Devilman-for those who don't know or don't care to check-was a stunning looking manga from the 70's and again for those of you who are too young and innocent....It was a time that changed the whole world..Woodstock, sexual revolution, drugs everywhere..My dog what a time to be alive.
It was also the time when the original Devilman came to life and if you have a modicum of logic you will leave whatever the fuck you're doing and read the manga and/or watch the series. And why do that when there's a new kid in town? Cause the new kid is a cuck who drinks gluten free soy latte and thinks Lady Gaga is music, whereas the old kid smokes weed, drinks Jack Daniel's and punches puppies in the fez for fun while listerning to Motorhead.
In each and every aspect the old timer beats the peace loving/sandal wearing little fuck and i say this with as much confidence as i can muster cause i've read most of the manga and saw every iteration of the anime adaptations...And gals, guys and whatever the fuck you identify as.....This latest offering is a mess BUT i can see the appeal it has on the newest brown rice generations..Throw some trippy animation and some "shock value" and you end up with a safe-ish space anime for losersgettrophies kids..Cause what passes for edgy and shocking these days is watching ducks eating probably.
So if i were you(thank dog i'm not LOL)i'd check out the original series before even thinking about watching this..For starters the OG had some great fucking animation for its' time but more of that later on cause i review this new garbage fire.
Anyways, the story follows the MC named Akira who everyone calls a crybaby because he tends to burst into tears whenever something remotely sad happens, just like every millenial.. His parents are working abroad so he stays with the family of his childhood friend, Miki. Then some day, an old friend of Akira decides to pay a visit, Ryo, who shows up and with machine guns saves Akira from some rappers. He procceeds to tell Akira that demons are real and takes him to a party of some sorts. Things go haywire when Ryo decides to take a stab at partying...Literally.. Which was stupid cause all sort of demons started to appear, possessing people and making mincemeat of others. One especially tricky demon, Amon, possesses Akira but fails to gain full control over him. So a devil in someone who has heart and soul combined to make Shitman..A demon to rule them all..Ryo, though, has some secret plans involving Akira and the demons.
What plans, you say? Well buckle up cause i hear a storm of stupidity approaching fast!
I said that Akira was possesed by a demon but what i didn't say was the reason as to why HE was chosen and not someone else..In the OG it was clear as fucking day that Akira was chosen by Ryo because he was compassionate, because only a human with a pure heart won't be overtaken by the demons..He would still be possesed but not to the full extent and that was shown in a scene where Akira saves an animal from some thugs, which shows that he cares about all things living, defending those who cannot defend themselves. Thus he was the best choice for the job at hand..Compare that to the new one where it was basically Ryo telling Akira "hey mian i, like, want you to be possesed by a demon and, like, defeat other demons cause it would make for a good Tik Tok if people saw you crying like a bitch"...Well it wasn't exactly like that but 90% of it was basically just that stupid of a reason..No real explanation whatsoever as to why Akira is the best host and why it's so darn important to be the one and that is what this new show lacks most...CHARACTERIZATION. It fails to establish Akira as a character altogether.
Speaking of characters Akira as MC fails miserably. He feels like an extra in his own show for dog's sake! The only thing we learn about him is that he cries a ton shit of tears like an emo and has emotions...Well fuck me THIS IS THE SHIT! This character, the be all end all, and doesn't get any depth of any sort. In fact because the pacing is as fast as a McLaren F1 ALL CHARACTERS get shit for development.
Let me give you some glaring examples..Ryo and Akira's friendship, which is supposed to be the main focus of this show and in all honesty...I don't feel any kind of friendship from those two. It feels more like a rushed fuck in the alley with a stranger rather than a long deep friendship. I mean apart from being told they're friends we didn't see any prior interactions, like say from when they were kids or something Second one is Akira and Miki and their supposed romance..There isn't a fraction of connection, that we are shown, that hints at any of these things. I'd go as far as to say that the interactions were there just to be there for the heck of it. AGAIN no establishment of the facts whatsoever. Just rushing through this shit so we can go to the next bit like the death of close to the MC characters being done so poorly and rushed that you don't give any fucks about it cause there was no investement in the first place.
Possible spoilers though there's nothing to spoil..Akira's mother dies and is never mentioned again for the rest of the anime..Ryo plans to execute Miki and after she dies? Gone with the wind as gone are any questions about Ryo's motives until push comes to shove which not only is it too little too late but feels like an afterthought.
All these things tie to the ending, by which point i couldn't care less about what happens or who dies or whatever cause the whole anime is a rush job the likes of which i have never seen.
Now let's speak animation shall we?
Like i said animation was trippy and colorful and all kinds of shit and for all 10 mins of the first 2 eps was quite interesting...NOT good just interesting. It certainly brings something new to the table and it works to some extend for this anime but honestly apart from battle scenes which weren't great in the first place, almost 80% of the rest of the anime is so poorly animated that the characters are not characters anymore..They resemble more a bunch of sticks rather than people................And what the fuck is wrong with the animation when people who are possesed are running? I mean they walk upright like humans do but when they run they run like dogs...You have to see it to be able to fully appreciate how stupid this is...Words cannot do justice how ridiculous a choice that was.
To sum it up then..Colours galore and trippy mushroomy animation to hide the fact that little to none budget or fucks were given coupled with a frenetic pace which in turn leads to poor as fuck characterization, no room for emotion or heart or soul and certainly no investment whatsoever to the cast...Just watch the OG and then watch this..Just humour me..
