Netflix Does Not GET Devil May Cry
Article at a glance:
- The animation and soundtrack shine, but the show lacks the core themes and tone of Devil May Cry.
- Forced political elements, plot holes, and sidelining Dante hurt the story and character focus.
- Fun as a general action comedy, but fails to capture what makes DMC special.
I was kind of excited about this show, not gonna lie. A modern-day animation of Devil May Cry could’ve been really good. I like the prospect. All Netflix had to do was follow the story of Devil May Cry 3 and make it as cool as possible. But nope, we ended up with whatever this is. And just to be clear, I will acknowledge that the show is enjoyable as an action comedy but this is NOT Devil May Cry. The show simply doesn’t get the themes of DMC and what the games are about.
And yeah, welcome to another article and today, we are talking about the Netflix Devil May Cry series. Before I even start, I have played every single DMC game multiple times, even the reboot. So I am going to come at this show from the perspective of a long-time fan. People who don’t know anything about the games will have a very different perspective and that is fine. So let’s get started.
Plot
The plot basically acts as a prequel to the games. Which is a good decision, I have to say. But my praise for the plot ends there. There are so many plot holes and contrivances. Like even coming from the games, certain things don’t make any sense. I also hate the idea of including countries and politics in DMC. Netflix finds a way to sneak politics into things that don’t need it. DMC is about killing demons and looking as cool as possible while doing it. The series DOES NOT need politics of any kind.
I also don’t like that they tried to make the Demons somewhat sympathetic. No, they are supposed to be pure evil. The main theme of the games is about Dante, Vergil, and Nero learning to escape their Demonic tendencies of chaos and embracing their human side of compassion. How COULD you miss out on such an important thing? Even Sparda, the one good Demon betrayed his own kind because he knew if they conquered the Human world, the Demons would end up destroying everything.
It feels like the show is written by people who have never played a single DMC game.
Characters
I have mixed feelings about the rewrite of Lady. Her backstory made more sense in the games but here in the anime, her military background does make for some interesting interactions. I don’t like the idea of making her the protagonist though. They treat Dante as a side character in his own show. Like come on man, DMC is his story. DMC starts and ends with Dante, Vergil, and Nero. Dante is literally absent most of the time and only shows up for fights. And of course, that means that he doesn’t get much characterization either.
White Rabbit is a good villain though, I will give the show credit for him. One of the few characters in the show that I actually liked.
Animations and Soundtracks
This is where most of the enjoyment of the Netflix Devil May Cry comes from. The plot and characters pale in comparison to the games but the soundtrack and animations are amazing. The fight choreography is good, the 2D art looks great and they have a slew of good OSTs to pair all that with. Yeah, the 3D CGI looks really jarring at times but overall. they nailed the action and the music.
I saw a lot of people who didn’t like Johny Young Bosch’s VO for Dante. I won’t comment on that but I can see where they’re coming from. Still, I didn’t mind his voice. Also hearing Kevin Conroy again felt good.
Summing Up
Here are my final review scores for the Netflix Devil May Cry:
- Plot – 5/10
- Characters – 6/10
- Animations – 8/10
- Soundtracks – 9/10
- Enjoyment – 7/10
- Overall – 7/10
As I said at the beginning, the show is fine as a generic action comedy because the fights in this show are amazing but this is not Devil May Cry. This show is missing the heart that makes DMC special and Netflix doesn’t understand that. As the title says “Netflix Does Not GET Devil May Cry”. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!
