If you walked up to me on the street and asked, “Is Devil May Cry an awesome game?” I’d respond, “Hell’s F’n Yeah!” No pun intended. Devil May Cry has the distinct title of being the first game I ever bought used. I saved up. I just had to have it after seeing my neighbors play it on their PS2. Something about a guy who dual wields pistols and a broadsword just appealed to my adolescent life. The gameplay, graphics and gothic ambiance put my senses in overload as I defied my “bedtime” every night to eventually beat the game.
So, why is it that “Devil May Cry: The Complete Series” is one of my most hated Anime TV series ever?
Devil May Cry is the story of Dante, a demon hunter with a grudge. He’s lazy, lives off pizza and beer, loves dirty magazines and just can’t pay his bills. If that sounds like a boring hero, then you’re absolutely right because in the Anime series, as opposed to the game, Dante is anything but engaging. The stories amount to a series of one-off episodes, where Dante tries to pay his bills and ends up further in debt. It’s actually kind of depressing.
The series gets off to a slow start, and fails to gain momentum through the 12-episode arc. Lack of back-story, cliché characters and absurd loopholes run wild in this series. I would guess that the production house was in a rush to crank out this series if it weren’t for the amazing animation. If there ever was a series to watch with the sound off this is it. The animations are some of the most detailed ever in a video game adaptation. Watching it in Blu-ray is an absolute plus. But Blu-ray and does not help the series where it matters: the story.
For Anime fans looking for Fem shots, you’ll find plenty in this series from Dante’s allied demon fighters Lightning and Lady. There’s also an orphan named Patty who comes under Dante’s wing to fill the role of the cliché bratty Anime girl. Honestly, the series would have been better if they had just left Patty out. I can deal with the linear plot, but her complaining just got on my nerves.
“Devil May Cry: The Complete Series” is one series that I can’t in good faith recommend. I’m sure some gamers out there will enjoy it, but you have to admit a lot more could have been done with the characters and story. With such a great franchise, it baffles me that more attention wasn’t placed on character development. The series may be only 12-episodes, but after hearing Patty’s incessant complaining you will wish director Shin Itagaki stopped at episode 1. Shame on you Capcom for allowing this atrocity to be made.
The Blu-ray release is loaded with game trailers, but that’s not enough to save this blemish on DMC franchise.
Title: Devil May Cry: The Complete Series [Blu-ray]Directed by: Shin Itagaki
Studio: Funimation
Release Date: August 25, 2009
Rating: 5 / 10
Thanks for this review. I saw this pop up on the releases list somewhere and hadn’t heard much about it, so I wasn’t sure if it was worth picking up or not. Those lazy around the office scenes work well for the brief scenes in the game, but dragging that out into a series just sounds boring.