Search - The Devil Lady - The Strengthening (Vol. 3) on DVD

"Feel the head wind and walk straight ahead"

Marc Ruby? | Warren, MI USA | 06/06/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This series shows no signs of getting easier to digest. Go Nagai, in evolving the original style, made use of the contrast between extremely attractive women and the gruesome treatment many receive at the hands of a new expression of demons, which are gradually beginning to take over the world. This series drawn from the manga intensify this even more.Jun Fudou is supposed to be the government's pet nightmare in this world, a secret weapon that models by day, and tears up creatures that tear up humans by night. Her keeper, Lan Asuka, is proof that humans can be far worse than demons. Asuka keeps ordering Jun to kill, furious that Jun will not renounce her human qualities. This causes innumerable foul ups and disasters, all of which Asuka blames on Jun.Into this bitter relationship returns Jason Bates, another demon like Jun, but one who exults in his ability to destroy. He too thinks of Jun as weak. This is hardly the case, Jun is determined to find a balance between her lower and higher natures. She hesitates to kill, and loves her ward, Kazumi Takiura. One of the key developments in this DVD is Jun finding the strength to stand up to Asuka and insist one her own humanity.The victim/monsters of this set are a child that sets fires, a department store manager whose life got away from him, and an artist manipulated but his sister for her pleasure. The imagery begins to cross over to that of 'Legend of the Overfiend,' and is in danger of becoming more explicit than its current rating. But, horrible and compelling it is. The question of how Jun will finally resolve her conflicts is unanswerable, but apocalyptic harbingers seem to lurk in every sewer and parking lot. At least I hope she gets to kick Asuka just once, really hard."