DEVILMAN crybaby
Short Synopsis: A high school athlete joins his friend on a devil hunting mission and transforms into a half-demon himself.
Wooper’s review
Masaaki Yuasa returns to the small screen with an adaptation of Go Nagai’s landmark 1970’s manga, Devilman. I haven’t read the source material, but I have seen nearly all of Yuasa’s directorial efforts, and the first episode of Crybaby fell mostly in line with my expectations. The one aspect of this premiere that disappointed me was the breakneck speed of its script, which felt as though it were missing a few crucial details. The protagonist’s total willingness to embroil himself in a devil hunting mission smacked of plot convenience, for example, but his resulting transformation more than made up for it. Akira first becomes Devilman in a wildly colorful, sexual, and violent club scene that screams excess, and the series’ loose, almost gleeful animation fit that segment like a glove. Elsewhere, a cast of supporting characters lend Crybaby some much-needed charm, and the episode’s first few minutes promise much more than a beat-’em-up action show. The premiere drags in a couple places, but if you’re a fan of distinct animation and don’t mind violence and nudity in your anime, this series is well worth a look.
Potential: 80%
Lenlo’s Review:
Oh boy where to start? Devilman is, one episode in at least, my favorite anime of this season. It has its problems no doubt, from ludicrous pacing to convient plot contrivances, yet still I was engaged the whole way through. The animation style changes every few scenes and aside from some stills, there was always something to draw my attention. The adult themed acid tripp’ed visuals of the end in particular stood out, both delighting and disturbing me at the same time. Though they are very different, Ping Pong the Animation comes to mind for being similarly engaging, in a completely different way. As far as characters go, the side characters are more engaging than the main pair. Ryo is confusing and psychotic, while Akira is (as the name implies) a crybaby. Their interactions with the rest of the cast promises more down the line however. All in all, if your ok with a 17+ animation showcase, with graphic displays of both sex and violence, then I think we’re in for a good time.
Potential: 85%
Itou Junji: Collection
Short Synopsis: A petty boy casts curses on his classmates
Aidan’s review
I wasn’t really sure what I would get when I started this series but it certainly started odd as the first story was mainly a black comedy. I can’t really figure out my feelings on it but I guess it was rather unique, if odd. Junji Ito isn’t a stranger to comedy, though his horror is what makes him iconic.That horror was nicely displayed in the small four minute short at the episodes end which depicts a disease that’s both immensely unsettling and terrifying. Though I feel the anime dampened the impact of the sort tale with a downgrade to the art due to animation constraints and just rather lacking animation in the final reveal. And even though the story is short, they still cut bits out of it that made it more involving. Still I applaud the effort to bring Ito’s style to life and truth be told it’s not to bad a way to show his stories. If they can adapt it well, then the only real issue would be which stories they choose to adapt. If they pick wisely this could be quite interesting.
Potential: 65%
Mario’s review
Itou Junji has become such a household horror figure that any attempt to transfer his genius successfully on animation format has been non-existent. This first episode, however, brings some of his spirits to the table and overall it was an wickedly fun ride. Goofy, twisted and I’m sure as hell had my eyes glued on the screen the whole time. I also like the aesthetic of the show, while not much actual animation in it, still bring the styles of Itou to life. The characters are the battle between madness vs insanity characters aka not the types we particularly care about, and so far it’s the weakest component of this first episode. I suspect that later episodes will be creepier and more serious in tones than this one. The short 4-minutes second story actually fares better at giving the creepy chills down over the spine, and frankly I would love a whole-episode length slow-burned treatment of it. I’m still a bit wary about the actual presentation but as long as it keeps the spirits of the source, be it goofily black humor or disturbingly unsettling, we have for ourselves something to look forward for this Winter season.
Potential: 60%
Toji no Miko
Short Synopsis: Magic sword fighter girls fight in a tournament
Aidan’s review
This show appears to be doing a balancing act between being slice of life fun and a action show about sword fighting girls. An act I don’t think is panning out too well. The character designs lack any real imagination to them and while watching I feel like I have seen these characters before in other shows. The fighting animation is fairly lackluster and the fact that the girls have some magic shield that prevents them from taking any real damage kills any tension the action has. The plot so far at least seems somewhat intriguing with what looks to be a conflict between one of the girls and the leader of the sword fighting Mikos. But I can’t help but notice how utterly irrelevant the monsters they are supposed to be fighting have become by episodes end. The opening doesn’t even show them, just featuring the girls fighting each other. This series just feels manufactured, like a product designed specifically to appeal to a mass audience and sure that may be the intent of most anime but here I fail to see any real creative force attempting to push it beyond that. Case in point, it’s only the first episode and already we have seen the girls bathing with panning shots. I am afraid I lack interest for this one.
Potential: 10%
Mario’s review
This season gonna be loaded with cute girls in action, as this show is the 4th consecutive show I’ve watched with the majority of cast filled with girls. Too bad that while I can see this show’s many strengths, ultimately it just falls short for me. Taking the show in parts individually, I can get behind the “girls with swords fighting monsters” premise and I don’t even mind the tournament that presented to be this episode’s central plot, but damn everything just goes so fast and incoherent. It doesn’t help that the world isn’t that flesh out and too often many terms just drop randomly like fallen leaves without proper explanation. The characters aren’t bad, but I can’t hardly call them well-developed either. The fighting styles are interesting (I have a soft spot for sword fight) but it was held back by the subpar production. Overall, while I can see some ambitions over the show, it ultimately isn’t something special that could hold your breath here.
Potential: 20%
