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 Spoilers follow, yo. You have been warned.Longform thoughts on Devilman: Crybaby. I thought it was pretty good, but also a loving mess that could have been edited down to make it something really special. All in all though, I really liked alot of things more than I disliked others. Stuff that could probably have been removed without any effect on the plotline: The photographer and modelling agency - This went nowhere and while I can see what they were going for, this could probably have been cut without much effect on the plot in general. Ryo's pragmatic sociopathy could easily have been brought up in the later confrontation in which Ryo attempts to murder Miki and have Akira move in with him. We would have missed out on the hilarity of Miko braying like a donkey, but alas, sacrifices must be made. Track-and-Field guy - Believe me, being gay myself I appreciate the representation here, but thematically and plot wise, all of his motivations would have been stronger on Miko. Their plots mirror each others to a degree that I find it hard to appreciate why he exists. Miko has her love interest killed at a Sabbath party, just like he had. She becomes a Devilman at said party, just like he had. In the end it could have been Miko being the one struggling with killing people as a Devil, deciding between the Devils and Humanity and reconciling with Miki like she did. Oh wait no, she does sort of do those things, making him even more pointless. Then at least we wouldn't have just watched his badly designed monster form die in one second. Oh, speaking of Track and Field... The Track and Field competition - Pointless, as later on Ryo reveals to the world the existence of demons via his betrayal of Akira's identity. humanity becoming more paranoid of the demons could have just happened passively, as during the story the Devils start becoming more overt because of Devilman's existence anyway. Ryo could have identified Miko's new outlook and abilities on the school team as her being demon possessed. It could have been her then taken away after a confrontation with Devilman and hidden. Would have made more sense as they had a prior relationship by being schoolmates. The Makimura Family - Okay, this arc made no sense to me. Why did the child become a Devil again? Because he was a bit rambunctious and looked at porn on Akira's account? I later read that in the originals, the Makimura family was quite different, with none of the religious overtones and a fate kind of similar to the rappers in the show. I felt that this was honestly not the strongest, or most sensical direction they could have taken them. Something closer to the originals in which they accept Akira after he's revealed as Devilman (along with the rappers, that confrontation took place in their house after all) and then are later killed for knowing him would probably have made more sense. Things that could have been expanded on in light of these things: The school track team - This is where alot of the characters who in the end drive the story know each other from. Now I'm not saying it should have been a highschool drama here, but more evidence of Miko's "envy" of Miki. Having the characters interacting a bit more. Small things like that, could have made the later parts of the show with Miki and Miko and I HAVE TO PASS THE BATON a bit more impactful. Ryo related flashbacks - These could have been spread a bit more evenly through the show to highlight the relationship between Akira and Ryo, Ryo's character, as well as their history together. Instead they're at the very beginning and the very end. Kaim and Sirene - Just a little bit more screen time for their fight, as well as expanding upon Sirene's history with Amon, as well as a little bit more of Kaim's appreciation of Sirene. I really did like that Kaim and Sirene were around as much as they were though, because in the originals, Kaim literally come out of nowhere to do the meld with no history and declares his love for Sirene before abruptly tearing off his head. This way gave them a little more impact and I like how they expanded on the "Can demons love?" thing as a result. I also just wish the lead up and fight was as good as the Demon Bird OVA's. Psycho Jenny's relation to and history with Ryo - Didn't need too much, but having her around and interacting a bit more would have been good. I'm sure there's other stuff I'm not thinking of right now, but gently caress it, look how long this post is already. Things I really did like about it: Crybaby - I was a little iffy on it at first, but introducing that aspect to Akira, instead of him being another shonen protagonist was great. The payoff with the Miki post on social media and resulting things from that actually made me cry, baby (I'll see myself out). Side note on Miki though, I hated how weirldy non-sexual/angelic of a character she was in a series charged with sexuality. I wish she had more regular human desires herself. Originally she was concieved of as more of a stubborn tom boy with a genuine attraction to Akira. She was a bit too sisterly to be convincing in this. But seriously, that was a great episode and probably the highlight of the show for me. When all the Devilmen started chiming in amid the trolling and other stuff, it also made more sense for the final gathering of Devilmen for battle with Satan's forces. The death of Miki and the ending - I was surprised by this as I really was not expecting to stick to the original fates of all the characters. Bleak as hell and I absolutely loved it. Watching Satan coming to terms with their own feelings like that was really well directed and again brought a tear to the old eye. Also, the soundtrack is fantastic. ENOUGH! Kokoro Wish fucked around with this message at 13:13 on Feb 3, 2018 |
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Feb 3, 2018 09:07
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| # ¿ May 12, 2024 21:06 |
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Season 2 of the show would be a Violence Jack remake and hoooooo booooy. If you want some peak hosed up 90's Manga Studios super violence and bleakness there's always the OVAs of that but...
