(L) Devilman Crybaby

[LG-MAX 2.o]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I've watched the first three episodes as well. They've made plenty of changes, but the series stays true to the original manga's spirit and the main plot seems to have remained the same.

Spoiler for doubt:

did they maintain social criticism and discussion about human psychology?

[frubam]

After watching the first 4 episodes, you know what series I am reminded of? Kaiba. The way events happen, how one moment there's this innocent charm, then the next, cold ruthlessness; the subtle, and not-so-subtle sexual content.... yeah. Just checked the director for that series and whaddaya know =03. It certainly doesn't feel like your typical anime series; as if it has a lot of western influences in the style. I've been enjoying it so far, even without knowing the source material, although I can't really see what the 'endgame' for this is. I could say the same about Kaiba as well, at the same junction. When you can't see where the destination of the story will end up, the end will usually have a 'rushed' feeling, but I'll enjoy what comes on an episode-by-episode basis =03.

[Mad Pierrot]

If you wanna laugh a bit search in Youtube "Devilman Hello"

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Five episodes in and I think this adaptation is gold. They change things up here and there to update it with the Millenium era and for practicality's sake. They can also retain the core story and the heart of the original Go Nagai's work, unlike that Hollywood GITS movie that can only replicate the visuals but missed the point of GITS almost entirely. And the kind of sexual content in Crybaby was originally already there in the manga ready to be adapted properly.

They even managed to retain the story of some of the more important demon enemies. Gelmer and his part, how Jinmen's screwed Akira's life (trying not to spoil here), Siren/Silene and her obsession with Amon, and Kaim who loves Silene even though both demons never even realized what it is. I also like that they are being creative with some of the fodder demons but still retain the design of the rather important ones and even their attacks. Here's the manga design for comparison:

Images

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[Ryuga]

I just watched the whole thing, at first, I wasn't down with the changes in this adaptation, but from episode 4 and onwards, this show got its claws into me and wouldn't let go. It's as good an adaptation as you're gonna get in this era, and it pulls no punches. I also love how the early episodes were punctuated with some really weird but hilarious (at least to me) offbeat moments, like the two girls at the start of episode 2.

I wasn't down with the visuals and direction at first, but after watching the whole show, it's really, really good. Man, I still need to process everything that just happened.

Originally Posted by LG-MAX 2.o

Spoiler for doubt:

did they maintain social criticism and discussion about human psychology?

They do.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Also, what's with the Devilman 70s show being an actual show in Crybaby . Wouldn't Akira, his friends and his foster family feel weird that another version of their lives are shown as a cartoon (assuming the show uses the same names for the characters, just like the actual show).

[Ryuga]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

Also, what's with the Devilman 70s show being an actual show in Crybaby . Wouldn't Akira, his friends and his foster family feel weird that another version of their lives are shown as a cartoon (assuming the show uses the same names for the characters, just like the actual show).

Yeah, it was plain weird. It was almost as if Akira was inspired by the show and named himself after Devilman. Maybe that's what they were going for....but he's naming himself after himself lol.

[DemonneoPT]

What an amazing experience. I missed so much these old school anime and unforgivable seinen brutality regarding the demons thematic. A big thank you to Netflix for making this possible. At first i was not sure about the art style but it eventually grew on me, especially with the epic animation in the second part of the show. It's indeed a sad story that knows how to summon the feels train and still be able to deliver in the action department as well as making me in awe with those final twists regarding Ryo and the apocalypse. Really powerful show and a nice change from the usual anime stuff that is trending today. First Castlevania and now this. I can only hope the next Netflix original anime - B: The Beginning - can continue these wave of fresh air within the industry.

Spoiler for for some plot details:

It was really clever from the author using the creation of the moon to mark the end of the demon era and then using it again to end the human age by making two moons instead. I liked that final picture a lot. In a way it reminds me of the Impacts in Eva.

EDIT: Loved the OST. Especially the main theme often used in the ending. Really need that asap xD

[konart]

Originally Posted by LG-MAX 2.o

Spoiler for spoiler:

so we had the scene that makes the red wedding look like a kid thing?

Spoiler for EP9:

Well, I never had a chance to read manga, but just in case - I'm talking about Miki's death and what mob did to their bodies. Not the first time seeing something like this, but still... poor girl.

Originally Posted by Ryuga

Yeah, it was plain weird. It was almost as if Akira was inspired by the show and named himself after Devilman. Maybe that's what they were going for....but he's naming himself after himself lol.

