I quite literally binged this anime until 6am last night and let me tell you it was WORTH IT. Full disclosure I have absolutely no background with the manga or older version of the show, so I can't say anything on that end. However, I really appreciate how unique Devilman Crybaby is compared to other anime I've seen before and I honestly love how the overarching themes were portrayed throughout the plot. Yes, this anime may not be for everyone due to its grotesqueness in violence and certain scenes, but if you are able to move past this discomfort, I would highly recommend this show!

Now, this is just my own interpretation, but I believe Devilman Crybaby aimed to display humanity in its fullest sense, paying more attention to the more revolting aspects of human nature that tend to be overlooked. I think this point was especially conveyed through the fact that demons were born out of human vices, primarily seen through Akira and Ryo's visit to the underground club, which is a point that I found really intriguing. In evaluating moral righteousness, humanity strongly looks down upon vile acts such as excessively engaging in carnal desires, exploiting and harming others for personal gain, etc. As such, demons are the incarnations of these sins, becoming pure embodiments of evil, yet it should not be forgotten that these very incarnations stem from the repulsive aspects of the human experience. I thought it was very interesting how harshly humans were opposed to demons to the point of baselessly harming fellow humans when humans themselves are entirely capable of stooping to the same "evil" that they were so eager to rid the world of, and I believe that Devilman Crybaby does a great job at exemplifying this hypocrisy through the concept of demons being born from these instances of human vice. In a way, the demons that the humans were so strongly against were reflections of humanity, with demons simply being more upfront with possessing the evil that lies within them.

I also wanted to talk about Akira and Ryo, specifically their complexities in character and why I like them because I feel that the way in which each of their characters were portrayed really enriched the story in my opinion.

_Akira: _I really enjoyed the concept of Akira as a "devilman," possessing a demon body yet retaining his human heart. Like I explained before, in the anime, demons were born from the sins of humans, yet Akira (and other characters) are exceptions to this fact. I would argue that Akira is a morally good character in pretty much all aspects, which is why he did not transform into a full-fledged demon when he was possessed. Honestly, Akira probably would not have been possessed at all if it wasn't for Ryo bringing him to the nightclub and telling Amon to possess him. Yet once Akira became possessed by a demon and became a "devilman," he seemed to become more at war with the more sinful aspects of his human nature, primarily seen through his struggle to overcome his carnal desires, furthering the concept that demons are embodiments of the evilness of humanity. Overall though, Akira retained his morally righteous nature, so in retrospect I don't think his struggles were that significant in that sense, but I still like this aspect of his character. Ultimately, I think Akira is a very likable main character, which made me sympathize with him and his story more.

Ryo: Of the two, I definitely like Akira more than Ryo, but I also greatly appreciate Ryo's complexity as well and, in a way, I was sort of touched by his sorrowful nature and his relationship with Akira. Throughout the anime, Ryo remains heartless and aloof toward humanity as a whole, which at first made me dislike him, but then later made much more sense to me when it was revealed that he is the reincarnation of Satan. What made me sympathize with his character a lot was pretty much at the very end when he realized his love for Akira. Again, like I said before, demons are portrayed as embodying solely the evil aspects of humanity, and thus seem to be devoid of or cannot comprehend feelings of love (hence Ryo's inability to recognize Kaim's love for Silene). That being said, I thought it was very tragic and moving when Ryo realized he felt something for Akira when it was too late, and still could not understand that it was love. Also, I sympathized with his character even more when it was revealed that Ryo seems to be stuck in a sort of time loop, as shown through the past destroyed worlds at the end (and I think at the beginning) of the series, emphasizing his deeply tragic nature.

Honestly, I have more thoughts about other characters and events in the anime, but I don't want to make this review too long or reveal too much about the entirety of the show, so I'll leave it at this. Overall, watching Devilman Crybaby was a special experience and I very much enjoyed the anime's deeper themes and symbolisms. If I had to take issue with anything, it would probably be the amount of explicit scenes, which personally I did not have much of a problem with when considering their purpose of conveying human grotesqueness and shock value, but I can understand how it can be too off-putting and potentially be misinterpreted as fan service or something along those lines. But ultimately, I would definitely recommend Devilman Crybaby to anyone willing to watch!