Ranked #104

D.Gray-man (Manga)

I first got into D. Grayman out of curiosity because a lot of my friends were reading it and gushing about it. I expected it to be just another basic shonen title with little to captivate me, but I quickly found out that I was wrong. The first volume hooked me like none other, and I found myself with an obsession warranting catching up to the Japanese release on scans. Anyone that knows me (which isn't many of you) knows that I hate reading scans for many reasons, but it was a necessity for D. Grayman because I couldn't wait for the volumes to come out, though I still buy them when they do.

-STORY-
While it's not the most unique storyline I've ever seen, so much just feels fresh and different, especially for a shonen title. With no tournaments to be seen, the darker edge that the series has, and its perfect mix of humor, drama, and action, D. Grayman is a breath of fresh air into the genre. I adore the setting, me being in love with the selected time period, and the vibe one gets from the series is really enjoyable, especially early on. The Rewinding City chapters had to be some of the best chapters in manga ever.

-ART-
The artwork stunned me from the beginning. It's some of the most detailed manga artwork I've seen. I love the character designs, clothing, buildings...everything. The Rewinding City really did look like a small German town, and the Black Order's HQ is a treat to look at. Some characters have designs that aren't only gorgeous, but also unique as well. An example of that is Miranda Lotto. She doesn't look like your typical anime girl in any way, especially her eyes and hair, but is still lovely.

-CHARACTER-
I have yet to find a character that I truly dislike in this series, save some of the villains. They are all interesting to learn about and see interacting with each other, including minor characters like Komui, Miranda, and Reever. I'll admit that Lenalee can get irksome at times, but the others more than make up for that.

-ENJOYMENT-
All I can really say here is that this has to be my favorite of any manga I've ever read.

-OVERALL-
I've given it an overall 10, and you should all go out and buy volume 1. read more

There is something strangely compelling about D.Gray-man. Perhaps it is the cast of characters that grows, not one obviously faster than the others, but together, or perhaps it is the emotional rollercoaster the mangaka has managed to take the readers on.

But whatever the case, D.Gray-man has this mysterious air about it, this feel of something apocalyptic and yet real, as though the characters are losing while it is clear that they are winning. [But are they winning? Winning? Or losing?]

There is something about D.Gray-man that makes you think, that makes you wonder, and that makes you shocked and surprised at the littlest of things.

The main character is one that is perhaps not easily identified with, but easily understood. His emotions, his feelings, his goals and his dreams, all these are splayed out in front of the reader. Perhaps not clearly, perhaps not in-your-face, but these themes come subtly across, and whilst these themes might be, like most shonen mangas, slightly clichéd and all too hopeful, D.Gray-man manages to bring them across such that they are believable.

D.Gray-man lets you empathize with the characters, there are never too many of them, and there are never any that you can really hate. Most of the villains [with the exception of the main one who epitomizes pure evil] have this inherent innocence, pardon the pun, to them, and at the same time there is something not quite pure in each and every one of the heroes.

D.Gray-man takes the common perception of good and evil, and while it does not quite turn this perception on its head, it makes the reader start to question, start to think, and start to worry.

Oh yes, the main villain is delectably evil and will stay so, but at the same time, there is this almost childish air to him that can easily be identified with. And yes, most definitely, the main character is fighting to defeat this main villain, but in between them lies this grey area, this killing field where hatred for the other side abounds. And yet, within this hatred lies a certain level of understanding. The characters, they understand each other, they fight each other, and they grow in many many more ways than just power.

One could perhaps say that in D.Gray-man, the lines of good and evil, of friend and foe, are sometimes a little blurred.

There is always something rather, perhaps not disturbing, but profound within the themes and characters of D.Gray-man.

D.Gray-man makes you think, and that is much much more than I can say for most other manga. read more