Review of Devilman: Crybaby

Devilman Crybaby is a wild and bumpy ride. It is blood, tits, and gore galore. While it does have its memorable moments, ultimately it falls apart due to its story. Still, I enjoyed watching it. Some might find the animation off-putting or just downright bad, but I personally love it. It has a unique style that produces some unforgettable visuals. Sometimes it has a dream-like flair, other times it’s like a crazy acid trip. This variety of aesthetic means there’s always something interesting to look at. However, there is definitely an inconsistency in quality. Some shots lack detail to the point where it looks downright lazy.Other times it’s like looking at a beautiful watercolor painting. At the very least, it’s a visual experience that stands out from most other anime.

I also really like the design of the main character. His sharp features, wild hair, and black eyeliner hearken back to an age where the bad boy look actually looked cool. Everyone else looks pretty decent as well. And I can’t talk about character design without mentioning the demons. These are some fucked up looking creatures, and easily one of the best parts of the animation. Seeing them erupt from their human forms is pure horror delight.

This show also has a pretty sick soundtrack. There are some truly great techno beats that pump you up and get you engaged with whatever is on screen. It is definitely the soundtrack of choice to listen to while you’re speeding down the highway on your motorcycle, city lights streaming by.

The characters are pretty decent. They’re likable and interesting, and each one has some layers to them. However, I do wish the relationships between them were fleshed out just a tad more. This show could have benefited from a few extra episodes focused solely on the characters. By the end of it, I just didn’t feel as connected to these characters as I feel like I should have. Also, I wish the show spent a bit more time with Akira before he turned into the Devilman. It would have grounded his character more and made the transformation feel more impactful.

Lastly, the story is all over the place and holds this show back from being truly great. Throughout the show, I couldn’t really get a handle on what was going on or what was important. There are several mini arcs throughout, each having their entertaining moments, but whenever a new arc started it was clear that the previous storylines didn’t really matter. I think this anime would have been far more effective if it focused on a single, cohesive story, especially considering that it’s only 10 episodes. The ending was also pretty disappointing to me, and made me wonder if the rest of this series was pointless. I will say that the story is unpredictable, at least.

Ultimately, Devilman Crybaby is entertaining but not great. I think this show had a lot of potential that it just didn’t live up to. I think those looking for a unique show should check this one out, but maybe don’t expect too much going into it. I had my fun with this one, but I just can’t help feeling this show should have been better than it is.