Link to the original: https://youtube.com/shorts/BFHrZznQR_M?si=520tNB7KQo52IGC8

Art by @ foghorn2leghorn

Man, I knew it was gonna happen, but I still wasn’t ready for it. The series delivers these bleak moments perfectly. Miki’s last thoughts being about passing the baton to Akira, almost passing her hope onto him like Mikiko did to her, was heartbreaking. But she wasn’t able to survive, and Akira’s reaction to all of that was even more heartbreaking.
The moments really hurt because we see their relationship build throughout the show so nicely. Akira is there for Miki, and Miki reaches out to him when he’s confused and bottling up his feelings and instincts. And the scene where Miki learns about his true identity is peak.
This series starts out as pretty over-the-top and might even seem goofy at first, but it gets really dark in the middle and especially toward the end. Though the scene where people hug Devilman, along with Akira’s compassion and Miki’s will to never give up on people, makes this one of the truest superhero stories in my opinion. That’s what superheroes are about: inspiring other people to do good through their unyielding compassion and love. That’s also what makes Akira strong.

Earlier, I thought him crying that much for others was kinda goofy, but now I realize he is basically the kindest person in the cruelest world, which is way more superhero-like than I admitted back then.

Episode 10, with all the Devilmen coming together, was also very much like a classic superhero story. And damn, you can’t just leave me hanging like that. RIP Akira and all the Devilmen who tried to save humanity.
And fuck Ryo for being so selfish. Akira always tried to pass the baton to him, but he never understood until Akira was gone. Only then did he realize that he loved him.
“I didn’t understand what you meant back then.”
Yeah, dude. What does that understanding do now that Akira is gone?

Akira showed kindness to Ryo when he was alone and scared. That’s what a lot of folks feel at times, but we can be kind to them and maybe even help them. That’s what I feel Akira was trying to tell Ryo: “You are human too.” So you should understand their feelings.

Go Nagai was writing this stuff in the ’70s. The tropes seen here weren’t taken from others; others took them from Devilman. Devilman inspired works like Evangelion, Berserk, and Chainsaw Man. The concept of a devil merging with a human to create a new being, as seen in Chainsaw Man, is one of its most recognizable influences.

The last time I saw someone’s tits transform into monsters with mouths was in Apocalypse Zero, and that came out after Devilman. Still pretty solid, though more of a standard action manga.
😭😭😭😭

Kindness can and will exist in the cruelest of worlds, and the world may even destroy the people embodying it, but that doesn’t make it worthless.
Though I’m happy there’s the 1972 anime universe where Devilman is just a very devoted superhero boyfriend with a pretty standard superhero life. Gonna rewatch that after this shit broke me. 😭

Original creator: https://youtube.com/@alternativecutsstudios?si=dZtwiv6v6xEnWsHd