by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
When I played video games more consistently, the hack-and-slash was my favorite genre. I was never great at RPGs or first-person shooters, so that limited my games to third-person perspective and sports games. But both of those present the same issue: They can become repetitive and boring. With hack-and-slash games, it boils down to characters and story. One of my favorite franchises for this style of play, since I was a PlayStation kid, was Devil May Cry.
Video game adaptations are having their time in the sun right now. Specific genres are well-suited for adaptations on screen. Devil May Cry felt a little too far-fetched to be a live action show, so animation was like a natural choice. Netflix has already produced an animated version of Devil May Cry, but this version of the series is anime, a genre with which I’m not particularly familiar. However, this didn’t change my excitement level for the series.
The results were decidedly mixed.
Although it had been a while since I had played Devil May Cry, I only played the first game, so there were a considerable number of people in the show who I was entirely unfamiliar with. However, the main character is Dante (Johnny Yong Bosch), a hired gun with superpowers who doesn’t know his origins. Dante coming to terms with his origins is one of the main story points that makes the series intriguing and personal.
But Dante isn’t the only intriguing character in the series. There’s also White Rabbit (Hoon Lee), a demon terrorist who dresses up as a giant White Rabbit. One episode explores how the White Rabbit became the villain in the series, and it’s beautiful. It is mainly silent, and the art is stunning. It’s one of the best episodes of television so far this year, and one of the best villain origins I’ve seen. White Rabbit’s descent into evil is entirely understandable, because he’s pushed to the brink by humans. For a character that’s not even in the game, the White Rabbit makes his mark.
With a series like Devil May Cry, the action scenes are pivotal because they can make or break the show, and thankfully, they’re off the charts here. The show has two main styles of action. First, the human-centric action involves the use of guns. This series is extremely graphic from a violence and gore perspective, so that with firearms is over the top. Secondly, there’s the demon-centric action. In the demon realm, there are swords, flying, transformations, and secret powers. It’s well-choreographed and filled with style that anime accentuates.
The last pro I will give Devil May Cry is its use of music. If you’re a massive fan of nu-metal and grew up watching alternative music on MTV in the late 1990s and early 2000s, this music is going to pump you up. That’s all I have to say about the music, because it has nothing to do with the plot or story. It’s a personal preference.
That being said, the story is disjointed and lacks coherence. Devil May Cry faces the challenge of introducing viewers to multiple characters and storylines. Many are underdeveloped, and the entire organization responsible for hunting demonic activity, known as DARKCOM, is similarly short-shrifted. This is a classic case of too much story and not enough time. Some episodes could have been extended, and some storylines could have been omitted, such as those which focus on characters who end up dying and become inconsequential to the story. Because the demonic realm can easily be solved by adding in a relic or a demon to fix anything, the story can at times get lazy in a hurry. Due to the lack of a story, Devil May Cry suffers immensely.
Another aspect of Devil May Cry that isn’t great is the writing. Dante in particular suffers from some horrendous dialogue. I acknowledge that this is part of the game as well; the dialogue is filled with hackneyed jokes. However, while the vocal performances are good enough to carry the series, the writing is subpar.
Devil May Cry has plenty of things to celebrate: a killer soundtrack, fantastic characters, and action to die for. Yet the writing and story cannot be overlooked, as they significantly detract from the series. I’m excited about what Netflix can cook up for Season Two. They just need stronger writing and a more structured, focused narrative.
Rating: It Was Just Okay
Devil May Cry is currently streaming on Netflix
You can read more from Mike Hilty and follow him on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Serializd