Devil May Cry: The Animated Series
Encyclopedia
is an anime
series based on the video game series
by Capcom
. It debuted on the WOWOW
TV network in Japan
on June 14, 2007 and ran 12 episodes.
The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse
and was directed by Shin Itagaki. Bingo Morihashi, one of the writers for the second, third and fourth games, was also on the writing staff.
A teaser-trailer, released on the show's official site, featured pre-production artwork of Dante
, the primary protagonist and playable character of the video games, and confirmed him as the show's main protagonist.
A second trailer released at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair
showed actual animation from the show and included a character and cast list, featuring both new characters and other characters from the games.
The first episode aired in Japan on June 14, 2007.
On June 30, 2007, at Anime Expo
07, it was announced that ADV Films
had licensed the show. However, in 2008, it became one of more than 30 titles that were transferred to Funimation Entertainment
.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
September 6th, 2010.
In the show, Dante runs his devil-hunting business, Devil May Cry, while struggling under constant financial debt. There are also two new regular characters—Dante's agent Morrison who visits frequently, and Patty Lowell, a young orphan girl he saved in the first episode, who also visits frequently and shares a sisterly relationship with Dante.
While the show's stories were mostly self-contained, a season-long plot was introduced in the first episode and came to the forefront in episodes 10-12.
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series based on the video game series
Devil May Cry
is an action game developed and published by Capcom, released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2. Although it is the first game in the series of the same name, the events in Devil May Cry are second in the series storyline's chronological order, taking place after Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening and...
by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
. It debuted on the WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
TV network in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
on June 14, 2007 and ran 12 episodes.
The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse
Madhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
and was directed by Shin Itagaki. Bingo Morihashi, one of the writers for the second, third and fourth games, was also on the writing staff.
A teaser-trailer, released on the show's official site, featured pre-production artwork of Dante
Dante (Devil May Cry)
is the primary fictional protagonist of the Devil May Cry video game series published by Capcom. The character and Devil May Cry are one of Capcom's flagship game franchises, which has sold over nine million copies worldwide as of 2008 and currently spans four video games...
, the primary protagonist and playable character of the video games, and confirmed him as the show's main protagonist.
A second trailer released at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair
Tokyo International Anime Fair
The Tokyo International Anime Fair also known as Tokyo International Animation Fair is one of the largest anime trade fairs in the world, held annually in Japan. The first event was held in 2002 as "Tokyo International Anime Fair 21". The event is held at Tokyo Big Sight, a convention and...
showed actual animation from the show and included a character and cast list, featuring both new characters and other characters from the games.
The first episode aired in Japan on June 14, 2007.
On June 30, 2007, at Anime Expo
Anime Expo
Anime Expo, abbreviated AX, is an American anime convention held in Los Angeles, California and organized by the non-profit Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation . With rare exceptions, the convention is traditionally held on the July 4th weekend and lasts for four days...
07, it was announced that ADV Films
A.D. Vision
A.D. Vision was an American international multimedia entertainment company headquartered in Houston, Texas, prior to its collapse and distress sale to four other Houston-based companies in 2009...
had licensed the show. However, in 2008, it became one of more than 30 titles that were transferred to Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
September 6th, 2010.
Plot
The series is based on the manga and novel volumes, and sees the return of series regulars, Trish and Lady.In the show, Dante runs his devil-hunting business, Devil May Cry, while struggling under constant financial debt. There are also two new regular characters—Dante's agent Morrison who visits frequently, and Patty Lowell, a young orphan girl he saved in the first episode, who also visits frequently and shares a sisterly relationship with Dante.
While the show's stories were mostly self-contained, a season-long plot was introduced in the first episode and came to the forefront in episodes 10-12.
Characters
- A half-demon half-human son of Sparda the Legendary Dark Knight (a demon) and Eva (a human), Dante operates as a private investigator, mostly accepting jobs involving the supernatural. When he accepts a job, he diligently finishes it to the point of gaining a reputation of infallibility; he is strong enough to face a small army of lesser Devils with bare hands. Known for his cocky banter when on a job, he is fond of strawberry sundaesSundaeThe sundae is an ice cream dessert. It typically consists of a scoop of ice cream topped with sauce or syrup, and in some cases other toppings including chopped nuts, sprinkles, whipped cream, or maraschino cherries.-History:...
and pizza without olives. His weapons of choice are a pair of Caliber .45 pistols known as Ebony (for its dark color) and Ivory (for its silver color). He also carries his sentient faithful sword, Rebellion in a guitar case. A source of a running gag in the series is his apparent lack of gambling skill and his indebtedness, often being short of money. According to Dante, this is because people who hire him usually leave him a bill instead of paying him (due to destruction he causes during the job, such as destroying a bridge). His lack of money is also attributed to Lady, to whom he owes an unspecified sum of money. Lady often takes his payment as part of his debt. When Dante earns some money it is usually squandered.
- A demon created by Lord Mundus in the image of Dante's mother (face wise) and given demonic powers such as electricity, strength and quick healing. She joined Dante after Mundus' defeat and became his partner. Though it didn't take long for them to agree on separate ways due to certain conflicts in interest. Doing jobs on her own, she wanders mostly outside of Dante's usual hunting stops. However Dante did remind her at one point that she can come back at any time, though not wanting to admit he simply gets lonely in his less than inspiring office.
- Trish generally criticized Dante's lifestyle and eating habits. Unlike Dante or Lady, Trish doesn't take jobs to track down demons, she just goes from place to place following rumors as a freelance hunter. Trish appears to enjoy shopping for clothes and sometimes sticks Dante with the bill. Trish initially has a few violent scrapes with Lady which notoriously seemed almost planned out by Dante in advance, but the two become good friends shortly after. They both enjoy amusing themselves on their abilities to torment and manipulate Dante.
- A human devil hunteress, descended from the priestess whose blood Sparda used to seal the gate between the human and demon worlds. Dante seems to be in constant debt to her. She sometimes brings Dante work, but usually must con him into accepting the jobs and generally takes his pay claiming them as part of the debt he owes her. Lady spends more time at Devil May Cry than Trish but still not as much as Patty. She is Patty's primary female role model.Though human she is a skilled acrobat, also has immense skill in billiards and is a weapons expert.
- A young girl who Dante met after she supposedly came into a large inheritance. This turned out to be a scam, and she has since been spending a lot of time with Dante, whether he likes it or not. She turned out to be a descendant of a powerful magician who sealed the devil Abigail. Patty is very girly and loves cute things, sometimes decorating Dante's otherwise gloomy office with ribbons and plush toys. She loves romantic TV shows and serves as Dante's only source of feminine influence in the absence of Trish and Lady.
- Dante's liaison. He finds Dante jobs and sometimes helps out with repairs around the office.
- A weak demon who first appears in episode one, and has recurring appearances throughout the series. Initially seeming to be an insignificant danger and minor nuisance, Dante shows mercy towards Sid and restrains from killing him when given the opportunity. Unfortunately, Sid's ambitions prove to be far more dangerous than Dante possibly imagined.