Name(s): Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei / Digital Devil Monogatari Megami Tensei / デジタル・デビル物語〈ストーリ〉 女神転生
Format: Original video animation [OVA] (1 episode)
Studio(s): animate Film
Related: Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation (1995)

Shin Megami Tensei is one of my favorite franchises from—well, anything, really. This OVA is based on the original novel that started it all, and it’s notoriously mediocre.

Even as a borderline fanboy of the franchise, the detractors are completely right. This OVA is essentially blowing through a novel in 45 minutes, and it just doesn’t work. The pacing is absurdly haphazard, immediately jumping from one plot point to the next without any leisure to develop characters or satisfyingly explain what’s going on. Despite largely being a horror anime, the scenes are accompanied by cheesy disco-like synth pop that’s way too upbeat for whatever’s going on.

The base elements of the things us fans love about Shin Megami Tensei such as the mythology and dark atmosphere are here, but without proper execution they’re worth nothing on their own. This is nothing more than a historical experience for the fans to see where the franchise originated in an easily digestible format. That still doesn’t mean it’s the best way to approach, but if you want that then perhaps you should seek out a translation of the original novel.