Having zero knowledge of Devil May Cry, I had a great time with Netflix’s new anime of the video game franchise without feeling like I was missing out on key information. That right there is rare when it comes to adaptations. Either they give you little information, assuming that you know the entire franchise and you’re left in the dust if you don’t. Or they pile on tons of exposition to the point where the story gets drowned in it. Devil May Cry did neither of those things. In fact, I feel like it did what One Piece did when the live-action premiered. It acted like this was a new entry into the franchise while also honoring OG fans and trusting its audience.
Getting to Know Dante
At the heart of Devil May Cry is Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. He’s a devilishly handsome demon hunter who becomes the world’s best hope for salvation after a mysterious villain, who looks like a giant bunny, threatens the human world. And while I love the action sequences with Dante and think he’s incredibly hot, the best part about him is that he’s a goof. He can handle the serious moments for sure. But he enjoys a good sundae, a little dancing, and can be so unserious sometimes. This is how I like my heroes, capable and ready to throw it down, but also adaptable to the point where if you offer them a night in where we just watch TV and eat cookies while watching trash TV, he’d be down. That’s a man who is confident in who he is and knows what he likes. It’s attractive.
As for the rest of the cast members, besides the villain which I will get into later on, I love how Devil May Cry season 1 lures you in with each character. It makes you feel comfortable that you know where this is going when specific beats are hit. And then at every turn they surprise you and confirm that unique storytelling is still alive and well. Even the demons that Dante encounters or fights, they’re not what you expect. Some are brutal and just war machines. Others are driven, vain, and loyal demons who have an endgame in mind. And then there are some who are just looking for a better life than the one over in the demon realm.
This is the point of our Devil May Cry review where we get light-spoilery. YOU’VE BEEN WARNED.
Devil May Cry had an immigrant storyline in season 1 that I know will be called “woke.” But there is nothing woke about wanting to give your children the best chance. There’s nothing woke about wanting them to survive into adulthood and not die due to a poisonous atmosphere. And the way that Devil May Cry built this immigrant storyline, you can understand why the White Rabbit, voiced by Hoon Lee, did what he did. It’s about giving these people a better life. A life that he never had and which destroyed him when it all got ripped away in his mission to take care of his found family. I’m not saying he was right, the White Rabbit. I’m saying that Devil May Cry proved that sometimes people spend so long pointing fingers at each other and being angry, they’re incapable of actually fixing the problem in the first place.
As much as I like Dante, the White Rabbit had the most compelling storyline, particularly in season 1 episode 6 of season 1. In that episode we took a trip down memory lane and got to see where the White Rabbit came from and how his fate was intertwined with the people that he eventually ends up hunting. And it was probably one of the best episodes of anime that I have ever watched. They barely talked in this episode and somehow made me understand every facet of the White Rabbit’s journey and how he ended up becoming this cruel and twisted version of himself that would hurt his own people for the cause. Also I cried. I don’t think I’ve ever cried watching an anime. But here goes Devil May Cry on Netflix.
Conclusion
Devil May Cry left me curious to know more about Dante, the life he had, the world he’s fighting for, and the lore that has been presented to me in a palatable way without it feeling overwhelming, pretentious, or like exposition overload. It created a fan. And I don’t know if I’m going to go and watch the previous anime or check out the games. I’m not really a gamer girl anyway. But I’m definitely going to go on a spiral on the lore of this world, get to know all of its characters, and watch season 2 of Devil May Cry whenever that lands on Netflix.
Devil May Cry season 1 is now on Netflix.
The bad thing is that, the series is not faithful to the game lore, so is a shitshow