Customer Reviews

Devil May Cry: The Complete Series Box Set

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

SYNOPSIS:

Cursed to live as both monster and man, Dante must spend his life fighting the demonic forces of darkness.

Brandishing his sword, Rebellion, and his always-loaded guns, Ebony and Ivory, Dante is more than happy to send the demons back to hell - especially when there's money to be made. The wildly popular video game is now a series, and this time, there's no sympathy for the devil.

Contains the entire 12 episode series in a thinpack box set.

Disc one contains the first nine missions:

01. Devil May Cry

02. Highway Star

03. Not Love

04. Rolling Thunder

05. In Private

06. Rock Queen

07. Wishes Come True

08. Once Upon A Time

09. Death Poker

While Disc two has the following missions, as well as several extra features:

10. The Last Promise

11. Showtime!

12. Stylish!

REVIEW:

Devil May Cry is an anime adapted from a popular video game franchise that only augments its appeal with hard core edgy action, power house horror shoot'em ups and lethal women adding to the fan service and attraction of the animated series.

The story centers on Dante. He looks like a cross between a bounty hunter from a post apocalyptic film and a rock star. He's cool but also lazy, has a penchant for strawberry sundaes and spends what money comes his way on liquor and sweets. He may not seem in personality like a hard core killer of demons, but when the devils show up, he's all action with flippant one-liners and an irreverent attitude. He goes on one strange case after another that usually sees him by the end looking down a barrel of one of his big guns or whipping out his wicked sword to mete out bloody comeuppance on the evil carnage mongers he's set upon.

He's not alone in his adventures. He gains a sidekick, a pretty girl named Paddy with little skills but a loyal heart, much more eye-catching is the sexy Lady with her leather-punk looks, motorcycle mama attitude, and really, really big guns (she pulls out a bazooka at one point), and hardly least, there's Trish. She's a woman all in leather from head to toe and some mean skills to rival Dante's half-human/half-demon abilities. She also looks exactly like someone from Dante's past...

Don't expect a big plot line in DMC. The anime is an adrenaline pumped action horror with lots of guns blazing, sword slashing, and big explosive action. Most of the episodes are one shots dealing with whatever new case Dante is hired for. A particular one dealing with a cruise ship and a casino night where you bet your soul stands out. The more tragic tale of a rock and roller and a sold soul hits the angst hard. And comedy plus action meet with explosive results when the two women in Dante's life, Lady and Trish, meet face to face and have it out in fantastic style. By the end of the series the show has an arc where demons with a grudge against Dante's father come looking to take it out on the son. Dante has his hands full, the hordes of hell are rampaging all over the city and his friends try to fight the zombie and demon legions while Dante takes on the big bad guys in a fight to the finish.

The animation is produced by MADHOUSE who has done some of the most respected and memorable anime movies like Ninja Scroll and Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust. Most recently they worked on Highlander the animated film. Here in Devil May Cry, you get that same edgy feel and is near theatrical quality at times. The action is amazing to watch and has a wide range. There are gun fights, bazooka fights, explosions, bombs, car chases, sword duels, hellacious magic, possession, devils on earth and the undead. Rock and roll meets the macabre. The women are femme fatales pin ups to the nth degree. The music is also all go with opening songs and scores that sound like Metallica meshed with Trans Siberian Orchestra. It's wicked cool all the way through.

EXTRAS:

Bonus features include FUNimation trailers, reverse cover art, and clean opening and closing animation, special interview with Toshiyuki Morikawa (Dante), seven cut scenes from Devil May Cry video game, E3 2007 preview, Tokyo Game Show 2006 preview, short and long trailers, Devil May Cry 4 Final 2007 Footage, and Devil May Cry 4 First 2008 Footage.

IN SUMMARY:

Devil May Cry the animation is a fast paced, action loaded horror shoot `em up roller coaster of visceral violence.

First and foremost, you do not necessarily have to like the video game series to enjoy this anime adaptation. It is a good shoot 'em up, kill all the demons, bloody and violent action/horror fest. Most of the episodes are self-contained, so you should not go into watching this series thinking it is going to be really linear. Of course, some of the episodes will be connected but the episodes are generally stand alone. Nonetheless, I would recommend this series to fans of action packed gore fests, supernatural/demonic/horror-related stuff, and of course, fans of the video game series.

On a side note, I found that the audio and video quality of this Blu-ray version was noticeably better than the DVD version and is a worthy upgrade, in my opinion.

