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D.Gray-man #1
D.Gray-man, Vol. 1
A cursed teenage boy saves mankind one soul at a time.
Set in a fictional 19th century England, D.Gray-man is the story of Allen Walker, a 15-year-old boy who roams the earth in search of Innocence. Washed away to unknown parts of the world after The Great Flood, Innocence is the mysterious substance used to create weapons that obliterate demons known as akuma.
A born exorcist, Walker's primary anti-akuma weapon is the cross that's embossed on his red, disfigured left hand, which contains Innocence. But not only does Walker destroy akuma, he sees the akuma hiding inside a person's soul! Together with his fellow exorcists fighting under the command of the Black Order, Walker leads the battle against the Millennium Earl, the evil being out to destroy mankind.
Set in a fictional 19th century England, D.Gray-man is the story of Allen Walker, a 15-year-old boy who roams the earth in search of Innocence. Washed away to unknown parts of the world after The Great Flood, Innocence is the mysterious substance used to create weapons that obliterate demons known as akuma.
A born exorcist, Walker's primary anti-akuma weapon is the cross that's embossed on his red, disfigured left hand, which contains Innocence. But not only does Walker destroy akuma, he sees the akuma hiding inside a person's soul! Together with his fellow exorcists fighting under the command of the Black Order, Walker leads the battle against the Millennium Earl, the evil being out to destroy mankind.
196 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2004
174 people are currently reading
14.7k people want to read
About the author
Katsura Hoshino
80?books635?followersKatsura Hoshino ((星野 桂 Hoshino Katsura) was born on April 21, 1980, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, as the younger of fraternal twin girls and the second of three children. She drew her first manga at twenty-one. In 1998, Hoshino moved to Tokyo. She dreamed of bringing her mother to the city and was able to in 2006.
She made her debut with her comics in July 2003 with the publication of her first manga series Continue and is known for her work, D.Gray-man, which began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2004.
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December 9, 2016
This was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed "D.Gray-man" waaay more than I thought I would.
Read
September 5, 2020There was a time when D.Gray Man was all the rage. An often cheap but still compelling anime adaptation that aired between 2006-2008 brought a lot of attention to Hoshino-sensei and for a while the franchise was immensely popular. But after a long hiatus (due to a bizarre health crisis in the mangaka's life that may be addressed at a later point) the furor died out and by the time a sequel to the anime rolled by in 2016 it went by almost unheeded.
This is quite unfortunate as this is a solid shounen title that is considerably superior, in my opinion, to many other more successful manga. Alas, such are the fickle ways of the 2D industry (and I speak for the Western reception first and foremost as I am not up to date to what Japanese readers think) but be it as it may, the manga is still running and as yet to be canceled so there must be a large enough fanbase to make it viable in the highly competitive world of battle/adventure manga.
This first volume is a good introduction to the 'imaginary 19th century' where the story takes place. Via aesthetics that are very reminiscent of Tim Burton at his best, D.Gray Man unfolds pop Gothic visuals, for lack of a better term, with Catholic imagery galore (to the point a cross is embedded in the main's hand), while opting for a strong contrast between black and white spaces that works very well in giving it a graphic look. Interestingly, shaded panels almost always point to dreamy sequences, at times of a quasi-symbolic nature, in which the villain tempts people into crossing a line they should not.
This villain is the Millenium Earl, a figure that is most remarkable in terms of how he is visually represented. The Earl is very fat, drawn in a more simpler style than the rest of the cast, and could have stepped out from virtually any (good) Tim Burton movie. With absurdly tiny glasses, a bizarrely long mouth that is almost the entire face and a very tall hat perched precariously on his head as he skips about with a pumpkin topped umbrella, he looks more like comic relief than anything else. But that is a very big mouth indeed and it is full of teeth.
The Earl is so unique a figure that it makes perfect sense that he should make it to the cover of the very first volume, right next to Allen, the main. In a sense, the Earl's dual nature of buffoon and terrifying monster with the power to manipulate people when they are at their lowest is the essence of the entire manga: it has its moments of comedy but is much, much darker than one might assume.
Almost right away we learn about the nature of the Earl's weapon of choice, the Akuma. I will spoiler-tag it as first time readers may not want to know:
Arguably, the process of Akuma creation is a bit convoluted and this volume goes through it twice but it is at the core of what makes D.Gray Man more than your average battle manga. There is real human drama here and already in the first chapters it gets presented in all its horror.
Allen is a very likable character and one of the few shounen heroes I do not abhor. In this volume he displays the typical skill set of great power, courage and desire to improve at all costs. But he is not rash or annoying even if he very much the 'gotta save them all' type that I tend to really not care for. Perhaps it is because the world of D.Gray Man is so dark and each loss ends up resonating all across, including one-chapter characters, that his savior strike becomes so compelling.
Or maybe I just like white haired bishies.
On that subject, D.Gray Man is a manga that is shounen in spirit but veers on shoujo visually. It is a combination that I favor and here it is impeccable. Interestingly enough, the character design shifted to less suave in the anime: this is all the more visible in Kanda who, in the manga, could very well pass for a female character but comes across as much more masculine in the anime adaptation (especially Hallow, the later one). But there is a complicated history regarding the artwork that will be covered at another time.
The battles themselves are intense and convey a sense of movement with grace but Hoshino is still perfecting her craft. When Allen goes against several Akuma simultaneously some of the flow is lost and one is not entirely sure of what is happening.
Said battles revolve around Allen's weapon, a left arm that is normally red and borderline deformed but morphs into an impressive shining claw when activated. It is here that the before mentioned cross is embedded so the symbolical appeal is unmistakable even as the manga evolves toward a greater and more complex sense of nuance.
I had read this before in English but this was my first time reading this particular manga in Japanese. I feel like an idiot for never having figured out before that Kanda's blade, 'Mugen' is written as [六幻] ('six illusions') and not [無限] ('infinity'); the homophone is deliberate but given than Kanda calls out his attacks as 'first illusion' and so forth, I should have realized it but it never even crossed my mind.
To my great surprise, I was able to read this in two goes across two days. That is a record for me and while it may seem a petty one, I am still quite proud of myself, furigana not withstanding. With that said, I still struggled to make heads or tails of the handwritten parts. It never ceases to baffle me how mangaka, who draw for a living, can have such untidy and borderline illegible handwriting (or why manga insist in printing them as such as opposed to just using regular characters) with the occasional missing stroke. Native Japanese speakers and very advanced learners do not need all strokes to figure it out but I do like my kanji to be complete.
Revisiting this manga allowed to fully appreciate it. I had found myself thinking, as I watched later episodes of the anime, that at some point the story lost coherence and went in contradictory directions. But I now realize that what seemed almost random plot decisions on the part of sensei were in fact a long game: Hoshino was foreshadowing almost from the very first panel and she knew very well what she was doing.
This is quite unfortunate as this is a solid shounen title that is considerably superior, in my opinion, to many other more successful manga. Alas, such are the fickle ways of the 2D industry (and I speak for the Western reception first and foremost as I am not up to date to what Japanese readers think) but be it as it may, the manga is still running and as yet to be canceled so there must be a large enough fanbase to make it viable in the highly competitive world of battle/adventure manga.
This first volume is a good introduction to the 'imaginary 19th century' where the story takes place. Via aesthetics that are very reminiscent of Tim Burton at his best, D.Gray Man unfolds pop Gothic visuals, for lack of a better term, with Catholic imagery galore (to the point a cross is embedded in the main's hand), while opting for a strong contrast between black and white spaces that works very well in giving it a graphic look. Interestingly, shaded panels almost always point to dreamy sequences, at times of a quasi-symbolic nature, in which the villain tempts people into crossing a line they should not.
This villain is the Millenium Earl, a figure that is most remarkable in terms of how he is visually represented. The Earl is very fat, drawn in a more simpler style than the rest of the cast, and could have stepped out from virtually any (good) Tim Burton movie. With absurdly tiny glasses, a bizarrely long mouth that is almost the entire face and a very tall hat perched precariously on his head as he skips about with a pumpkin topped umbrella, he looks more like comic relief than anything else. But that is a very big mouth indeed and it is full of teeth.
