The following contains spoilers for Netflix’s Devil May Cry Episode 5, “Descent.”
Nerflix’s Devil May Cry is full of some impressively high highs, and some dismal lows. While the new DMC anime has received criticism for a variety of reasons from the fandom, the indisputable low point for the anime ends up being Devil May Cry Episode 5, «Descent». It’s perhaps no surprise that an episode titled «Descent» is where the anime officially falls off.
While passingly enjoyable on the surface level, Devil May Cry Episode 5 makes some critical mistakes that make the initial outpouring of criticism toward the anime feel entirely deserved. There are still some redeeming qualities to Episode 5, like its humorous characters or the conclusion of Lady’s excellent Resident Evil-inspired horror sequence from the previous episode. Sadly, those few positives aren’t enough to save Devil May Cry Episode 5 from its dramatic fall-from-grace after the impressive highs of Devil May Cry’s first couple of episodes. It’s the rock bottom of a rough patch, which might’ve even been skippable had it not contained Dante’s most important moment in the series so far.
Dante’s First Devil Trigger Transformation Falls Flat
Devil May Cry Episode 5’s Biggest Moment Doesn’t Hit The Right Notes
Devil May Cry Episode 5 picks up with Dante, Enzo, Vice President Baines, and the rest of the passengers of Air Force 2 falling from the sky after the jet’s destruction in the previous episode. It’s a fun, upbeat sequence that starts the episode off right with some humorous scenes of Baines mumbling incomprehensible prayers, and Enzo screaming at the top of his lungs. If nothing else, both Enzo and Baines prove what makes their characters strong enough to exist on their own merit as two of the best anime-only characters in the Netflix series. Dante’s leap through the falling wreckage captures everything that makes Netflix’s Devil May Cry special, with solid animation and cool moves from Dante himself. Unfortunately, things quickly go south for the anime when Dante transforms into his Devil Trigger form.
It’s worth noting that not everything about Dante’s first Devil Trigger is bad. The initial transformation sequence looks cool, and his Devil Trigger design is also great-looking purely in terms of his physical appearance. Unfortunately, there’s way too much going wrong to call this a good sequence. Dante’s Devil Trigger in Devil May Cry Episode 5 has become easily the anime’s most criticized moment for longtime fans. While other critiques of the anime have mostly been overblown, this one does have genuine legs to stand on. Even before considering the more subtle problems insofar as it relates to the game series, the most immediately glaring issue from the start is the decision to animate Dante’s Devil form entirely using CGI.
You see soldier? Even the Devil can do God’s work.
— Vice President Baines
The transformation itself has a lot of potential to look really cool (as is the case in the anime’s final episode), but it’s hard to look at when the frame rate immediately drops due to the CGI. Amid the transformation is an interesting choice of soundtrack that has itself garnered viral criticism from DMC fans. Namely, the use of the song “Devil Trigger,” originally used in DMC5 as Nero’s theme music. In the context of the anime, it’s not particularly problematic, especially considering the song contains the literal words “Devil Trigger.” On the other hand, when considered in the scene itself, it comes off like a misunderstanding of what makes these moments special in the game series.
The events that bring about Dante’s Devil Trigger in the anime are nowhere near as consequential as his first Devil Trigger in the game series. Dante unleashes his first chronological Devil Trigger in DMC3, after being stabbed by his brother Vergil using Dante’s own Rebellion, the sword their father created. In comparison, Dante simply transforms into his full Devil Trigger in Episode 5 due to his apparent desperation in wanting to save the people falling from Air Force 2. As virtuous as that is, it’s nowhere near as narratively significant as Dante and Vergil’s fight in the game series was, which is unfortunate considering it’s replacing Dante’s DMC3 transformation in place of a new take on his story.
Lady’s Solo Horror Sequence Reaches a Satisfying Conclusion in Episode 5
Devil May Cry Episode 5 is Still The Lady Show – But That’s Not a Bad Thing
Parallel to Dante’s falling scene, the main secondary plot thread is Lady’s escape from the White Rabbit’s hideout that began in the previous episode. Netflix’s Devil May Cry still nails some of the horror bits here, though none hit quite the same as the foundation Episode 4 built. Aside from the continued use of CGI on the White Rabbit’s main minions, a new questionable artistic decision comes to the fore when Cavaliere Angelo visits the underground dungeon where the rest of the White Rabbit’s demon minions reside. While the underground lair itself is sufficiently creepy, it quickly loses its luster when the designs for the other demon minions are revealed.
