An unorthodox approach to an anime can lead to mixed results. A lot of the people who watched Crybaby loved and praised it as the best show of the year, because it was so odd and different than the usual offering. Others downright hate it because of that same reason.

Watching Crybaby was a tough task to be honest. I couldn't find myself being invested into the story. And what exactly was the story? There were bits and pieces of exposition thrown around, a lot of plot lines were being forgotten and being left aside to continue the overarching "story". The pacing is inconsistent and the story is overall a jumbled mess. There are drastic tonal shifts that come out of nowhere. I always feel like I'm left confused and disinterested the more and more I kept watching. They just slapped on a story.

Luckily, the anime picks up in the latter half and delivers something more entertaining. Or... that's what I believed at first. I appreciate the allegorical references to the bible, the BGM was pure awesome, the animation was wonky but cool, and the action sequences were quite the sight. But... that was all there was to it. It kept my attention, but nothing beyond that.

The ending really hits the spot. Once I realised what it all meant, I still can't find appreciation for the moments that lead up to the severely rushed climax. A climax that's 10 minutes long, appearing right at the end, is not what I would prefer.

And here's where I really felt disconnected from the show. The characters. Where's the development? Where's the journey? All I see is someone being the same person they were in the beginning, besides the whole transformation right in the first episode. Akira Fudou, Devilman himself, doesn't really change. And the antagonist? He goes through more of a phase, but I end up disliking him even more, and not in the "good-written villain" kind of way. I couldn't relate to him, I couldn't understand him. He was just... there. Throughout the series, we are introduced to characters that, sooner or later, will eventually die. Nothing was to be gained from being attached to them. Nothing special stood out.

So, maybe the anime is just story-driven? Except, there wasn't much of a cohesive plot.

That's the main problem. I didn't feel invested. And nothing really considered me otherwise. So many things out of place, so many pointless exposition, so many inconsistencies.

Overall, I found Devilman Crybaby to be mediocre. It wasn't horrible. I just think of it as being "there". The journey to finish it was a pain. Focuses a lot on the blood and sex, yet doesn't spend enough time giving it purpose. Even if I appreciated the audiovisual aspect, I still couldn't find myself invested and ended up being dissatisfied as a result. Here come the dislikes.