Devil May Cry Season 2 Review

It almost managed to fly under my radar due to how busy I’ve been covering things, but last month, the second season of the anime adaptation of Devil May Cry dropped on Netflix. I’m sorry that I didn’t get to it until now, but again, I’ve had a lot of things to do, and I’m sorry. That being said, I was looking forward to seeing how this crazy series would continue telling the story of DMC, even though I’m not that big a fan of the games.  More importantly, though, the plot manages to get better as the war between humans and demons gets even more dangerous with the threat of an ancient evil’s return as well as our introduction to Dante’s twin brother, Vergil.

And I would just like to say that while I don’t know much about the games, I liked how Vergil is portrayed in the anime.

The end to the first season of the anime was a pretty bleak one, if you’ll recall. Dante was captured by Lady and forcibly put on ice just after learning his brother was alive. Vice-President Baines was able to use the White Rabbit’s actions to justify a war against demons, leading to an invasion of Makai. And now, hundreds of humans and demons are dying in a so-called crusade. As someone who grew up watching the War on Terror on TV, the analogy was not lost on me.

You would think that this war between Earth and Makai would be the driving plot of the second season, but you would only be partly correct. The war does play an active role in the series, but the main focus is on two other plots and everything surrounding them. The first is kickstarted when Lady steals a chalice from the Demon King Mundus, with it revealed to be one of four artifacts needed to unseal Argosax, AKA the original ruler of Makai and the series in-game equivalent to the Devil. He was so evil and chaotic that Mundus and Sparda rebelled against him to seal him away. His agent and the one pulling Baines’ strings, Arius von Enhrenberg, wants to free Argosax and bring about the end of the world, which prompts DARKCOM to bring Dante out of stasis so they can use him as a pawn in the game.

The second and most important plot, though, is the introduction of Vergil, Dante’s long-lost twin brother.

Vergil is AWESOME!

I had to look up Vergil’s story on the Internet, and apparently, he was kidnapped by the same demons who killed his and Dante’s mother. They brought him back to Makai, where Mundus raised him to be his ultimate weapon, a history that very much remains intact in the anime. Unlike the games, though, the anime changes up the circumstances. Whereas Vergil was broken and brainwashed by Mundus into becoming his weapon, the anime had Mundus be smarter about it. He lied to Vergil and told him that his mom was killed by demons loyal to Arius’ organization, Urobouros, and thus, Argosax. Naturally, this enraged Vergil, and he willingly chose to serve Mundus because he thought he was avenging his mother and atoning for his father betraying Mundus. Because why brainwash someone when having them work for you freely is a much better strategy?

Now, I’m an outsider with little to no experience with DMC, and therefore, I have no emotional connection to its characters. I know that game purists probably didn’t like the changes to Vergil’s character. I, on the other hand, like Vergil in the anime because it reminds me of Sasuke from Naruto. Both were originally very kind boys who lost their families. Both let the need for revenge guide their actions for most of their respective series. And both of them serve as the edgy rivals to the friendlier protagonists, to whom they are siblings. The main difference is that Dante and Vergil are actual siblings, while Naruto and Sasuke are the reincarnations of the brothers who were their ancestors.

I would also like to point out the fact that Vergil is very smart and charismatic. There’s a memorable moment in the second episode where he goes on live TV and tries to expose how the White Rabbit was a human, what they’re doing to demon civilians they detain, and that the whole reason for them going to war is a lie.

Again, the War on Terror analogy is in play. But I do like how Vergil was smart enough to know that getting the public’s sympathy was a great idea. He wasn’t wrong, either. Knowing that the demon refugees she saved were tortured makes Lady turn on DARKCOM.

The Ship Sailed. And then Sank

Speaking of which, we need to address the relationship between Dante and Lady. I’m told that in the games, their relationship is purely platonic, but in the anime, it was dropping a lot of ship tease from day one. You would think that the ship would be sunk considering how Lady left Dante on ice, but you would be wrong. Once he wakes up, Dante gives us this hilarious retelling of how Lady was so sorry for betraying him and telling him Vergil is alive. The man was either coping, or he really didn’t care about what she did. Either way, they manage to keep working well together throughout the season. And yes, there is a point where they took things further. Sadly, the ship remains sunk, because at the end of the season, Lady opts to go on her own so she can settle some personal things. But to be honest, we’re not here for the shipping. We’re here for the fighting.

And the fighting is pretty awesome, I have to admit.

If Naruto and Sasuke were Half-Demons, We’d Get this!

Given what the series is, it’s natural that the series would spend a lot of time focusing on the fighting. And while my memories of the first season are a bit hazy, I think that this second season was a step up in the fighting department. From the reunion between Dante and Vergil to the climactic fight against Argosax and then Mundus, I think the show did it’s best to capture the chaotic nature of the games. Though, again, I am just an outsider looking in on this, so I don’t exactly have the best view on what’s happening. What I will say, though, is that for all the talk about how terrifying Argosax was, he went down a lot easier than I thought. I even question if Mundus needed the help of Dante and Vergil to defeat him, it’s so easy.

The real crux of the season, though, lies on the relationship between Dante and Vergil. While Vergil ultimately learns the truth about his mother’s death, he still chooses to side with demonkind rather than humanity, unlike his brother. As a result, the two brothers are separated as the barrier between their worlds is sealed once more. The only difference is that Vergil vows to bring down Mundus, become the new king of Makai, and then invade Earth. As for Dante, he is left all alone, but not disheartened, to find his way in the world, with the season ending on this note.

I don’t know if Netflix will choose to greenlight a third season of the anime. It will likely depend on how well the viewership is, but there’s a good chance we will get another season. Where the story will go from here, though, is anyone’s guess, as there was a sense of finality to the season finale. When it does come out, though, I hope to review it. And in a more timely manner, I might add.