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Feb 5, 2018 15:33
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I always thought that the Miki/Miko thing was actually too direct a translation of the terms Suki and Daisuki , which while they can be used as an allusion to romantic affection, can also just mean that the person likes the other person alot, in a non-romantic way. That's how it was explained to me at least. If its about the Akira/Ryo thing, I know in the original that Satan is specifically pointed out to be hermaphroditic, so it's not technically a gay relationship or love. That's an old rear end cop-out though and just tastes like a dated compromise. Satan in Crybaby does have a semi-apparent bosom though. Kokoro Wish fucked around with this message at 01:42 on Feb 9, 2018 |
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Feb 9, 2018 01:36
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I tell my close friends I love them all the time. Doesn't mean I want to have a romantic relationship with all of them. There's alot of different types of love.
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Feb 9, 2018 02:02
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And just because someone may have translated a known relatively ambiguous term used for a wide range of affections poorly doesn't mean they are either. I mean, I'd like if they were, but there weren't enough actual signifiers put in the show to make that a natural feeling concluson to draw, unlike Ryo's definite affection for Akira. There's a reason I could cry over one and not the other.
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Feb 9, 2018 02:33
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Oh jeez, is this really where you're going to go with that? There just weren't enough signifiers in the show to draw that level of conclusion to me. If you found things that would draw you to that conclusion beyond the confession, then please tell me about them. Perhaps as a gay guy, I could just find those signifiers far more easily in Ryo and Akira's interactions. If there are differences I'd like to know. While I have know lebians and lesbian couples, none were really close friends. More friends of friends, or relations of friends, so your point of view is welcome as to what I may have missed.
Kokoro Wish fucked around with this message at 02:47 on Feb 9, 2018 |
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Feb 9, 2018 02:40
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Is Devilman Lady even a part of the main thing? I have only passing familiarity with the main canon. I know that Violence Jack is meant to be a direct follow-on from the apocalypse that results from the end of Devilman. vvv: Ahhh, cool cool. Kokoro Wish fucked around with this message at 02:52 on Feb 9, 2018 |
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Feb 9, 2018 02:46
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I get where you're coming from, most definitely (I had to rewatch the rap scenes a second time, because the first time through weren't translated) and you're right that what you say is definitely an undertone for the show. When I thought about how the show was presenting it, I could see reflections between Ryo and Miki K, as a sort of one sided romantic affection. To me it was pretty obvious that Akira was not necessarily into Ryo like that, and the two Miki's felt like a similar thing, to the point where while I could get the whole Miki K coming out thing narratively, Miki M was presented as far too sexless and angelic for me to get that from them in that moment. From a character like Miki M it felt almost out of place. I think I mentioned it in my overview before that I had issues with Miki's characterization and that the relations of the track team weren't gone into with enough depth. If there had been just one scene where Miki M goes to reassure or encourage Miki K and there's some form of signifier and confrontaion, even minor, that there could be something there, like there were multiple time with Ryo and Akira, it would have been easier for me to see. As it was, there was only the love/hate coin thing upon Miki K's confession. I guess most of my complaints basically come down to a narrative angle in how these things were presented to the audience. Kokoro Wish fucked around with this message at 03:10 on Feb 9, 2018 |
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Feb 9, 2018 03:08
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https://twitter.com/spiffable/status/963958788045856769
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Feb 15, 2018 16:01
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Yes, for the most part. It's messy as gently caress, needs editing and could tell its story better, but overall, more good than there is bad and has a fantastic soundtrack.
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Feb 20, 2018 11:56
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Devilman Lady remake looking good.
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Feb 26, 2018 01:38
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The show does a really bad job of giving any sort of reason Taro turns into a demon. Through the show he just acts like a regular, rambunctious kid.
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Feb 28, 2018 02:47
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