Amon: The Darkside of Devilman

I'll just get into it. Story: 4 Amon: Devilman Mokushiroku is supposed to be a retelling of the last arc of the original Devilman manga, so I don't recommend reading this if you haven't read the first one, because Amon doesn't explain anything about the previous plot at all. Not only that, but it barely even explains its own plot. The plot of Amon is all over the place. It jumps between different time periods and stories, so it actually ends up being just a bunch of episodes that don't really add up to a whole all that well. For example, volumes 2-4 comprise one big three-volumearc explaining the demons' origins, but it doesn't influence the rest of the story at all. It's just there. The story as a whole I'd describe as mostly tedious, with some interesting parts that make you keep reading. There are also lots of fight scenes, of course, but most of them somehow seem lackluster and not worth talking about too much. The only redeeming feature are the great monster designs. Art: 8 The best thing about Amon by far is its art. I'd go as far as saying that it's the only part that's well done and the reason I started reading it in the first place. The art is very gritty and detailed, complementing the story very well. The character and especially the monster designs look great and are frequently shown off in beautiful single page or two-page panels. The backgrounds are also elaborately drawn, although they're often monotonous, showing mostly ruins and scorched earth. Also, this is a very visual manga without much dialogue explaining what's going on, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. The artist builds atmosphere and expresses the characters' (mostly Akira's and Ryou's, though) psychological states visually, without much exposition. This works very well, but also makes for some confusing parts of the story, mostly regarding the characters' motivations, which are pretty unclear (at least if you ask me). Character: 6 The characters are mostly redesigns of established characters from the original Devilman manga, some of them having been promoted to more important roles, but mostly staying the same, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Just like in the original manga, Akira and Ryou are the most interesting characters here and Akira's character arc, revolving around him questioning his humanity, is, in my opinion, the best part of Amon. The contrast between his demon side and his human side is done even better than in the original manga. Amon also adds some new major villains to the Devilman lore, but they're completely forgettable and unnecessary, as are their story arcs. Enjoyment and Overall: 5 There certainly were parts of Amon that I've enjoyed, but they're sadly burried under the bad storytelling. The reader might get a few kicks from the fighting, but that isn't very varied, either. In conclusion, read this if you're a hardcore Devilman fan, but don't expect much more than good art, some fighting and a few moments of interesting character drama. It's a quick read, if anything.