However, Devil Man isn't without its problems. The English dubbing is barely passable, and it's the only option for viewing the movie. The actors are extremely melodramatic, and their dialogue really hurts the film. The actual storyline in Devil Man is fairly interesting, but some of the subplots are very under-developed, and really should've been taken out. The transformation Akira goes through, as a shy, introverted teenager who protects the school's rabbits from being killed by thugs before melds with the demon, to the swearing, bloodthirsty, sex-crazed Akira after he's melded with the demon doesn't seem right – its too much of a shift in personality. It should be said that this isn't anime for your kids either; it contains gobs of nudity, swearing, and violence.

Picture:
Devil Man is presented, digitally remastered, in fullscreen. The picture, although it shows some very minor wear from age, looks good, although some of the blacks appear too soft.

Sound:
The audio for Devil Man is Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, and though generally quiet most of the time, comes through when needed. I did think that the surround was better in the second volume than the first, but at one point in volume two, chapter four, the sound fades in and out. Slightly bothersome, but it doesn't last long. Although mentioned previously, it bares repeating that there is only the English Dub on the disc, no subtitles of any sort, and no other languages to choose from.

Extras:
Devil Man includes a few extras worth mentioning – you get the original trailer, a photo gallery, a Go Nagai biography (he scripted Devil Man), scene index, and a common staple of Manga DVDs - the Manga 2000 trailer, which includes snippets from a wide variety of other Manga releases. There is also a section with a short summary of most of the other available Manga DVDs, including Perfect Blue, Ghost in the Shell, and Ninja Scroll.

Summary:
Fans who like their anime with a touch of horror and fantasy should look into Devil Man – the storyline is good, with the only drawbacks being the underdeveloped subplots and the radical character change of Akira. However, the dubbing is questionable, and really hurts what otherwise could be a very strong showing from Manga DVD. Those previously not exposed to anime would do good to skip over this title for the time being, and look into Ghost and the Shell, Ninja Scroll, or Perfect Blue.