It's been a while since I watched this, so please forgive me if I make little mistakes in the plot. I was going through the animes on my flashdrive and you know, stumbled upon this one. Decided to see some episodes at that moment, but it was cut short because I had books to read.
Cries in academic slavery.
It aired on Netflix sometime in 2018 and it sadly only have one season. You must be wondering what anime I'm talking about ambiguously. It's Devilman Crybaby. And no, not Devil May Cry. I really don't know if it was popular when it came out but it was a decent enough show when I saw it.
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Alright, let's dive into its plot now. In a world at the brink of chaos, it all begins with two boys, Akira Fudo and Ryo Asuka. Akira is gentle, soft-spoken, and cries at the slightest sadness. Ryo is his polar opposite: cold, brilliant, and oddly charismatic, like someone who always knows more than he’s saying. When Ryo reenters Akira’s life, he brings with him a terrifying revelation which is "demons are real." Ancient creatures from the beginning of time, and they are returning to reclaim the Earth. According to Ryo, the only way to fight them is to become one.
He takes Akira to a grotesque nightclub, a writhing pit of sweat, sex, and strobe lights. (Hope you guys notice the subtle improvement in my vocabulary;)) The atmosphere is feral, like a cage of wild animals disguised as humans. Then Ryo reveals his plan: he’s going to summon demons, on purpose. This leads to chaos. People begin transforming into monsters, tearing each other apart. Amidst the blood and fire, a powerful demon named Amon takes possession of Akira, but something unexpected happens. Akira doesn’t disappear. Instead, he overwhelms the demon and fuses with it. He becomes something new. He becomes Devilman. Laughs maniacally at the background.
This is just me crashing out guys. Forgive me.
The next morning, Akira wakes up different, sharper, taller, faster. His body is stronger, his senses heightened, and there’s a darkness burning just beneath his skin. But his heart is still the same. He still cries. He still feels. And now, he has the power to protect others from the demons crawling back into the world.
Akira returns to his foster family, the Makimuras. There’s Miki, strong-willed, athletic, and kind, someone who believes in goodness even when things start falling apart. She’s the one who grounds Akira, even when his urges grow violent and his dreams become monstrous. Her little brother Taro is fascinated by superheroes, but slowly drifts into darker fantasies. The Makimura home becomes a fragile bubble of warmth, slowly closing in as the rest of the world unravels.
Meanwhile, Ryo becomes more unhinged. Obsessed with exposing demons, he orchestrates violence and death in the name of truth. He films evidence of demons in action and broadcasts it to the world. What follows is a rapid collapse of society. Fear spreads like wildfire. Neighbors turn on each other. People are accused of being demons for looking different, acting strange, or simply being in the wrong place. Mass panic takes root. Governments fall. Religion fractures. The human race begins to devour itself without needing demons to help.
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Through it all, Akira tries to fight back. Not just against demons, but against despair. Other humans like him, Devilmen begin to appear.
Sounds like a series I know.
People who, like Akira, bonded with demons but kept their hearts. He tries to gather them, lead them, protect the last scraps of humanity. But the tide is too strong. Every victory is followed by a deeper loss. He battles monsters like Silene, a beautiful, sorrowful demon who once loved Amon. She begs for the demon she remembers, but finds only Akira. She dies crying his name, leaving behind only questions and regret.
And then the world turns. Ryo, ever the puppet master, reveals his final truth. He is not human at all. He is Satan. Reborn into this world without his memories, he had pulled every string from the beginning, summoning demons, pushing Akira into fusion, orchestrating the collapse of mankind, not as a boy seeking truth, but as an angel cast from heaven, trying to reclaim the Earth. The war he started wasn’t just against demons, but against God.
But Ryo made a mistake. He didn’t expect to care.
Somewhere along the way, Ryo fell in love with Akira. Maybe not romantically, but deeply, painfully. He didn’t understand it, not fully, not until it was too late. He wanted Akira at his side in the new world he planned to rule. But Akira wasn’t just powerful, he was human. And humanity, in its flawed, heartbreaking way, was something Ryo couldn’t control.
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After these wonderful occurrences, something terrible happens. I genuinely can't remember the battle but it was exciting and made adrenaline pump within me.
Anyways, that's it. The end of my review for Devilman Crybaby. It was...gory. Scary a bit and I would not recommend you watch it with your younger sibling. Don't be like me, always making that mistake🥲.
Thanks for reading.