This OVA starts out with the best part, a cliff's notes version of the "mythos cyborg arc" from the 009 show, and it's only downhill from there. While it was a cool "what if" thing to see the cyborgs continue on past 0013 from the original with new enemies 0014, 0015, etc. I kept wishing we could leave out the Devilman segments. Akira's world of demons and Joe's world of cyborgs just never gelled together; it's like mixing oil and water! This isn't just me hating on Devilman, I really think the Devilman segments screwed up the tone of the series! We go from a more traditional superhero show for a younger audience with the cyborgs to suddenly women's breasts have mouths and Devilman is ripping off a monster's penis?! Ugh, I hated the inconsistent tone. This is also a show that assumes you already know everything about both Cyborg 009 and Devilman, as they waste no time with character or storyline intros. The OVA even brings in a bunch of new characters to keep track of for both Devilman and Cyborg 009, but even these new ones have very rushed development.
I honestly had no clue what was going on by the end. What was the villain's plan? Create a cyborg demon (yes it's as stupid as it sounds) and rule the world I guess? It's just too much of a clusterfuck of characters and stories to keep track of. You can get some much needed backstory for Akira and his friends by watching the 10-episode Devilman Crybaby (also on Netflix), but here's the catch: A) Crybaby sucks and B) That's still only half the background info you need to understand this OVA. You still have to watch the 009 anime too! Even if you watch both you'll STILL be confused!! I must also warn you this anime makes the INEXCUSABLE mistake of spoiling the Crybaby twist that Ryo is actually Lucifer! Seriously, watch the OP closely where they smash cut from Lucifer to Ryo, even though Lucifer form Ryo never even appears in this OVA. (BTW if Ryo has angelic powers why does he keep having to use guns?)
Now, there were a few things I liked. I thought Miki's personality here was 100% better than her Crybaby incarnation, where she was a perfect borderline Mary Sue. Miki is tough and sassy as hell and I loved her (assuming this is closer to her personality in the manga). The animation was fantastic and the artwork was detailed (though the 2 styles really clashed when Devilman characters interacted with 009 characters). I liked all of the action scenes, such as when 009 dodged Ryo's shotgun shells and knocked him over by running past him super fast and whipping up wind. I liked the redesigns of the cyborg costumes, such as that glowing that appears whenever they use their powers. I thought Johnny Yong Bosch did fine in the role of 009, though I really miss Joshua Seth from the original and wonder why they couldn't get him back.
What was the point of this crossover? Should you watch this? Well, are you willing to watch both the 10-episode Devilman Crybaby AND 51-episode Cyborg 009 just to get all the necessary backstory in order to watch this cheesy, dumb 3-part OVA? I don't think it's worth it! 4/10
