Just when you thought Netflix’s Geeked Week couldn’t get any geekier, we finally got a proper trailer for Capcom and producer Adi Shankar’s long-gestating Devil May Cry anime. Shankar was previously involved with Castlevania, a series that I found myself really enjoying, but I don’t think DMC made a great first impression.
I admit I only have a scant minute, but I don’t think the Netflix adaptation of Devil May Cry is frigid enough — or, alternatively, stupid enough — to appeal to me. Devil May Cry has a ton of elements, ranging from atmospheric gothic castles and otherworldly ruins to Dante’s bachelor pad where he slays demons while playing pool. In DMC5 performs Michael Jackson dance wearing a magic cowboy hat.
I’m not going to claim that either of these extremes is the “real” Devil May Cry, but nothing in this compact trailer reminds me of how truly scary-atmospheric the aged games could be, or how fun they could be. All we have here is Dante saying “jackpot!” and then firing a bullet from a gun marked “jackpot” to kill some random demon in an alley.
It just so happens that this is the case a repeating line in a seriesbut I don’t know, it seems to me that it is unearned jackpot for me. I want to see Dante defeat a huge, nasty boss before I blurt this out. I hope this isn’t just a series full of empty Devil May Cry references without all their creativity.
The trailer has a lot of typical action anime elements and a mix of demons and contemporary military, none of which makes me feel like this Devil May Cry adaptation will have a particularly forceful identity as either pure over-the-top, heartfelt silliness or a more atmospheric immortal warrior adventure. Maybe once Vergil shows up, things will fall into place. At least we finally know when it’s coming out: April 2025.
