Review of Devilman: Crybaby

Can you handle feeling hopelessness and despair? That there is no justice in this world? If you can't, then you probably should steer away from this show. Much like the original manga which this show gets its namesake from, the world which you witness through the eyes of the main character, Akira, is raw, carnal, and cruel, and the concepts explored are heavy and incredibly depressing (albeit a tad edgy compared to other dark titles like this). - Story - This is probably the weakest part of the entire show. While the overall plot and original source material are decent, with the main cast constantly encountering smallhappinesses and incredible despairs, the extremely short run time of the show (only 10 episodes) results in the show feeling fairly rushed. The final episode was also a huge disappointment, and considering the incredible lead-up to it, I feel that it failed to receive the baton from the previous episode properly.

- Animation -
The animation is excellent, but also very deviant. Oftentimes, the world and the characters will distort in impossible, psychedelic ways (think Studio Trigger). This will understandably turn many viewers off from this series, but at the same time, it makes a lot of sense considering the distorted themes and world that this show portrays. As other reviews may have stated, there is an "appropriately" excessive amount of nudity and sex in this show (sex and vice were one of the primary themes of the original manga after all), so be prepared for that.

- Sound -
Excellent choices of music all around. The unique OST consists of a blend of choice pieces (think Dark Souls) and synthwave make this OST not only standout but also perfect for this show. The choir screams horror and despair, but the synthwave screams drugs, sex, and vice. The OP and ED are very weak since they opted for a purely instrumental OP and ED, but Netflix automatically skips all of those, so meh I guess?

- Enjoyment -
If you finish this show and leave optimistic, you probably watched the wrong show. There is no happy or sad end, only a conclusion. It will end with you feeling like someone just punched you in the gut. If you watch things to relieve stress and feel good about the world, turn around NOW - there truly is nothing for you here. You will not "enjoy" this show unless you go into it prepared, and if you are, then there really is a lot you can take away from this show.

Overall, an excellent show, but the incredibly short run-time results in a less than stellar execution. The 10th episode was also incredibly awful, almost completely destroying the pent-up emotions and despair of the previous one by making almost the entire episode exposition about another character. Definitely worth putting some time aside to watch, and works best when watched in one go.