This was intentional, just like using original theme from the past. In one of the episodes photoshooter's boss(?) even comments that his video is like a cut from the Devilman.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

I just finished the whole thing, and yeah, this is a gold adaptation alright. Source fan like me know that the second half will be when all things are going down yet it's still fascinating to watch. Some will say that the second half is a bit of a rush, but I think that's what we really need.

Spoiler for Ending:

We don't need a dragged-out apocalyptic part of the story. Might as well, get to the point fast with no time wasted. And it feels fitting considering how chaotic the world was at the moment. IIRC the final episode has some Devilman easter eggs (like that girl in the tube and some other demons). Also, the show didn't really state that the final battle lasted for twenty years, did it? Anyway, the ending happens just like what source-fans expected: everyone dies gruesomely and Devilman lost coz no matter how strong he is and how much the help that he received from his Devilmen freinds, he simply can't defeat the power of Satan. Yep, it's like Devilman is slapping shonen titles who use the trope where the MC can overcome anything, even godly opponents with the power of friendship way before the trope became so popular . Akira holding Miki's head and Satan/Ryo conversing with the upper-half of Akira is certainly a punch to the gut. And Go Nagai already established this kind of WTF-ness before "Nice Boat" is even a thing. Devilman'e ending is also what makes me appreciate the ending of Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans more when it happened while a good number of audience were furious.

Originally Posted by konart

This was intentional, just like using original theme from the past. In one of the episodes photoshooter's boss(?) even comments that his video is like a cut from the Devilman.

We all know it was intentional. We're commenting on how weird a choice it is for using actual Devilman show within this show .

[konart]

Originally Posted by Obelisk ze Tormentor

We all know it was intentional. We're commenting on how weird a choice it is for using actual Devilman show within this show .

Dunno, seems fitting, considering the ending.

Spoiler for ending:

The God hits the switch yet again and again, and again (maybe)

. I'm pretty sure I've seen this done more than once in other shows too. Anyhow - it was a pleasure to watch (a guilty one )

[Thess]

I'm giving this a 6/10, an additional point for attempting a full adaptation as poorly it was done.

I explained here in my tumblr why Crybaby fails as Devilman adaptation. To me, adaptation isn't just taking the plot and characters and more or less follow a superficial story, it's capturing the theme. The changes they made pretty much stomped the main theme and heart of what Devilman was to me.

Keep in mind this is my opinion. I was pretty disappointed with the show overall.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Originally Posted by konart

Dunno, seems fitting, considering the ending.

Spoiler for ending:

The God hits the switch yet again and again, and again (maybe)

. I'm pretty sure I've seen this done more than once in other shows too. Anyhow - it was a pleasure to watch (a guilty one )

Most recently, Logan did it too, and it's also pretty weird. I mean, I don't remember X-Men being such public figures or well-known group in the movies, yet they made comics about them?

And God's last act still doesn't justify 70s Devilman within Crybaby.

[Mad Pierrot]

Is it me or episode 6 had

Spoiler for dam dam, spoiler:

a Trump cameo?

[Ryuga]

Originally Posted by Thess

I'm giving this a 6/10, an additional point for attempting a full adaptation as poorly it was done.

I explained here in my tumblr why Crybaby fails as Devilman adaptation. To me, adaptation isn't just taking the plot and characters and more or less follow a superficial story, it's capturing the theme. The changes they made pretty much stomped the main theme and heart of what Devilman was to me.

Keep in mind this is my opinion. I was pretty disappointed with the show overall.

It was my foggy memory of the original manga (it's been years since I've read it) and my hype over a full adaptation of the original, but yeah, I definitely understand your criticisms concerning the show. Crybaby is definitely a gutpuncher, but the original had more class concerning its themes (and didn't use rappers to spell it out for you haha). Still a fun show.

[Obelisk ze Tormentor]

Eh, regarding the changes and differences in Crybaby, I think they're fine. Just because it's different doesn't mean it's bad. And even if the differences are done better in the manga, Crybaby still managed to capture the human psychology aspect which is more important to me.

Originally Posted by Mad Pierrot

Is it me or episode 6 had

Spoiler for dam dam, spoiler:

a Trump cameo?

I think so. Maybe the moment Ryo announced that demons are among us, people are barging into Trump's office (as you can see in the episode) coz they're absolutely convinced that he's a demon? Well, I can only hope .

[Ryuga]

Yeah, while I think the manga is probably better, I think some of the changes were pretty interesting.

Spoiler for Devilman Crybaby series:

I don't really have a problem with Miki's characterisation in this anime, apart from the writers giving her a somewhat silly reason for her doing gravure modelling for Nagasaki. I get that they were trying to portray Miki as an extremely kind and empathetic, but the guy's a sleazebag rapist and her helping him purely because she feels sorrow for his financial state is a bit too much. Her kindness is apparent enough already, especially when she tries to appeal to humanity's better instincts and convince them that Akira and the Devilmen are like them through social media.

