Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman

While I gather from outside sources that the OVA diverges from the manga, I can otherwise claim no knowledge of the source material. If nothing else, this puts me in a prime position to judge this anime on its own merits. The core foci here are readily apparent from the get-go: gnarly, even grotesque, and imaginative creature designs, accordingly credited to Nirasawa Yasushi; extremely strong, graphic violence, some of it very sexual in nature, and substantial blood and gore; and foremost themes of chaos in a broken society, amidst a war against otherworldly monsters, as desperate, mistrusting humans turn against each other and seem just as awful as the demons whose loyalties are similarly flimsy. These facets so heavily represent the intended and perceived value of 'Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman' that it's not unreasonable to say that they are the primary reasons one might have to watch in the first place. That's not to say that this isn't also worthwhile in other capacities, but the strengths here - the aspects that received the most attention - are plainly evident.

Now, as to what else the feature may have to offer: first of all, Hayasaka Ritsuko's loose adaptation of (part of) Nagai Go's manga does give us a story - sort of, kind of, more or less - but it's frankly nothing more than a vehicle for the creature designs and the violence. If you're looking for something of substance, move along and keep looking; the plot is baseline adequate, but very small and very thin, and doesn't really illuminate any of the ideas that presumably fill the manga. Someone like me who watches with no knowledge of the manga has no idea what is supposed to be going on beyond a few pointlessly broad plot points. (Demons, Humans, and Other? Check. Some seeming act of betrayal? Check.) Some of the dialogue is just plain bad; slight and single-minded as the plot is, much the same could be said of the scene writing, with part of a fight near the end pointedly raising a skeptical eyebrow. On a like note, the voice acting ably serves its purpose, but it's a means to an end more than anything else; the original music of Mangahead and Kobayashi Takeshi is suitable moody complement for the proceedings, but doesn't particularly stand out.

And, well, that just leaves the animation, doesn't it? As someone who has only very recently begun to remotely dip their toes into anime, I earnestly believe that far more than not artists of the Japanese industry handily outpace their counterparts elsewhere around the world. We routinely see detail, texture, and shrewd considerations in 2D Japanese animation that we don't from other regions; forget 3D animation altogether, except where sparsely and intently employed. I don't know if I'd necessarily say that the doing here is the top of the line - there are distinct weak spots, like short scenes of characters running - but even at that it's safe to say that 'Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman' easily fits well within that same general category. Detail, texture, lighting and shading, color, backgrounds and environments, interiors and exteriors, humans and creatures, almost nauseatingly violent but fluid action sequences, effects and other active elements: in most every regard the visual experience is simply fantastic. If all one wants out of this OVA is the animation, one should be quite satisfied. And with the underlying thrust simply being those creatures, that violence, and the depiction of Societal Chaos, after all, the animation is the most important part.

The question is: Is this enough? The flick had very simple goals, and it achieved them, so I suppose that's a job well done. I can't say it isn't darkly entertaining, such as it is. However, I could have done with more effort - any effort - to actually tell a story, because that just doesn't happen here. 'Amon' keeps a couple uselessly non-specific notions in mind, then just charges full-steam ahead with its visuals. All told I guess the sum total is enjoyable, but it's not at all fulfilling; this is a small appetizer, not a full portion, let alone an entree. That's all it wanted to be, and maybe that's all it needed to be, so 'Apocalypse of Devilman' IS "good," in one measure or another. But unless you're a huge, diehard fan, or have some very special impetus to watch, there is no need at all to seek this out. If you happen to come across it, save it for a quick watch on a lazy night, and that may be the best way to appreciate this OVA.

From the start of the episode many things are unclear as when we start to understand the demon society been exposed to human and an apocalyptic crisis occured due to this revelation the story starts to make its grip with extremely violence and gore scenes brings us shivering our body and mind and the horror at the climax sequence this episode set a class of violence that some people maybe never have imagined and when the episode end it makes us wanted to know what will happen after it. But because of it's fast pace action violence we can't connect to any character and just feel about It's on edge gore sequence. Although it should have been extended for sometime to explain us the fear of the situation and to show us the fear and emotions of the characters.

Fair warning: there are only two ways to enjoy this anime. The first is to have some background information on the series by having watched the other OVA, the television series or read any of the manga. The second way is if you just like lots of blood and fighting. Beware that those are the only ways; almost nothing is explained in this anime, and you will not have a clue as to what is going on otherwise.

This OVA is quite short and has a very disjointed feel to it. What that means is there are a lot of flashbacks and dream sequences, not to mention visual representations of what is going on in Akira's mind. It's not too hard to decipher what is going on, however, and it is a nice, little ride. The basic premise is Devilman kills demons; that's pretty much it. The show delves a little into the concept of humanity, as one would expect from a show about a guy bonded with a demon. But don't look for anything too deep. Character development besides Akira's is null with some characters like Satan appearing for a minute or less and having no impact on the plot at all.

The action sequences make up a good portion of the show and luckily they look good and are satisfying for that dark part in everyone. This is one very bloody anime, and if you don't have the stomach for it you will really not find much to like here. The violence seems to be the big selling point for the anime. They did a good job for the budget they had to work with, but don't be looking for Ghilbi quality.

All in all I can recommend this if you know what to expect or if you like straight-up action anime. Either way will work, but I really do not see a lover of twisting plots or a fully fleshed-out cast liking this one.

Fair warning: there are only two ways to enjoy this anime. The first is to have some background information on the series by having watched the other OVA, the television series or read any of the manga. The second way is if you just like lots of blood and fighting. Beware that those are the only ways; almost nothing is explained in this anime, and you will not have a clue as to what is going on otherwise.

This OVA is quite short and has a very disjointed feel to it. What that means is there are a lot of flashbacks and dream sequences, not to mention visual representations of what is going on in Akira's mind. It's not too hard to decipher what is going on, however, and it is a nice, little ride. The basic premise is Devilman kills demons; that's pretty much it. The show delves a little into the concept of humanity, as one would expect from a show about a guy bonded with a demon. But don't look for anything too deep. Character development besides Akira's is null with some characters like Satan appearing for a minute or less and having no impact on the plot at all.

The action sequences make up a good portion of the show and luckily they look good and are satisfying for that dark part in everyone. This is one very bloody anime, and if you don't have the stomach for it you will really not find much to like here. The violence seems to be the big selling point for the anime. They did a good job for the budget they had to work with, but don't be looking for Ghilbi quality.

All in all I can recommend this if you know what to expect or if you like straight-up action anime. Either way will work, but I really do not see a lover of twisting plots or a fully fleshed-out cast liking this one.