Review of Devilman: Crybaby
There are slight spoilers in this so read at your own discretion. Like many other people I assume, I started getting interested in Devilman: Crybaby when I caught the video of the rapping scenes. I wasn't sure what I was getting into because I had never seen another Devilman anime previously so imagine my surprise when it was just a gorefest. But was this anime more than just a gorefest? Had it transcended blood, eviscerated bodies, and every inopportune moment possible? Well. Hardly. The final revelation of the show was definitely interesting and unexpected, but mostly because it was really out there. However, one could argue thatthe show is very short and you're just thrown in to the universe so you have to take everything at face value; and that makes it fine.
What really separates this anime from others I've seen (and please understand that gorefest anime is typically what I try to avoid) is the emotion it made me feel. I think it happens pretty often that animes are judged solely on the story and animation and whether or not it made someone feel good. But I think that anime should make you feel any emotion and does a good job depending on the strength of that emotion. Watching this anime, I imagine it's the same experience people get when they watch Game of Thrones (although.. I haven't watched that either). A lot of the anime I've watched is either action-packed, competitive, or just plain cute. And the emotions I often feel are positive unless the cast hits a valley from which they have to climb out of.
Anger. Hopelessness. Pity. However, Devilman: Crybaby made me feel the aforementioned emotions with an intensity I hadn't really experienced before. I was angry when characters that I grew to admire, even after only such a short series, were undeservedly slaughtered . I felt hopeless when the system was built to ignore discretion and developed basically a self-destructing genocide. I felt pity when I watched these characters experience the hopelessness that I felt. I witnessed betrayal, shame, guilt, and unabashed indulgence.
What hit me the hardest was the betrayal. Not the actual act itself, but the culmination of it. The combination of skepticism and primal fear was actually constructed quite well. It was almost orchestral on how dissatisfied I was when the plan worked out. You often witness foes turn to allies, but it's rare to see the opposite without a subsequent redemption. And what seemed like a snap decision to turncoat on their friends, you can understand that they harbored their fears the entire time.
The biggest spoiler that I will warn you to look away from is that it's not a happy ending. It's a decent anime and honestly, I kind of wish it was a rapping anime like I'd hoped. But it took me on an involuntary adventure that I couldn't say no to. And perhaps it's my captivation of the wicked that convinces me that this is an anime I would suggest. It's not amazing. It's not an absolute must-see. But I would say it's worth your time.
Big wrap up of everything I left out since I just focused on the story and basically my own personal aftermath. The animation was interesting with inconsistent, but appropriate fluidity and rigidity. Outside of the main character, there wasn't a whole lot of depth developed or even established at the beginning. If there was any that could be found, there was such a huge disconnect that it seemed irrelevant.