The Earl is so unique a figure that it makes perfect sense that he should make it to the cover of the very first volume, right next to Allen, the main. In a sense, the Earl's dual nature of buffoon and terrifying monster with the power to manipulate people when they are at their lowest is the essence of the entire manga: it has its moments of comedy but is much, much darker than one might assume.
Almost right away we learn about the nature of the Earl's weapon of choice, the Akuma. I will spoiler-tag it as first time readers may not want to know:
Arguably, the process of Akuma creation is a bit convoluted and this volume goes through it twice but it is at the core of what makes D.Gray Man more than your average battle manga. There is real human drama here and already in the first chapters it gets presented in all its horror.
Allen is a very likable character and one of the few shounen heroes I do not abhor. In this volume he displays the typical skill set of great power, courage and desire to improve at all costs. But he is not rash or annoying even if he very much the 'gotta save them all' type that I tend to really not care for. Perhaps it is because the world of D.Gray Man is so dark and each loss ends up resonating all across, including one-chapter characters, that his savior strike becomes so compelling.
Or maybe I just like white haired bishies.
On that subject, D.Gray Man is a manga that is shounen in spirit but veers on shoujo visually. It is a combination that I favor and here it is impeccable. Interestingly enough, the character design shifted to less suave in the anime: this is all the more visible in Kanda who, in the manga, could very well pass for a female character but comes across as much more masculine in the anime adaptation (especially Hallow, the later one). But there is a complicated history regarding the artwork that will be covered at another time.
The battles themselves are intense and convey a sense of movement with grace but Hoshino is still perfecting her craft. When Allen goes against several Akuma simultaneously some of the flow is lost and one is not entirely sure of what is happening.
Said battles revolve around Allen's weapon, a left arm that is normally red and borderline deformed but morphs into an impressive shining claw when activated. It is here that the before mentioned cross is embedded so the symbolical appeal is unmistakable even as the manga evolves toward a greater and more complex sense of nuance.
I had read this before in English but this was my first time reading this particular manga in Japanese. I feel like an idiot for never having figured out before that Kanda's blade, 'Mugen' is written as [六幻] ('six illusions') and not [無限] ('infinity'); the homophone is deliberate but given than Kanda calls out his attacks as 'first illusion' and so forth, I should have realized it but it never even crossed my mind.
To my great surprise, I was able to read this in two goes across two days. That is a record for me and while it may seem a petty one, I am still quite proud of myself, furigana not withstanding. With that said, I still struggled to make heads or tails of the handwritten parts. It never ceases to baffle me how mangaka, who draw for a living, can have such untidy and borderline illegible handwriting (or why manga insist in printing them as such as opposed to just using regular characters) with the occasional missing stroke. Native Japanese speakers and very advanced learners do not need all strokes to figure it out but I do like my kanji to be complete.
Revisiting this manga allowed to fully appreciate it. I had found myself thinking, as I watched later episodes of the anime, that at some point the story lost coherence and went in contradictory directions. But I now realize that what seemed almost random plot decisions on the part of sensei were in fact a long game: Hoshino was foreshadowing almost from the very first panel and she knew very well what she was doing.
April 29, 2016
I'll fully review this later but damn, it was good.
March 19, 2024
bu animeyi izledi?im zamanlar hayat?m?n en iyi zamanlar? olabilir mi acaba
September 7, 2020
(Rating for entire series thusfar)
This series is a lot like spaghetti, in that it's a tangled mess of loose ends. But man do I love spaghetti.
This series is a lot like spaghetti, in that it's a tangled mess of loose ends. But man do I love spaghetti.
November 2, 2011
Note: This is half a review of the whole series...so it is very confusing at times...incredibly confusing and I don't stop to explain myself, not once, so continue at your own peril. In fact, no, don't read this because it's actually a pretty bad review I'll probably edit/delete later. Bye!
Screw this. I'm writing this review right now, no more procrastinating for Mello, yup! And after this I'm going to write my review of Hetalia! AND AFTER THAT I WILL WORK ON MY NANOWRIMO NOVEL!
Well, okay, maybe not exactly in that order. I'll probably procrastinate and loaf around for a long time. And then I'll read more of Homestruck and complain about how long it is. Yup.
But, regardless, let's get on with this review, shall we?
Okay, D Gray Man. What can I say? I LOVE D GRAY MAN. It is and will always be my favorite manga, but even I have to admit it has it's flaws.
Although I for one was drawn in this volume from the very beginning and could not put it down (Come on guys! Allen had a cat in this volume! A CAATTTS!) I can see how it may be...dull...to others.
(Inner trollish Mello: WUT HOW COUDL U SAY THINGS LIEK DAT ABOUT D GRAY MANN?!)
Because, inner trollish Mello, I am sensible Mello and I can see that even my favorite series has flaws.
For instance, many compare D Gray Man to Fullmetal Alchemist. At first I didn't really see the similarities. lol, I mean we're talking about this guy:
Versus this guy:
However...as time progressed I began to see the similarities...
Allen and Edward...
...both have fucked up arms...
...both have fucked up arms as result of parent's deaths...
...both have crazy as shit mechanics (look, Komui, I love you, but you are clearly crazy)...
...both have dead parents...
...both have tried to resurrect dead parents only for it to end up HOLY CRAP TOTALLY WRONG...
...both are criminally short...
...and are picked on constantly for this...
...and always take offense at being picked on constantly for this...
Yeah, well, I won't go on and on. The point is that on the surface...D Gray Man may not seem...terribly original.
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT
WAITTT!
Okay, look, that's just on the surface. I personally didn't mind the severe lack of...plot...*cringes* (I really don't want to say lack of plot, because that's not entirely it, but...) because I fell in love (no, not literally) with Allen (yes, okay, literally).
Really, D Gray Man as a whole has never been strong with plot...well, except for the place we're at the series as I type this sentence. Hoshino is a master storyteller, at least at the moment, in fact she's always been a master storyteller, she's just not all that fantastic with the plot in the middle. But that was fine, at least for me, because I loved the characters so much I was willing to read anything about them.
Basically...yeah, okay, you read this volume and no...it's not all that spectacular. But later it starts to develop more clearly, we are introduced to major characters, the plot thickens (well, uh, I would hold my horses on that one, but...) and everything picks up! But just not here. Here Hoshino introduced us to all of the terms she'd be using (Akuma, Excorcist, Innocence...something else?) and that was kind of a mistake. She needed a stronger way to pull in readers. But that's not the point. Well, actually it is.
ARGH WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO CONVINCE YOU TO READ D GRAY MAN!
I can't seem to say anything that doesn't come out sounding overtly critical of it!
Okay, you know what, let me tell you my reasons for sticking with D Gray Man all this time, maybe that will help?
The team dynamic Hoshino uses!
It's flawless! Well, maybe I shouldn't say that just incase there is a flaw I figure out sometime in the future. But right now I will say it: it's flawless! I love everyone on the team, nobody's lagging anyone else behind unlike on the Naruto team where there was always annoying Sakura, and, uh, IT'S A GOOD TEAM DYNAMIC OKAY?
...I suck, terribly.
But let's move on from that depressing tidbit of the day!
Uh...wait...wrong picture ._.'
Sorry Krory, but you're not exactly the reason I kept reading, sorry to say...I love Krory too, really, but...no.
HERE'S WHY!
*makes small choking sound*
W-wait! Let me explain!
Firstly, let me just say that no, I am not a yaoi fangirl. Seriously. It's just, well, Laven is my one true pairing. IT'S PRACTICALLY CANON, AND I AM A CANON PURIST SO DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY. I don't believe in throwing two people together just for the sake of it, but LavixAllen works. It just does! I mean, for chrissakes, they are all over each other half the time! And what about that hug, and-and...*mumbles*
Okay...so I am in this partly for my pairing.
...
...
...
...you'll never read it now, will you?
Look, it's not just that. I feel that the world building is weird, but once again it just works. The Exorcists, I love all of them. Lenalee isn't treated as a second class citizen (she's the girl of the team). Although some would argue that she's just fanservice because of her skirt, well, no. She actually has a personality that's visible, and hey, there is actually a halfway excuse for the skirt? (To be able to use her magical boots (please, please, don't ask me about that -_-') she needs as much leg space as possible.)
But, well, let me tell you something else...it's the powers.
