Akuma-kun (ONA)

Akuma-Kun (2023) is one of the four new projects announced in 2021 to celebrate Shigeru Mizuki’s 100th birthday. To the uninitiated, Mizuki is an incredibly influential figure in Japanese pop culture. Being a Youkai researcher, his interests in the world of folktales and how they affect the society they encompass influence the works he writes. His most popular work is Gegege no Kitarou, which made a huge step into the western anime community back in 2018 with its most recent adaptation simulcasting on Crunchyroll. However, 34 years after its initial adaptation and 60 years since the publication of its first manga, Akuma-Kun takes an all-new step into the modern era of anime, airing a new adaptation on Netflix finally allowing this series to be accessible to the western community. The story of Akuma-Kun is similar to that of Gegege no Kitarou, but instead of episodic stories about Youkai, Akuma-Kun is about, well, Akuma. “Akuma” means an evil spirit; however, they’re also synonymous with devils or demons, which Akuma-Kun references a lot since hell is a place where these evil spirits go. These Akuma prey on human desires, usually perfectionism and greed, and use those emotions to control and manipulate humans; creating the conflicts for each episodic story. Akuma-Kun (2023) is similar to its 1989 counterpart in storytelling; however, it's important to remember that it is not a re-adaptation. Akuma-Kun (2023) takes place after the events of the main series, with the two main characters being the children of the original Akuma-Kun and his companion Mephisto-II. With this being said, you don’t need the context of the original series or original characters to understand this adaptation, as not only do the previous main characters get their own development as parents, but also because this series is its own thing in many ways. (This review contains slight spoilers, however I have a spoiler-free TL;DR at the end) The biggest difference between the two adaptations is tone. Mizuki’s adaptations are often childish in appearance while being morally complex and gruesome in storytelling. Gegege no Kitarou (2018) is a great example of this: bright childish designs and comedic moments with very gruesome tales of death and suffering interspersed between. However, Akuma-Kun (2023) takes this idea a step further by conveying these themes through its visual style. Akuma-Kun often gets very grim, conveying its brutal deaths in an honest but gruesome way. While the character designs are similarly childish in appearance, lacking any depth in detail with soft, round faces and eyes, the backgrounds are in complete contrast to this. Backgrounds are rough and gruesome in appearance, with rugged linework and impressively detailed designs. The shading is bold and has only one tone of dark black, encompassing every inch of detail in the backgrounds. Shot composition is used to highlight this beauty, with many close-up shots showing the detail on surrounding objects. This depth of detail is in every way impressive, as it is beautiful, and it's reminiscent of Shichirou Kobayashi’s work. The backgrounds are supported by a great understanding of colour composition, blending everything together and having light bounce off of characters in a very satisfying way. This can be attributed to the colour designer Kunio Tsujita at the helm, who has worked alongside Shichirou Kobayashi on Utena as well as many Toei projects such as Ojamajo Doremi, Gokinjou Monogatari, Mali & Gali, and Hakaba Kitarou. The backgrounds are just jaw-droppingly gorgeous and do a wonderful job at selling the dark and gruesome tone of Akuma-Kun. In many ways, Akuma-Kun (2023) can be compared to Hakaba Kitarou (2007), an adaptation of the original 1950s Kitarou Kashi-hon that Mizuki published before Gegege no Kitarou. This version of Kitarou is violent, not afraid to show death in its purest and most gruesome form. The 2007 Hakaba Kitarou adaptation takes a similarly differing approach to its visuals by having a rough art style to help convey its darker themes. Similar to this version of Kitarou, Akuma-Kun (2023) isn’t afraid to be as gruesome as possible, straying away from the more kid-friendly tone the 1989 adaptation had. I'm not sure what the original manga for Akuma-Kun was like since the 1989 anime isn’t an adaptation of the original manga. However, I assume it’s similar to Hakaba Kitarou in that it has a much darker tone compared to its subsequent releases. In Akuma-Kun (2023), we’re shown violent murders and deaths, and it doesn’t shy away from how horrific they are. However, this cynical portrayal of human life isn’t just for the sake of shock value. The gruesome deaths we are shown are interwoven with the core themes of the series and, in almost complete contrast, convey the value of human life. The core themes explored in Akuma-Kun (2023) are the human desire for perfection, greed, and jealousy. There are stories like a mother “accidentally” murdering her own child because her child went against her perception of her, so she made a contract with a devil to impersonate her daughter in a way she wanted her to be, or like when a rich bastard, who has a goal of trying every food in the world, blindly murdered his maid because he wanted to summon Satan to be the first to taste his flesh. As absurd as some of these stories can get, Akuma-Kun never fails to deliver these stories through great mystery and intrigue, tying everything to the ideas it's trying to convey. The idea of “selling your soul to the devil'' is a key component of the stories told in Akuma-Kun, as we see many characters throughout the series make contracts with Akuma out of a desire for perfection. However, making these contracts always ends in misfortune because the devils only want to manipulate humans by preying on their desires. One of my favourite episodes, episode 9, was about a writer who wanted to create the perfect script and sold his soul to an Akuma to do so. He was obsessed with making a masterpiece, he was obsessed with that "perfection", but that desire eventually led him to abandoning his wife and child due to frustration in himself. Even when he makes amends with them years later he believes he failed as a father and doesn't deserve to be one. But what does "being a good father" even mean? What does that look like? And just because you're imperfect that means you don't deserve these things? Akuma-Kun tells the audience that you should always value what you have in your life and never let greed or the desire for perfection get in the way of what’s truly in front of you. These themes and ideas are very common in Mizuki’s works and adaptations; however, Akuma-Kun (2023) takes it a step further by questioning the morals of the main characters. In episode 6, the newly introduced antagonist ‘Strophaia’ questions Mephisto’s claim that everything that happened is the fault of the Akuma, implying that they would’ve lived happily if it weren’t for them. Throughout the series thus far, Akuma-kun and Mephisto are the heroes that save humans from the Akuma that possess them; however, Strophaia questions this moral, saying “It's easier to blame someone else. But the more you do so, the more painful it gets.” Are Akuma-Kun and Mephisto really protecting humans from Akuma, or are they protecting humans from their own internal horrors? Episode 7 presents us with an Akuma who was rescued and raised by a human, a human who offered up all of his kindness to save others but ultimately succumbed to the weight of it all. This kindness he received growing up led to him forming a “human” heart, becoming a politician with the goal of helping others. Yet this strong desire leads him to kill those who oppose him, letting his inner Akuma take over his body. At the end of the episode, however, he chooses to give himself up to the police instead of attacking Ichirou, because he truly does want to do what’s right and have a “human heart”. Akuma-Kun…

