Devil May Cry Season 2 (Netflix)
Directed by Adi Shankar (showrunner)
Johnny Yong Bosch, Scout Taylor-Compton
“Adi Shankar's Devil May Cry is back, louder and more chaotic, and the second season finally lets Dante crack the jokes the show kept implying he would. The action is excellent. The plot is mostly an excuse.”
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The Review
Adi Shankar has been building an animated cinematic universe out of video game adaptations since Castlevania, and Devil May Cry season one was the proof he could keep the streak alive past the source material that built his reputation. Season two doubles down on what worked. The fights are longer, the music is heavier, and Dante is finally fully Dante instead of the brooding warm-up version we got in episodes one through six.
The plot, such as it is, picks up months after season one and introduces a new antagonist arc that exists primarily to give the fight choreographers more reasons to do what they do best. Lady gets a backstory expansion that almost justifies its runtime. Vergil shows up for approximately twenty seconds and the internet has not stopped screenshotting it since. The pacing is brisk to the point of being indifferent to anyone who has not played the games.
It is exactly what the audience wanted and not a frame more. The animation studio working on this clearly has fun, which translates. Some of the dialogue still reads like it was localized twice. The needle drops continue to be a major part of the show's identity in a way that will either work for you or actively distract you. Season three is already in production, which surprises absolutely nobody.
What It Nails
- +Fight choreography continues to be best in class for the medium
- +Johnny Yong Bosch finally gets to play full Dante and the show is better for it
- +Soundtrack curation is fanatical in a way fans will appreciate
- +Vergil's brief appearance is the most efficient twenty seconds of television this year
What It Botches
- -Dialogue can read like a translation of a translation
- -Plot is mostly a vehicle to deliver set pieces, which is honest but limiting
- -Newcomer characters do not get the development they need to land
- -The middle three episodes blur together in a way that suggests they should have been two
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Who It's For
Fans of the games. People who liked Castlevania. Audiences looking for animated action that takes itself just seriously enough.
Who Should Skip
Anyone hoping for narrative depth beyond gestures at it. Viewers who do not have an existing attachment to Dante. People who find loud needle drops fatiguing.
Marketing Roast
Netflix continues to position the Adi Shankar animation slate as a centerpiece of their genre programming. That positioning is earned. The marketing emphasizes the action, which is the right call.
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