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Title:
  Devil May Cry: The Animated Series

UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment

BBFC Certificate:  15

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):£24.99(DVD)£29.99(Blu-Ray)

Episodes:  12 (complete series)

Audio Options:  English 5.1, Japanese 2.0

Subtitles:  English

Reviewer:  Matt Dark

 

Most people will probably know Devil May Cry (DMC) as the videogame series that started its life on the PS2, which follows the story of Dante as he goes around kicking demon-butt.  Now in his own anime, we continue to follow Dante during his time as an odd-jobs demon hunter, but can the anime live up to the games it is based on?

Set somewhere between DMC1 and 4, we see Dante making a living by going through various missions involving demonic activity, in order to pay his debts to others, such as Lady (DMC3) who is also in the demon hunting business.
 

For the most part, the anime is made up of small stories, with each episode looking at a new job.  In a way this seems to aid the show, as it is able to keep giving us something new to follow each episode, from demon-summoning bells, to a demon that grants any wish, as long as it kills someone.

Dante aside, the only real link between all the episodes is Patty, a young girl that Dante was hired to protect at the start of the series.  An

Orphan child who seems to grow attached to Dante, though she ends up spending more time cleaning up around Dante's office.

We also get to see a fair bit of Lady, and Trish (DMC1) throughout the series, as they both come along and meet with Dante occasionally.  Trish as an ex-partner of Dante’s and a demon herself, with the power to wield lightning and Lady, a human who happens to be a very skilled demon-hunter, who is most commonly seen wielding a customised missile launcher during a fight. 

Despite its age rating, the anime is rather tame.  There is the occasional use of language, and you usually see a fair amount of blood, but so much of the shows action seems to take place off screen.  Whenever you catch Dante fighting a demon, you usually only see the demon getting filled full of holes, or Dante himself stood mid-pose after using his sword, all usually accompanied by a good spurt of blood. 
 

It’s a shame that it didn’t make full use of the series action, which is one of the things that it is most well known for, which makes for something of a disappointment when you never truly see Dante fight.  The only real bit of action you seem to get in the show is during episode 4, when Trish and Lady first meet.

The only other complaint I had with this series was the audio work.  While is was good for the most part, there were a number of times in the English dub where some voices, especially 

Dante's, sounded off, like they hadn’t been recorded properly, as you could often hear the voice echoing as he would speak, not as if to say he was in a spacious room, but more like the voice artists may have been too close to the mic.

Devil May Cry may interest some people as an introduction to the series, but those who are long-time fans may not find a whole lot on offer.  While the series is decent and works on its own, it just doesn’t stand up to its videogame counterparts and never really excites at any point.  I’d only pick it up if you’re looking for an introduction to the series, rather then an addition.

Extras:

Along with the standard clean opening and closing, disc 1 contains an interview with Toshiyuki Morikawa, the Japanese voice artist for Dante, as he talks about playing the role of Dante and his role in the series.

Each disc is also full of videos for Devil May Cry 4 (DMC4).  As the anime was initially announced around the same time as the 4th game, there are a handful of teaser trailers for both this and the game.  There are also numerous trailers for DMC4 along with a number of cut scenes taken directly out of the game itself.  Which is unsurprising, as the anime seems to close off hinting that it ends shortly before the start of DMC4.

Ratings

Feature:   Extras:
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