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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome anime from Go Nagai--not for kids ya'll, March 9, 2003
This review is from: Devilman - The Birth/Demon Bird (Vol. 1 & 2) (DVD)
Okay, if you're looking for something light and fluffy your kids can watch, this is not it!! If you don't get it by the kid friendly title of "Devilman" and menacing demon on the cover, then go ahead and by all means show it to the grandparents as well! For those of you like me who listen to very heavy music at volumes loud enough to shake the walls, love Dario Argento movies, and don't mind seeing loads of blood and gore, then this might be the anime for you. Yes, the dubbing isn't great, but that's not the point. The story itself is very interesting. Akira Fudo is an average student. When his friend, Ryo takes him to his house, and shows him a mask that allows him to see into the demon world, Akira is rightly freaked out (he wets himself okay). Ryo then tells him that unless they both merge with demons, that they will never be strong enough to defeat the demons who killed Ryo's father. They really don't have a choice, it's either merge and become a demon or die. And they really don't have a choice about which demon they merge with (as Ryo puts it, if they don't get one that is strong enough to defeat the others, then they will die anyway). Akira merges with Amon, an incredibly powerful demon, and becomes Devilman. Akira does not lose his humanity, but is able to control the demon to some extent. Highly recommended for fans of Urotsukidoji, Twin Angels, La Blue Girl, Mystery of the Necronomicon...
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Devilman he is, everyman he isn't., March 27, 2002
This review is from: Devilman - The Birth/Demon Bird (Vol. 1 & 2) (DVD)
I got a real big kick out of this movie. Its references to classical mythology and biblical lore provided a serious backdrop to a mediocre and simplistic plot premise. Make no mistake, Devilman rocks. Volumes 1 and 2 are included on the DVD, don't go looking for more, here are both 50 minute OVAs. Volume one takes its time warming up but erupts into a bloody and thrilling climax. Volume 2 introduces a main villian and her attempts to destroy Devilman. We don't know why, and we aren't told much about his greater significance to the world. Devilman must destroy demons, so demons seek out Devilman. There's your story. The animation is good for its time. The dubbing is at best poor and the DVD does not have the original dialogue with subtitles. I doubt very much we're missing a heck of a lot. Violent, chaotic, but loads of fun for adult anime fans. Don't take it too seriously. I especially enjoyed the assorted demons and their powers and design. Enjoy!
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Devilman ROCKS!!!, April 25, 2007
This review is from: Devilman - The Birth/Demon Bird (Vol. 1 & 2) (DVD)
Once in a LOOOOOONG while a group of japanese animators, producers, directors, and voice actors, will get together to try and, as faithfully as possible, re-interpret a popular manga (or Japanese comic book). This animated version is a tiny masterpiece, flaws and all. Unfortunately, it is rare that every important nuance in a particular manga is manifested into anime. With this particular crew of artists it would have been AWESOME if they would have made a longer series of more than just two episodes, hence this "tiny" masterpiece. So, in comparison to the manga, since lots of story is skipped, you may feel something missing if you don't know Go Nagai's story very well. Go Nagai is Japan's master of comic book macabre. Not only is he a great story man he is also a wicked artist. He has his own tweaked take on traditional style anime. Look at the eyes of his main characters. They always have this almost Egyptian eyeliner look. VERY cool. BUT! And I do capitalize BUT, here, this doesn't really matter. We're all intelligent enough manga/anime fans, here, to get the gist of this weird, dark, gross-out, erotic, action packed, horror/fantasy. Hell is rising back to the surface after being dormant for millions, maybe billions, of years. Demons are LITERALLY oozing out of your car parts, doorknobs, bathwater, and the only person who could save us is Akira who sacrifices his body and soul to be possessed by the most powerful of all the demons to become half man, half demon, hence DEVILMAN! Pretty twisted. The most horrifying and disturbing scene is the underground "party/club" scene in the first episode. I've seen it several times and it never fails to freak me out. Ultra-violent stuff. The second episode is like Spiderman/Daredevil meets Evil Dead. You get lots more action and still get the creeps. I remember, WAY back in the day, when I had to buy bootlegs on VHS, most of the times with no subtitles, just to be able to see cutting edge anime. This was back in the 80s when the market for anime here was ZILCH. Now its everywhere and most of it is GARBAGE. But, like I said, once in a while you'll come across a little gem like DEVILMAN! Unfortunately, the anime version of DEVILMAN LADY is absolute crap. It is nothing like the manga which is even MORE wicked than DEVILMAN. I don't blame 'em, though. The anime version of DEVILMAN LADY would have been rated XXX. It's truly amazing how Go Nagai can make something so violent and sexual into such good horror genre.
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