Review of Devilman: Crybaby

Devilman: Crybaby may be the absolutely most brilliant and at the same time appalling piece I ever have laid my eyes on. It´s like a psychedelic trip; you have absolutely no control over the situation, the world look seriously messed up, your sense of time and space is gone, and you just have to braise yourself for whatever f*cked up hallucination your brain choses to show you. You are kind of enjoying it, and kind of are completely out of your comfort zone. That´s the best way for me to describe how I experienced Devilman: Crybaby. On one hand, I thought the art and animationwas going to be overly edgy, but it turned out to be something of the coolest I ever seen, and it totally rocked with soundtrack. On the other hand, have I never thought to myself “what the f*ck?!”, so many times during that short number of episodes. Like that psychedelic trip, Devilman have nu boundary’s what so ever. To call it chock factors would be the understatement of the year. I´m not a sensitive person in general regarding R- rated stuff, but this is the most f*cked up shit I ever watched. But at the same time, I could appreciate the brilliance of it. It´s completely unique in so many aspects, I´m kind of surprised that Netflix founded such a controversial show.

Devilman: Crybaby is the fusion of the 70´s manga Devilman by Go Nagai, and Ichiro Okouchi´s imagination. Ichiro Okouchi is the original creator of Code: Geass, and has been involved in many other projects, such as Eureka Seven, Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, Lupin III, and Princess Principal to mention some. Even if I haven´t watched much of his works before, I can guarantee that nothing will ever be close to Devilman. In what could have been just a standard hero show, Devilman explores the sickest parts of the human race. And somehow gets away with it. To state that it’s a lot of nudity and gore may also be the understatement of the year. It´s pretty much a violence porno, with a pretty cool main character. The shifts between ultra-violence, everyday life, weird sex-situations, and deep emotional moments, could shift in an instant. I think that adds a bit to the all over trippy vibe Devilman carries. It also starts like most hero-villain stories, with childhood friends in their teens, gaining new power. Human and Demons fusing, or fighting is an old concept in storytelling, but what Devliman evolves into, is a bit different from the classics though. Well, let’s just say that the horror tag is very fitting.

What really make Devliman a one kind of a cookie, is a combination of several things. First, the controversial take on a hero story. Second, the art is truly unique and compatible with said take on hero story. Third, the soundtrack is something in its own league. Fourth, Akira Fudou. Akira is a very interesting character, and diverse from your regular hero-stereotype. Well, let´s just say the subtitle Crybaby isn´t there for show.

I really get why this show get so many divided reviews. The story and art/animation go crazy good together, both the characteristic trippy visuals, and the more classic good-looking backgrounds and light setting. The soundtrack is out of this world, mostly techno/trance which amplifies the trippy visuals and story. The story and characters definitely stand out, to say the least. But as always, extremes always divide opinions. I certainly get those who thought this was utterly horrific, some scenes have etched into my mind and I don´t think I ever can get them out of there. But the brilliance in much of storytelling combined with absolutely distinguishing art and trippy soundtrack, I just can´t ignore. This was completely new, I have not seen anything like it ever before, not even close. I watched the dubbed and liked it a lot, I thought they had paired the VA´s very good with each character. Luckily, the rap is kept in Japanese, that was a good choice in my book.

Did I enjoy Devilman: Crybaby? Yes and no. Yes, the super trippy art and music work really well together. I did enjoy much of the story, but some parts were just too sick to just pass over. I will never be able to hear donkey sounds again without feeling very disturbed.