Neon Genesis Evangeli- I mean, Devil Survivor 2 the Animation, is a great example of an adaptation from a video game to television gone wrong. Having beaten the video game myself, this anime adaptation was a severe disappointment from start to finish in many off-putting ways. The writing in this anime is childish as it constantly uses well-known clichés, character archetypes who never develop past their cardboard cut-out selves, spills melodrama all over the floor, and everything feels rushed and unconvincing. It is rather, to put it simply, a monstrosity. Now, the story of the video game wasn’t exactly original nor was it interesting, so
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I wasn’t expecting the anime to have a storyline to be on a whole different tier. However the anime definitely could had improved on the overarching story in various ways. Unfortunately, the anime never really improves anything throughout its entirety and leaves off a trail of poor writing everywhere.
The story starts out when a colossal, unnatural disaster hits Japan which pushes civilians and society into desperation, as any major disaster in real life would. Soon, invaders called Septentriones appear and humans must defeat every one of them using demons they can summon in order to survive. Wait a minute, doesn’t this premise sound a bit familiar? Devil Survivor 2 borrows a lot of the same concept from Neon Genesis Evangelion. However the video game managed to blend in its own traditional and original aspects of the Megami Tensei franchise, (Devil Survivor belongs to the Megami Tensei franchise), thereby allowing the game to hold onto its charm. The same can’t be said for the anime adaptation. Unlike the video game, the anime sheds off every inch of strategy in every battle, and replaces it with random attacks that seem to serve no purpose other than for eye-candy and to weakly move the plot forward. The result is mainly dull action and boring battle scenes.
One of the first problems that appear in the anime is that it never really genuinely shows how such a monumental impact is affecting the civilians and society. In Devil Survivor 2’s case, world-building is essential in order to allow the viewer to sink in the necessary details so that important aspects such as pacing and plot and character development feel natural. World-building in this anime’s case could had provided more details on the nature of the post-apocalyptic setting, what the order of society is currently like, how various civilians are holding up, the government’s reaction, etc. Unfortunately, the viewer gets none of this in a genuine manner but gets instead various plot devices that jump out of nowhere which feel jarring, unnatural, and in certain cases, make for unconvincing writing in both story and character-wise.
Enter Hibiki, the main protagonist. He encompasses everything that many other battle shounen protagonists there ever were. He is the hero who jumps straight into action without rational thought. He is the hero who has to save everyone simply because he has the power to summon stronger demons than anyone else. By the way, why Hibiki has been granted this special power while almost everyone else has been left with much weaker demons is never explained until the last remaining few episodes. Even then, the reasoning for this special power is as cliché as it can get. The unexplained unique powers he acquires acts as plenty of plot devices, as Hibiki manages to defeat foes left and right with the help of his powerful demons, and without any convincing struggles. To hurt the writing further, for the first few episodes, this power is the only reason that drives him to become the typical hero that he is and jumps into every battle he can get his hands on. When Hibiki lacks such motivation for his heroic behaviors, he comes off as a very unconvincing character and becomes hard for the viewer to sympathize or understand with. Other characters beside Hibiki also never properly develop, and this makes for much unfruitful viewing containing melodrama and rushed events. In fact, the majority of the characters are hardly even realized, it’s as if they were put into the anime simply to fill up more cast and time and amount to nothing more.
On top of this, well-known clichés pretty much plague many parts of the anime. One notable cliché and theme used throughout the anime is… the power of emotions. Yes, screaming out loud while also screaming cliché lines can save the day in this anime.
Devil Survivor 2 the Animation was very disappointing. There is not much of a single redeeming aspect about this anime. Cliches, bland characters, overdramatic scenes due to poor development, weak narratives and overall plot really plague this anime, ultimately coming off childish and dull. And to those who played the game and hoped for a faithful adaptation in terms of story, you will be disappointed. To make it worse for the video game fans as well as for the rest of the Megami Tensei franchise fans, a lot of the Megami Tensei aspects seen in this anime are terribly realized. The anime breaks the laws of the MegaTen universe, such as how Hibiki can somehow summon Byakko as his first demon in the first episode, a high-level demon in the video game. It was also disappointing how the Demon Fusion was actually introduced in the last episode, and it didn’t help that it was intertwined with horrifying writing. Also, did I mention that Jungo is the most awkward character I’ve ever seen in any anime?
The video game is very fun and addicting. This adaptation can leave one with the impression of the exact opposite.
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: DS2A, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2
Japanese: デビルサバイバー2 THE ANIMATION
More titlesInformation
Type:
TV
Episodes:
13
Status:
Finished Airing
Aired:
Apr 5, 2013 to Jun 28, 2013
Premiered:
Spring 2013
Broadcast:
Fridays at 02:05 (JST)
Licensors:
Sentai Filmworks
Studios:
Bridge
Source:
Game
Duration:
24 min. per ep.
