Devils' Line: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.0

Devils' Line: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 13, 2020

Some of you with long memories for pop music trivia may recall that Cher had a pretty sizable hit back in the day with a tune called Half Breed, which made it all the way to Number 1 on the charts in 1973 (it actually echoed Cher’s previous Number 1 single Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves from 1971 in that both are “ethnic” character songs told in the first person by an “outsider” female). The very success of that single may point out a kind of curious anomaly in popular culture, and that’s the enduring allure of those with might be called “hybrid” genealogies. There have been too many memorable “half and half” characters in fiction to even try to list, but in that regard it’s interesting to note that some characters’ bifurcated ancestry hasn’t always been immediately apparent. That particular aspect may be one way in which Devils’ Line attempts to set itself apart from some of its perceived anime siblings. With that in mind, this anime often brought back memories for me of another “hybrid”-centric monster(ish) story set in Tokyo which I reviewed years ago, Tokyo Ghoul: Season One, including but not limited to both series’ kind of weird, almost fetishistic, depictions of eyes (contrast the first screenshot in this review with the first screenshot in the Tokyo Ghoul: Season One Blu-ray review).

Devils’ Line has a pretty preposterous conceit that vampires are living more or less normal lives among unaware humans, though occasionally one of the fanged blood drinkers runs a little amok and attacks someone, with the most typical scenario being a male vampire attacking a helpless female human, who is not only desanguinated but also sexually molested for good measure. A series of just such gruesome killings is front page news across Tokyo as the anime begins, and in fact there’s a brief introductory vignette showing a vampire attack, though kind of interestingly it depicts a male vampire attacking two male humans.

The main story involves naive high school student Tsukasa Taira, a sweet girl who is a little on the nerdy side, but who is a good enough student that she attracts everyone’s attention, notably a seemingly equally sweet boy who unfortunately turns out to be a vampire hunting for his next victim. Interestingly, the show actually details that this boy has been killing other females in order not to harm Tsukasa, but even this strategy falls by the wayside one evening, when it seems certain Tsukasa is about to meet her fate, until suddenly things are interrupted by a guy that Tsukasa has noticed has been following her. That turns out to be the series’ hero, a “half breed” vampire named Yuki Anzai, an undercover cop of sorts who works with Tokyo’s top secret police force tasked with keeping the incipient vampire “problem” under control.

The nascent romance between Yuuki and Tsukasa takes up the first several episodes of the series, with a number of "star-crossed" obstacles for the two to deal with. The series turns a bit darker later on as more procedural elements develop. This is a kind of middling anime that traverses ground that many fans of the genre, and especially this kinda sorta subgenre, will feel perfectly at home with, even if they also feel they're not being offered much in the way of innovation. The aesthetic here is occasionally at least slightly stylish, especially with regard to the repeated emphases on the red and yellow eyes of "devils" (as vampires are referred to in the show).

Devils' Line: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Devils' Line is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer (mostly) in 1.78:1 (as can be made out in screenshot 8, there are some brief moments in more "cinematic" wider aspect ratios). This is by and large a sharp and appealing looking presentation, though contrast seemed a bit wonky to me at times, with a kind of milky overlay over some scenes that just kind of shows up and then dissipates. The palette, which rather interestingly is often tilted toward cool blue tones instead of more expected reds, resonates quite nicely throughout the presentation. Line detail is typically precise looking. There are some odd, almost unfinished, moments to some of the animation, and while not what I would call traditional "banding", little "ripples" can be seen in some passing moments, especially in some of the deeper blue sequences.

Note: This the one of the rare Blu-ray releases from Sentai Filmworks that I just had a devil of a time getting to boot in various players. Disc One of this two disc set initially wasn't even recognized in my main standalone player, but when I ejected it and reinserted it, it then booted to the Main Menu. However, when I chose the first episode to play, the screen just froze on the Main Menu with the first episode highlighted on the menu (i.e., nothing really changed). Weirdly, when I checked the timecode, it was saying I was about 3 minutes into something around 24 minutes long. I tried ejecting and reinserting, and got the same result, though this time I pressed chapter skip, perhaps intuitively, and totally weirdly I ended up 3 minutes or so into the first (24 minute or so long) episode. I was then able to chapter skip back to the beginning.

I typically check the resolution of supplemental features in my PC disc drive, and the second disc of this two disc set on which the supplements are found also did something a little odd at boot up in my drive, which I'm reporting here in case anyone else experiences it. After supposedly booting, I was at a blank black screen with no timecode. Interestingly, my software allowed me to select Top Menu, but that also led to a blank black screen, albeit with a timecode this time. Because I'm an inveterate button pusher before attempting to reboot, I tried chapter skip and rather amazingly got to the Main Menu for the disc.

Devils' Line: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Devils' Line features DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks in either the original Japanese (with forced English subtitles) or English (with no optional English subtitles available). To my ears, the Japanese track sounded at least marginally punchier, with more energy in the midrange and low end, and a just slightly hotter mix overall. That made it my personal preference, but the English track sounded generally fine, if a little anemic by comparison. Dialogue, effects and a kind of fun score are all rendered without any problems whatsoever.

Devils' Line: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Clean Opening Animation (1080p; 1:32)


• Clean Closing Animation (1080p; 1:32)

Additionally, Disc Credits and Trailers for other Sentai Filmworks releases are available.

Note: See the note above in the video section for a problem I had playing this disc.

Devils' Line: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Devils' Line probably traffics in material that many anime fans have already seen in other properties, and as such, some may be expecting this series to do something "new and improved". It really doesn't do that, but the show has moments of charm and occasional gore, and it also has fits of looking rather stylish, although that, too, is kind of intermittent. Technical merits are generally solid for those considering a purchase.