On the positive side of things, this is one of those sequels viewers don't need to see the prequel material to get. On the not-so-positive side, the show may leave viewers actually wanting to check out the prequel material, which may not be something viewers may have access to. Akuma-kun is certainly a long waited delight for those who are into the older series, perhaps even more eclectic styles of Anime/Manga, albeit this isn't a reboot let alone an older Anime finally getting a dub. Of course, Akuma-kun is difficult to explain, beyond the fact it is of the supernatural mystery genre which can in itself be super-niche. And on top of the supernatural horror elements, which are mild compared to some of the others going for the psychological pull rather than the gore out, although the show doesn't shy away from blood and gore when needed, there is also comedy, not to mention interpersonal relationships some are craving, the latter I personally enjoyed a lot.

Welcome To Demon Hunting, Akuma-kun. Akuma-kun 2023 is a middle-shelf Netflix anime. Not excellent but not a stinker. In fact, it's pretty good. I’ve never watched the 1989 anime but this sequel does an excellent job of introducing new viewers to the world and story without it feeling alienating. In a world where demons lurk and make contracts with humans, it's up to the new Akuma-kun, a title handed down by those chosen by the Flute of Salomon to fight against demonic forces with the help of his trusty demon companion Mephisto III… which is easier said than done when Mephisto III is a weaker, half-breed demon and Ichirou, the new Akuma-kun, is an emotionally stunted genius whose cold and calculated attitude and approach to people, demons and the cases brought before him rub people the wrong way. This gives Ichirou and Mephisto a Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson character dynamic which is unfortunate because neither of them is particularly likeable at the beginning of the series. Especially Mephisto, who is supposed to be Ichirou's social and moral parameter but ends up being dead weight most of the time as Ichirou’s almost 100% right about everything nearly all the time. However, they both grow on you further into the season as they develop as characters and thanks to the wide range of side characters they interact with. As a supernatural mystery anime about two people solving demonic crimes, I was a bit weary that the show would use magic to pull a solution out of its ass because the writers couldn’t be bothered to write a good mystery. Thankfully that's not the case. The plot of Each episode revolves around a different case involving different demons, but the show gives the viewers all the information they need to piece together the mystery for themselves and satisfyingly follow Ichirou's thought process to its impressive conclusion. I love the art style. It feels like a mixture of the old 1989 Akuma-kun anime and the creepy yet endearing Halloween vibes of Soul Eater. The characters are colourful and striking and I especially love some of the demons’ designs. It lends itself well to animation too. Overall it's a wonderfully crafted anime. Akuma-kun 2023 is pretty good. It won’t be everyone’s thing and I will admit the finale was a bit lacklustre, but I had a good time with it regardless. It's one of those shows you have to let the 3/4 episode rule apply before you decide on whether or not you like it. 7/10 Good.

