Forum - View topicAkane Analyzes (Spoilerific).
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Update: I'm Not Dead
Hey-ho, everyone! It's Akane the Catgirl here, informing you all that I am not dead yet! My recap of Devilman Crybaby's second episode is (90%) complete and in the editing process. In the meantime, I'm opening up a Q&A. Ask me anything anime-related! |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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Do you think the downscaled appearance of Megalobox should be used in more anime? From what I have seen, they seem to have recreated a hitherto-unsung visual style almost effortlessly. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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To be honest, I haven't seen Megalobox, though I am aware of how popular it is among the spring season's offerings. I did catch the trailer, and from what I've seen, the show's aesthetic is on point. I'm not sure if more anime should be using the Digipaint style (take a gander at Sonic X or Eiken for the worst of that era), but for what it's worth, I don't mind too much. |
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Gina Szanboti
Posts: 11340 |
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What did you watch this season? If you haven't seen Hinamatsuri, go do that. Now.
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Joshua Zarate
Posts: 2061 |
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I second this. Golden Kamuy is fun, too. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Aside from watching Devilman Crybaby (whose second episode recap is nearly complete) and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stardust Crusaders on Toonami, the one new show I watched this season was My Hero Academia's Summer Camp and Hideout Raid arcs. I find the series very enjoyable, and I am beyond excited for the Hero Licensing Exam arc. I also love my nerd son Deku and angry son Kacchan. In regards to Hinamatsuri, I am quite aware of how unexpectedly popular it turned out to be. I don't know if it'll fit my taste in humor, but I'll put it on my anime bucket list regardless. (All I really want is Pop Team Epic Season Two, to be perfectly honest.) |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Akane Recaps Devilman Crybaby Episode Two: And Thus, an Internet Meme Was Born
Last time on Sad Demon Children: Come around, my friends, for this is a tale Of a man and his fatal destiny Who attempted to save the world, yet failed Surely, a most sorrowful tragedy. It starts with two boys, one brown-haired, one blond Who against all odds, became quite good friends. Despite their differences, forged a strong bond But alas, all good things come to an end. The years passed by before they met once more Though by now, the two children have quite grown. The reason, however, was most forlorn, For in this world, humans were not alone. Mysterious beasts called demons have appeared Leaving paths of bloody terror and fright. So the two boys, in spite of what they feared, Went to a Sabbath in the midst of night. It was not too long ere their foes arrived, Slaughtering as many guests as they can, Though it was thought one boy would not survive He lived and was reborn as Devilman And as our hero doth begin his quest, One does wonder if it is for the best. Admittedly, I would put “One Hand is Enough” towards the bottom of my favorite lists. I’m not saying it’s bad, but to be honest, this installment is mostly set up for future episodes. In my opinion, the show doesn’t really show it’s cards until the fourth episode, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Let’s see what this part has in store. *** The episode begins as Akira swaggers his way into school, no longer a wimpy little boy, but - as Linkara put it - a MA-YUN. We hear the other students talk about how he’s all grown-up in both body and personality. For reference, this is what our hero looks like now. 
[Puberty has never been more sexy.] At school, we see just how Akira has changed since the previous episode’s ending. He’s got super strength, speed, a pack of howling fangirls, and a propensity to indulge in the sins of lust and gluttony. No, I’m not kidding about the last part. Akira not only has a bottomless stomach, but he also has no inhibitions about watching porn in the AV room. That’s not even getting into track practice, where he goes from snail-slow to cheetah-fast. 
