English Dub Review: Devils’ Line “Monster”

Giving its most interesting character nothing to do causes Devils’ Line to screech to a halt.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS BELOW)

In my opinion, Anzai has always felt like the embodiment of his show’s ability to balance its ideas. For instance, he was crucial to the deeper insight into the devil community gained in “Paradox”. By contrast, his minimal role in “Dark Side” was arguably one of its most significant missteps. “Monster” offers a satisfying resolution to last week’s cliffhanger by quickly assuring us that Anzai is alive, yet the episode’s first half wastes his revival on dull fight scenes. Unfortunately for Devils’ Line, vampires are such familiar creatures in popular culture that showing the same old bloodlust isn’t compelling without a new take, which simply isn’t presented here. This is exacerbated by the show’s decision to render transformed devils incapable of human speech; it’s possible that the intention was to convey the disparity between the two sides of Anzai’s personality, but it’s still boring.

However, the second half improves slightly by focusing on a new character (and Anzai’s savior) Hans Lee. As a fellow half-devil, Hans’ true impact on the plot likely won’t be revealed until later, although, for now, I appreciate that he (sort of) gave Tsukasa more to talk about than her relationship. While in the premiere Tsukasa lived her own life, “Monster” once again casts her solely as Anzai’s love interest. In fact, it’s revealed that the pair isn’t even ‘officially’ dating, causing the show’s emphasis on them to feel premature. As Hans repeatedly warns Tsukasa here: there’s a very real possibility that Anzai will kill her; their reality is far from a fairy tale where love alone can stop a beast in its tracks. His verbal takedown of a devil-hating assassin is similarly refreshing, suggesting that perhaps Devils’ Line is willing to acknowledge that its characters’ internal logic isn’t always flawless. It might also just be me, but Hans’ permanent devil eye is an inspired artistic choice that I desperately want an explanation for.

OUR TAKE

“Monster” was undeniably a transitional episode for the writers to introduce new characters and ideas, leading to some growing pains while elements of future story beats are moved into place. There are some promising hints for where this will lead but ultimately too many poor decisions to make it feel worthwhile. Nevertheless, now that Devils’ Line seems to be aware of at least one of its key shortcomings, hopefully, we’ll see more nuanced development as the show progresses.

Score
4/10