Devilman: Youchou Sirene-hen

Okay remember how the first Devilman movie had a lot of explaining and build up until the last 15 minutes before the awesome gore fest began…well this movie does not follow that same formula. Mostly, it just gets straight to the point.

Storyline

This movie to me feels like three separate action sequences crammed into one great movie. The first involving a demon who lures Akira into his hideaway just to torture him with a horrifying revelation about his parents. Second is an ambush attack at home targeting the family that is providing Akira with his temporary accommodation. Then lastly the movies core focus is on the ... Demon Bird Silene (pronucened differently) who wants to kill Devilman to make an example out of demons who choose to meld with humans. Actually about 50% of this movie is focused on the bitter grudge match between Devilman and Silene and it turns out to be a great fight to the death!

Considering how much things go on in this movie I’d say the pacing is fantastic and the action scenes in this movie are excellent but also when it does slow down a little it usually focuses on some minor character development otherwise it’s pretty much action packed.

Near the end of the movie it’s unclear who will come out on top…I mean it looks like Devilman will get the last laugh…but how it actually turns out is actually quite interesting. Everyone I know who has watched this movie really like s the ending in particular. It’s a cool one indeed!

Animation

Keeping in mind this is early 90’s animation The animation for the first movie was pretty decent…I mean the character designs looked a bit cutesy at first but when the demons get involved things change quite dramatically.

This movie was made a couple years after the first one and things look a lot better. The anime on a whole has a MUCH darker tone and where Akira looked like a sweet kid in the first movie he now looks like a pumped up thug ready to pound anyone that gets in his way.

However I’d say overall the animation style looks pretty simplistic but not in a lazy way. A standout point for me is the demon character designs. They really look like morphed, spliced animal creatures…which really feels disturbing…I mean to this day Ginman is one of the most F’ed up demons I’ve EVER seen in any anime. If someone did a live action Ginman costume / CGI effect I would be vomiting all goddamn day, I swear!

Anyway, compared to today’s level the animation is pretty average but I still think it’s aged pretty well over the years regardless.

Sound

I like the music in Devilman…its got a melancholy feel to it. The English dub is really quite comical to me but not in a bad way…I mean, re-watching this now I can understand why some people may find it korny but overall I think it works out very well. Devilman in particular say’s some really funny shite when he’s killing demons…certainly not the sweet boy Akira he was before.

Overall sound is pretty decent…compared to the original Jap language it’s a bit spicier which worked out well imho.

Characters

Devilman has an extremely small cast, which works in its favour. There’s pretty much Akira / Devilman, Ryo, Miki (barely) and the various demons Akira and Ryo have to face.

For such a short anime I think the characters are developed well enough…In particular you get a good foundation for Akira’s character which is the most important thing.

Another surprising thing about this movie is that the demons are quite cunning and not just your typical stock throw-aways. Particularly in this movie most of the demons have a connection with Akira’s demon counterpart and often comment on how surprised they are by the fact that the demon (Amon) has joined forces with a human (well that’s not exactly correct but I don’t wanna spoil anything for newcomers).

Enjoyment

Like I said for the first movie I enjoy this anime on two levels, the first being nostalgia. I remember how confused and weird I felt about rooting for a demon to succeed…..this was way before the more recently accepted anti-hero boom we are surrounded by today.

The second level is the action in this anime is pretty hardcore, barebone and enjoyable to watch.

Unlike the first movie however the pacing and content is consistently engaging and theres never really a dull moment from start to finish!

It’s another short fun crazy ride… I have enjoyed this title for many years and still find it of a high standard even after all these years.

Value / Final Thoughts

Over time Demon protagonist’s have become more common place in movies (Hellboy) and especially in anime, to name a few: Hellsing, Vampire hunter D, Inu Yasha, the cast of Saiyuki, Chrono from Chrono Crusade etc. So Devilman kinda loses the shock value it had around the original time it was made.

But like I said before being very young and coming from a Christian upbringing made this anime quite the shell-shocker.

I was hesitant to write this review at first as I did feel a lot of my praise for it would come down to nostalgia but after re-watching it I am now reassured it is actually a quality title that still holds up to this very day

It’s short and sweet and many do hail it as an anime cult classic.

Surprisingly though I found more reviews for both the Devilman OVA’s on IMDB than on various anime sites….saying that though it seems the manga is vastly more popular than the anime incarnations.

As a side note I will say I was disappointed with the third sequel: Amon the Apocalypse of Devilman – which in my mind had a different tone and strayed away from the Manga’s original perfect ending….a total letdown on what could have been a great trilogy. So alas no Amon review from me!

You can also check out my mega-blog on the other Devilman anime releases here if you please: http://bit.ly/OtguhB

Planet Tyro Rating: Hall of Fame

Devilman Franchise Blog: http://bit.ly/157LdCG

planettyro.com

“Devilman: Yochou Sirene-hen” looks and sounds good, and is an entertaining watch, although it’s lacking in terms of plot and setup.

The biggest issue with this OVA is that it’s not a direct continuation of its prequel. Characters are introduced that the main character seems to know, but the audience doesn’t, as they weren’t in the first OVA. Also, the timeline isn’t clear: the events here definitely happen after those in “Devilman: Tanjou-hen,” but it’s vague as to how much time has passed since then. And the characters look different here, particularly Akira, even though the designer is the same.

There isn’t much of a plot in ... “Yochou Sirene-hen,” just a series of battles with demons, roughly divided into 3 of them. The OVA just kind of throws you in there and expects you to know what’s going on, and it’s all a bit jarring and confusing. It has a proper conclusion, but it’s underwhelming.

The characters don’t get much development because it’s just one episode, and some of them, especially Akira and Miki, act differently from the way they did in the first OVA.

The animation and art look good; the demon designs in particular are intriguing. The direction is good, and the fight scenes are entertaining. The voice acting is decent. The music is good.

Regarding objectionable content, there is a lot of nudity in this one; the main antagonist, in particular, is topless throughout the whole episode. There are also some gratuitous scenes with Miki completely nude, and a slight amount of perverted dialogue. And of course, there’s some graphic gore and death, but it’s surprisingly tame here for a Go Nagai work.

Overall, “Devilman: Yochou Sirene-hen” was probably made with manga readers in mind, since it’s difficult to understand what’s going on and why if you’ve just seen the prequel. However, if you can accept the lack of explanations (or have read the manga) and can handle the nudity, it’s a decent watch.

Prologue -

The problem with this movie was the story was set up correctly, but it had a bad flavor to it. I've summarized the key points below.

Pros -

There are actual nasty demons generals sent by Satan to fight against Devilman which could've led to some potentially good fights.

Cons -

... Devilman is useless and not a good fighter. No Jeet Kune Do, no Chun Kuk Do, no Tae Kwon Do, no nothing.

Devilman has very few special powers compared to the demon generals. Ironically, Devilman is known as the strongest. That's not even feasible.

Devilman gets his ass kicked like the cover implies. He literally gets tossed around cause he is so skinny and shrimpy. Rather than trying to emphasize the fangs on his face, he could use some wide, broad shoulders.

Devilman's fights are corny, cheesy, and also a drag. There is obviously no equal footing.

Conclusion -

4 cons outnumber 1 pro. Every 1 minute watched is 3 minutes wasted. This movie could not live up to its prequel. I'd say a score of 4 is just about right.

Scoreboard -

Story - 3
Art - 5
Sound - 6
Character - 3
Enjoyment - 3
Overall - 4