Making her biracial and portraying the racism she experiences was a great touch to her character. It's part of the overall theme of people looking to attack those who they feel don't belong in society or are a danger and through that you understand why she can empathise with the demons. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed at how the anime depicted her family as a normal biracial Christian family. Which it makes it all the more devastating when she died. Original Miki was hilarious and had a bit of an edge to her, but this portrayal made me get behind Miki a lot more. She was a kind girl who believed the best in others, and she was betrayed.

Ryo/Satan is a mixed bag. Changing his father to Professor Firika and making him a fellow professor was a weird choice. It makes more sense that he'd try to investigate and battle the demons at first because he'd lost his father and you didn't really get to see the relationship between Ryo and Firika to completely buy his motivation. I like the fact that they made him more of an arsehole, but they did too good a job of it and his reasons for waging war aren't as compelling in this version compared to the manga, though I like that his Darwinism and the memory of the dog coming back to bite him. It's lonely at the top isn't it, lol? His relationship with Akira suffers because of it, and his love's shoehorned in at the end.

Akira, I don't have a problem with. I like how they present his frustrations as a result of his urges (wet dream sequence lol). And while the show removed the rest of his rampages on humans, it was replaced by the emotional moment where he defends the innocent being attacked from the mob and the children hug him, slowly winning the mob over. Having him rampage further after Miko's death would've detracted from that moment.

Weird decision to make Miko a completely different character and have the original show up in a tank. Again, I appreciated her frustrations with being in Miki's shadow and wanting people to love her for who she was. A shame her relationship with Kukun, who understood her pathos, was cut short but I guess Miki reassuring her of the worth of her old self was somewhat of a resolution? Conflating her rape with her overall sexual desires is a choice I'm sure wouldn't sit well with others though....

They did great use of Taro. The moment between him and his father after he'd eaten his mother was gut wrenching. Easily the most tragic moment of the show. Koda was a nice addition but he get discarded near the end. A waste for a character that had a lot of potential.

The rappers, along with the attack on demons and Devilmen, provide the function of criticising the ways demons are treated through their lyrics and address how humans aren't much different from the demons, but sincethe explanation of the history of God, Satan, demons and humans was largely omitted, it's a bit weak.

Finally, I think Jinmen was better done here than in the manga. The emotional stakes are higher with Akira's father being possessed by him, eating his mother and his father unsuccessfully trying to fight the possession. Overall, I think the adaptation skipped out information that would better inform viewers of the motivations behind characters and scenes and would rush through things at times.

[Mad Pierrot]

Looks like Go Nagai himself explained the themes of Devilman. See https://web.archive.org/web/20060620...velations.html

Spoiler for comments about the anime:

Man, episode 9's ending was the creepiest thing ever. Still, even this anime censored it as in the manga we could see the severed bodies. Miki had the one of the worst deaths I ever seen with Kotori from X taking the second place. Still I don't get the whole Amon thing as Akira retained his human spirit all across the story.

[KleenexGhost]

This series

It didn't pull any punches. I wasn't fully into the artstyle going into it, but it won me over as continued watching. The animation was super fluid.

Spoiler:

I felt the characters did their job. I really grew to like Miki, which added to the kick in the balls I got from episode 9.

I wonder why they changed things up with Miko? I do feel it added to her character. She turns into a tragic character. Going off of what Ryuga said, I see what they were going for with her. Might not sit well with everyone.

Ryo left me wanting more from him. I would just copy and paste what Ryuga said when it came to his character.

Happy to see I'm not the only one that liked the rappers.

A lot of that was off the top of my head. I liked the adaptation. Didn't love it, but I liked it.

[Ryuga]

Originally Posted by Mad Pierrot

Spoiler for comments about the anime:

Man, episode 9's ending was the creepiest thing ever. Still, even this anime censored it as in the manga we could see the severed bodies. Miki had the one of the worst deaths I ever seen with Kotori from X taking the second place. Still I don't get the whole Amon thing as Akira retained his human spirit all across the story.

Spoiler for Devilman Crybaby:

Basically, the demon Ryo tried to get to enter Akira is Amon, an incredibly powerful and infamous demon. The other demons assumed Amon would dominate and fully possess Akira, but Akira's will took over him instead, allowing Akira to retain his humanity and be a Devilman, which is why they're surprised he's turning against them at first until they realise it's not Amon. Silene's in love in Amon, but she can't get through to him because Akira took over him.