Devil Man Recommended

Publisher
Manga Entertainment
Director
Tsutomu Iida
Production
King Records, Dynamic Planning, Kodansha
Country of origin
Japan
Format
OVA
Running time
52 min x 2 vol
Year
1987

Devil Man: The Demon Bird VHS

By John Huxley
28th Apr 04

Three years after Devil Man: The Birth (read my review), this sequel was released. It follows on almost immediately from it's predecessor, with Ryo lying wounded in hospital and Akira warming to his new personality accumulated from his melding with the demon Amon. The plot introduces us to Akira's new human powers - powerful leaps, massive strength and brilliant agility are all shown as he makes his way though Tokyo to battle with Jinmen, a shelled demon who devours souls and harbors their life force in order to prolong their pain. Although Akira doesn't realise it, Jinmen is the least of his worries on this particular night. Waiting for him back home are several particularly nasty enemies, the worst of which is the Demon Bird in question.

The whole film, right from that very beginning and the fight with Jinmen, is one long action scene with very little room character building or major plot twists. This would be a little shallow if it weren't one of the best animated action sequences ever produced. The animation quality is excellent, even managing to complete that old nutshell rotation and scaling with presumptuous ease. When Akira finally meets the demon bird, we're sent on a ride through Tokyo's sky scrapers, shanty towns and even up into the sky where an aeroplane spots sight of the two demons locked in battle, before finally heading off into the countryside for the climactic conflict. The action here is as gory as ever, if not more so. Devil Man disposes of demons in numerous, and increasingly violent and entertaining ways. My personal favorite is the demon who gets impaled through a tree like a cocktail sausage before the blood rains down on the foliage below. That always brings me up in a smile.

It's not all great, though. Well, it IS all great. Let me explain. Devil Man, in its original manga form is an epic tale with an earth shattering conclusion and plot twists that would surprise even the most hardy anime fan. What we are provided with between these two films is merely the opening chapter, a prelude to the real plot. So, what happened to the rest? A third film was made, but this is generally regarded to be poor in comparison with the original two (which were both produced with Go Nagai at the helm). This is a crying shame, as one of the best tales Japanese manga has ever told may be lost to anime forever.

As you can probably tell by my incessant rambling review, I like Devil Man. I like it a lot. There are very few anime that I can honestly say I prefer, one being the seminal Akira (the film, not the character). That is how highly I rate this film. Perhaps a little too action heavy for some, Devil Man: The Demon Bird and its predecessor nonetheless remain a classics that no-one should live without.

-- John Huxley 28th Apr 04

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