While this isn't technically anime, despite Netflix claiming it to be one but it's still Devil May Cry, which is near and dear to my heart. I've cosplayed Dante at several cons, love the characters, the music is badass, and I loved the games and, yes, even that edgy DmC remake (taboo, I know).
When it was announced that we would be getting an animated series, I was excited since I'm always down for more Devil May Cry content. How did it fair though? Well, there are certainly things to enjoy about it, but also plenty of things that didn't work.
Video game adaptations lately have been more positive than negative, which is an improvement compared to the last twenty or so years. I believe they can work if you do a different story in that same universe but take some inspiration from the games instead of trying to make it a full-on carbon copy.
For an action series, the sequences themselves weren't bad at all as it did make some fun moments. However, the bad CGI was very noticeable at times. It was as if you were watching the 2016 version of Berserk. If you can get past that, then it can be enjoyable at times.
The White Rabbit was honestly the highlight of the series. Yes, his motives and such were cliche but given the plot they decided to run with for this season, he was able to make it somewhat salvageable. He had a great look, his mannerisms went well with his personality, and he was just fun to watch until the last episode, where it kind of felt flat for him. Not bad for someone who only had six panels in the manga to flesh them out.
Also, I was happy that Evanescence was asked to produce a single for the series, "Afterlife" as it's fitting for the series and a good song on top of that. My favorite band producing a song for one of my favorite game franchises? Hell yeah.
The voice cast was solid as we had Kevin Conroy portraying the vice president as potentially one of his final roles before his tragic passing. The voices they got fit most of the characters except for Dante. Johnny Yong Bosch is one of those people that you either like his voice acting or you don't.
For those that don't know, Bosch voices a character named Nero in the video game franchise and that's really all you hear when he talks. You don't get Dante from him when he speaks and it just didn't fit. I'm not saying they should've gotten Reuben Langdon (rightfully canceled) to voice Dante again, but maybe they should've gotten someone else.
The portrayal of Dante, though outside of the voice actor involved, did a decent job. It felt a little too much like Deadpool at times with his attitude and silliness but he's still that cocky demon hunter that we all know and love. People thought that he was a little too whacky but that's just how he is at times. Unless you're a legitimate threat and have been known to defeat him, he won't necessarily take you seriously and will mess with you to antagonize you.
Lady was a character that was disappointing with how they portrayed her here. In the games, she was still a badass, with more layers to her personality, while her dedication and skills alone were enough to hang with supernatural beings. Here though, she was just another generic plot armor character that just swore every sentence with no layers. There's nothing wrong with characters cussing or anything, but it just felt so one-dimensional here.
I understand that not everything needs to be a 1:1 comparison to the source material but it just wasn't for me personally and probably could've been written a little better. If you enjoyed how the characters were here, then good on you. Everyone's taste is different and that's fine.
The biggest criminal isn't even the characters, I can take it or leave it, or the terrible Berserk 2016 CGI, but the main problem was the writing. The plotline took place around Devil May Cry 3 with Dante not knowing he's a half-demon yet, but they took that scenario and said, "What if the demons from Hell were refugees instead, and we made it about the American government instead of Dante and Vergil?" That was the direction they chose, and it did not work or fit Devil May Cry in general.
The whole plot got to the point where it caused some controversy on Twitter (the worst social media platform in existence currently) with a moral grey area with how demons are portrayed in both Western media and anime. So much so that they were not making Frieren: Beyond Journey's End like a conservative anime series with how their demons as if it was a racial issue now.
That was not what Frieren was about, and it's crazy how people are seeing it now. Not every show now needs to have a what if they were good scenario as if you're watching Wicked. There are plenty of solid shows where demons can be the good guys or bad, it's all about the context of the show and whether it fits their scenario. It's just a shame they had to use a series like Devil May Cry to spark an unnecessary political debate while throwing Frieren under the bus on top of that.
Even if you weren't going to make it like the games, there are still better routes they could've gone to for a different story in that timeline that fits the lore but what they chose wasn't the right approach. It's like Godzilla; you don't care about the human side of it (except Godzilla Minus One) and you just want the kaiju or demons in this manner.
Not everything needs to be political and some people just want to be entertained by what they love while creating something unique. They had that opportunity but the Afghan War type of plot mixed in just wasn't it.
Overall, at the end of the day, it's a mixed series. It's not fantastic, or the worst, like both sides are claiming; it's just an okay show. Bad CG and writing aside, it still has some entertainment value in there if you ignore the controversies, and stuff like the one posted above doesn't necessarily bother you. It still had some solid action and a fun antagonist.
Check it out for yourself on Netflix where all eight episodes are available for your viewing pleasure. Here's to hoping that season 2 improves. Just more badass demons and maybe less human/political involvement. Also, use more music from the video games instead of licensed songs, it'll fit much better.
Score: 5/10
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