by It is a battle anime packed with the charm of a dark hero
The manga Devilman, published by Nagai Go in the 1970s, is famous for its nasty ending, called the “worst ever.” A mob brutally murders the heroine’s family, the woman the hero loves is decapitated, and humanity is wiped out.
Meanwhile, the anime Devilman, produced and aired simultaneously with the manga, has a very different ending from the original, which was hard mode from start to finish. Look at the anime’s final episode to see what’s different. The setting of Devilman can be briefly explained as a fierce battle between Devilman and the “Demon Army,” a race of grotesque creatures plotting to wipe out humans and take over the Earth.
The manga and the anime share the same storyline: a young human named Fudo Akira combines with a demon to become Devilman and fight other monsters. However, while in the manga, the personality is based on Akira himself, Devilman is depicted as borrowing the form of the dead Akira in the anime.
Therefore, one of the themes of the anime is, “Why does Devilman, who is supposed to be a devil, betray the Demon Clan and fight other devils to protect humans?” The key to the story is the heroine, Miki Makimura. She is the daughter of the Makimura family, where Akira is staying, and she is a kind-hearted classmate who tries to look after Akira in various ways. She is kind and has a strong core that tries to scold Akira when he acts like a delinquent. Gradually, Akira (Devilman) is attracted to her, and after learning the warmth of love, he decides to protect humans. In the final episode of the anime, episode 39, “Demon God: God’s Miracle,” the bond between the two is put to the test.
This is the worst lousy ending in history…isn’t it!?
In the final episode, the demon God, Devilman’s superior when he lived in the demon world, appears as an enemy.
Unlike other demons, God knows Devilman’s personality well and understands that Devilman betrayed the Demon Clan because of his feelings for Miki. God then threatens Devilman (Akira), saying that if he doesn’t want Miki to reveal his true identity, he should not get in the way of his destruction of the Earth. Akira once succumbs to this threat. However, when Miki’s younger brother, Kensaku Makimura, and his girlfriend are put in danger, he decides to fight God. Of course, God, whose promise has been broken, cannot remain silent.
When God appears before the two, he responds to Miki’s words, “You’re a monster!” by saying, “I am certainly a monster,” and reveals Akira’s true identity by saying, “But it’s too early to be surprised! Akira Fudo! He is also a monster, just like me! Devilman is him.” Akira has given up and transforms into Devilman right in front of Miki. However, Miki insists that this is also God’s work, refusing to believe him, saying, “He’s a monster who pretends to be God! Please return Akira to his original form!”.
Shaken by Miki’s unexpected reaction, Devilman attacks God and disappears. Akira returns to his human form and puts Miki on the back of his motorcycle, saying, “Thank you for believing in me, seeing me become Devilman right in front of you…” Miki responds by saying, “No matter what you look like, Akira is not the same inside,” showing her unchanging trust and the story ends with a refreshing ending.
This starkly contrasts the original story, which had a bad ending and ended with a refreshing one. By the way, after the anime aired, numerous OVAs were released, and one of them, “AMON: Devilman Apocalypse,” released in May 2000, was particularly shocking.
The film is an original story based on the timeline of the final part of the original manga. It begins with the brutal murder of Makimura Miki, which traumatized many readers. A manga with the same title was once serialized in the media mix magazine Monthly Magazine Z, but although the worldview and setting were the same, the story was different.
This OVA has an original story that can only be enjoyed, so it is a must-see for fans. In 2018, “DEVILMAN crybaby” was released on Netflix, which recreates the original work while giving it a modern twist. The story and setting of the Devilman series have changed with each work, and this may be one of its charms that is not found in other works.