All the powers, villains and heroes, are very, very confusing. Only if you're naive like me will you try to argue that they make sense, and as you can see not even I try and argue that they make sense. I won't even try to explain it here, in fact, just do a wiki search and save both of us the trouble. All I can say is that at least nobody's incredibly over powered by anyone else. Their power levels are always kept in check, and that's relief.
Uhhh...I think I may have went off point for the eighth or so time.
I'll end this review now.
TL;DR: THIS VOLUME MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH BUT IT GETS BETTER AND THEN IT GETS A LITTLE WORSE AND THEN IT GETS A HELL OF A LOT BETTER AGAIN AND YOU BECOME ADDICTED. LIKE ME. DA END.
Screw this. I'm writing this review right now, no more procrastinating for Mello, yup! And after this I'm going to write my review of Hetalia! AND AFTER THAT I WILL WORK ON MY NANOWRIMO NOVEL!
Well, okay, maybe not exactly in that order. I'll probably procrastinate and loaf around for a long time. And then I'll read more of Homestruck and complain about how long it is. Yup.
But, regardless, let's get on with this review, shall we?
Okay, D Gray Man. What can I say? I LOVE D GRAY MAN. It is and will always be my favorite manga, but even I have to admit it has it's flaws.
Although I for one was drawn in this volume from the very beginning and could not put it down (Come on guys! Allen had a cat in this volume! A CAATTTS!) I can see how it may be...dull...to others.
(Inner trollish Mello: WUT HOW COUDL U SAY THINGS LIEK DAT ABOUT D GRAY MANN?!)
Because, inner trollish Mello, I am sensible Mello and I can see that even my favorite series has flaws.
For instance, many compare D Gray Man to Fullmetal Alchemist. At first I didn't really see the similarities. lol, I mean we're talking about this guy:
Versus this guy:
However...as time progressed I began to see the similarities...
Allen and Edward...
...both have fucked up arms...
...both have fucked up arms as result of parent's deaths...
...both have crazy as shit mechanics (look, Komui, I love you, but you are clearly crazy)...
...both have dead parents...
...both have tried to resurrect dead parents only for it to end up HOLY CRAP TOTALLY WRONG...
...both are criminally short...
...and are picked on constantly for this...
...and always take offense at being picked on constantly for this...
Yeah, well, I won't go on and on. The point is that on the surface...D Gray Man may not seem...terribly original.
BUT BUT BUT BUT BUT
WAITTT!
Okay, look, that's just on the surface. I personally didn't mind the severe lack of...plot...*cringes* (I really don't want to say lack of plot, because that's not entirely it, but...) because I fell in love (no, not literally) with Allen (yes, okay, literally).
Really, D Gray Man as a whole has never been strong with plot...well, except for the place we're at the series as I type this sentence. Hoshino is a master storyteller, at least at the moment, in fact she's always been a master storyteller, she's just not all that fantastic with the plot in the middle. But that was fine, at least for me, because I loved the characters so much I was willing to read anything about them.
Basically...yeah, okay, you read this volume and no...it's not all that spectacular. But later it starts to develop more clearly, we are introduced to major characters, the plot thickens (well, uh, I would hold my horses on that one, but...) and everything picks up! But just not here. Here Hoshino introduced us to all of the terms she'd be using (Akuma, Excorcist, Innocence...something else?) and that was kind of a mistake. She needed a stronger way to pull in readers. But that's not the point. Well, actually it is.
ARGH WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO CONVINCE YOU TO READ D GRAY MAN!
I can't seem to say anything that doesn't come out sounding overtly critical of it!
Okay, you know what, let me tell you my reasons for sticking with D Gray Man all this time, maybe that will help?
The team dynamic Hoshino uses!
It's flawless! Well, maybe I shouldn't say that just incase there is a flaw I figure out sometime in the future. But right now I will say it: it's flawless! I love everyone on the team, nobody's lagging anyone else behind unlike on the Naruto team where there was always annoying Sakura, and, uh, IT'S A GOOD TEAM DYNAMIC OKAY?
...I suck, terribly.
But let's move on from that depressing tidbit of the day!
Uh...wait...wrong picture ._.'
Sorry Krory, but you're not exactly the reason I kept reading, sorry to say...I love Krory too, really, but...no.
HERE'S WHY!
*makes small choking sound*
W-wait! Let me explain!
Firstly, let me just say that no, I am not a yaoi fangirl. Seriously. It's just, well, Laven is my one true pairing. IT'S PRACTICALLY CANON, AND I AM A CANON PURIST SO DON'T TAKE THAT LIGHTLY. I don't believe in throwing two people together just for the sake of it, but LavixAllen works. It just does! I mean, for chrissakes, they are all over each other half the time! And what about that hug, and-and...*mumbles*
Okay...so I am in this partly for my pairing.
...
...
...
...you'll never read it now, will you?
Look, it's not just that. I feel that the world building is weird, but once again it just works. The Exorcists, I love all of them. Lenalee isn't treated as a second class citizen (she's the girl of the team). Although some would argue that she's just fanservice because of her skirt, well, no. She actually has a personality that's visible, and hey, there is actually a halfway excuse for the skirt? (To be able to use her magical boots (please, please, don't ask me about that -_-') she needs as much leg space as possible.)
But, well, let me tell you something else...it's the powers.
All the powers, villains and heroes, are very, very confusing. Only if you're naive like me will you try to argue that they make sense, and as you can see not even I try and argue that they make sense. I won't even try to explain it here, in fact, just do a wiki search and save both of us the trouble. All I can say is that at least nobody's incredibly over powered by anyone else. Their power levels are always kept in check, and that's relief.
Uhhh...I think I may have went off point for the eighth or so time.
I'll end this review now.
TL;DR: THIS VOLUME MAY NOT SEEM LIKE MUCH BUT IT GETS BETTER AND THEN IT GETS A LITTLE WORSE AND THEN IT GETS A HELL OF A LOT BETTER AGAIN AND YOU BECOME ADDICTED. LIKE ME. DA END.
October 23, 2011
Confession: I have a lot of problems with manga as a medium. It's actually surprising to me when I genuinely get into a manga series, because there are so many obstacles: I find the panels often confusing; it takes me several minutes to get used to reading right to left; I'm continually frustrated by the melodrama which plagues the beginning of most series and the way things are repeated over and over and over and over and over. So I guess my problem with this volume is not really with it, persay, as with the fact that it falls prey to so many genre weaknesses.
The basic concept is interesting - fascinating, even. A war between the forces of good - armed with something nebulously called 'Innocence' - and those of evil with a horde of half machine/half tortured human soul weapons at their disposal is a really cool idea. Unfortunately... it feels to me a lot like Claymore. The protagonist, Allen Walker, seems to be a similar sort of mysterious not-quite-human/almost-the-enemy type as all Claymores. Actually, he strikes me as the combination of a Claymore and Edward Elric - and ergo he doesn't feel to me like something new.
I think I would have given this book four stars if it hadn't been for the constant repetition of the word 'akuma'. Surely, surely, if these things have been around for ages they have more than one name. Surely, even if they don't, it's not necessary to use it so often. Pronouns, people, pronouns! They weren't invented just for shits and giggles! Use them!
Other than that... hmm. Well, there are things that deserve dramatic reveals with exclamation points. It helps if these things are not the same things which characters have explained very calmly the page before.
I'm not going to give up on the series yet, but I'm not in a hurry to track it down after this less-than-stunning opener.
(P.S. Millenium Earl = Rasputin? Spoil for me.)
The basic concept is interesting - fascinating, even. A war between the forces of good - armed with something nebulously called 'Innocence' - and those of evil with a horde of half machine/half tortured human soul weapons at their disposal is a really cool idea. Unfortunately... it feels to me a lot like Claymore. The protagonist, Allen Walker, seems to be a similar sort of mysterious not-quite-human/almost-the-enemy type as all Claymores. Actually, he strikes me as the combination of a Claymore and Edward Elric - and ergo he doesn't feel to me like something new.
I think I would have given this book four stars if it hadn't been for the constant repetition of the word 'akuma'. Surely, surely, if these things have been around for ages they have more than one name. Surely, even if they don't, it's not necessary to use it so often. Pronouns, people, pronouns! They weren't invented just for shits and giggles! Use them!
