Dante’s inferno?
It seems to be a trend, in modern adult animation, to have at least one episode within a series that pushes the bounds of the expected to make a flighty audience sit up and pay attention. Episode 6 is that episode for Netflix’s new anime adaption of Devil May Cry. Hit with a gorgeous opening sequence that utilises a completely new musical piece and a pop up art style, lucky viewers are primed for something off the normal track from the get go and the change up, coming just over half way through the series, is just the invigoration this story needs.
The episode drops us into a sketchy black and white view of Mary Arkham’s past. By now, it’s fairly established that our beloved, gun-slinging prince of swag, Dante, is going to have to share his protagonist's spotlight and nothing highlights that more than this episode, where Dante is markedly absent. It’s a bold choice backing up previously bold choices to zero in on Mary, but one that is arguably better for the narrative.
Instead of an artistic romp into Dante’s world for episode 6, we are instead treated to an in-depth exploration of the white rabbit’s childhood and the events leading him to become the season's main antagonist alongside and juxtaposed with Mary Arkham’s less than ideal upbringing. But was this really the correct choice? Wouldn’t it be better to keep the focus on the iconic one-line master?
Mary, Mary, quite contrary
Mary Arkham debuts in episode 2 of the series and is immediately painted as Dante’s antithesis. Where Dante treats demon hunting like a game, Mary is serious and driven to protect humanity. This drive is properly explored in episode 6 with a demon attack on her family that leaves her father mentally unstable. The young Mary, traumatised by the outcome of this mental illness, then seeks to eradicate the monsters that destroyed her family. It’s all very Batman and leaves little room for the humour that Dante tends to inject into every scene he dominates.
Episode 6, while changing things up just when the audience might be becoming complacent with their expectations, follows on from a rather pivotal moment in Mary’s story. Trapped in a multi-storey building with several demon families, Mary learns through their kindness that not all demons are mindless monsters. Her seemingly relentless motivation to destroy these creatures is tested and she finally decides to show mercy in a glorious display of character growth.
At this point in the overarching narrative, Dante’s arc is far from piquing. While Mary’s worldviews are shattering, Dante is being manipulated by the white rabbit to become the final piece of the apocalyptic puzzle. Dante’s arc of coming to terms with his heritage as Sparda’s son and embracing his demon side is by no means irrelevant to the themes of morality and prejudice expressed in episode 6. Mary’s story, and her own, personal, human struggle with the issue, is a much stronger vessel for those themes. She is fitted and diametrically opposed to the realisations of the season's main antagonist.
Follow the white rabbit
From the moment he is introduced in the balls to the wall opening of episode 1, the white rabbit is shown to be an articulate and ruthless villain with a very straightforward, world-ending agenda. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of speculation over what constitutes his motives in the early part of the season. He appears to yearn for demon superiority and therefore seeks to lower the boundaries between worlds so his deadly brethren can come and take over. What more do you really need in a franchise like Devil May Cry?
Episode 6 flips this preconceived notion on its head. Cutting away from Mary and her father’s deteriorating mental illness, the episode progresses through the eyes of a boy that we haven’t seen before at all in the series. At this point, we’re all wondering, where is Dante?
The mystery of this choice is enhanced by the non-verbal aspect of this part of the episode. We are left to watch as the boy is abused in foster care and as he finds a portal to another world where he finally finds the family he’s yearned for in a breath-taking switch of art-styles from clean-lined anime to a more comic book-esque cartoon; all without a single word of spoken communication. Emphasis is instead placed on close up lingering shots of incredibly human reactions to the various tragedies this boy continues to experience as the music swells.
By the time the final mosaic tile falls into place and the fully grown boy places the rabbit mask, newly sewn, on his head, sympathy for him has reached pique in the moment that Mary ordered her Darkcom unit to take out his beloved brethren in a brutal slaughter. It’s made obvious, by the red string that runs over the white rabbit’s maps of the city connecting various pictures of Darkcom soldiers and locations, that the white rabbit is running on that vendetta. There is no room for Dante beyond his use to the white rabbit’s master plan. His focus runs much more towards Mary and the threat she provides, so we too need to shift our focus.
The mirror image
Episode 6 really does challenge the preconceived expectations of its audience with a brand new art style, a change of intro sequence and the intriguing decision to omit most dialogue. Why not challenge those preconceived expectations further by centering the episode around the characters that will provide the strongest representations of the narrative themes, the ones that will dictate the most captivating story?
Mary and the white rabbit’s character arcs intertwine and intersect throughout this episode in a marvelous mirror image that bleeds consequences across the rest of the series. The introduction of Dante and an exploration of his past in this manner could unnecessarily complicate something simple and powerful. By the time we load in to episode 7 and finally progress current events in the series, it’s obvious that the white rabbit sees Mary as his nemesis, not Dante at all, who he still sees as merely a tool.
With the appearance of Dante’s brother teased in the ending moments of the first series, it’s safe to speculate that Dante, and Dante’s interesting backstory, may carry more narrative weight when the series renews for season 2. Considering the choices they made in this first thrilling season, it will be fascinating to see what white rabbits the creators intend to pull out of the hat for us going forward.
Looking for more awesome animation to nerd out over while you're waiting for Devil May Cry season 2? Why not take a look at these bad boys?