[And thus, an internet meme was born.] Akira and Miki make small-talk, the former brushing off his new talent as just good luck. Later that evening, as the two walk home together, Miki jokes about her friend’s new body being a result of drugs. Akira himself admits that he’s not used to his changed physique, which is understandable when you consider he’s had it for less than twenty-four hours. On their way back, the two stop by the riverbank to pick up Miki’s backpack. The Gang is there doing their rapping, when they see Akira picking up the bag. Of course they don’t recognize him at first, but their real concern is the blond dude who shot up their hangout. Akira refuses to sell out Ryou, then proceeds to show off his new strength by one-shotting the whole gang into the water. It’s not until Miki shows up that Akira realizes what he’s become and runs off in shame. We cut to the Makimura household. Miki’s kid brother is going through Akira’s search history when both the family cat and a delivery for Akira interrupt his search for porn. Said delivery is a shiny new motorbike from Ryou. With that, Akira rides over to the city hospital, where his best friend is thankfully alive and well. Ryou himself apologizes for dragging Akira into this mess, then explains to a confused Akira about how he took him to the hospital, defeated the monsters and saved everybody. 
Akira briefly remembers the carnage, but dismisses it and chooses to believe his best buddy. As he edits the footage from the night before, Ryou explains how our hero has become Title of Franchise, having the heart of a human with the physical abilities of a demon. Akira, still disturbed by all this, requests to be killed if the day should come that he succumbs to the darkness. Suddenly, Ryou’s secretary (named Jenny) strolls by with a roasted chicken and ham for Akira. I am sure she is a force for good and totally not planning anything. Definitely not a devil. No sir. 
[I mean, isn’t this a face you can totally trust?] Ryou confirms that yes, all that meat is for his guest, and by the way, he should really come over for dinner more often. Akira is grateful for all this food, as the Makimuras are vegetarians, and thus, aren’t able to provide the sustenance he now requires. Ryou then explains that he just wants his old friend to do just one teeny tiny thing with his new hot bod. No, not that. Get your heads out of the gutter. We then cut to “Resting Rape Face” Nagasaki at his job. He’s getting briefed about a supposed Sabbath rave at a junkyard. His boss doesn’t give a flying f*ck, only wanting sexy pics of Miki. After all, Nagasaki is supposed to be taking pictures of teenage naughty bits. And yes, he’s already taken a lot of nudes with no signs of stopping. At said junkyard, a murder is in progress. As a human man is ripped apart by a devil horde, a man and a woman watch on. The sharply-dressed demonic couple comment on how weak the possessed men were, deciding to do nothing. The man then all but confesses his love to the woman (named Silene), but she rejects his offer. After all, her beloved Amon is still out there. Wait, isn’t he possessing Akira right now…? The next day, we cut to the Makimuras having a family meal together. We’ve already met Miki and Akira, and we got a glimpse of the youngest son and cat. But what about the rest? Not to worry, my dearest readers. 
[Noel and Akiko, Miki’s parents. (Voiced by Christopher Corey Smith and Anne Yatco).] 
[Tarou, Miki’s little brother. (Voiced by Dorothy Elias Fahn).] 
[Tako, the Makimura’s cat. I swear he’ll be important soon.] Now, interestingly enough, there are quite a few changes from the original in regards to the family. First of all, Miki’s parents were named Reijirou and Sakiko, and both are Japanese. Here, Noel is white, thus making the kids biracial. Next, Miki’s brother was named Kensaku and nicknamed Tare after an omitted gag about wetting himself. He has been renamed Tarou here, and he has a far bigger role to play. In fact, the family’s fate here is far worse than it was in the manga. Finally, the Makimuras did not have a pet cat in the original story. As the family sits down to eat a specially prepared feast for Akira, we learn a few important things. First, a priest from a nearby temple has disappeared, just after his wife had a baby. Then we see a picture and realize it’s the man who got murdered at the junkyard. Second, the Makimuras are practicing Christians, and Tarou has a fascination with the devils. Third, despite all that we’ve seen him doing throughout the episode, as soon as he starts to tear up, we know that Akira is still the same old teddy bear deep down. (On a side note, take a gander at the painting the Makimuras have in the dining room. It’s no coincidence that the production chose Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper.”) The next morning, Akira awakens from a nightmare involving way too many boobs. He stops to clean up Tako’s shed fur, then looks at a bulletin board with pictures of him and his parents. Akira remembers being shown Tokyo Tower and Mount Fuji from his new room, and the day his parents went overseas. Trust me when I say this isn’t the saddest it’s going to get when it comes to the Fudous. Akira overhears Miki talking to - or rather, being harassed by - her morally repugnant agent. Recognizing a threat when he sees one, he leaps down from his bedroom window and gives Nagasaki the scare of his life. He also makes this glorious face. 