Rating:
R - 17+ (violence & profanity)
Statistics
Ranked:
#49482
2
based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity:
#1393
Members:
166,938
Favorites:
474
Available AtResourcesStreaming Platforms | Reviews
Filtered Results: 50 / 51
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Your Feelings Categories Jul 1, 2013
Neon Genesis Evangeli- I mean, Devil Survivor 2 the Animation, is a great example of an adaptation from a video game to television gone wrong. Having beaten the video game myself, this anime adaptation was a severe disappointment from start to finish in many off-putting ways. The writing in this anime is childish as it constantly uses well-known clichés, character archetypes who never develop past their cardboard cut-out selves, spills melodrama all over the floor, and everything feels rushed and unconvincing. It is rather, to put it simply, a monstrosity. Now, the story of the video game wasn’t exactly original nor was it interesting, so
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May 25, 2013
I was very excited when I heard a Devil Survivor 2 anime was in the works, having recently played and loved the DS game on which it's based. Watching it now, I can say that my feelings for the anime are overall good, if somewhat more mixed than I had anticipated. I'm certainly enjoying it, but there are a few places it seems to fall a little flat.
The anime looks and sounds great. The art is solid; the characters and demons look exactly as they do in the game and the animation is never not satisfying in the action sequences. The voice actors all fit ... Jul 10, 2013
I had my share of problems with Persona 4's anime adaptation. Actually, I had a truckload of problems with it. Scratch that, I was finding stuff to complain about every single episode. And yet, I look back on it and think "oh wow they actually didn't do that badly, considering they condensed a 70-hour RPG into 25 episodes". Indeed, Devil Survivor 2: The Animation served to put Persona 4 into perspective for me. In spite of all its issues, it really didn't do that much wrong. The story was well developed, the characters all got their moments to shine, and there was still time left
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Jun 27, 2013
You know you're in for a ride when you read that first line of the synopsis and realize that the world is about to end thanks to some mysterious invaders. These invaders are called Septentriones want one thing: your life. It all takes place on the holy day of Sunday where the lives of the main characters are in danger. Why? Because the world is about to end and their only chance now is to survive. That's right....
Welcome to the world of Devil Survivor 2, where survival is a word that you'll be hearing more than meets the eye. The series is based off the video ... May 10, 2013
This anime seems to be getting a lot of hate but the anime itself is pretty credible and somewhat enjoyable. As someone that hasn't played the Devil Survivor games I was somewhat pulled into this anime but it still feels like it is lacking something. By reading this review I have only seen 6 episodes and so this review wouldn't be valid but can be credible to the anime itself.
Story The story is fine and there isn't too much to complain about. The anime presents itself with our usual high school protagonist with his high school friends. It's pretty basic and isn't anything new or ... Jun 27, 2013
Devil Survivor 2 aired from April to June of 2013. What starts off seeming to be similar to Mirai Nikki as the characters’ cell phones are given a “future sight” ability quickly turns into a “save the world from demons” kind of show. Unfortunately, DS2 has many problems with pacing, characters, and just an overall confusing plot. It is based off of a game by the same name, which I have heard is much better.
First I want to mention one thing. Whenever I say anything is bad in this show, it excludes Jungo and Airi who are two supporting characters and who are gems that ... Jul 2, 2013
Overall the anime was good I enjoyed it, I watched it in one day which may skew my perception of it. Probably if I had to wait week by week for this anime I would have dropped it at episode 3. I do not know anything about the game, nor did I read the synopsis of the anime beforehand, so I had no expectations.
Story (7/10) The story was very shounen like, if I could compare it, the 13 episodes seemed fairly similar to a first arc in a shounen manga. The characters are introduced, the main character is more awesome that the ... May 25, 2013
This is a great series, people need to understand Shin Megami Tensei is a non-casual and non-mainstream rpg series.
This was clearly made for fans of the SMT saga. But it is still enjoyable for people who actually want an anime that doesn't revolve around Friendship Power > everything. The characters are varied and likable but that's not what the anime is about. This anime is about a group of NORMAL teenagers who end up involved in an Apocalyptic survival of the fittest scenario. This is a realistic what-if series. -What if demons suddenly appeared in your city? -What if you had an app on your phone ... May 9, 2013
Well,this anime has it all. Lame story(basically nonexistent, its just one boss figth after another),boring characters, with no motivation, no interest and no development and mediocre music thah really wears off after one time. Even the animation, its strongest aspect, its nothing special and you can not even enjoy it because is lost from all the stupidity of the above.
However, that its not this anime's biggest problem.The thing that really bugged me it is the fact the show never escapes from its gaming origin. It keeps remind you that its a game: the hero receives quests from the director, performs them and then returns for ... Jun 27, 2013
I picked up Devil Survivor 2 because the summary sounded interesting and not because I've played the game it is supposed to be adapted off of. The series is similar to Mirai Nikki and the two Persona adaptations. Unlike said series the plot of DS2 doesn't flow well at all, so I know the problem doesn't lie with it being an adaption off a game, particularly since both Persona adaptations turned out well despite being a game. I've also seen a few other series with a similar plot line and I was quite fond of said series. This though I was not, and that is
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Jun 7, 2013
I'm a fan of Atlus games as well, including Devil Survivor series. What I like in the second game, is that it is more light-hearted than the first one. The first one is the exact definition of horror. I still love the first one though.
