D.N.Angel

It's about a 14 year old boy named Daisuke Niwa.
And the year of is 14th birthday he turs into Phantom theif dark Mousy.
And he sends out warnig signals and for Dark to turn into Daisuke he has to
steal something. But as soon as you get farther into the series you will see why Daisuke doesn't won't Dark to do anything Daisuke wasn't confident enough to do like (ask Miss Harada out) hint hint.

This anime was recommended to me by a good friend of mine who watches old anime. He likes the old anime cause he's pretty old so even if he doesn't have a myanimelist account, he knows about D.N Angel and told me it was very good. I took it from him straightly cause we agree kids like anime too much and have the most biased opinion. I just watched the anime and it's a big step in the shoujo genre. Anime is time consumption that entertains kids, but D.N Angel works hard to be imagination. It probably is a girl's fantasy to meet Dark Mousy, ... but I love how it can also be a guy's fantasy to be Dark Mousy, the D.N Angel with 2 identities, day time Niwa Daisuke, night time Dark Mousy. Dark Mousy is a cool cat burglar that suits not just for girls, but and for guys so they can enjoy shoujo too. When I watched, I didn't realize it was shoujo artstyle, I don't think my friend know it was shoujo either. People have watched D.N Angel in the past. I watched it now and loved it. In conclusion, D.N Angel takes another place that can't be forgotten.

I liked the idea but i was actually rather dissapinted, the plot seemed to drift and the character krad was barely seen. There needs to be more character developement i feel its to short. Great opening song and i love dark hes great. But after about 5 episodes although i stuck with it by the end i really didnt care what happened as the story seemed to come out of nowhere as though half way through the idea sparked up to have artwork contain power. I really feel more can be done for this anime as its a great concept.

This anime had the material and ideas to be great, but it had a lack of consitency, poor background story, and a barely acceptable character development.

The concept of good vs. bad, while being someone cliche', gave me the feeling of having a lot of potential when being coupled with the theme of a teenage romance, specially when topped with the main character having a split-personality, but since all the previous elements where loosely tied to each other, it just made for an anime that teased my interest to a great extent.

I'm very obsessed with this anime. I have already watched it 6 times and will most likely continue to watch it for years to come. I've only read a little of the Manga but there will be some spoilers. I came across this anime on Wikipedia in 2013 when I was searching for a new Magical girl anime. At the time, the magical girls genre was the only type of anime I wad interested in. It's thanks to this anime that I started to watch anime from other genres.

Story
It's about ... a boy name Daisuke who inherited a strange gene from his family. On his 14th birthday, he gained the ability to transform into a legendary phantom thief known as Dark Mousy. Daisuke only turns into Dark when he thinks about the girl he loves. If his love is returned, then he will return to normal. I really like the story. There's alot of surprises throughout. There's romance, drama, comedy, magic, and occasionally action. I think this series is mainly aimed towards shoujo fans so I don't think shounen fans would be interested.

Art
I actually don't have much to say about the art style. I think it's is very pretty. One of the best I've ever seen.

Sound
I really love the opening song True Light. If I don't like an opening or ending song, I usually skip it but rarely ever did that with this song. I honestly prefer the English version sung by Vic Mignogna who voiced Dark in the dub. I don't really care much for the endings however I do like some of the songs that was played during the episodes.

Character
I love the characters. I even have a little obsession with Dark. It's because of this anime that Vic Mignogna became my favorite anime voice actor. There is some good character development. And none of the characters are boring.

Enjoyment
I never get tired of this anime. There are a lot of funny moments and Sad moments. I do however wish the series was longer. Or at least make a reboot with an arc about the character Argentine.

Overall
I think this is one of the best anime I have ever watched. I definitely think more anime fans should at least watch one episode.

D.N Angel is one of my personal favorites. I own very few series, but this is one that I treasure. This is the story of young Daisuke Niwa and his counterpart Dark Mousy. Daisuke is a simple middle school student, and Dark is a thief. Daisuke has a crush on Risa Harada [a popular female at his school]. Every time Daisuke runs into Risa he begins to turn into Dark. Since they attend the same high school it becomes difficult for Daisuke to be himself and pursue his crush with the threat of turning into the phantom thief. In the evening, Daisuke turns into Dark ... and steals artwork in a variety of creative ways. Daisuke doesn't like stealing and resists Dark. The 'Phantom thief' always leaves a note before stealing a piece of artwork in hopes the police will appear and fail in capturing him. Satoshi Hiwatari contains Krad. Krad is Dark's 'other side'. Over the length of this anime the two face off many times.
Did I mention that Risa Harada has a twin named Riku Harada? and Riku has a crush on Daisuke? Also, Risa has a crush on Dark! Have fun with this one. It's entertaining and a wonderful love story.

Really good one! It's sometimes very funny, but there is also a bit of a drama and it gives some good lessons. I find the art very good indeed, it's really beautiful, but that's personal opinion. The story it's not something very special, but interesting enough for me. The opening and ending are awesome, I like them very much. I really recommend this anime to all of you, because it's really enjoyable to watch. :)

This review was originally posted in November 2011, during a month long special honoring Voice Actor Vic Mignogna.