[F*ck off.] Miki insists that Nagasaki is just working his way to the top, but Akira points out that he’s taking advantage of her. She retorts that there’s nothing wrong with her being innocent. Oh, you sweet summer child. Meanwhile, we cut to the ponytail girl, called Miko by her friends. I forgot to mention that Nagasaki tried to get Miki over the previous day too, but Miko took her place. From what we see, it wasn’t a pleasant experience. She gets into bed, comforting herself by masturbating to thoughts of Akira’s...erm...manly bulges. It’s actually really sad when you think about this, and the way the scene is shot makes it clear you aren’t supposed to get any joy from Miko’s misery. Back at the Makimura household, Tarou logs onto Akira’s account. Instead of looking for porn, though, he goes to listen to the Devilman opening. Yep, the franchise exists in-universe. It makes you wonder what their Devilman is like. Who’s their Akira Fudou? What sort of monsters does he fight? Speaking of the opening... And now I get to talk about the original theme song for Devilman! Said song (imaginatively called “Devilman Song”) is...cheesy. At the very least, the original opening sung by Keizo Toda is incredibly corny, even by old anime theme song standards. Yes, I did listen to the 1972 version multiple times. Somehow, it gets cheesier every time I go back to it. The 2018 remix (sung by Avu-chan) manages to take this ironically adorable children’s theme song and make it awesome. I am not kidding. The technobeat adds a unique edge, and Avu-chan himself can really hold a tune. The internet itself latched onto this cover to the point where it became a meme. No, not one of those mocking memes - the ones that are born from how iconic/beloved the thing being memed is. Count me in as one of the fans who adores this song. Meanwhile, Akira and Ryou go devil-hunting, heading off to various murder sites in order to find their targets. Indeed, there’s another killing game going on at the junkyard, where humans are given a hope spot before being unceremoniously slaughtered. Akira realizes that the monsters were the same ones who killed the priest (having taken his watches from his dead body), then mercilessly beats them to death for that. Just as he’s done however, Ryou has bad news; Nagasaki got footage of him and the devils. And he’s getting away right now. *** Like I said, while this episode isn’t bad at all, it’s outshined by the rest of the series. It’s mostly just clarifying events that have already happened and foreshadowing story beats that have yet to come. It’s pretty telling that even the “worst” of this anime’s episodes are merely okay instead of terrible. I don’t have much to say except that future episodes will have more to discuss. Did Anyone Die? A couple of humans and the demons torturing them are obviously dead. Otherwise, all named characters are alive and well. Mostly. *UPDATE 8/30/18* After further research, I have come to the realization that I have misgendered Avu-chan as male. I apologize ahead of time, and from this point on, I will refer to Avu-chan with the correct female pronouns. |
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Akane the Catgirl
Posts: 1091 Location: LA, Baby! |
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Hi There
I've been gone for too long, and for that, I can't forgive myself. I'm not going to lie; life has been really hard recently. I won't go into the details, but to make things short, I'm at a crossroads in my life. Important decisions are at hand here, and quite frankly, I have no idea what to do. Oh, and I had my wisdom teeth pulled, so that's been fun. Don't worry; I haven't lost my passion for anime. I fully intend on finishing my draft for the third episode of Devilman Crybaby. The thing is, when you're new to adulthood, priorities must be made. If I'm lucky, I'll get my overall recap of the series finished by the end of the year. I'm sorry I haven't posted as much as you'd hoped I would. I ask of you to please understand that I am going through a very difficult time right now. I need all of you to have some patience during this period. In the meantime, you are free to ask me anything related to the wonderful world of anime. Thank you for staying here. I can't guarantee I'll see you soon, but I hope I can. Akane the Catgirl |
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