why kan’t zoe write?

while i can’t be with my movie buddies, i have found solace with my dvd buddies.

Devilman

Description:

AKA: Debiruman
Director(s): Hiroyuki Nasu

Released: 2004
DVD Released: 02/24/05
Country: Japan
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Science Fiction

DVD buddies: Agot and Sugar

I’m not a big Anime fan, but I do find it interesting. Agot and Sugar - they’re big fans.

This is a live-action version of the Devilman OVA (original video anime) and manga series in Japan. It follows the story of scrawny high school best friends Akira and Ryo, both becoming demons with the accidental release of some supernatural beings from the antarctic. The virus somehow becomes pandemic, turning normal people into demons and causing chaos among society. It becomes the Devilman’s mission to put an end to this madness.

And because we don’t like it, I’m gonna tell you more about the movie.

Akira, as the Devilman, eventually has to fight side-by-side with, and later against Ryo, who turns out to be the reincarnation of Satan. Yin-Yang. However, with the alarming number of "infected" humans becoming demons, an anti-demon squad was formed to quarantine them. Normal people become paranoid, hence, causing amok. The irony was humans ended up killing humans which was Satan’s plan coming into fruition. He only had to sit back and relax.

The sub-plots and some scenes didn’t make sense.

For instance, in the midst of war, Akira and his love interest, Mikki, go to church. You would think they would pray for world peace. But - no. Mikki prays how she would want to marry him and have "many children with you." What the -?

And then this sub-plot where a good teenage demon, Mikho, and her newfound like-a-little-brother friend, Susumo (yeah, we know) run around the city to evade the anti-demon squad. When the world was obliterated, they were the only ones who survived for some reason only the director and writers know. The rest was predictable: they were the only ones left, so it was up Mikho to wait for Susumo to mature so they can populate the new world.

Ryo, the incarnation of Satan - it was so predictable that Agot, Sugar, and I made that remake simultaneously. And nonchalantly.

And what of Akira and Ryo? They have a (brief) final showdown. Good prevailed. Predictable.

The story wasn’t our biggest problem. It was the acting. While the CGI was impressive (hmm… overall), the acting was appalling. Daig pa sila ni Gollum.

The first part of the movie was fast-paced, however, as the story progressed, I found myself almost dozing off a couple of times. I was only roused with cool CGI scenes.

It was Sugar who bluntly said, "Ang pangit naman ng DVD na hiniram mo, kuya!"

As a consolation, the actors were mostly teenage pop idols in Japan, which got Agot sarcastically remarking in his most macho voice, "Pare, am pogi, pare!"

~ by kabibe on August 16, 2005.