Devilman (film)

Lore & Background

The film stars Hisato Izaki as Akira Fudo, Yusuke Izaki as Ryo Asuka, and Ayana Sakai as Miki Makimura, among others. Special effects were provided by Toei Company's tokusatsu and anime divisions under the joint name T-Visual. The film was a commercial failure, grossing 520 million yen against a 1 billion yen production budget.

Reader's Guide

Devilman is significant as a benchmark for the reception of live-action movies in Japan. It topped an annual poll by the magazine Eiga Hihō for the worst movie of the year, attracting five times as many votes as the second-place film, and won first place at the Bunshun Kiichigo Awards and Sports Hochi's Hebi-Ichigo Awards. It was voted the worst Japanese film of the 2000s in an online poll. The film was universally panned for its poor CGI, casting of inexperienced models and teen idols, and a plot that made little sense due to the entire manga story being forced into a single movie. Comedian and filmmaker Takeshi Kitano called it 'one of the four dumbest movies ever made.' The film has since been used as a comparison point, with What to Do with the Dead Kaiju? being dubbed 'The Devilman of the Reiwa Era' by online users.

Did You Know?

• The film was originally scheduled for release in May but was postponed to October 9 due to reshoots.
• It grossed 520 million yen against a production budget of 1 billion yen.
• The film topped an annual worst-movie poll by Eiga Hihō, receiving five times as many votes as the second-place film.

Production Delays and Budgetary Ambitions

The 2004 live-action adaptation of Go Nagai's iconic manga series, helmed by director Hiroyuki Nasu, was a project that struggled from the planning stage. Originally slated for a May theatrical debut, the film saw its release pushed back to October 9, a delay attributed to the need for reshoots. The production carried a hefty 1 billion yen budget, a significant investment for a Japanese superhero picture. Visual effects were handled by Toei Company's tokusatsu and anime departments operating together under the banner T-Visual, a collaboration that blended practical effects traditions with digital work. However, the film's fight sequences relied heavily on CGI, reportedly because Nasu himself lacked experience directing live-action combat between actors. Perhaps the most structurally damaging decision was compressing the entire sprawling narrative of the manga into a single feature-length runtime, a constraint that would later draw widespread criticism for rendering the plot incoherent. The result was a film that, despite its ambitious scope and substantial backing, never quite cohered into a watchable whole.

Casting Choices and Creative Decisions

The ensemble cast of Devilman featured a mix of established and unfamiliar faces. Hisato Izaki took on the lead role of Akira Fudo, while Yusuke Izaki played Ryo Asuka. Ayana Sakai portrayed Miki Makimura, with Ryudo Uzaki and Yoko Aki cast as her parents Keisuke and Emi. Asuka Shibuya appeared as Miko, and Bob Sapp stepped into the dual role of World Newscaster and Zennon. However, the casting decisions became a central point of contention among reviewers. Critics and manga fans alike pointed to the selection of nationally popular models and teen idols, many of whom had no prior acting experience, as a major misstep. The situation was compounded by behind-the-scenes anecdotes: actress Sachiko Kobayashi recalled being summoned to the set on short notice without even knowing what the project was. Additionally, the promotional materials raised eyebrows, as the character Silene was depicted on the theatrical poster in a design that bore no resemblance to her actual on-screen appearance. These choices collectively undermined audience confidence in the film's creative vision.

A Consensus of Praise for the Wrong Reasons

The critical and audience response to Devilman was almost uniformly scathing. The film grossed a mere 520 million yen at the box office against its 1 billion yen production cost, marking it as a clear commercial failure. But the reputational damage extended far beyond the numbers. Eiga Hihō magazine's annual poll named it the worst film of the year, with it receiving five times the votes of the runner-up. It also claimed top spot at the Bunshun Kiichigo Awards and Sports Hochi's Hebi-Ichigo Awards, and an online poll later crowned it the worst Japanese film of the entire 2000s decade. At the 14th Tokyo Sports Film Awards, comedian and director Takeshi Kitano grouped it among the four dumbest movies ever made, quipping that nothing beats getting drunk and watching it. Yuichi Maeda awarded it a blistering 2 out of 100 on his blog, singling out only the poster and concept art as redeeming. The film's poor CGI, incoherent plot, and inexperienced cast were cited repeatedly by national newspapers and longtime fans of Nagai's original work.

A Lasting Benchmark for Disappointment

In the years since its 2004 release, Devilman has transcended its status as a mere bad film to become a cultural reference point in Japan. It is now routinely invoked as the benchmark against which poorly received live-action adaptations are measured. When the 2023 film What to Do with the Dead Kaiju? drew similar waves of criticism, online users immediately dubbed it the Devilman of the Reiwa Era, cementing the 2004 picture's place in the national lexicon of cinematic failure. The film's notoriety also spawned dedicated online communities; comedian Hiroshi Yamamoto maintained a special section on his personal website that aggregated negative reviews from national newspapers and linked to roughly 100 blog entries from various film critics. An Anti Devilman review collection site further illustrates the enduring fascination with the film's missteps. Even the online poll that named it the decade's worst noted that the initial excitement surrounding a manga-to-screen adaptation only amplified the universal sense of letdown. Devilman endures not as a film people love, but as one they cannot stop talking about.

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