If you have been on Twitter lately, you have probably seen Devilman pop onto your timeline. This month, Netflix released its take on the franchise with director Masaaki Yuasa and to say it has been controversial is an understatement. People can’t decide how they feel about the in-your-face series, but the Internet still has plenty to say about it.
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Devilman, for those who don’t know, is an inherently polarizing series. Its latest iteration is a retelling of how Akira Fudo became entangled in a world of demons. The high school student went from being an over-achieving pacifist to a flighty human-demon hybrid. When the boy’s childhood friend Ryo tricks Akira into merging with a powerful yokai named Amon, Akira is thrust into a world of unimaginable terror. Oh, and a whole lot of really sinful and messed-up things go down as well.
So, let’s just get it out of the way. Devilman Crybaby has things in it which are difficult to watch. The Netflix series has sexual violence, dismemberment, all of the drug usage, gratuitous genitalia, meta-pornography, so much gore, and that is just scratching at its surface.
While Nagai’s original take on Devilman is rather bleak itself, fans were not ready for what Yuasa brought to the screen. The unflinching adaptation enthralled half the anime fandom while the other revolted over its over-the-top imagery. And, as you can see below, netizens have lots to say about the series.
Honestly call pop team epic or devilman crybaby ugly but I’d rather watch something visually dynamic that takes chances with its style than Isekai Anime #5277, some slice of life with generic moe animation, or “Lately My Little Sister’s Fart Problem Has Been Getting Worse”
— Goro Akechi T-posing (@iscythea) January 9, 2018
you dont have to watch devilman. at all. i know its gay and its everywhere right now but its Not soft. everything is straight up all over your face. you dont have to watch it if you’re sensitive to nsfw imagery. and you Really dont have to belittle people who enjoyed it.
— owain (@alcieart) January 9, 2018
Someone from Tumblr: “RYO IS PROBLEMATIC!!!! HE HAS NO REDEEMABLE QUALITIES, WTF”
Devilman Fandom: pic.twitter.com/7Ih59aOo0G
— TARIAH_STILL_DRAW? (@TariahStillDraw) January 9, 2018
I’ve been wondering why Devilman is the first Netflix Original to hit oversaturated hype, and I have a few theories.
— Diana “Hanyaan” Soreil @ ALA (@silencedrowns) January 9, 2018
-ACTUALLY AN ORIGINAL and not something from a season ago that the diehard fans already pirated
-short enough to watch in a day
-something different from TV anime
[staring into space, forever haunted] devilman
— jenn (@theyoungdoyler) January 9, 2018
There is no denying that Devilman Crybaby isn’t for everyone, and it was not made to suit a general audience. Yuasa modernized the classic story for a new generation, and his anime is as harrowing as it is thought-provoking. The series is not one you want to watch in public with your parents, but Devilman Crybaby has all the qualities of an artistic cult classic. So, it is up to fans to decide how they will deal with the trippy adaptation.
What did you think of Devilman Crybaby? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!