This is a pretty good anime. While the store is not that well done, the action scenes are pretty great. The overall quality of the bluray is also decent. The quality could have been a lot better. Sound is good but not perfect. I would recommend buying this only if your a fan of action anime and don't care too much about plot and character development because those aren't that well done in this anime.

The special features are basically devil may cry cut-scenes and music videos from the new game. Theres one directors video and another music video from the anime. I don't see any reason for buying this if you already own the anime on Dvd.

WARNING! Not recommended for any one scared of: swearing, animated blood, violence, or those who think every series needs a air-headed damsel in distress (this IS a warning, as this anime has a 'Lady' who is scarier then hell itself!).

It's been about 4-5 years now since I started playing any of the Devil may cry games, But by GOD*, the anime version is good! (*& I don't mean any sissy Greek/Norse gods either), & For those who are unfamiliar with Dante, here's a summery:

He's a 'professional' Demon hunter with A huge sword & 2 guns that never run out of lead.

Has a partner Devil Demon huntress (Trish), & a rival Huntress (Lady), whom he owes ... some 6+ digit amount to...

Has a strange love for Pizza & Strawberry sundaes...

He's extremely hot when not wearing a shirt. ;).... Anyways.....

1)Why is it good? 2)what edition is the most Stylish? Read on....

1)The PLOT:...(actually it's just 5 of my favorite episodes, but it's still something)....

The opening of the 1st episode, 'Devil May Cry', starts out seeing Dante going into a bar, ordering a strawberry sundae, & inquiring about rumored demon activity in the area... right around the place he entered actually. Sure enough, the bar-tender & his patrons are all demons, & a cool DMC style fight scene breaks out... & I haven't even gotten to the main plot yet!

Next day, back at his office, He gets a request to escort a young orphaned girl called Patty to a mansion so she can claim her lost inheritance, A simple job, so why are so many demons after her?

Ep. 5 'In Private'(AKA What every DMC fan should watch before wishing Dante was real & living in their neighborhood):

The horrid tale of a normal man's encounter with Dante, as seen from his vantage-point: He's trying to steal my girl!, He just took on the entire mafia!, He kills demons without even flinching!, He just lost more cash to some 'Lady' playing poker then I'll ever see after working 60 years! (Ok, I added that last one, so what?).

Although Dante isn't the main focus point, this is probably the best episode of the 12... or at least the funniest.

Ep. 4 'Rolling Thunder': this episode is actually about the first meeting of Lady & Trish. The episode mainly focuses on Lady, looking for a demon who controls lightning, & getting into one heck of a fight with Trish.

Ep. 9 'Death Poker' (Yes, that is a stupid name. Even so this was a pretty cool episode):

Lately the world's best card players are dropping like flies after loosing a mysterious figure known only as 'King'. Dante, in the course of accepting a job to find out why, somehow gets a invitation to a high class casino/cruise ship, where a poker tournament is being held. What hope does world's worst gambler have to keep from loosing long enough to find out who 'King' really is? Maybe you shouldn't bet on the outcome just yet...

& Ep. 8 'Once Upon A Time':... This is the most interesting of the 12 episodes, as it tells about something they won't even talk about in the games: Dante's Past. While lounging around his office one day, a man comes in & starts to refer to Dante as 'Anthony'. Anthony or 'Tony', is the name on Dante's twin guns, A name no one in Dante's current life even knew he went by, so how should this strange man know? The man claims to have known him & his mother way back from when he was a child, & he invites him over for a drink, to catch up on old times,& to 'clear' his & his mother's name of a nearly 20 year old crime... involving demons... Even if Dante isn't the right guy, It's up to him to get rid of any devils lurking around the town, or face a repeat of the disaster from 20 years before.

2)THE VERSIONS IT'S AVAILABLE ON, & what one is the best?:

Although my review is for the blu-ray, I also have the 3-volume standard DVD's (with 4 episodes each), & a nice Hong-Kong import copy(Fear not! Bootlegs are your friend!). All have the English & Japanese dubs, & subtitles, But comparing the visual quality & bonus content of the series on each of the versions I mentioned, here's my results:

Blu-ray, POSITIVES: 2-discs loaded with 12 episodes + more extras then Ebony & Ivory are loaded with lead, The picture & sound are great (but I don't see any difference then the normal DVD version).

