Devilman Crybaby
2018
Original language: Japanese
- animation
- action & adventure
- sci-fi & fantasy
The story
With demons reawakened and humanity in turmoil, a sensitive demon-boy is led into a brutal, degenerate war against evil by his mysterious friend, Ryo.
What it’s like
Bright, jittery hand-drawn animation with hot pink, acid green and electric blue flaring against inky night-city backdrops, its frames often bent into comic-book distortion and its scenes lurching between dreamy stillness and frantic motion. The score is pulsing and loud, with sudden drops into silence. The vibe is feverish and apocalyptic, a neon-lit slide into moral rot that suits a late night alone or a binge for viewers who can handle being shaken rather than soothed. The pacing is relentless, and the emotional register swings from tender adolescent longing to nihilistic cruelty. The central arc follows a shy, gentle teenager who is gradually pulled into violence and loses his grip on what he once believed, while his bond with a charismatic friend turns darker. Intensity is high: graphic gore and body horror throughout, explicit sexual content, an onscreen rape, and sustained cruelty and dread. It is not gentle. It is made for viewers who want unflinching, provocative anime about religion, politics and violence, and who don't mind being unsettled.
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