Akuma-kun is the second anime adaptation of a manga series written and illustrated by Shigeru Mizuki, following the 1989 version. It is directed by Junichi Sato, who directed the 1989 adaptation, and Fumitoshi Oizaki, with Hiroshi Ōnogi writing the scripts and Daichi Nagatomi producing the series. Akio Izutsu composed the show's music.
When you're a child prodigy, you usually have the ability to change the world for the better. However, we did not expect that one of them would have the ability to summon demons. Well, a kid does and apparently it's a great gift for him. I had never heard of Akuma-kun until I realized it was coming out on Netflix. This is mainly because the manga series originated in 1963, sixty years before its recent Netflix adaptation. So, being a youngster in the anime world, I'm now in another new territory for the format. Fortunately, the concept alone is enough to see how popular it was in the '60s.
Stars: Cristina Valenzuela, Frank Todaro, Bill Rogers
As mentioned above, this is the latest adaptation of Shigeru Mizuki's manga series, as it was previously adapted as a live-action television show in 1966, followed by the 1989 anime series. The adaptations follow a child prodigy, Shingo Umoregi (Alex Cazares) (nicknamed “Akuma-kun”), who appears once every 10,000 years. He seeks to create a better world for humans and demons to coexist peacefully by taking advantage of the ability to summon and command various demons.
The Netflix adaptation centers on Shingo's adopted son, Ichiro Umoregi (Michael Johnston), the second Akuma-kun who is deadpan, stubborn, and obsessed with pancakes. Along with his half-human companion, Mephisto III (Kyle McCarley), Ichiro uses his gift to run the Millennial Research Institute, dedicated to solving murder mysteries involving demons. During the process, Ichiro's personal quest to uncover his past led him to unleash a winged angel known as Strophia, who has a history with Ichiro.
Each episode consists of a murder mystery based on a specific sin. An example is "Greed", in which Toboyama is obsessed with eating Satan's flesh, forcing him to task Ichiro with summoning Satan despite the consequences that come with it. The other is “Envy,” which is about a film director's jealousy of his friend's cinematic masterpiece. Do you remember the movie Se7en, which consists of a series of murders based on the seven deadly sins? Well, Akuma-kun is pretty much the anime equivalent of that mystery classic, except it contains supernatural demons. It also gives me similar vibes to another paranormal mystery anime series, In/Spectre.
It's easy to see that people who have read Akuma-kun will likely find a lot to enjoy in the new adaptation. Of course, that includes the story of the series, making it a legacy sequel to the original anime. But how would newcomers like me fare? Well, considering I enjoyed a good murder mystery, I figured I'd enjoy this slightly creepy series a bit. While I wouldn't call it a great mystery worth solving, it's a fun treat worthy of feeding my need for supernatural-related content, regardless.
Akuma-kun offers an episodic narrative that focuses on Ichiro and Mephisto solving murder mysteries, with slight hints of character development used to advance its seasonal plot. Amidst his mystery, the series depicts Ichiro's coming-of-age journey to resolve his origin story while rekindling his relationship with his father, Shingo. Unfortunately, his rude and stubborn behavior comes between him and his understanding of happiness and friendship. As for his personality, I wouldn't call Ichiro a likable character. However, the series' messages and Michael Johnston's vocal performance often help maintain my reverence for him until his conclusion.
The series also suffered from a bit of repetition during its first few episodes. Fortunately, the second half conjures up enough spells to keep my interest, thanks to a few episodes I liked the most. One of them is the ninth episode, “Father,” which involves the subtle emotional development of Mio Kazama (Chedi Chang) and his mother, Sanae (Shara Kirby). The other is “Celebration,” in which the characters took a break from solving mysteries to delve into their relationships during Christmas. Of course, the last two episodes also served as a nice closure to the protagonist's arc.
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