DOWNSIDE: I have a older, 'small' screen TV... On the menu screen I have to squint or walk right up to the set to see what episode I want to play. But if your TV is bigger then you are, this probably won't effect you.

Standard 3 DVD Edition, POSITIVES: The sound & visuals are just as good as Blu-ray (I have a old TV, so there may be a difference with newer models). The menu screen has big lettering & episodes can be selected squint-free, even from a distance.

DOWNSIDE: I have to get up every 4 episodes & change the disc, There aren't as many DVD bonuses then on the collected version(s). Set takes up the space of 3 DVD cases instead of one... (But considering I bought the same series 3 times, this really isn't a issue).

The Import version, POSITIVES: All 12 episodes are on 1 disc, so I can happily sit in a brain-dead trance & not move most of the day during a Dante marathon, & it has cooler back cover art then all the other editions mentioned.

DOWNSIDES: The picture gets a bit fuzzy during the opening/ending themes, The DVD menu makes it hard to find the right episode, & there aren't any extras...(But it's the first set I bought, so I'm kinda nostalgic about it =)

Conclusion: Blu-ray wins for people who like lots of extras &/or want to see the entire cut scene collection from the 1st video game... without having to make it past that damn spider, Phantom.

The collection of 3 DVD's are the best choice for people with older TV sets, & they don't give a *Bleep* about extras.

& The Hong-kong Import is for people like me, who ran out of gift-cards & had to buy it from whatever Chinese import shop they can find... actually it was the ONLY place I could find the DMC series at (big retailers suck in Michigan).

Here ends my review Of the series & quality of the editions I own, So maybe it'll help you choose what edition you want to own!

Great series, a little slow to begin but most anime is that way. Some really awesome animation, very detailed and the blu ray quality is top notch. There is definitely an underlying plot that kept my interest throughout. Although not much of this plot is revealed, I was completely entertained and watched the whole thing in a day or two. Can't wait for more!

1st get rid of the little girl! PLEASE! shes soooo annoying! also its kinda freaky why they always feel the need to put kid charicters in adult content, anyhow then add some bazongas and bums like witchblade [without all the mindnumbingly dull story] and more guns and more sex and violence and THEN youll have a show a man would want to watch... this is just weak tea with good style points... but its ok to watch and less of a rip off then all the other over priced anime..

The basic story is :"Cursed to live as both monster and man, Dante must spend his life fighting the demonic forces of darkness. Brandishing his sword, Rebellion, and his always-loaded guns, Ebony and Ivory, Dante is more than happy to send the demons back to hell - especially when there's money to be made. The wildly popular video game is now a series, and this time, there's no sympathy for the devil." As it says in the product discription.

this is a action Anime and if you have played the Video games or Read the manga you know the story.

The action is rather Awesome and the fight sceans are to few. Personaly I think the could of put alot more into the action but it dose have its fair share.

The plot dose get Confusing but in the end dose come together, each episode seems to have its own plot.

The Voice acting is done okay but I have seen better.

There is alot of blood, Violance, and language with very little Nudity.

Bottom line if your a fan of Action Anime's, the DMC Games and/or Manga you should have a look at this one it is pleasing to the eye and will keep ya watching it a few times over. Do note this is made for Adults not for children so I do not recomend children watching this, How ever the Adults who enjoy Anime should!!!

I mainly bought this movie for my little sister who has become obsessed with this franchise just as of late. Since this is mainly what she likes, then it was unmistakable that she was going to love it. She enjoyed the crap out of this movie. As far as comparing it to other anime's though, it does stand up well on it's own especially if no one has ever heard of Devil May Cry. A great watch with some great action scenes and fairly good dark humor. Still, you should already have been expecting that if you're familiar with the franchise.

So, I just finished the whole series. Storyline and artwork was great. However, my main problem with this particular series was, in every episode, the fight scene either had to cut away, or would end in 15-30 seconds. It's like the artists got lazy on fight scenes and worked around it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good story line. But I'm pretty sure a lot of the anime fans out there love the fight scenes even more. And that's what really bugged me about this purchase. Potentially this anime could have been great. Having played Devil May Cry, easily gives you an idea on how intense fight scenes should have gone in this anime. Sadly, the fight scenes are pretty disappointing. Disappointing enough for me to actually make a review about it. Everything else was good though.

The story was intriguing enough but wasn't very faithful to the game. Also if you didn't know anything about the game you really don't get most of why this is a good series.