Seeing it now 11 months later, somehow I UNDERRATED this show.
This is a generational anime the likes of which we might not see for decades.
I think the art style is a little goofy-looking when you first start watching it. In particular, the running scenes can look a little unnatural, but I think it really works with this anime. Seeing the body horror and gory violence and stylish animation, I think it's something to be expected from Science Saru to have weird-looking shows that end up justifying the animation style and more.
Devilman the manga started in 1972 so Crybaby was adapting a manga that was around 4 and a half decades old at the time. I ittedly haven't read the manga cover to cover and won't be talking about how Crybaby adapts Devilman as a result but one thing I will note is as a result, the original manga designs are kind of... old fashioned. Not BAD by any means but I do think redeg the characters a little was a smart choice.
The sound design is pretty good too. I think the OP is kind of... understated, but I think it'd look kind of goofy if Crybaby had some MHA-ass OP in it, even if that OP is good. After watching this anime twice, I can't imagine a different OP, even with a remixed version of Devilman no Uta in it (performed by Queen Bee of all bands, very based). In general, I think the word(s) of the day is/are "thumping beats". That's not to say they're all beat-focused, D.V.M.N. is a very prominent theme in the show and it's not beat-oriented (and is also a very good song).
One of my main gripes when I first saw it was how much it felt like the sex and violence pervaded the show and felt like jingling car keys to paper over a weaker first half (which is one of the things I disagree with now, the first half is a banger in its own right). This is probably my own biases but I do feel like the sex/naked bodies is a little distracting and over the top for me but overall, this was less of an issue for me.
Considering how hard Akira has to try to keep his humanity and not crash out and go Devilman on people's asses, I do think the hyperviolence and sexual imagery is somewhat warranted, especially when it leads to cool body horror like in the first episode where the two mix.
Although I think a couple production choices are my other biggest flaws.
1. There are a lot of scenes at night which is fine but it's pretty dark in those scenes. I don't know if you're supposed to see barely anything but my monitor is pretty bright and even then, it was a little troublesome/annoying to make stuff out.
2. Ryo speaks in English a lot (Idk how much you'd define to be "a lot" but he does it several times in extended scenes over the course of 10 episodes) in this show and the VA's accent is pretty thick so it's kind of hard and/or annoying to make out what he's saying. I got the gist of it but I really had to tune in to hear what he was saying. Part of this is also on the subtitles for considering English to be the time where they can skimp out on the subtitles which is pretty shitty not only because of the thick accent but because if you're watching with someone who is deaf... uh... get fucked, I guess?
I think the main characters of the show are all pretty strong.
We've got our titular Devilman and our titular Crybaby, Akira Fudo. I think the main theme of the show for me was the power of love and that shows in how Akira and his love interest Miki Makimura were raised. We can see that Akira and Miki have a very solid foundation and are raised in a peaceful, loving, stable family and that shows in how kind-hearted and good-natured they are as people. Even in the chaotic, shitty world of Crybaby, Akira and Miki choose to be good people who would even help people who are chastised as demons.
This also reflects in how Miki treats the rapper crew who are treated as street urchins who'd rob, tote guns, basically your average street thuggery. Miki's willing to stick up for them even with how they treated Akira earlier in the show. And this is paid in kind when one of the rappers turns out to be a pretty cool dude who'd stick up for Akira and Miki later on.
Speaking of rappers, Miki Kuroda (aka Miko/the red haired one). Showing how being "the other Miki" beats down on her and having her develop a relationship with one of the other rappers just because he took the time to see Kuroda for KURODA was really cute. It was even one of the things I appreciated about the first half on the first go around. I do wish we could see more highlights of MikixMiki instead of just Kuroda being bitter about being the other Miki for the majority of the show but I do think she's a good character for the time she gets.
My favorite character, however, is Akira's counterpart, Ryo Asuka. I think he's a man of contradictions because he represents the absence of love. After all, if there's no love, there can be no sorrow, right? While Kuroda's been "othered" for a lot of her life, I think Ryo's very interesting because he clearly has someone in his heart but he just CAN'T understand love. RyoxAkira is such a fascinating relationship that's at the core of why I love this show.
The white-clad man of light who can't understand love and the black-clad devil who could cry for anyone.
Even in the very first scene, he opens fire on a group of ruffians and he never really thaws out. He never gets to hang out with Miki or eat dinner surrounded by a family that adores him. His apartment is big but it's cold and clinical. He has a giant pool that he never bothers swimming in until Akira forces him into it. Even his secretary just does her job with an unnatural smile and leaves him alone. Even the way they fight is fundamentally different. Akira gets up and close with people, fighting with his fists and feet. Ryo uses guns and heavy machinery. Akira runs and flies places. Ryo uses his fancy car.
There's a baton scene near the end showing Kuroda ing it to Makimura who es it to Akira who tries to it to Ryo but he just drops it. There's just a fundamental disconnect there and he doesn't understand until it is forced upon him to understand. No wonder he is a cold-blooded sociopath, he doesn't value human life in the same way we do.
The show is about love, sadness, "otherness" (see: the presence of the rapping poor street hoodlums, a lot of them who have good hearts. Also how Devilmen are treated despite having human hearts, Miki Makimura vs. Kuroda, Makimura's heritage, etc.) but overall, it's just an emotionally devastating and resonant show.
The second half also touches on mass hysteria, societal breakdown, and how quickly "the others" can be turned into public enemy number one, to be killed and scorned and I thought it worked really well, it's like night and day with the first half.
I'm trying to avoid spoilers as much as I can because I think this show is best going in unspoiled.
It's a masterpiece that is every bit as relevant as it was 7 years ago. Emotionally powerful and resonant while being pulse-pounding and exciting at the same time, it's a show that can only be made when a visionary director in his prime works with iconic source material and remakes it for a modern time that could use the morals more than ever.
If you've never seen it, please do yourself a favor and watch this 10/10 masterpiece.
