English Dub Review: Devils’ Line “Chaser”

Somebody thought that including Freud’s ideas the plot was a good idea. They were right.

Overview (Spoilers below)

It is undeniable that Devils’ Line anime is plagued with some coherence issues (I have not read the manga so I don’t know if things will start making sense at some point) and there are things that frankly off-putting and plain weird, but there are these small snipes where the anime shines with what it does best: character development.

“Chaser”, this week episode, centers itself around our main protagonists’ ideologies and moral dilemmas. In one hand Anzai’s fears and insecurities. On the other hand, Tsukasa’s naivety and confusion in seeing how the rest of the world see the devils, which far away from her won rose-tinted view on the matter.

The episode starts with the Lady Sniper, with a kidnapped Tsukasa, arguing in favor of the devil’s generalized genocide while the latter making a case in denying any difference between devil’s and humans, eating habits notwithstanding. It is obvious that Tsukasa’s lack of common sense is the result of her age, maturity and an unhealthy amount of optimism that blinds her to the dangers surrounding her or, in case of the last part of this episode, pointing at her with a loaded gun.

Anzai, on his end, on top of being under stress both because Tsukasa’s kidnapping as well as the issues with his inner demons, metaphorically and literally, is also being lecture due to his lack of tact and mishandling of his relationship with our darling Tsu-chan. Here, the doctor from ONLO put in the open what we have already seen up to this point: Anzai’s inferiority complex. Because he is unwilling to face his problems and let others help him, mainly Tsukasa, with these insecurities he is harming his relationship with those that care about him.

This is also where Johannes reached the top of my Best Husbando of the Season’s List with the comment: ‘You are the doctor who told me to deal with bloodlust by jerking off.’ This kid is gold, I am telling you. And not only because he made laugh so hard that I felt my ribs cracking, but also because of his obvious upfront personality while calling the bullshit that Anzai was spouting during the rooftop scene.

Speaking of which, that scene, as well as the overall production through the episode, felt more polished and smooth than previous releases. The back and for between Anzai’s and Tsukasa’s conversations, instead of ending up as jarring and disconnected, was majestically composed while highlighting their feelings for each other in a sweet, if simplistic, way.

The chapter ends with the Lady Sniper realizing that her extreme dislike of devils may not be the only issue she has, now that she is being hunted down by her own peers of the CCC. As a side note, ‘05’ is clearly unhinged while at the same time showing some hard cold logic in his actions which was as surprising as refreshing. His line of ‘You either have nerves of steel, or you’re just plain stupid’ while pointing out Tsukasa’s stupidity was genius.

OUR TAKE

This chapter, while still having cohesive problems in its plot development, is a great sample of character development that did not feel as rushed as earlier episodes. The main cast received most of the screen time, but these supporting cast also received time to shine. And we clearly need more Jonannes in our lives to make things better.