Before starting this series, it's necessary to have read Mao Dante and the original 1972 Devilman manga as several events in Devilman Lady ties in with the stories of the mentioned manga. That being said, Devilman Lady is very well written but has very grotesque sexual content and this series is not for the easily disturbed. If you choose to stick around with it, certain rewards are appearances of Devilman, Demon Lord Dante and several other characters while offering a dark yet ambiguous insight on morality.

The story begins with our leading lady, Jun Fudo, having a nightmare of her former career as a Olympian swimmer. We learn that she developed murderous tendencies due to losing in the Olympics so to avoid these vile thoughts Jun then becomes a teacher. It is during a field trip where her origin as Devilman Lady commences as her students are being eaten and violated by Devil Beasts. Jun herself is a victim of sexual abuse who then becomes a demon to save her students. Appearing at the scene is the organization known as The Human Alliance who have been hunting down Devil Beasts in secret. A member of this organization becomes Jun's friend being named Ran Asuka. After some exposition, Jun begins her journey as Devilman Lady and seeks to provide safety for humanity by killing Devil Beasts.

Most of the series is very episodic but manages to be filled with great characterization as Jun is constantly questioning her violent actions as she is potentially evil as the beasts she hunts. Most short stories have a sense of tragedy as in this current world any human suffering grief or seeking vices has the potential of becoming a Devil Beast which often leads with a sad back story as to why they let their souls be consumed by evil. This conflict tends to affect Jun's idea of heroism as she tries to save their souls but often ends in failure, thus questioning the separation between good and evil. This is further expanded in later chapters as more Devil Beasts are being formed along with the appearance of Devil Men (beasts who fight for justice).

This is where the series picks up on the previous message in the Devilman manga which explained the evils of men and the need for anti-war. In Devilman Lady, the message follows a similar meaning but a very different presentation. As an example, Devilman Lady is losing sight of her humanity and believes herself to no longer be human. When she sees Devil Men executing Devil Beasts she thinks to herself "Are we killing our own kind?" This type of mentality is what makes the series interesting as a better phrase to sum up the story is "Who Watches The Watchmen?" Most of the "heroes" we encounter gradually become corrupt or eventually lose sight of their initial goal of protecting humanity. A greater emphasis of this story theme are its final chapters where the series takes a "Devilman route" which Armageddon is on the rise, especially with the prophecy of the revival of Demon Lord Dante.

Aside from the conflict of good vs evil, Devilman Lady also offers a few homages to Go Nagai's previous manga but most specifically Devilman. During the middle of the story, the setting is changed to Hell which offers the appearance of multiple Devilman characters including Devilman himself. These few chapters add an extra layer to Devilman's character as we see him a bit more mature on the subject matter of corruption and offering words of encouragement to Jun Fudo.

Go Nagai's art work in this series feels grand, especially in the scenes depicting Hell. Most of his character designs are more muscular and three-dimensional but still retains his gritty and frightening style he's known for. In my opinion, this manga may be Go Nagai's best in visual appeal and the same can almost be said about the writing. My real disapproval of this series is the ending as it comes off as very out of character and inconclusive. I will not spoil the ending but I'm certain that this finale could have gone in a different direction. Upon further thought there are some unresolved events that don't get a proper resolution.

Regardless of the questionable ending, Devilman Lady certainly captures the same feel as the original Devilman to the point where I would consider Devilman Lady as a sequel. It's definitely worth reading although one must be prepared for several uncomfortable scenes of sexual content as its very close of being a hentai about demons(imagine a more explicit version of Berserk). Devilman Lady dives into the mental struggle of heroes pursing justice and the sins they commit to justify their actions. The series is very episodic but contains plenty of scenarios to fully express its story and does it splendidly.