Other than that... hmm. Well, there are things that deserve dramatic reveals with exclamation points. It helps if these things are not the same things which characters have explained very calmly the page before.
I'm not going to give up on the series yet, but I'm not in a hurry to track it down after this less-than-stunning opener.
(P.S. Millenium Earl = Rasputin? Spoil for me.)
July 8, 2011
D.Gray-Man (the author has said that the title has nothing to do with the series - it was picked because it sounded cool) is one of the strangest manga's that I've encountered thus far. It's sort of a cross between a Tim Burton movie, the best of the steampunk/horror genre, with a few elements of Victorian England thrown in. Its art style is just as strange - the characters are drawn in a very specific way; you either love it or hate it.
Onto the plot:
Allen Walker is cursed. He tried to bring his adoptive father back to life with the aid of the mysterious Millennium Earl (who may or may not have rabbit ears), only to end up with an eye that can see Akuma - demons created by the Millennium Earl who are under his control. He was born with a deformed arm, with a strange green cross embedded in it: he later finds out that this is his 'Innocence,' an elusive substance that Exorcists (those chosen by God to slay Akuma) wield as their main weapon. He learns of the race to collect all of the Innocence before the Earl; unless the Exorcists win, he will surely dominate the entire world.
D.Gray-Man has gotten a lot of flack for having a bit of a coordination problem when it comes to fight scenes (it's hard to tell what the heck is going on sometimes), but the art is beautiful and the characters enchanting. Allen is a first-class sweetie (no, guys, that is NOT a reason for you not to read the series! Someone can be sweet-natured and tough at the same time!), Lavi is charmingly funny, Komui is hilariously messy, and Lenalee (just about the only female character in the series) is cute and tough at the same time: a good combination in a shonen series.
While D.Gray-Man isn't that well known, it deserves to be. So hurry up and buy/borrow these books and give it the reputation it deserves!
Onto the plot:
Allen Walker is cursed. He tried to bring his adoptive father back to life with the aid of the mysterious Millennium Earl (who may or may not have rabbit ears), only to end up with an eye that can see Akuma - demons created by the Millennium Earl who are under his control. He was born with a deformed arm, with a strange green cross embedded in it: he later finds out that this is his 'Innocence,' an elusive substance that Exorcists (those chosen by God to slay Akuma) wield as their main weapon. He learns of the race to collect all of the Innocence before the Earl; unless the Exorcists win, he will surely dominate the entire world.
D.Gray-Man has gotten a lot of flack for having a bit of a coordination problem when it comes to fight scenes (it's hard to tell what the heck is going on sometimes), but the art is beautiful and the characters enchanting. Allen is a first-class sweetie (no, guys, that is NOT a reason for you not to read the series! Someone can be sweet-natured and tough at the same time!), Lavi is charmingly funny, Komui is hilariously messy, and Lenalee (just about the only female character in the series) is cute and tough at the same time: a good combination in a shonen series.
While D.Gray-Man isn't that well known, it deserves to be. So hurry up and buy/borrow these books and give it the reputation it deserves!
June 12, 2020
Rereading the first volume after having followed this series for more than a decade is a bit of a trip.
So much stuff was in this first volume that never gets addressed again, but while the details have definitely changed over the years (or have they?), the premise remains constant.
Allen Walker is an exorcist with a hand that becomes a weapon to defeat monsters called "Akuma." This first volume is him traveling to join up with The Black Order, a group devoted to destroying Akuma, defeating the Millennium Earl, and collecting pieces of a mysterious substance called "Innocence." He gets sidetracked on his trip for most of this volume, but the little vignettes help build Allen as a character and get the relevant story information out there before we dive into the meat of the series.
Admittedly, this first volume is more info-dump than I remember it being the first time I read it, but enough is happening to intersperse the overload of information with battles and back story for our hero. The art is pretty terrible in most of it, but in a charming "I'm trying, watch me grow" kind of way (seriously, later volumes of this series are gorgeously gothic).
This volume is a middle-of-the-road start for one of my favorite series of all time. It was enough to get me invested all those years ago, and I recommend giving it a shot. If the first volume has you intrigued, there's a lot of awesome waiting for you down the road.
So much stuff was in this first volume that never gets addressed again, but while the details have definitely changed over the years (or have they?), the premise remains constant.
Allen Walker is an exorcist with a hand that becomes a weapon to defeat monsters called "Akuma." This first volume is him traveling to join up with The Black Order, a group devoted to destroying Akuma, defeating the Millennium Earl, and collecting pieces of a mysterious substance called "Innocence." He gets sidetracked on his trip for most of this volume, but the little vignettes help build Allen as a character and get the relevant story information out there before we dive into the meat of the series.
Admittedly, this first volume is more info-dump than I remember it being the first time I read it, but enough is happening to intersperse the overload of information with battles and back story for our hero. The art is pretty terrible in most of it, but in a charming "I'm trying, watch me grow" kind of way (seriously, later volumes of this series are gorgeously gothic).
This volume is a middle-of-the-road start for one of my favorite series of all time. It was enough to get me invested all those years ago, and I recommend giving it a shot. If the first volume has you intrigued, there's a lot of awesome waiting for you down the road.
April 14, 2015
Allen Walker is a fifteen year old boy, whose left arm can transform into a weapon. The weapon is a monstrous claw of sorts. It is meant to destroy Akuma. Akuma are machine like monsters that were created by Millennium Earl, the bad guy. Millennium Earl wants to use the Akuma to destroy mankind. Allen has a master, General Cross Marian. Cross tells Allen to become an Exorcist. An exorcist is a person who can kill Akuma. They work for the Black Order, which is an organization that hopes to stop Earl. Walker's left eye can detect disguised Akuma. His left arm and left eye are his weapons when fighting an Akuma.
...................................................................
Characters - 5/5 - Excellent! Everybody has a different personality, different past, it's amazing!
Plot - 4.5/5 - It turned out amazing. The plot is above at the top of this review. There is action, adventure and thrill.
Drawing - 4.7/5 - I love how the characters look. Some have uniforms, while others have their own style.
Overall - 4.8/5 - AMAZING! I'm on vol. 9 right now! It's really addicting!
Overall Grade: A 95%
...................................................................
Characters - 5/5 - Excellent! Everybody has a different personality, different past, it's amazing!
Plot - 4.5/5 - It turned out amazing. The plot is above at the top of this review. There is action, adventure and thrill.
Drawing - 4.7/5 - I love how the characters look. Some have uniforms, while others have their own style.
Overall - 4.8/5 - AMAZING! I'm on vol. 9 right now! It's really addicting!
Overall Grade: A 95%
May 18, 2020
Plot - 5
Character - 5
Writing Style - 5
World Building - 5
Art - 5
Cover - 5
Overall - 5 / 5
Character - 5
Writing Style - 5
World Building - 5
Art - 5
Cover - 5
Overall - 5 / 5
August 19, 2022
Love this a lot! I enjoyed everything in here and it was sad too on what happened in here. Im pumped to continue more
September 8, 2016
Ennesima rilettura di questo shonen atipico (basti pensare che il titolo D.Gray-man in realtà non significa nulla) firmato Katsura Hoshino, rilettura dettata in parte dalla nostalgia, testimoniata dai miei volumi mezzi distrutti, e in parte dal fatto che di recente sia stata trasmessa la tanto attesa seconda stagione della serie animata.
Un'opera che, nell' ormai lontano 2006, mi conquistò fin dalle prime pagine per le promettenti potenzialità narrative, la presenza di personaggi carismatici e un'ambientazione suggestiva. Il mondo creato dalla Hoshinoé avvolto nelle tenebre, simile a un grottesco incubo dove la morte regna incontrastata, ed é qui, in questo visionario e gotico diciannovesimo secolo, che facciamo la conoscenza dell'esorcista Allen Walker. Ragazzo puro e maledetto allo stesso tempo, determinato e gentile, che si ritroverà a scontrarsi con la sua nemesi: il misterioso Conte del Millennio.
Il giovane prenderà parte alla epica guerra che vedrà contrapposte la fazione degli esorcisti e quella della famiglia Noah, un clan di 13 esseri umani prescelti che ciclicamente, col passare dei secoli, combatte al fianco del Conte.
