Devilman Crybaby is a 2018 Japanese original net animation (ONA) series based on Go Nagai's manga series Devilman. The web anime is directed by Masaaki Yuasa, produced by Aniplex and Dynamic Planning, animated by Science Saru, and released by Netflix. Yuasa was offered the opportunity to create a Devilman project by Aniplex, and envisioned Devilman Crybaby. Announced in 2017 to mark Nagai's 50th anniversary as a creator, Crybaby was made available for worldwide streaming on January 5, 2018, as a Netflix original series.
The series updates the original 1970s setting to the 21st century but retains the basic premise of Nagai's manga, following Akira Fudo and his friend Ryo Asuka as they face an ancient race of demons that seek to destroy humanity. Believing the only way to defeat the demons is to obtain their powers, Ryo proposes that Akira unite with a demon; in doing so Akira transforms into the titular Devilman, gaining the powers of a demon but retaining the soul of a human. The anti-war themes of the original Devilman are reinterpreted as a metaphor for bigotry, in which manipulation and paranoia are discussed using the allegory of the demons as "the other". The anime's themes of puberty, sexuality, sex, love, and LGBT identity were explored in critics' analysis of the work, along with a debate over whether the series' perspective and ending are nihilistic.
Fans were divided in their response to Yuasa's take on Nagai's work, though the series' announcement and release were among the most widely discussed anime series released in 2018. Its viewership numbers are unknown as Netflix does not disclose these figures, though many journalists described the series as a hit. Critics assessed Crybaby favorably, with some calling it a "masterpiece", the best Netflix anime, and one of the best anime of the year overall and the decade. Although the response to its graphic content and ending was divided, its animation, soundtrack, characterization and faithfulness to the original manga were praised.
Plot High school student Akira Fudo lives with his only friend and longtime crush, Miki Makimura, her brother Taro, and her parents, Noel and Akiko. When Akira attempts to defend Miki from a gang led by rapper Wamu, he is rescued by his childhood friend Ryo Asuka. Ryo tells Akira that his recent expedition to the Amazon rainforest revealed the existence of demons, but that the world's governments are suppressing this information.
Planning to expose the demons, Ryo takes Akira to the Sabbath Party at an underground nightclub; he attacks its patrons with a broken bottle, causing demons to appear. Ryo films the demons massacring the humans, but is attacked and pinned by a demon. Akira's will overpowers Amon, a powerful demon who tries to possess him, transforming him into Amon's demon form and allowing him to slaughter the demons. After fighting out of the Sabbath, Akira and Ryo fight several demons, including the sadistic Jinmen, who is responsible for the deaths of Akira's parents, Amon's lover Sirene, and her associate Kaim. At some point, Ryo eventually reveals on television that track star Moyuru Koda and fellow female athlete Miki "Miko" Kuroda are also demons, leading Akira to recruit them.
As the series progresses, Akira and Ryo's friendship becomes strained over time due to Ryo taking increasingly extreme actions to protect Akira's secret. At the same time, the revelation of the existence of demons triggers a global panic, causing riots and paranoia that begin to escalate as humanity turns on itself. In contrast, the demons begin to grip the world's population and possess humans on a large scale, thereby spreading fear and distrust throughout society. Disgusted by Ryo's apathy toward the chaos he has caused, Akira, alongside Koda and Miko, begins trying to find other Devilmen and resolves to contact them to form a team dedicated to protecting humankind from the demons.
Having become remorseful and confused by his actions, Ryo returns to the Amazon rainforest, where he claims he will acknowledge the origin of demons during a worldwide broadcast on national television, but instead publicly exposes Akira's identity by showing footage of his transformation into Devilman. This revelation causes the world to descend into chaos through mass violence and genocide; Miki's family falls victim to the police and is buried by Akira outside the city, while Miki and her friends take to social media to defend Akira, only to be violently murdered by a paranoid mob, who mistook them for demons. Devastated after witnessing the mob maniacally parading around with the dismembered bodies of his friends on pikes, the grief-stricken Akira incinerates the entire mob in retribution.
Betrayed, Akira soon confronts Ryo, who reveals he is the fallen angel Satan. Satan discovered the demons living on Earth after being cast out of Heaven. Though his body and the demons were destroyed by God in response to their savagery and violence, their souls endured their physical destruction from existence. Having reincarnated as Ryo, Satan explains that he intends to exterminate humanity to reclaim it for the demons, deeming their capabilities and simpler nature to be superior to the more complicated and weaker humans. He orchestrated for Amon to merge with Akira and become a Devilman, allowing him to survive in the world to come and to thank him for being by his side when he was human. Akira refuses to join Satan's cause and gathers the other Devilmen to fight Satan's army, but is defeated.
With humanity, the demons, and the Devilmen obliterated, leaving the Earth a devastated ruin, Satan reminisces with Akira, unaware that Akira has already died. Realizing that he has killed the only person he ever loved, Satan becomes overwhelmed with grief. He tearfully cradles Akira's lifeless body as an army of angels descends upon the Earth to destroy and reform it into a new world, which now has two moons.
