Masaaki Yuasa’s adaptation of Go Nagai’s 1970s masterpiece dropped earlier this January, and we’re finally getting some goods that reflect the style that Yuasa brought to the series, but that also pay respect to Nagai’s original. BEAMS Japan have teamed up with Devilman crybaby to deliver some devilishly cool threads, along with some seriously stylish accessories.
First up is this black t-shirt featuring Silene and Devilman, the design of which is actually taken directly from the original manga:
Next up is some love for one of Yuasa’s most inventive reimaginings of Nagai’s original characters in the form of Devil Cat, which floats adorably yet menacingly in the design of this white t-shirt:
A strikingly more sombre offering comes in a t-shirt based on Akira’s iconic line from the original manga “Go to hell, you damned humans!”. The front of the black t-shirt boldy screams so, while the back of the t-shirt features a subtle print of the panel in which Akira says the line:
It’s interesting to note that Akira does not actually say this line in Yuasa’s adaptation, so the collaboration t-shirts seem to take more of an inspiration from the original than crybaby. Fine by me, considering that the goods up for grabs as part of this collaboration actually focus more on the crybaby side of things.
An outlandishly large phone case based on Akira’s pose in the initial poster for crybaby is first up, followed by a seriously stylish leather card case, on the inside of which is engraved a picture of the enigmatic duo, Ryo and Akira. Whereas the phone case is bit too much for my tastes, I can certainly see myself using the card case as a subtle yet stylish way to show my love for the series.
Furthermore, although it’s far too hot for a hoodie of any kind in Japan at the moment, there is an excellent collaboration hoodie on offer. The back of the hoodie is emblazoned with the word ’crybaby’ as well as red cruciform or halo, depending on whether you pick the ‘Akira’ or ‘Ryo’ version, which are black and white respectively. The left sleeve also has the desperate last words of Miki on it, and opening up the hoodie itself will reveal the poster for crybaby emblazoned right where your heart is – if you’re not a demon, that is.
But the real star of the show here has to be this beautiful collaboration backpack. Not only is it functional with lots of pockets and sleeves, but it’s also incredibly stylish. The cruciform made up of piercings definitely wouldn’t be out of place in Shibuya, and the blood red label accents the otherwise dull black body. It’s rather expensive at around 13,000 yen, but it’s definitely worth the money.
This collection is certainly one of the best I’ve seen, with pieces that both honor the series as well as being genuinely stylish. Perhaps it was foolish to expect anything less of the legendary Devilman, but consider me surprised. For more information on the collection, please visit the Devilman crybaby official website.