La trama piena di misteri da svelare, col procedere della narrazione, si farà sempre più articolata, matura, a tratti commovente (pur mantenendo invariati alcuni canoni tipici del genere) e i personaggi non saranno da meno: un foltissimo cast di protagonisti e antagonisti indimenticabili, che prenderanno a poco a poco maggiormente coscienza del loro ruolo e della loro maturazione personale. Impossibile poi non amare l' affascinante famiglia Noah tanto quanto, se non più, dei componenti dell'Ordine Oscuro (lo ammetto, sono leggermente di parte ahah)
Per quanto riguarda la componente grafica, la Hoshino predilige una preponderanza del colore bianco nelle tavole, come a voler sottolineare il contrasto tra la luce e l'oscurità che aleggia costantemente su ogni cosa e nonostante il tratto qui sia ancora acerbo, avrà modo di maturare più volte ed esprimere il suo potenziale in seguito.
Sfortunatamente il manga non é ancora concluso (e la Hoshino dovrebbe essere punita per aver lasciato tutti i suoi lettori a bocca asciutta per anni dopo un colpo di scena pazzesco...) ma la lettura é praticamente d'obbligo a coloro che amano le atmosfere gotiche ed inquietanti e vogliono immergersi in uno shonen di qualità.
Un'opera che, nell' ormai lontano 2006, mi conquistò fin dalle prime pagine per le promettenti potenzialità narrative, la presenza di personaggi carismatici e un'ambientazione suggestiva. Il mondo creato dalla Hoshinoé avvolto nelle tenebre, simile a un grottesco incubo dove la morte regna incontrastata, ed é qui, in questo visionario e gotico diciannovesimo secolo, che facciamo la conoscenza dell'esorcista Allen Walker. Ragazzo puro e maledetto allo stesso tempo, determinato e gentile, che si ritroverà a scontrarsi con la sua nemesi: il misterioso Conte del Millennio.
Il giovane prenderà parte alla epica guerra che vedrà contrapposte la fazione degli esorcisti e quella della famiglia Noah, un clan di 13 esseri umani prescelti che ciclicamente, col passare dei secoli, combatte al fianco del Conte.
La trama piena di misteri da svelare, col procedere della narrazione, si farà sempre più articolata, matura, a tratti commovente (pur mantenendo invariati alcuni canoni tipici del genere) e i personaggi non saranno da meno: un foltissimo cast di protagonisti e antagonisti indimenticabili, che prenderanno a poco a poco maggiormente coscienza del loro ruolo e della loro maturazione personale. Impossibile poi non amare l' affascinante famiglia Noah tanto quanto, se non più, dei componenti dell'Ordine Oscuro (lo ammetto, sono leggermente di parte ahah)
Per quanto riguarda la componente grafica, la Hoshino predilige una preponderanza del colore bianco nelle tavole, come a voler sottolineare il contrasto tra la luce e l'oscurità che aleggia costantemente su ogni cosa e nonostante il tratto qui sia ancora acerbo, avrà modo di maturare più volte ed esprimere il suo potenziale in seguito.
Sfortunatamente il manga non é ancora concluso (e la Hoshino dovrebbe essere punita per aver lasciato tutti i suoi lettori a bocca asciutta per anni dopo un colpo di scena pazzesco...) ma la lettura é praticamente d'obbligo a coloro che amano le atmosfere gotiche ed inquietanti e vogliono immergersi in uno shonen di qualità.
November 15, 2021
This was a pretty cool read!
It starts with Allen walker and him saving this girl Moa from an Akuma (evil spirits disguised as human) and we get the Akuma's origin as well and its cool the way it happens seeing how Allen deals with it and another story with the boy John and then Allen coming there to rescue this guy also and the main villain: MILLENIUM EARL and its a fascinating villain and the way it unfolds. We are introduced to the villain but the hero doesn't go against him which is well done.
I like how the author is taking time and introducing characters and concepts and prophecies so as to build towards them and then the way Allen goes to exorcists org. and meets others and in turn we get the whole exposition of the series could be a bit heavy but its a good world building thing and I like that. The character, supporting cast, mystery and mission statement is set up so it should be fascinating to read ahead! Plus the art reminds me of FMA!
It starts with Allen walker and him saving this girl Moa from an Akuma (evil spirits disguised as human) and we get the Akuma's origin as well and its cool the way it happens seeing how Allen deals with it and another story with the boy John and then Allen coming there to rescue this guy also and the main villain: MILLENIUM EARL and its a fascinating villain and the way it unfolds. We are introduced to the villain but the hero doesn't go against him which is well done.
I like how the author is taking time and introducing characters and concepts and prophecies so as to build towards them and then the way Allen goes to exorcists org. and meets others and in turn we get the whole exposition of the series could be a bit heavy but its a good world building thing and I like that. The character, supporting cast, mystery and mission statement is set up so it should be fascinating to read ahead! Plus the art reminds me of FMA!
November 10, 2013
Sooo...this is probably my all-time favourite manga series. Where to start? Well, the story follows Allen Walker, an Exorcist - one of those chosen by a divine substance called Innocence to fight against the sinister Millennium Earl, who steals human souls to make demons known as Akuma. Only Exorcists can fight Akuma and it seems like a futile battle from the outset – the number of Akuma is potentially infinite, whereas the Exorcists are a small group scattered across the globe.
Some of this sound familiar? Aha – it’s deceptive, because Katsura Hoshino completely turns expectations on their head. The first time I read a few volumes, I thought, OK, this is pretty good. But it took a second reading to really get the brilliance of it – and it gets better the further in you get. Trust me.
I love the creepy, dark gothic vibe. I love that it’s set in an alternative nineteenth century in which sinister cyberpunk-esque demons, Akuma, are an accepted fact of life. The Millennium Earl is hands-down one of the best villains I’ve ever read – I mean, look at him. He carries a talking umbrella/golem called Lero, by the way. Yeah. That’s another thing I love about this manga – the bizarre randomness that balances all the tragedy. The Akuma come from the souls of dead humans, trapped in a form that makes them kill their loved ones – as you can imagine, there are some damn near heart-breaking moments. But there’s a lot of humour, too.
The characters…well, we have Allen, cursed by his own father, who he resurrected as an Akuma. Allen can now see the soul of any human trapped within an Akuma, as well as bearing a cross embedded in his hand that gives him the power to vanquish the demons. He has a tragic history but is almost maddeningly optimistic, always smiling. We meet Allen in this volume, but not many of the other awesome characters we get to know later on. I'll avoid spoilers and just say that D.Gray-Man is witty, fun, wonderfully dark and creepy – everything I love to read!
Some of this sound familiar? Aha – it’s deceptive, because Katsura Hoshino completely turns expectations on their head. The first time I read a few volumes, I thought, OK, this is pretty good. But it took a second reading to really get the brilliance of it – and it gets better the further in you get. Trust me.
I love the creepy, dark gothic vibe. I love that it’s set in an alternative nineteenth century in which sinister cyberpunk-esque demons, Akuma, are an accepted fact of life. The Millennium Earl is hands-down one of the best villains I’ve ever read – I mean, look at him. He carries a talking umbrella/golem called Lero, by the way. Yeah. That’s another thing I love about this manga – the bizarre randomness that balances all the tragedy. The Akuma come from the souls of dead humans, trapped in a form that makes them kill their loved ones – as you can imagine, there are some damn near heart-breaking moments. But there’s a lot of humour, too.
The characters…well, we have Allen, cursed by his own father, who he resurrected as an Akuma. Allen can now see the soul of any human trapped within an Akuma, as well as bearing a cross embedded in his hand that gives him the power to vanquish the demons. He has a tragic history but is almost maddeningly optimistic, always smiling. We meet Allen in this volume, but not many of the other awesome characters we get to know later on. I'll avoid spoilers and just say that D.Gray-Man is witty, fun, wonderfully dark and creepy – everything I love to read!
August 20, 2016
Ah yes, I still love this series, I know I saw about 50 episodes of it long time ago, and also read some volumes of the manga, but I never finished. This was just so good. Happy to see Allen again.
I decided to re-read this one, I didn’t really want to start a big book right before my vacation, and also all the books I really wanted to read are now boxed up and ready for my vacation (yes, I am writing this review before my vacation starts).
