Review of Devilman: Crybaby

It feels like an adaptation of the biblical story of Job. Only now, the vehicle/onset of the story is a bunch of highschoolers in a relay race. Story-wise, I think that the lore is fantastic (if you love biblical lore), the storytelling is mostly good because you get to see real-life/relatable "taboo" behaviors, which showcases the moral decay and the way it connects it to the "demons" in the story, however a lot of what's going on is slightly too extreme or not concealed enough. That's a direction the author wanted, but I would have preferred the "demons" to be more restricted in their appearances/powers/public display. It'sa bit too "hollows from Bleach" and not "biblical demons" enough, at least for me. The way "chaos" ensues is very grounded in reality; the way the plot tries to show how humanity would react to the unfolding of the story is also well presented and interesting to watch. There's also some key shocking scenes that convey emotion very well. The ending is also very biblical and well done.

Art-wise, the art is conflicting. On one hand, the animation can be very captivating and hectic; you get a sense of speed/movement, but on the other hand, it can be extremely overly-simplified at times, almost looking like some Flash game.

Character-wise, the reason why it's called "devilman crybaby" becomes very obvious, and the main character fills the role very well. Other characters feel a bit too superficial and stoic (i.e. the family).

Overall, the fundamental story is fantastic, the storytelling is fair, but the art and characters could be much better. Fairly enjoyable and captivating.