Characters and voice cast Characters Japanese English Kōki UchiyamaGriffin Burns Ayumu MuraseKyle McCarleyMegumi HanCristina VeeAmi KoshimizuCherami LeighJunya HiranoBryce Papenbrook Atsuko TanakaCindy Robinson Rikiya KoyamaJoe OchmanAkio HiroseMichael SorichAvu-chanYasuhiro TakatoCindy RobinsonKenjiro TsudaDoug ErholtzKen the 390Johnny Yong BoschSubaru KimuraBen Pronsky Young DaisKeith SilversteinHannyaAfraEri InagawaDorothy Elias-FahnMasato ObaraChristopher Corey SmithSayaka KobayashiAnne Yatco
Production and release
Development and staff Devilman Crybaby is based on Go Nagai's manga Devilman. It was produced as a Netflix original series by Aniplex and Nagai's Dynamic Planning, and animated by Masaaki Yuasa's studio Science Saru. Yuasa directed the anime, Ichirō Ōkouchi wrote the script and Eunyoung Choi served as the animation producer. Ayumi Kurashima was the character designer, while Kiyotaka Oshiyama was responsible specifically for the demon's design. Although Yuasa was a fan of the original Devilman, it was a project he never imagined he would work on. It was Aniplex with whom he collaborated on Ping Pong the Animation (2014), that suggested a Devilman adaptation. Yuasa did Crybaby aware that Nagai was probably restrained in the depiction of its sexual and violent content by having Devilman published in a shōnen (young males) magazine. The director commented that Nagai's later works were "even more extreme" and so he created Crybaby with the mindset of "If Nagai-sensei could have done as he pleased, he'd have gone this far". Yuasa also expressed his desire in creating a sequel to Crybaby, saying that if he did, he could explore the "different settings and ways of telling the story".
Setting Crybaby updates the 1970s scenario of Nagai's manga on which it is based to a 21st-century setting. While the manga featured delinquents who bullied Akira, the anime uses rappers as substitutes for them. Because of that, some episodes feature extended rap sequences performed by professional rappers. These rap performances function as a type of narrator throughout the series. The director said he made this change because he believes "rappers are the people who speak what's on their minds today". It features commentaries done through rapid text messages and social media to explore humans' reaction to demons. Yuasa commented that the technologies and social media's popularity made the 21st-century situation very close to the Devilman manga's violent scenario, as "people are a lot more connected, for good and bad". On the bad side, he cited people getting shot over a video game, police brutality towards African-Americans, the rise of nationalism in politics, and problems being blamed on foreigners. On the good side, he mentioned people coming out as LGBT through social media and a greater "acceptance of different opinions and lifestyles". The series takes place in a universe in which the 1970s Devilman TV series exists, its theme song appears as a child's ringtone, and the bedroom of one of the children is filled with Devilman anime objects.
Release and merchandise The series was first announced in March 2017 to celebrate Nagai's 50th anniversary as a creator. In August, its first trailer was released on Netflix Japan's YouTube channel and it was revealed that the anime would have ten episodes. All episodes were released exclusively on Netflix on January 5, 2018, in 90 countries or territories. The series was made available in 23 subtitled languages and seven spoken languages; the dubbed languages include English, French, German, Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, standard Spanish, and Castilian Spanish. On May 30, 2018, Aniplex Japan released the complete series on Blu-ray Disc as part of a "complete box". An exhibit of the series called Sabbath Shibuya was held at Japanese music store chain Tower Records between May and June 2018. Japanese clothing brand Beams produced Devilman Crybaby-inspired street fashion, while Aniplex released polystone statues based on the anime.
Music
The anime features "Man Human" by Denki Groove as its opening theme, while Takkyū to Tabibito performs a special ending theme song only for episode nine. Crybaby also features a remix of the theme song for the 1970s anime, "Devilman no Uta", in a version performed by Queen Bee's Avu-chan as an insert song. The rapper Ken the 390, who also dubbed the character Wamu in the Japanese version, was the supervisor of the rap sequences in the series.
The music for the series was composed by Kensuke Ushio. Its two-disc, 48-track original soundtrack was released on January 10, 2018, by Aniplex. The complete box also included a Devilman Crybaby Freestyle Rap All Tracks CD.
All tracks composed/produced by Kensuke Ushio, except where noted.
Themes and analysis Devilman Crybaby is based on Devilman, whose main objective, according to Nagai, was to be an anti-war story. As such, Crybaby is a depiction of how humans can be as violent and cruel as the so-called demons. Heather Alexandra of Kotaku wrote that demons are the ones doing violent actions at the start, but that humans replicate their behavior as the story progresses. Many critics said the persecution of devilmen was a metaphor for bigotry; for example, Megan Farokhmanesh of The Verge commented the series is an allegory "about the cost of persecuting those we don't understand" and attacking people perceived as different. Alexandra stated the panic people create about demons is analogous to the actions of homophobia, transphobia, racism, or other moments people "see [other] people as the 'other'". Mike Toole of Anime News Network commented the anime depicts how fast people will be able to other "suspicious or abnormal" people in order to protect their own groups. The Deciders Eric Thurm said the mass violence reflects the anti-war narrative and that the series' "political message" is a reflection on "humanity's tendency toward paranoia and willingness to turn on others".