In this one we first meet with Allen, we find out about his history, about why he looks the way he does (though I am sure there is more backstory in the future, as there are still enough questions left), we also see him travel around to get to the Black Order, while his master is once again on the run (which always makes me laugh, though I also feel sorry for Allen that he is stuck to such an eccentric master).
I loved seeing Allen travel, and also do some exorcism stuff. He meets some people who I hope we will meet again in the future. I did feel sorry for the people he met, and their circumstances. I can’t imagine how much it must hurt to find out your loved one, or your friend is an Akuma.
The Earl was creepy as I remembered him, and I can’t wait to read more about his backstory, we do find out some stuff, but the Earl is still a big fluff ball of mystery.
The Black Order, and what happened there, I just laughed so much. Ah, Kanda being Kanda (pissy as always), Komui (an idiot as always, just loved how everyone was just sighing at the fact that he failed once again), and we also meet other characters. It sure was a delight to see everyone again, and to see Allen truly start his exorcist job.
The art is really pretty, and I just love how everyone is drawn, but I also love all the little details that are scattered through the pages. <3
All in all, I will be sure to read more of this manga, I am not sure if I will write a review for each of these volumes though. Maybe for a few or maybe I will bundle them.
Review first posted at
I decided to re-read this one, I didn’t really want to start a big book right before my vacation, and also all the books I really wanted to read are now boxed up and ready for my vacation (yes, I am writing this review before my vacation starts).
In this one we first meet with Allen, we find out about his history, about why he looks the way he does (though I am sure there is more backstory in the future, as there are still enough questions left), we also see him travel around to get to the Black Order, while his master is once again on the run (which always makes me laugh, though I also feel sorry for Allen that he is stuck to such an eccentric master).
I loved seeing Allen travel, and also do some exorcism stuff. He meets some people who I hope we will meet again in the future. I did feel sorry for the people he met, and their circumstances. I can’t imagine how much it must hurt to find out your loved one, or your friend is an Akuma.
The Earl was creepy as I remembered him, and I can’t wait to read more about his backstory, we do find out some stuff, but the Earl is still a big fluff ball of mystery.
The Black Order, and what happened there, I just laughed so much. Ah, Kanda being Kanda (pissy as always), Komui (an idiot as always, just loved how everyone was just sighing at the fact that he failed once again), and we also meet other characters. It sure was a delight to see everyone again, and to see Allen truly start his exorcist job.
The art is really pretty, and I just love how everyone is drawn, but I also love all the little details that are scattered through the pages. <3
All in all, I will be sure to read more of this manga, I am not sure if I will write a review for each of these volumes though. Maybe for a few or maybe I will bundle them.
Review first posted at
September 12, 2020
Read this one a long time ago but decided to give the series another go since I never finished it. Let’s see how far I make it this time. Volume 1 introduces the characters and plot nicely. Very gothic and creepy art style with a grim story to tell. Allen and the crew are all very stylish and Lenalee is hot.
Read 9/12/20
Read 9/12/20
Read
September 23, 2019Hace ya unos cuantos a?os, descubrí por casualidad el anime del manga que se acabaría convirtiendo más tarde en mi preferido:
. Al principio, esta serie atrae por su estilo 蝉丑ō苍别苍, con acción, aventuras y 蹿补苍迟补蝉í补. La historia es la que suele seguir este estilo de manga: un chico joven que se une a un clan de personas con habilidades mágicas específicas y luchan juntas para derrotar a los enemigos, en el eterno conflicto entre el bien y el mal.
El protagonista es un muchacho inglés llamado Allen Walker y dicho clan es un gremio de exorcistas que, en un Londres victoriano, intentan aniquilar a unos demonios-máquina o akumas, que se aprovechan de las almas de los muertos como si de carburante se trataran, controlados por el Conde Milenario y sus hermanos, los Noé. En la orden de exorcistas, la Congregación de la Sombra, fundada hace miles de a?os, Allen hará grandes amigos y vivirá varias aventuras entre misiones y búsquedas; y, aunque la serie comenzase como género 蝉丑ō苍别苍, poco a poco la sucesión de acontecimientos la ha ido convirtiendo en algo que me atrevería a denominar seinen, por la seriedad de los temas que está tratando Katsura Hoshino, su autora, en la actualidad.
Hablar de todos los entresijos que esconde D.Gray-Man podría extender demasiado este artículo, por lo que a mi pesar, puesto que cuando hablo de esta serie tengo cuerda para rato, me centraré en los aspectos mitológicos que Katsura Hoshino utilizó para crear su manga más famoso.
Cuando ves o lees esta serie, necesitas más de un visionado para extraer todos los mensajes ocultos en ella. Y es que D.Gray-Man, además de integrar una historia profunda y emotiva, es una tremenda crítica a la Iglesia Católica. Katsura Hoshino ha sabido mostrar entre líneas la hipocresía de bastantes altos cargos de la actualidad en forma de personajes, entidades y acciones como es la sede de exorcistas en sí. En esta sede se ha permitido durante a?os la experimentación con inocentes, con la pretensión de que una sustancia, llamada Inocencia, desarrollase armas en sus cuerpos o de forma externa para derrotar a los akuma. Muchas personas fallecieron, otras incluso fueron utilizadas para reencarnarse en otros cuerpos y seguir trabajando.
Con el tiempo, se respira un ambiente de presión y dictadura por el trato que reciben los exorcistas, tal como si fueran objetos, algo que incluso personajes como Malcolm C. Lvellie llegan a expresar claramente (véase además la clara coincidencia que tiene este personaje con cierto dictador alemán). De este modo la sede, que parecería ser la parte positiva de la historia, resulta mostrarse como el enemigo, creando una duda en el lector digna de ser comparada a las que crea George R. R. Martin por la ambigüedad de sus personajes, mientras que el Conde Milenario y sus hermanos son simpáticos, tiernos e incluso a veces despiertan empatía y dulzura. Otras veces no tanto, por lo de las mutilaciones y los ataques, pero ese es otro tema.
Continúa en...
El protagonista es un muchacho inglés llamado Allen Walker y dicho clan es un gremio de exorcistas que, en un Londres victoriano, intentan aniquilar a unos demonios-máquina o akumas, que se aprovechan de las almas de los muertos como si de carburante se trataran, controlados por el Conde Milenario y sus hermanos, los Noé. En la orden de exorcistas, la Congregación de la Sombra, fundada hace miles de a?os, Allen hará grandes amigos y vivirá varias aventuras entre misiones y búsquedas; y, aunque la serie comenzase como género 蝉丑ō苍别苍, poco a poco la sucesión de acontecimientos la ha ido convirtiendo en algo que me atrevería a denominar seinen, por la seriedad de los temas que está tratando Katsura Hoshino, su autora, en la actualidad.
Hablar de todos los entresijos que esconde D.Gray-Man podría extender demasiado este artículo, por lo que a mi pesar, puesto que cuando hablo de esta serie tengo cuerda para rato, me centraré en los aspectos mitológicos que Katsura Hoshino utilizó para crear su manga más famoso.
Cuando ves o lees esta serie, necesitas más de un visionado para extraer todos los mensajes ocultos en ella. Y es que D.Gray-Man, además de integrar una historia profunda y emotiva, es una tremenda crítica a la Iglesia Católica. Katsura Hoshino ha sabido mostrar entre líneas la hipocresía de bastantes altos cargos de la actualidad en forma de personajes, entidades y acciones como es la sede de exorcistas en sí. En esta sede se ha permitido durante a?os la experimentación con inocentes, con la pretensión de que una sustancia, llamada Inocencia, desarrollase armas en sus cuerpos o de forma externa para derrotar a los akuma. Muchas personas fallecieron, otras incluso fueron utilizadas para reencarnarse en otros cuerpos y seguir trabajando.
Con el tiempo, se respira un ambiente de presión y dictadura por el trato que reciben los exorcistas, tal como si fueran objetos, algo que incluso personajes como Malcolm C. Lvellie llegan a expresar claramente (véase además la clara coincidencia que tiene este personaje con cierto dictador alemán). De este modo la sede, que parecería ser la parte positiva de la historia, resulta mostrarse como el enemigo, creando una duda en el lector digna de ser comparada a las que crea George R. R. Martin por la ambigüedad de sus personajes, mientras que el Conde Milenario y sus hermanos son simpáticos, tiernos e incluso a veces despiertan empatía y dulzura. Otras veces no tanto, por lo de las mutilaciones y los ataques, pero ese es otro tema.