Hmm, I think it was decent. I think it was a nice decent filler show that you watch between bigger shows. Or just a little bite sized nibble to wean you back into anime if you’ve been gone for a while. I enjoyed it, but I couldn’t help but feel as though I’d enjoy it more if I watched the 1990s version before it. You don’t HAVE to watch its predecessor, but the original had 42 episodes whereas this series only has 12. I can’t help but feel as though there’s a lot of useful backstory, specifically with the previous Akuma-kun. Imagine watching Boruto without watching Naruto, you know? Sure, they can include vague and cryptic allusions to the past, but you’d have to see and feel, you’d have to BE there, in order to get why certain things are so important and meaningful. What I liked the most about this series is that it focuses on parents, specifically fathers. Good fathers, bad fathers, fathers just doing their best. I think we’ve become way too accustomed to absent parents or single mother homes that we don’t get to see how different variations of fatherhood also affect children. I really loved watching the duo solve mysteries and using those mysteries to implement them into their own lives. What does it mean to be a friend? Can you love your child too much? How can humans love and hate one another at the same time? So many complex human emotions being examined by demons while warding off evil. Perhaps I’ll watch the original version or search high and low for the manga. In the meantime, give this anime a try. You might like it!

Entré a esta obra sabiendo que es una precuela, y aunque no conocía prácticamente nada de la franquicia original, se puede seguir perfectamente. La serie se centra en un dúo de personajes muy al estilo Sherlock Holmes, que se dedican a resolver misterios de índole paranormal, enfrentando demonios y fenómenos sobrenaturales. Su narrativa es semi episódica, con pequeños avances en la continuidad que conectan los distintos casos. En el lado positivo, la serie tiene un estilo visual particular, que me recordó ligeramente a algunos personajes de Shigeru Mizuki. Los escenarios crudos y la forma en que se representan los demonios aportan personalidad y hacen que, al menos visualmente, destaque de otros animes de misterio sobrenatural moderno. La mezcla de horror ligero y aventuras sobrenaturales genera momentos entretenidos y mantiene cierto interés durante los episodios. Por el lado negativo, la serie se siente incompleta y poco ambiciosa. Los misterios rara vez permiten que el espectador intente resolverlos, ya que casi todos se explican mediante reglas mágicas del mundo demoníaco. Esto hace que la parte investigativa pierda fuerza, y que la serie, en conjunto, no deje una impresión duradera. El argumento funciona para pasar el rato, pero no aporta profundidad ni sorpresas significativas. En resumen, Akuma-kun es una serie entretenida, ligera y de estilo propio, pero limitada en ambición y narrativa. Perfecta para verla “con el cerebro apagado”, disfrutar de los diseños y los casos sobrenaturales, pero difícilmente dejará huella más allá de eso. ENG: I went into this series knowing it was a prequel, and although I knew practically nothing about the original franchise, it's perfectly easy to follow. The series focuses on a duo of characters very much in the Sherlock Holmes vein, who dedicate themselves to solving paranormal mysteries, confronting demons and supernatural phenomena. Its narrative is semi-episodic, with small continuity advancements that connect the different cases. On the positive side, the series has a distinctive visual style, which slightly reminded me of some of Shigeru Mizuki's characters. The stark settings and the way the demons are depicted lend personality and make it, at least visually, stand out from other modern supernatural mystery anime. The blend of light horror and supernatural adventure creates entertaining moments and maintains a certain level of interest throughout the episodes. On the negative side, the series feels incomplete and unambitious. The mysteries rarely allow the viewer to try to solve them, as almost all of them are explained through magical rules of the demon world. This weakens the investigative aspect, and the series as a whole doesn't leave a lasting impression. The plot works for passing the time, but it lacks depth and significant surprises. In short, Akuma-kun is an entertaining, lighthearted series with its own unique style, but it's limited in ambition and narrative. Perfect for watching "with your brain switched off," enjoying the designs and the supernatural cases, but it's unlikely to leave a lasting impression beyond that.