Male characters were displayed in a sexual manner too, but at less frequency and with less victimization involved. I’ll just say that this existed, and while a big point of the story was evil and violence, and creepy male characters often got their comeuppance, I wish female characters didn’t have to be objectified graphically for the audience anyway. On kind of a side note, while I could get into a discussion on exploitation (of female characters, sexual violence), I’m not even sure where to start with this series. (Spoiler sentence over.) I felt what Crybaby’s story wanted me to feel, but I sure as heck didn’t learn very much. (Spoiler sentence ahead!) Characters eat their mothers and friends, people turn into demons and tear their partners apart during intercourse, and ultimately the main hero fails to stop the beings on planet earth from destroying each other. Akira is the strongest demon in the world, but he cries when he sees the slightest evidence of suffering.
![devilman manga ryo looking back devilman manga ryo looking back](https://www.hypercritic.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/1cc47-devilman2bmanga-400x299.png)
Crybaby in particular plays with this dichotomy between hardcore violence and tenderness. They depict themes from everyday life, but they don’t really hold any lessons. Anime like Crybaby can exist absolutely without morals. I find it fascinating that normally, when Western shows try to tackle these themes, they’re often shaped into a tale of heroism, engrained with Western values and morals-like working for what you have or telling your heterosexual love interest that you love them because you both might die tomorrow or whatever. It’s grand and messy, but fun and catchy. Angels, demons, drugs, sex, and the apocalypse all converge to tell a tale of love and violence, as well as what it takes to be human. Indeed, even the ambitious theme of the story is executed without hesitation. The very nature of Crybaby’s story seems to hinge on the storyteller’s desire for awesomeness and entertainment. I think a lot of stories are held back by a desire for too much clarity or sense. From a story-telling perspective, I personally admire Crybaby’s value of theme, emotion, and downright cool action sequences over detail or believability. The anime holds nothing back to strengthen its narrative on sin and virtue, war and life intense tragedies unfold throughout the series, sex and violence often intermingle in disturbing and outrageous ways, and heads explode left and right without the thought of what might be more logical or palatable to an audience. Logic takes a back seat to flashy colors, machine guns, and gruesome demonic transformations. The graphic imagery, deliberate dialogue, overblown-yet thoughtful-character designs-they’re all created with the thought of adding more drama to the story. I feel the first thing I must talk about is the overwhelming, outrageous drama of Crybaby. I will be discussing all of these elements while referencing the events and plot of the anime, so there will be spoilers ahead.
![devilman manga ryo looking back devilman manga ryo looking back](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gonagai/images/f/f5/133.jpg)
The reasons for this-aside from my hardcore fixation mentality-are most likely: the over-the-top nature of the anime, the themes, and Ryo. I have been fixated on Crybaby ever since I started watching it last week. The Netflix reboot reimagines the story from a more modern perspective. Crybaby takes after the original Devilman plotline, following a timid Akira and his journey into demon-hood, overseen by his mysterious friend Ryo.
#Devilman manga ryo looking back series#
The show is a ten-episode reboot of the 1972 anime, Devilman, based off of the manga series of the same name. If you know me, you know I have recently finished watching Netflix’s newest anime, Devilman Crybaby.
![devilman manga ryo looking back devilman manga ryo looking back](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTCe5gWW0AEb6p4.jpg)
Devilman Crybaby: Why I Liked It (And Ryo) – By Kaitlyn McCafferty