Devilman Crybaby is a 2018 Japanese original net animation (ONA) anime series based on Go Nagai’s manga series named “Devilman.” The series comprises 10 episodes of 24-27 minutes runtime. The series covers the action genre with dark fantasy superhero elements. The anime themes of puberty, sexuality, sex, love and LGBT identity are explored. The series is produced by Yohei Shintaku and Kazuomi Nagai. Licensed by Netflix and directed by Masaaki Yuasa, Devilman Crybaby is available in over 190 countries with 9 spoken languages and subtitled in 25 languages.
The setting of the manga series was the 1970s, which changed into the 21st century. The plot revolves around Akira Fudo and his friend Ryo Asuka facing the ancient race of demons that seek to destroy humanity. The only way to save humanity at that point in time seemed to be combining with a demon. Akira gains the power of a devil with a human heart after combining it with Satan.
1. “Taro, you’re no longer my son; this is for your own good. Why God, Why?” –Kozo Makimura
Kozo became emotional while saying this. Taro became a devilman. After Taro became a devilman, he was not considered human by anyone. His father also did not consider him human. He accepted and told him that now he is not his son for his own good. He asked the god why did this happen? He was disappointed by all the things happening around him.
2. “Love doesn’t exist. There is no such thing as love. Therefore, there’s no sorrow. That’s what I thought.” –Satan
Satan, also known as Ryo, thought there is no such thing called as love. He believed that there was no love. He intended to exterminate humanity to defile the world. He made Akira a devilman to allow him to survive in the world to come. He never thought of loving someone, but he fell for Akira. He loved him and realized this fact. Satan becomes devastated and overwhelmed with grief after Akira’s death. He tearfully cradles Akira’s lifeless body at the end of the series.
3. “Even bloodstained, you are beautiful, Silene.” –Kaim
Kaim was an associate of Silene. When people are in bloodstains, they look threatening and awful. Silene was a beautiful demon. She was the lover of Amon, whom Akira possessed. Silene looked beautiful even when she was in bloodstain. She had blood all over her and looked horrific, but to Kaim, she was beautiful. This denotes that Kaim has a crush on her, or maybe he admires her a lot.
4. “Why do I run? When I run forward, maybe something behind me will change. Even if it’s trivial, even if it’s just a tiny bit.” –Miki Makimura
When we run, we leave something behind us. The thing behind it will change with time. Running away from things isn’t great. For running, you need to leave. Leaving something will change things there. If you run away from home, the things at your home will change. Your small brother or sister will grow up without you. They have a life without you. You will the things like how their first step looks like. Sometimes it’s a trivial change, but a change is there.
5. “Crying for other people and thinking about other people. That might just be a fantasy. But if it’s a person with a heart like that, even if that person is a demon or a human, I’ll accept that person.” –Miki Makimura
It’s not an easy task to cry and think about other people. For some people, it will be like a fantasy. For some people, it may be common. People who have a heart so kind and pure, it doesn’t matter if they are human or devil; Miki expresses that she will accept the person. Miki was talking about Akira. She knew Akira had a pure heart, and she also had a crush on him. She is denoting that he cries for the other people and thinks about them. But she wants his heart to be good for her to accept.
6. “You’re not a demon; you’re not a human either. You’re a devilman, and so I will save you.” –Akira Fudo
Devilman is a mixture of humans and demons. They have features like demons, strong physiques and power in nature. They also have strength like demons. But they are totally not demons because they have the heart of humans. They cry when they feel sad and depressed. They care for others and help them in tough times. They love and feel anger when something bad happens to their family. Devilman is neither a human nor a demon. If they are devilman, then Akira will save them because he is one of them.
7. “You are the anchor after all.” –Miki Makimura
When Akira confronted Miki by saying that he would return, Miki, replied that he should because he was the anchor. An anchor is a tool that is used to moor a vessel to the bottom of the sea to resist movement. But in the figurative sense, the anchor is the one who provides stability and security. Akira is the one who can provide security and stability to Miki. She is protected by him and feels secure in his presence. She told him to return by denoting him as an anchor.
8. “I am not going to make a deal with a devil like you.” –Akira Fudo
Akira was Devilman. He was neither human nor demon. He was a mixture of the two. He had the body of a demon and the heart of a human. He was never going to make a deal with any demon. Satan intends to exterminate humanity for defiling the world and wants Akira to be on his side. Akira refuses to be on Satan’s side and gathers his Devilman army to fight with Satan’s army.
9. “Demons exist. There could be one right next to you.” –Ryo Asuka
Ryo believed that demons exist because he had seen and met them. Ryo went on an expedition to the Amazon rainforest, which revealed the existence quotes of demons. When getting to know about the existence of the demon, he wanted to prove the fact; he took Akira to the underground nightclub, in which they discovered demons hiding among the people.
10. “It’s easy to give people the cold shoulder. It’s harder to try and understand them. Even family members you’ve been with your whole life will sometimes show you a new side to them. I wanna understand. I’ll try not to judge people because I wanna feel secure.” –Miki Makimura
Giving the cold shoulder to anyone is common but to someone who is important to you is difficult. It is hard to understand people. We often fail to recognize the true nature of the person even when we have known them for years. Sometimes it happens among the family also. The brother or sister or parents may seem different from what we have known for years. They show their new sides when revealed. Miki says that she will try to understand the people because she wants to feel secure with them.
11. “Even the strongest or the fastest is no match for the vast majority of the animal kingdom. Weapons and vehicles are what bring out the best in human beings.” –Ryo Askua
In the animal kingdom, the strongest one survives. The grasshopper is eaten by the frog, which is eaten by a snake. The food chain goes on with the eagle eating the snake and the eagle eating the carnivores’ animals. The strongest animal always survives. Humans are the strongest ones in terms of mind. They have the mind which helps them to achieve their goals quotes. Humans created vehicles and weapons to help their needs. Moreover, they made weapons to protect them from the strongest animals like the tiger or lion.