The thing that divides Devilman: Crybaby from other anime is the fact that it touches on the brutalities of war and no matter what side you're on, war is going to be negative.
I've seen animanga that have touched this subject in the past like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood's civil war, but this anime seems to no matter where I am I can safely say that I will at least think about it.
Devilman on the surface (Manga, not the 1970s and 1980s adaptations) seems like a religion manga riddled with drugs, pointless gore, and sex but this anime portrays a lot more than it seems on the surface. The manga written by Go Nagai was made in retaliation to the brutal Vietnam War in the 1960s.
The point of Devilman and Devilman: Crybaby is how things could shift and take a disaster for the worse just as life was seemingly peaceful in the beginning.
We enter the anime with our main character Akira Fudo who reunites with his old friend Ryo Asuka who has uncovered something rich in his time during South America. It's devils essentially is what he finds out.
The plot develops as Akira combines himself with Amon, who is one of the strongest Devils. Akira ends up defining himself as a Devilman, a human heart inside of a Devil's body.
Now, when Akira turns into a Devilman the other people around him begin turning into Devils as Ryo documents the incident, there is more that thickens with this.
Devils in the writing are essentially revealed to be humanity, Go Nagai portrays that our own people are Devils, which is in turn talking about during war, entire militaries and countries are stereotyped to be all negative people when in reality there are people who are in the bodies of destroyers, soldiers, but have a kind heart and because of that they change and get scarred when there is death.
When there is death in a war and when a comrade can't do anything to stop it, it does far worse than just the death itself. The anime goes to show that when people die it isn't the people who witnessed it who get scarred. Families get torn apart and it becomes hard to divide good and evil.
Devilman: Crybaby is able to portray this by after the death of an important character Akira witnesses it and has to go tell the news to the character's family. Not only was the character a close friend of Akira but Akira bearing the pain of seeing the death.
Akira represents using his power to attempt and reconstruct the world and make people join in unity thus causing people to put their weapons down and hug Akira for him trying to unify humanity and end the war.
Tensions only rise, people who are doing nothing get killed for trying to deliver peace and it causes a spike of rage in both Akira and anyone on Akira's side.
I see a side that isn't talked about in a positive spotlight which is the rappers that Miki and Akira became close with, the rappers are showing the civilian aspect, their thoughts, what they like and don't like. I get why a lot of people say that the rapping point isn't supposed to be written in but it shows foreshadowing.
Overall, what happens in Devilman Crybaby is something that people should see for themselves. I love it and personally I think it's over-hated when in reality its an older anime that needs just a little bit of context for some of the writing in it. It can be annoying for a first-time watcher but I don't mind it as much.
10/10