Continúa en...
March 1, 2022
This manga is about Allen Walker who is an exorcist that have deformed arms (his arm is Akuma weapon that can kill or exorcise the demon). The first volumes is an introduction on what is Akuma, their backstory including Allen's past. First volume is more like a warming up of the intense fight and storyline that will happen in upcoming volumes.
We immediately been introduced with the main villain which is MILLENIUM EARL and he is one of the most fascinating villain in shounen manga and the way it unfolds is just chef kiss. We are introduced with this manga power system. What is Akuma weapon? what is Black Order? How did the Accommodator, the cube, Innocence start? It all answered in this volume and I have to say I keep reading between the lines and try to understand the history. Its very interesting, even though you can say its sound typical. But the story manages to make itself unique and appealing.
The art is freaking GORGEOUS. It looks like it been released like few years ago, but 2004? I admire it a lot. I could stare every panels on this manga, its have a gothic atmosphere, creepy dark twisted suitable with the storyline itself.
Overall, there's so much information about the Akuma, Millenium Earl, their purpose and it was enjoyable to read. It makes me curious to know more about them, the exorcist and side characters. Also highly anticipate the fight scenes between the Akuma and the exorcist.
4.5 ??
We immediately been introduced with the main villain which is MILLENIUM EARL and he is one of the most fascinating villain in shounen manga and the way it unfolds is just chef kiss. We are introduced with this manga power system. What is Akuma weapon? what is Black Order? How did the Accommodator, the cube, Innocence start? It all answered in this volume and I have to say I keep reading between the lines and try to understand the history. Its very interesting, even though you can say its sound typical. But the story manages to make itself unique and appealing.
The art is freaking GORGEOUS. It looks like it been released like few years ago, but 2004? I admire it a lot. I could stare every panels on this manga, its have a gothic atmosphere, creepy dark twisted suitable with the storyline itself.
Overall, there's so much information about the Akuma, Millenium Earl, their purpose and it was enjoyable to read. It makes me curious to know more about them, the exorcist and side characters. Also highly anticipate the fight scenes between the Akuma and the exorcist.
4.5 ??
Read
June 16, 2020I got far too attached to Allen Walker when I watched the anime. So obviously I needed to start the manga. He is such a precious boy. I forgot how little he and Timcampy were at the beginning.
December 4, 2011
ART SECTION: 8/10
The gothic motif is something worthy of praise, while the rather rough outlines make everything look more grim and scary. Besides that, like almost any other shounen it is full of rather clear-cut good guys and bad guys, dressed in clothes following a motif. So aesthetics aside it plays out as any other of its kind. Still, those decorations around the Gothic world were quite catchy.
STORY SECTION: 4/10
The initial chapters are marvelous and really attract your attention. It is about an alternative Earth, full of gothic motifs, where an evil demon/ghost of sorts plans to destroy it by exploiting peoples’ grief over the death of their loved ones, luring them to raise the dead and thus creating monsters that kill innocents and sink the world into chaos. The heroes have to find Innocence, powers that protect the world, and battle the Evil Earl and his minions.
Such formula is more than familiar for a shounen series, but the interesting twist is that this happens in a Gothic world. Monsters are created and heroes gain power-ups in many shounen series; although here it feels somewhat less obvious as the monsters are made from love and innocence may hurt even bystanders. This is usually enough to keep the average viewer watching. The first dozen of episodes are just fine, introducing the main characters, their sad lives, the secret organization that was made to stop the Earl and the objective goals of each side.
The problem comes right after the basic plot and cast are presented. Typical to its genre, the characters behave in predictable shounen manner and the battles are full of power-ups, where they didn’t really need them to progress the story. I mean, giving the monsters level ups was ok the first time, as it was giving them individuality and personality (like Menos Grande in Bleach). But thereafter, it was just lame; leveling up for the sake of leveling up. Plus, the good guys typically gain extra power right when they want it, so it lost its suspense quite soon.
There is no conclusion and the manga is pretty much abandoned by its maker, a sign of how even she got bored of its cheesy development. So, you are basically left with an abandoned unoriginal story with a good main idea. But wait, even the nice idea is not that nice if you look around. There has been a weird Gothic manga motif fad going around, so many manga seem to have the same feeling lately.
CHARACTER SECTION: 5/10
I’m not going into many details because down to it, if you have read some Jump shounen, you know exactly what to expect. A pretty, kind-hearted boy as lead with a superpower that beats everything, a pretty girl as support, some other dudes as antagonists and sidekicks and the sort. The good guys are all young, yet have superpowers that level buildings and that is no surprise for this genre and thus not a minus. Seriously, the cast is quite typical for its genre; it pains even more to see that they hardly develop any further than the initial episodes they appear in. Or some flashbacks that simply explain their sad past and present role in the organization. And as always, power-ups don’t count as development.
Even the villains look cool but you hardly get to know anything about them, other than they just want to destroy the world. As for the monster minions, they are pretty much cannon fodder and you will lose interest in them a few seconds after they are defeated.
All things considered, the characters are ok for such a series and they’re colorized to a generally high degree. But that is that and no more. They are not special, unique or even complete. Thus, I give them the base for being simply nice to watch.
VALUE SECTION: 2/10
Although there was plenty of hype around it when the series was circulating regularly, all the fame went away quite fast when a certain-other-similar-manga began to circulate, so it didn’t even manage to get some historical value. It WOULD have some if it was complete or if there wasn’t this Manga Gothic Fad going on right now. If you compare it to other shounen, it is quite one-of-the-same. If you compare it to other Goth manga, it is by far the less interesting in terms of atmosphere or story. So, the chances of rereading it or having a reason to remember it are few to none.
ENJOYMENT SECTION: 4/10
Besides the initial chapters and a few other ones here and there, this series felt generic and didn’t keep me very interested. So, I say go for the titles in my Suggestion List. They are very similar yet far more catchy.
VERDICT: 4.5/10
Another shounen series, which had the potential to excel, but also went under because of its bad planning. And in far less chapters than Naruto or Bleach.
SUGGESTION LIST
Soul Eater
Death Note
Bleach
Ao no Exorcist
Beelzebub
The gothic motif is something worthy of praise, while the rather rough outlines make everything look more grim and scary. Besides that, like almost any other shounen it is full of rather clear-cut good guys and bad guys, dressed in clothes following a motif. So aesthetics aside it plays out as any other of its kind. Still, those decorations around the Gothic world were quite catchy.
STORY SECTION: 4/10
The initial chapters are marvelous and really attract your attention. It is about an alternative Earth, full of gothic motifs, where an evil demon/ghost of sorts plans to destroy it by exploiting peoples’ grief over the death of their loved ones, luring them to raise the dead and thus creating monsters that kill innocents and sink the world into chaos. The heroes have to find Innocence, powers that protect the world, and battle the Evil Earl and his minions.
Such formula is more than familiar for a shounen series, but the interesting twist is that this happens in a Gothic world. Monsters are created and heroes gain power-ups in many shounen series; although here it feels somewhat less obvious as the monsters are made from love and innocence may hurt even bystanders. This is usually enough to keep the average viewer watching. The first dozen of episodes are just fine, introducing the main characters, their sad lives, the secret organization that was made to stop the Earl and the objective goals of each side.
The problem comes right after the basic plot and cast are presented. Typical to its genre, the characters behave in predictable shounen manner and the battles are full of power-ups, where they didn’t really need them to progress the story. I mean, giving the monsters level ups was ok the first time, as it was giving them individuality and personality (like Menos Grande in Bleach). But thereafter, it was just lame; leveling up for the sake of leveling up. Plus, the good guys typically gain extra power right when they want it, so it lost its suspense quite soon.
There is no conclusion and the manga is pretty much abandoned by its maker, a sign of how even she got bored of its cheesy development. So, you are basically left with an abandoned unoriginal story with a good main idea. But wait, even the nice idea is not that nice if you look around. There has been a weird Gothic manga motif fad going around, so many manga seem to have the same feeling lately.
