Review of Devilman

While science fiction, fantasy and adventure might dominate the anime world, there are standouts in the realm of horror. Not least among them are the Devilman trilogy, which have a very strong atmosphere of dread, madness and the macabre... The hectic demented action is set in a world where ancient slumbering demons have been awakened(by global warming!) and threaten to devour mankind in an impending apocalypse of bodily possession and chaotic slaughter, and the only way to stand a chance against the emerging hordes is to become one of them, cue an innocent young guy named Akira who starts out as a brave but weak guy who refuses to give up his remaining bunny to vicious thugs and ends up an unstoppable bad ass! Too pure of heart to be totally corrupted, he fuses with and gains the strength of a legendary demon warrior named "Amon" while maintaining his fragile self control. I just love the dark bizarre tone and the raw gritty look of the excellent animation. It's kinda like Yu-Gi-Oh with real balls! And it cracks me up how unintentionally hilarious it is a lot due to the perky dub job which includes a lot of gratuitous unnecessary swearing that feels like it was only put in as a verbal attempt to make things seem more adult and hardcore. Oh it is one of the most vulgar animes you'll ever watch! As the demons erupt from ordinary looking humans it feels a lot like John Carpenter's The Thing, and it sets up the grim tone right away with the intro of what appears to be a verdant paradise but soon turns into a surreal nightmare as angelic beings are attacked and eaten by all kinds of twisted abominations. It's very Lovecraftian and genuinely unnerving, especially the scene where Akira puts on the demon skull and sees the ancient past. It's got some seriously twisted themes in it and I love that. The climactic sequence that sees Akira's crazy friend wantonly slashing up a rock gig full of revellers in order to spread a ton of blood and attract demonic souls is so mad and sick! And then it gets really awesome as the music kicks in and Devilman first appears and destroys everything!!! I really enjoy all of the Devilman animes. What they lack in subtlety and character development they make up for in gore, malevolent insanity and horrific monster imagery that may stick with you for a while... You need help staying up at night? Just watch these movies!