Devilman Crybaby

Devilman Crybaby
Key visual released in June 2017; its text reads "Kill, as instinct"[1]
Genre	Action[2] Dark fantasy[3] Superhero[4]
Original net animation
Directed by	Masaaki Yuasa
Produced by	Yōhei Shintaku Kazuomi Nagai
Written by	Ichirō Ōkouchi
Music by	Kensuke Ushio
Studio	Science SARU
Licensed by	Netflix
Released	January 5, 2018
Runtime	24–27 minutes
Episodes	10

Devilman Crybaby is a 2018 Japanese original net animation (ONA) series based on Go Nagai's manga series Devilman. The web anime is directed by Masaaki Yuasa, produced by Aniplex and Dynamic Planning, animated by Science SARU, and released by Netflix. Yuasa was offered the opportunity to create a Devilman project by Aniplex, and envisioned Devilman Crybaby. Announced in 2017 to mark Nagai's 50th anniversary as a creator, Crybaby was made available for worldwide streaming on January 5, 2018, as a Netflix original series.

The series updates the original 1970s setting to the 21st century but retains the basic premise of Nagai's manga, following Akira Fudo and his friend Ryo Asuka as they face an ancient race of demons that seek to destroy humanity. Believing the only way to defeat the demons is to obtain their powers, Ryo proposes that Akira unite with a demon; in doing so Akira transforms into the titular Devilman, gaining the powers of a demon but retaining the soul of a human. The anti-war themes of the original Devilman are re-interpreted as a metaphor for bigotry, in which manipulation and paranoia are discussed using the allegory of the demons as "the other". The anime's themes of puberty, sexuality, sex, love, and LGBT identity were explored in critics' analysis of the work, along with a debate over whether the series' perspective and ending are nihilistic.

Fans were divided in their response to Yuasa's take on Nagai's work, though the series' announcement and release were among the most widely discussed anime series released in 2018. Its viewership numbers are unknown as Netflix does not disclose these figures, though many journalists described the series as a hit. Critics assessed Crybaby favorably, with some calling it a "masterpiece", the best Netflix anime, and one of the best anime of the year overall and the decade. Although the response to its graphic content and ending was divided, its animation, soundtrack, characterization, openly LGBT characters, and faithfulness to the original manga were praised.