While their hand-drawn styling should theoretically be a step-up from the CGI, the lesser demons’ actual designs leave much to be desired. These are by no means the terrifying monstrosities players face in the game series, looking more like generic monsters in any other anime series. The anime had so many iconic demon designs to borrow from, and none of those in Episode 5 scratch the itch for horrifying monsters like DMC1’s Marionettes, or DMC5’s Empusa. There is a hint of the insect-like inspiration of the Empusa present in Episode 5’s demons, but none of the bite that their grotesque clawed mouths pack in the games.
Let’s go see what that Roger f****** Rabbit reject’s been doing.
— Lady
Thankfully, Lady’s own fight sequences do make up for what the Devil May Cry anime’s monsters lack. Her desperate search for escape, coupled with an ominous, droning soundtrack reminiscent of Resident Evil, perfectly captures the ode to Capcom that the anime is trying to pull off. Adding to the tension is Plasma’s decision to shapeshift as one of Lady’s companions, which does raise the stakes even in apparent moments of peace for her. The added psychological horror by way of Lady’s traumatic memories adds yet another layer to the terror.
Even with her sometimes cringy lines of dialogue, Lady’s escape sequence continues to be the best part of the anime’s first five episodes. This all culminates in a clever trick on Lady’s part in their climactic fight. Lady convinces Plasm to shapeshift into her, thereby throwing off Echidna long enough to allow Lady to bring down both demons singlehandedly. While fans have criticized the anime’s lady for being “too strong,” Episode 5 shows what it really is about Netflix’s version of Lady that makes her so formidable. Lady may just be a human, but the thing that gives her a leg up over demons is her cleverness and combat experience.
Devil May Cry Episode 5’s Ending Solidifies Season 2’s Inevitable Villain as Humanity
A Long-Recurring Theme From The DMC Game Series Emerges Amid The Anime’s Most Hated Lore Change
After setting up the idea of kind-hearted demon refugees throughout the past two episodes, Devil May Cry Episode 5’s ending shows where it was all going. Vice President Baines’ strongly held belief prevents him from seeing the world from any other perspective, leading to a truly tragic turn of events. It’s a genuinely difficult moment to watch when the Darkcom soldiers begin killing every last one of the good demons they’ve taken in as refugees. No DMC fan would’ve ever guessed that Plasma would become a somewhat empathetic villain, but that’s exactly the picture Episode 5 paints. The positive result of this plot thread is that it shows how neither side is completely in the right – it’s all entirely about the perspectives of the people on either side that makes them heroes or villains.
This is a genuinely more interesting road for the anime to take over just setting up objectively obvious heroes and villains, especially when taking the White Rabbit’s backstory into consideration. Devil May Cry Episode 5 once again challenges the long-held notion that demons are innately evil, instead painting humans as the true villains this time. This is a recurring theme from the game series that accompanies major villains like Arkham and Arius – the latter of which ends up appearing in Devil May Cry’s Season 1 finale as a hint for next season. Episode 5 is easily the weakest point in the anime yet in terms of overall action and questionable design decisions, though it does make solid strides in pushing its storyline forward.
The idea of ‘refugees’ from Hell did not immediately strike you as contradictory?
— Vice President Baines
Unfortunately, what should’ve been Dante’s biggest moment in the entire anime, his Devil Trigger transformation, instead winds up being its weakest. It’s at least partially because of those lofty expectations surrounding the Devil Trigger that make Episode 5 feel like such a letdown. Many of the other parts of the episode, from Lady’s clever fight tactics to the emergent ‘villainous humans’ storyline, are welcome additions to the anime. Devil May Cry Episode 5, “Descent,” is definitely a descent for the anime in many ways, but it’s far from a skippable episode for fans willing to push through to the end.
DMC Episode 5 does have high points that make it fun, especially for viewers who don’t care for the nuances of the game series. Still, even anime-only fans will be unable to look past the inexplicable mix of CGI and hand-drawn animation that seems to lack a method to its madness. Devil May Cry Episode 5 feels like the anime’s final descent before the series begins building to its climax. DMC Episode 5’s redeeming qualities save it from obscurity so that, at least – like the refugee demons in the anime – they aren’t all bad.
Devil May Cry Season 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.
- Overused CGI
- Dante?s first DT transformation
