DEVIL MAY CRY – THE ANIMATED SERIES LEVEL 3
June 20th 2010 00:13
Category: Videos
Based on the Devil May Cry computer game by CAPCOM
Director: Shin Itagaki
Screenplay by: Shotaro Suga et al
Producers: Takaya Ibira, Tatsuhiro Nitta, Daisuke Katagiri, Tetsuro Satomi
Starring: Justin Cause (Dante), Rob Mungle (Morrison), Maggie Flecknoe (Cindy), Hilary Haag (Patty), Chris Ayres (Sid), Luci Christian (Trish), Melissa Davis (Lady), Robin Jones (Sara), Jay Hickman (Modeus), Andrew Love (Baul), John Swasey (Fredi), Maggie Flecknoe (Cindy), Stephanie Wittels (Nina) & David Wald (Simon)
Produced by: Showgate, Media Factory & Wowow
English version produced by: ADV Films
Running Time: 100 minutes Rating: MA 15
Sometimes an anime series seems to be just a series of one shot vignettes, the only connecting focus being the key protagonist or protagonists. Of course sometimes a series may seem just like that when in reality there is an ongoing storyline that now and then rears its head in what seems to be an unrelated incident here and there at key points through these individual little vignettes. Devil May Cry (DMC) is a perfect example of this being employed by the series creators, they have employed the character of Sid, a somewhat disempowered demon to act as the foil to the key character of Dante in order to bring forth a storyline in which to wrap things up. And this is what they achieve with spectacular results in this final volume of the DMC series.
For those of you who have never heard of this series or the computer game developed by CAPCOM which spawned it let me give you something of a run down on things. Dante the series primary protagonist is private investigator who runs an agency known as Devil May Cry, now he’s not your average run of the mill gumshoe, not by a long shot. For starters Dante is the offspring of the demon lord Sparda, a figure feared by other demons and strangely revered by humans after he took up his blade and fought on their behalf against the King of Hell. Secondly Dante only takes on cases involving demons or their ilk; he usually doesn’t deal in helping bring down kittens that have got stuck up trees or other similar mundane matters. Nor do his cases usually end with the disputants settling things in either a civilized manner or amicably, no maximum carnage is the name of the game here.
King though is not your usual kind of demon though; this demon usually employs misdirection and deception in order to achieve its ends, making puppets of the very gamblers themselves so that it gains their souls. Unfortunately for King the demon gambler meets its match in taking on Dante for a high stakes wager, namely the gambling of one’s own life. Dante may not be the greatest card player in the world but when it comes to wagering his own life in a winner takes all situation he swiftly proves just how capable he really is, to the dismay of King. Shame the maker’s didn’t have Motorhead’s Ace of Spades playing as background music for this one as that tune would have been suitably apt for the story. I suppose you can’t everything…
From the deadly poker game things seem to move into a more direct story involving a white demon that is seeking to take Dante’s soul. This is but the beginning of the end so to speak, the opening stanza in a grand scheme that will literally see the gates of hell cast open and the world laid supine before hordes of infernal entities seeking to establish themselves their own kingdoms. Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven, better still to reign over the world of man as well, this seems to be the major credo of demonic ideology. Unfortunately what this agenda seems to lack in its implementation is the fact that perhaps, just perhaps, there might be someone or several someone’s who will take some serious umbrage to the attempt of the powers of hell staging an annexation attempt.
Aided by the enigmatic Lady and the stylish Trish as well as his friend Morrison Dante manages to put himself into a position whereby he can thwart the efforts of the demon Sid from reigning down all manner of hellfire and brimstone upon the world (bad pun intended). The sudden unleashing of the power of one of the most potent demonic entities ever had not been on the radar for either Dante or his cohorts, let’s face it they were completely unaware of what Sid was up to nor the fact that every time they succeeded in a particular mission they were playing into his hands, giving him the means by which he could carry out his malevolent scheme. Still when the dust finally settled in the aftermath of the attempted apocalypse Sid can’t conceive that his enemies are able to put up more than just a passing attempt at resistance. They are a serious threat to him, but like many a villain in all manner of stories be they anime, manga, novels he has a serious blind spot in regards to the capabilities of his foes that only proves to be his undoing. Plot contrivance can only go so far to aid a villain in his schemes and eventually it turns back to his foes so to speak. Devil May Cry – The Animated Series Level 3 is an action packed extravaganza, well worth taking the time to get your hands on and watching if this kind of thing is up your alley.
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