 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | KATSURA HOSHINO | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 192 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 02/03/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 04/03/2009 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
Set in a fictional 19th century England, D.Gray-Man covers the story of the main character Allen Walker, who searches the earth for the substance known as “Innocence.” Though lost long ago during an apocalyptic event known as “the Great Flood,” this substance can be used to create weapons to fight demons called “akuma.” It is Allen’s mission to locate the Innocence and use it to destroy these foes. Thankfully he doesn’t have to do this alone, and is joined by a variety of unique allies and rivals. In volume twelve, surprises are many when faced with the most unhopeful of darkness.
Krory, trapped with seemingly no hope of escape, receives a visitation from the last person he thought he would ever see again. As for his comrades, they continue their struggle through the Ark until they meet up with Tyki Mikk, who wishes a palaver with Allen Walker before there is any further fighting. Allen reluctantly agrees, unaware that Lavi is feverishly mulling over mounting evidence that Innocence is far more, and far stranger, than anyone had previously imagined! It could easily be said that any page of this manga could be ripped out, blown up on a computer, printed out with the finest black ink, be framed, and hung up on your wall as a fine piece of very expressive art. So it’s easy to see that the art in this manga continues to impress – it’s always such a joy to look at. It has an almost gothic style, but mixed with fun anime/manga style elements that keep everything at an enjoyable balance. The use of extreme darks and lights within the pages of this book continues to give D.Gray-Man a really slick look, as does the overall layout and presentation as a whole. And even with all the seriousness of the story, it still has moments that are funny, or at least tongue in cheek humor to get you by. With the addition of volume twelve, there’s still not much of anything to complain about in relation to this series. It’s a complete package with a lot to offer and deserves a place on our shelves. Stylistically, this series has always been unique and inventive – its really no wonder that so many people cosplay as characters from D.Gray-Man at conventions around the world. The characters and their costumes/clothes are always interesting to look at – the characters themselves are visually some of the best portions of the manga. Story wise, things are still pushing ahead at a good pace – the answers to mysteries we hadn’t known before come to light in the darkest of places this volume. That seems to be the way of things lately for D.Gray-Man, as the plot comes to some pretty serious points.
The artist and author for D.Gray-Man is Katsura Hoshino. His hit manga series has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since 2004. Katsura’s debut manga, “Continued,” appeared for the first time in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2003. Katsura is from Shiga Prefecture and adores cats. There are also a few funny little cartoon strips in the back of the book detailing some funny experiences from the artist/author’s childhood. Lots of artists seem to like to joke about the hard life they have and the pressures of being a manga artist – it’s usually pretty entertaining.
IN SUMMARY:
D.Gray-Man is a visual experience made new with ever turn of the pages – great art combined with involving characters makes a story that many manga fans just can’t put down. If you haven’t already amerced yourself in the world of D.Gray-man, now is the time to start! |
