Review of Devilman: Crybaby
I had never heard of Devilman before and if I did I would have dismissed it for having such a dated and cringy name like Devilman. Coming from an era where the word "man" slapped onto any word would make them a superhero, this show modernises the manga in meaningful directions and is anything but dated, it's fresh and edgy in all the right ways and is honestly one of the best things to have come out of Netflix and Anime as a whole in recent years. If future Netflix anime adaptations are anything as experimental and fresh as Devilman: Crybaby, I'm all for itbecause goddamn was this show an exhilarating ride from start to finish.
The story while not original was remarkably well executed, it introduced meaningful characters, a narrative that introduced and tackled complex themes and a very satisfying plot twist at the end. There was not one scene that detracted from the experience, the story rarely slowed down and it was a pulse-pounding binge-watching experience with a rather brisk pace. However, the story is not anything new and the themes that were tackled by this show were mostly glanced over making them more tacked on than anything. The story isn't flawless but is nevertheless a very good story and is shown in a fresh and unorthodox way. The show is in no way for the faint-hearted, there are a lot of gory scenes that could totally not be to your liking but these scenes do in no way feel cheap and really fit the tone of the show.
The art and animation are just incredible, it's abstract, different, original and just so goddamn eye-catching, the colors pop and there is a strong sense of visual imagery that is haunting. The style is expressive and very dynamic, however, there are some rough edges as it can be too dark and I literally see a black screen. This bold style is very welcome in this day and age where there are an increasing amount of "clean" art styles that all look the same.
The soundtrack is legendary, it has epic opera style music mixed with an amazing bass line, has synthwave, has emotional piano pieces all that stick in your mind and can make you feel a range of feelings from hype to downright sad.
The characters are well fleshed out and all have a rightful and deliberate place in this show all pushing the narrative forward in meaningful ways. While I do like these characters, we aren't given a lot of time with them and that can make one, more interesting than the others. The protagonist is likable and is easy to love, he's handsome, brash and has a good heart. His love interest is good-natured, and her innocent heart is so hard to not love. The villain is well developed and is arguably as likeable as the protagonist.
Overall this anime is a must watch, it makes me feel happy for having Netflix, if it wasn't featured on the front page I would probably never have seen it anywhere else since I feel like this anime isn't getting the attention it deserves, it is a fantastic show that feels fresh and is just so goddamn good to watch. It might not be for everyone because of its gore but it's exceptionally well done and marks an amazing start for anime in 2018 and could arguably be one of the best of this year.