Recently a new anime has hit Netflix called Devilman Crybaby and it has been swarmed with glorifying reviews. I wanted to do something a little bit different going forward and try something outside the realm of strictly science. And as many have even been deeming it "anime of the year" (a very early call to make considering we are only three weeks into 2018) I thought I might as well talk a bit about it.
After seeing that someone had already watched all the way through it on my Netflix account (possibly my sister but much more likely her boyfriend) I decided to give it a watch. I can say I was happily surprised with the animation quality and very conclusive finish, both hard to find in any anime let alone content produce by Netflix itself...
Japanese Rap?
However, what struck me the most about the anime was the rapping. Since everyone and there mum is going over the plot and design, the rap was actually quite impressive and served as a great way to combine exposition and plot progression in a unique way. But, it also touches on an important critique in music that I've had for a long time. In the anime, there is a group of rappers that appear towards the beginning of the story, and eventually, become wrapped up in the main plot. Almost every time they are introduced, they open with a quick hip-hop esque rap which I feel each speak for itself.
Crybaby Raps
I think the first time anyone who isn't familiar with Anime hears this, their first instinct is to shut it down. But, I think there is a lot more to music than whats just on the surface. Many people, especially I find westerners, who mostly don't have much experience of other cultures, have an issue with music they don't understand.
The Love of Language
However, I believe sometimes other languages are able to change the music to make something that is much more powerful than it would be in any other language. I think this is somewhat because of how well the different attributes of the music mesh together. When I think relatable examples I think of songs like Ave Maria, or La Vie en Rose. Or a more broad example; mariachi or country artists, which I think would both sound very different if they switched their tones and messages with each other.
A couple of my favorite examples of this is another great French song I was shown while learning as a kid. "Le Deserteur" by Boris Vian as I recall is the story of a French artist who refused to take part in the French conscription and wrote a letter to the President of France before justly deserting his country, knowing it not his place.
Le Déserteur
Probably my favourite French song, and high on the ranking of languages other than English. It has a very deep a solemn vibe, that combines a sense of moral high standing with a regretful indifference. Understanding the lyrics behind this song makes it all the better.
The last I'll mention is a song very similar to those of the anime, albeit slightly "Edgy"-er. A song called "It G Ma" by Keith Ape, a Korean rapper who rocked this mainstream scene with this song back in 2015. It was so popular that Asap Ferg even went on to do his own cover version of the song, proving that it does not take understanding the language to appreciate genuinely good music; rap or otherwise.
It G Ma - Keith Ape
This song is pretty crazy, and just goes 0 to 100 pretty quick. It's a great party starter though and I remember when this song came out I couldn't get through a single night at a buddies place without someone throwing on this song and 10 people screaming "UNDERWATER SQUADD" at the top of their lungs.
Watch The Anime!!
My whole point is that even though someone may not understand all the rap, it can still be enjoyed. Which is really how I feel about all anime in general, that the language barrier should not serve as a limit to entertainment. So if you haven't watched anime, or may think it's not for you, I would say give Devilman Crybaby a chance! It is a great 10 episode anime that doesn't leave you waiting for more seasons or episodes, which makes it very approachable for anyone new to anime.
Thanks as always for reading! If you enjoyed the post, or the anime why not drop an upvote! It's always appreaciated!
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Rap is poetry set to a beat. That's good in theory but the widespread application of rap is very poor. In America, the poorly educated with little understanding of language tend to rap more than other styles of music. This is bizarre since word-craft is nowhere near the optimal style of music for the poorly educated.
Not sure what kind of response this comment is supposed to solicit, but I'd say that's a little broad. I would say popular artists are educated enough to tell complex stories and get across a powerful message better than you or I might. (If you were to look at songs like "Stan" by Eminem or "Dance with The Devil" by Immortal Technique.)
And why particularize Americans? Would the same not apply to rappers from any country, why in your opinion would an unpopular rap artist from Russia be any more educated than one from the states. (Mind you I say this as a Canadian, so these are not points of contempt, but rather points of debate.)
Rap culture is the most present in America.
Are you not a fan of the genre? Agreed it's popular there, but so then rap is for the poorly educated?
The poorly educated in black communities tend to rap music far more than anyone else. I wouldn't be able to tell you why. I do know that rap has low economic status connotations due to this, though.
I would say the poorly educated dominate most fields of entertainment, and that most of the people in those disciplines have low economic status connotations... Artist, actors and musicians are much of the same (actors, artists and comedians are all usually assumed to be broke and constantly out of work as well as uneducated)
It is not neccesarily the poorly educated. The hiphop genre is created from disco; playing the nonlyrical parts from LP and mixing it with reggae's turntables, soundsystems and MJ's. It is for the poor people, because they can easily take cheap material by sampling and create their own. The stuff they rap about ate the problems of their life (decisions), most of the times because they are not very smart moves, but that is coincidental. Hiphop is based in the South Bronx of New York at an illegal party; I forgot the name of the DJ. It is more a genre of protest to the mainstream disco from that time.
Amazing! Definitely worth to check out the anime on Netflix and also the Japanese rap scene. For me it sounds a bit like polish rap. Resteeming you for the original post and giving me a new genre to check out. My favorite japanese music for now is Japanese Surf Rock
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