CHARACTER SECTION: 5/10
I’m not going into many details because down to it, if you have read some Jump shounen, you know exactly what to expect. A pretty, kind-hearted boy as lead with a superpower that beats everything, a pretty girl as support, some other dudes as antagonists and sidekicks and the sort. The good guys are all young, yet have superpowers that level buildings and that is no surprise for this genre and thus not a minus. Seriously, the cast is quite typical for its genre; it pains even more to see that they hardly develop any further than the initial episodes they appear in. Or some flashbacks that simply explain their sad past and present role in the organization. And as always, power-ups don’t count as development.
Even the villains look cool but you hardly get to know anything about them, other than they just want to destroy the world. As for the monster minions, they are pretty much cannon fodder and you will lose interest in them a few seconds after they are defeated.
All things considered, the characters are ok for such a series and they’re colorized to a generally high degree. But that is that and no more. They are not special, unique or even complete. Thus, I give them the base for being simply nice to watch.
VALUE SECTION: 2/10
Although there was plenty of hype around it when the series was circulating regularly, all the fame went away quite fast when a certain-other-similar-manga began to circulate, so it didn’t even manage to get some historical value. It WOULD have some if it was complete or if there wasn’t this Manga Gothic Fad going on right now. If you compare it to other shounen, it is quite one-of-the-same. If you compare it to other Goth manga, it is by far the less interesting in terms of atmosphere or story. So, the chances of rereading it or having a reason to remember it are few to none.
ENJOYMENT SECTION: 4/10
Besides the initial chapters and a few other ones here and there, this series felt generic and didn’t keep me very interested. So, I say go for the titles in my Suggestion List. They are very similar yet far more catchy.
VERDICT: 4.5/10
Another shounen series, which had the potential to excel, but also went under because of its bad planning. And in far less chapters than Naruto or Bleach.
SUGGESTION LIST
Soul Eater
Death Note
Bleach
Ao no Exorcist
Beelzebub
December 15, 2022
~3.5 Stars~
I found this in a used/new bookstore in Bangor, Maine, and I decided, well - I watched the first episode of the anime forever ago and I remember it wasn't too bad, so... why not? Turned out it was a good idea, because I ended up running out of books on the way back to ND, and also because... it wasn't bad!
As far as I can tell, this is a fairly popular manga series. Or at least, it was back when I was first getting into manga and mostly just reading Bleach. Either way, I can pretty much see why. It's engaging, the main character is one I like, and... it kind of reminds me of Black Butler. So I can see why it would be popular.
The series follows Allen Walker, an exorcist. It takes place in the 19th century - obviously fictionalized, as the manga vehemently tells us. Several times. The artwork is nice, there are definite creepy parts, also Yuu Kanda.
So, yeah. I'll probably pick up later volumes in this series and I'll probably watch the anime at some point, but it's not high priority right now. It was decent!
I found this in a used/new bookstore in Bangor, Maine, and I decided, well - I watched the first episode of the anime forever ago and I remember it wasn't too bad, so... why not? Turned out it was a good idea, because I ended up running out of books on the way back to ND, and also because... it wasn't bad!
As far as I can tell, this is a fairly popular manga series. Or at least, it was back when I was first getting into manga and mostly just reading Bleach. Either way, I can pretty much see why. It's engaging, the main character is one I like, and... it kind of reminds me of Black Butler. So I can see why it would be popular.
The series follows Allen Walker, an exorcist. It takes place in the 19th century - obviously fictionalized, as the manga vehemently tells us. Several times. The artwork is nice, there are definite creepy parts, also Yuu Kanda.
So, yeah. I'll probably pick up later volumes in this series and I'll probably watch the anime at some point, but it's not high priority right now. It was decent!
July 12, 2016
I took some time to get used to its artwork. The magic system looks familiar actually, having a weapon planted on the main character, Allen's body, and he was cursed. Another very typical shounen manga, but I'm intrigued with its execution, heard great things about it and the series is continued by the mangaka after a few years, that's rare. This gave me some fullmetal alchemist vibe tbh, but I don't mind if the artwork and plot get better after this. Hope to read more of this soon! 3 stars!
February 4, 2024
Mi manga y anime favorito. Vuelvo a el luego de 10 a?os y como con Reborn me doy cuenta que lo amo igual que el primer dia.
No quise empezar con este manga, porque necesito concentrarme más para seguir la historia y porque luego de la muerte del autor de Berserk me entró el miedo si algún dia leeré el final de D.gray-man. Pero es inútil preocuparse por cosas así. Tal vez lea el final o tal vez no, solo me queda disfrutar lo que tengo por ahora.
No quise empezar con este manga, porque necesito concentrarme más para seguir la historia y porque luego de la muerte del autor de Berserk me entró el miedo si algún dia leeré el final de D.gray-man. Pero es inútil preocuparse por cosas así. Tal vez lea el final o tal vez no, solo me queda disfrutar lo que tengo por ahora.
April 13, 2012
Simply not for me. The story, the characters, the setting, the art... None of it enough to get me even vaguely interested. It's not terrible (hence two stars instead of one) but neither was it good enough to get me to do more than reluctantly drag myself through the first volume.
June 11, 2016
Starting this manga. I've heard amazing things about this from my friends. It's really interesting so far.
November 17, 2022
Don't ever leave the sick autistic with time to waste alone in a room with dgm manga ? ? shit will ruin your life
August 26, 2020
"Exorcists...those possessed by the gods...they exist to destroy the ominous evils that rise from the darkness."
Disappearances at a church catch the interest of Mou and Charles who bring two policemen with them, advancing into the abandoned church to find out the explanation for all the weird occurrences.
The plot thickens when the four come to realise they are not alone, as a 15-year-old boy explains the church is inhabited by an Akuma.
Enter Allen Walker, escorted into the police station under suspicion as a suspect in the death of one of the officers. While under questioning, Allen explains the thing in the church was an Akuma and the more it kills, the more powerful it grows. He lets them see the cross embedded in his reddened hand, telling them it is an anti-Akuma weapon used in his exorcisms.
Allen knows only too well about the ultra dangerous Millenium Earl who controls the Akuma, a being which is a combination of soul and machine.
On a perilous journey, he reaches the exorcist headquarters of the Black Order, a huge, looming tower on top of a cliff. Once there he has to gain entry by proving he is not an Akuma, which is difficult as he bears the pentacle of one doomed soul.
Hoshino Katsura has brought a unique and mysterious world to life in the pages of this series. Exorcists and demons battle in a really fun good versus evil series of matches that will leave the reader satisfied, though there is more to this than meets the eye.
Allen Walker has a hidden past but is a good exorcist, the Millenium Earl creates and uses the scourge demons Akuma while a troop of exorcists from the Black Order team up with him to defeat their kind from getting an unhealthy grasp on humanity.
There is much detail in the artwork, as much as there are many aspects to the storyline.
This will be enjoyed by those who already like Bleach and Zombie Powder.
Disappearances at a church catch the interest of Mou and Charles who bring two policemen with them, advancing into the abandoned church to find out the explanation for all the weird occurrences.
The plot thickens when the four come to realise they are not alone, as a 15-year-old boy explains the church is inhabited by an Akuma.
Enter Allen Walker, escorted into the police station under suspicion as a suspect in the death of one of the officers. While under questioning, Allen explains the thing in the church was an Akuma and the more it kills, the more powerful it grows. He lets them see the cross embedded in his reddened hand, telling them it is an anti-Akuma weapon used in his exorcisms.
Allen knows only too well about the ultra dangerous Millenium Earl who controls the Akuma, a being which is a combination of soul and machine.
On a perilous journey, he reaches the exorcist headquarters of the Black Order, a huge, looming tower on top of a cliff. Once there he has to gain entry by proving he is not an Akuma, which is difficult as he bears the pentacle of one doomed soul.
Hoshino Katsura has brought a unique and mysterious world to life in the pages of this series. Exorcists and demons battle in a really fun good versus evil series of matches that will leave the reader satisfied, though there is more to this than meets the eye.
Allen Walker has a hidden past but is a good exorcist, the Millenium Earl creates and uses the scourge demons Akuma while a troop of exorcists from the Black Order team up with him to defeat their kind from getting an unhealthy grasp on humanity.
There is much detail in the artwork, as much as there are many aspects to the storyline.
This will be enjoyed by those who already like Bleach and Zombie Powder.
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