn't save miki's parents, couldn't save his friends, couldn't save miki, and ultimately couldn't save himself or ryou. perhaps this all helps to serve a narrative, but i can't seem to come up with it right now. maybe it's just a great tragedy and the show just wanted to be dark, but i think there's something else here i'm not really seeing.

the show also has TONS of symbolism in it with hidden meaning. i'm sure the more i rewatch this series, the more i'll notice like with FLCL. but i think a lot of it will go over my head as it most of it seems like it will be biblical in nature and i'm not well-versed in that area.

all in all, i appreciate what devilman does. it's certainly refreshing and has a lot to unravel. it's carefully put together and does things other anime haven't done before. i feel like i'd love it more if i could understand more, but it's all just a jumble in my mind right now.