Story 7, Art 8, Sound 9, Chara 6, Enjoy 8, Overall 8 The story is quite simple, so I won't comment much. What I like about the story in the anime and the game, is because the anime diverts itself from the game. Lots of different dead clips and events differ very much. I actually like that, since it makes me wonder ... May 15, 2013
booooringgg. the first episode was quite enjoyable and i had quite the expectations for this series. the intro and outro were also quite good, so my initial impression was quite high. however, the coming episodes (i've watched 6 so far) have led the anime astray and I'm left with easily predictable scenes and cheesy dialogue that bores me like no other anime. since the first episode my impression for this anime has exponentially dropped and unfortunately, I don't see it getting much better. 6/10
May 26, 2013
I'm playing the game while watching the animation just to compare them and the two can't even be compared. The reason for the 5 on the story is that the anime feels so rushed. I know it is 24 episodes but they could have filled those episodes with the "conversations" the protagonist has with various characters from the anime. And worse, the animators just keep killing off the various characters that I find interesting like Otome who loves teasing Makoto about her "crush" on the protagonist, Joe who is so whimsical, it makes the gameplay fun, and Keita who is such a lone wolf he
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May 20, 2013
When the preview for this anime came out, I practically fangirled like crazy because I played the game version of this. I actually didn't finish it because I didn't like spoilers, so I decided to finish the anime before I continue playing. I seriously thought it would be awesome. The first game was pretty nice and I expected the anime of the second game to be just as good. BUT BOY WAS I WRONG. Most of the characters were lame, story was predictable, and everything was just plain boring. Seriously, Hibiki's actions are SUUUUUPPPERRRR predictable, I had to fast forward the anime just so I
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May 11, 2014
Oh man, going into this anime I honesty had high hopes. I really should have known better.
Story The start of the anime was pretty good. It starts with two normal high school living their normal lives, while going to someplace somewhere to do something they see a beautiful girl by herself. While talking about her, they get a video showing their own deaths and the show begins. It starts somewhat strong and interesting but as the story continues it starts making less sense and becomes extremely boring to watch. Characters All the characters are bland and weak except for Hibiki (he's boring, just not weak) the protagonist. ... Aug 14, 2013
Devil Survivor 2 is an adaptation of the game developed by Atlus. Opinions about this anime will be different from person to person
This review shall be made taking into account the game, I played it long before seeing this adaptation. The anime had potential to become one of the best of this year 2013 if the creators had taken more seriously the game, in my opinion i believe that neither they played it and only guided themselves by summaries of the game (who knows? Seems like it to me). I'll start by comparing the anime and the game in several areas: Story: The story in this anime ... Jun 15, 2013
I am in love with this anime at the moment! The use of supernatural powers and the characters who are so easy to fall in love with. The story line is like a breath of fresh air and its not too difficult to follow as the events unfold.
To begin with i assumed it would be yet another predictable anime but as each episode is aired something unexpected turns out. There is a strong theme of power and hierarchy, although it is not overwhelming as it has the portrayal that the power would be easily taken away. This anime is one that you can ... Jun 22, 2015
Note: Spoilers are in this review. I tried my best, but I can't really give a good critique without implementing them.
Furthermore, I could not avoid comparing this to the game. Still, I reviewed this on its own merits. I have played Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker for the 3DS for 100+ hours, so I have a good grasp on the game’s strengths and weaknesses. I’ve sometimes wondered why Shin Megami Tensei games don’t get adaptations, but then a bit of thinking always leads me to the answer: many of them would be the same. See, since the core SMT series typically boasts multiple endings, the ... Sep 23, 2013
Devil Survivor 2 The Animation is an adaptation of a well received game from Atlus's famous franchise Shin Megami Tensei. The game is one of my favourites and I enjoyed it thoroughly. But this anime adapatation is a downer, to say the least.
The story is quite simple, the world will end in seven days, demons have appeared in Tokyo, there is a website that tells you when your friends will die, each day there is a boss. Now, that premise works well on a videogame, since everyday there are lots of optional events you can do, like a free battle, talking to a party member, ... Oct 15, 2013
Tokyo gets mysteriously and very suddenly trashed. Monsters start coming out of cell phones and the main characters use their poke... er, um... demon summons to fight them. This, of course, attracts the attention of a shadowy government organization that is tracking just that sort of activity with some kind of sciency looking stuff. The men in black capture our heroes, take one of them aside, and explain to him that they are JP's: an organization established with a great deal of exposition. This pretty much sets the stage for... a great deal more exposition. Did I mention that the demons look and sound
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