I never did play the DMC games, despite owning the first one for something like 20 years, because it was gifted to me alongside my PS2(I was just way more into KH, which I also got at the time). I always told myself I’d get around to it, and then the PS2 got packed up and I didn’t have time doe games and ultimately DMC faded from my periphery.
Cut to like a week ago, I’ve gotten my PS2 out and cleaned it of dust with intent to play some of my old games, I’m waffling over which of my old games to play- do I re-play a favourite? Do I start one I never got around to? I’ve still got work to finish first though so I sit down to work on some commissions, and because I recently got netflix free through my phone line I seek out something to throw on. It can’t be anything I’ll get too invested in, since I have to work— but oh huh what’s this? I didn’t hear DMC got a show, man I wanted to play that when I was younger, and it’s got that netflix faux-anime look so it probably won’t be anything too deep, perfect.
I ended up really liking what they did with the first season, as someone coming into it fresh through the show, with no context from the games(emphasizing because I’ve learned a lot of game fans hate the show). The characters were fun- I liked NDMC Dante a lot more than I’ve liked most quippy protags, and the music did indeed rocket my ass straight back to highschool, O won’t deny it. By ep 5 I was kinda squinting, wondering if they were doing some of the visual allusions on purpose or not, and during ep 6 I actually did just set my pen down and stop working to focus solely on the screen.
so much for the braindead action rhomp I’d signed up for, I’d found myself invested.
I was a responsible adult and slept before watching S2, despite being pretty wired from one of the best uses of American Idiot I’d seen in a while. S2 was… not what I’d hoped following S1, but it did make up for that by giving me a lot of the type of character angst I really enjoy in S2 Dante’s arc. Guy just could not catch a break, and it weighs on him, and that’s tasty. Because I have no pre-existing attachment to Vergil from the games, getting me invested in him was a feat only accomplished by his brief “oh are we daddening this guy? Oh. Oh no we are NOT oh dear” arc with Maddie(Mattie?), and his choice at the end of the season. I admit I liked NDMC Lady for the role she plays in Dante’s arc but… well I definitely don’t think I could stand to be in a room with her.
The actual plot of S2… idk man I was enjoying the characters themselves so I deliberately allowed myself to tune out the convoluted details, because the characterization felt consistent(within the show, again idk a thing about the games yet). I’m sure the moment I re-watch it I’ll start to feel some annoyance because I can’t help but nit-pick the things I like.
I can and will however nitpick the lazy 3D cell shaded demons & devil trigger forms as an animation choice. I mean these were pretty well executed as that sort of thing goes but especially after seeing how well the show CAN animate in S1E6 I’m just offended that we were stuck with that mess for so much of it, esp since the devil trigger forms are used in really pivotal moments, but lack the ability to emote in the same way the show’s 2D animation is capable of.
but regardless it did accomplish one thing: I was reminded of the game sitting on my shelf, I cleared out some save data on one of my old cards, and I popped the disc in to play. Rather horrified at myself to add yet another series to my backlog and list of games to hunt down(I prefer to buy physical whenever I can) but here I go, I guess.
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