Alright, everybody, time for the first review of Vic Mignogna Month! And, according to Wikipedia, this is one of his most well known roles in anime. Apparently, it’s up there with Full Metal Alchemist and Ouran High School Host Club. Well, we’ll just have to see about that.

D.N.Angel is a Fantasy/Romance anime based on the manga by Yukiru Sugisaki and published by Kadokawa Shoten. Tokyopop did holds the rights, but since they closed their doors the series has not been relicensed. The 26 episode anime comes from Dentsu/Xebec, ... originally running in 2003. ADV Films used to holds licensing rights, but current rights belong to Discotek.

Daisuke Niwa is your average teenager, until his fourteenth birthday. He tries to declare his love to the girl of his dreams, but fails. Suddenly, whenever he thinks about this girl he turns into the legendary phantom thief known as Dark Mousy. Daisuke's mother, very much aware of this, makes him turn into Dark and steal valuable works of art for a purpose unknown to Daisuke. As the story unfolds, he learns why, and about his classmate who seems to have the same ability. (Anime News Network)

The art style and animation is well done for an anime of the early 2000’s.... If only it didn’t repeat scenes. Yeah... I’m guessing the budget went down the tubes real quick so they had to reuse some of their scenes. And this happens a lot, so, unfortunately, it does take away from the series as a whole. Hell, you can actually tell where the budget went: the end of the series. The last few episodes are better, visually, then the rest of the series. Makes me wonder, when will an anime actually be consistent in animation? Oh wait, it has.... It’s called Soul Eater, Eden of the East, Baccano!, Umineko no Naku Koro ni......

D.N.Angel’s plot is a little hard to follow, because for most of the series you’re following Daisuke and Dark stealing art works plus some comedic filler episodes involving the Harada twins or Wiz (he’s called With in the dub, but I don’t care. He’s Wiz to me). Each episode has it’s own story to tell, and you don’t really see a set plot until later on in the series. This isn’t a bad thing, because it does help establish the characters more before the big climax of the series. However, it leaves the viewer wondering when the ACTUAL plot is going to happen. Then something DOES happen and you feel like this would be a good end to the series. Even credits role with more of the characters at the end.... However, D.N.Angel decides to pull a ‘psych’ moment and show you “nope not done yet”. And, also, there is suddenly foul language (small amount, but compared to having none so far, it stands out). So.... The two problems I have with this series is lack of strict plot, and that it doesn’t know when to stop.

The characters aren’t really full of depth or development in the series at all. Whatever development the characters have, it all gets thrown in during the last episodes. The one thing that really seems to grow throughout the series is Daisuke and Riku’s relationship. Makes sense..... But what about Dark’s past? Or Satoshi’s growing friendship with Daisuke? Hell, when did Risa and Satoshi suddenly have a thing for each other? Sorry, none of that is explained much. Even the relationship of Daisuke and Riku doesn’t start happening till later in the series. It seems like a lot of the characters just seem to get the short end of the stick.

Alright, pertaining to the English Dub, all I’m going to say is this....... My ears are bleeding now...... Seriously, I have never heard so much pitchy voice acting in any anime; not to mention a few bad dubbing matches. A lot of the choices for major characters had a very hard time playing young teens, when you really hope for a little maturity in their voices. Prime examples, Kevin Corn (Full Metal Panic: Fumoffu) as Daisuke and Luci Christian (Princess Tutu) as Risa. Then there’s the “I’m the most mature and serious character, but my voice doesn’t make you take me seriously”; such as the case of Greg Ayres’s (Nabari no Ou) Satoshi, who does make it work for him later on. Here’s the thing in all of this, D.N.Angel is more along the lines of after-school-special, so, in some circles, this kind of acting can be explained. And, eventually, the actors make due and it turns into a decent performance on all parts. Still doesn’t give it the best excuse in the world, but that’s all I got (so the dub was bad but that’s…. okay?). Some other known voice actors for D.N.Angel include: Illich Guardiola (Le Chevalier D’eon) as Krad (if I hear him yell “Dark” one more time, I am going to destroy the TV), Hilary Haag (Chrono Crusade) as Riku Harada, John Swasey (Soul Eater) as Daiki Niwa (and the only character I really enjoyed), Monica Rial (Gunslinger Girl) as Towa, and Jessica Boone (Azumanga Daioh) as Mio Hio.

Now, since this month is all about good old Vic, it’s time to see where his performance stands in the anime. According to sources, his role as Dark Mousy is among one of his most well know voice acting roles (Along side Ed Elric and Tamaki), however, it’s not quite one of his best. He’s certainly is the best voice actor in the series and fits the role really well from start to finish. It’s just one of those things, like with Johnny Young Bosch with Ichigo from Bleach, I just hear Ed Elric in my ear the entire time. Don’t get me wrong, he’s not terrible, he could probably have done better though. If I have to grade his performance, I would give it a solid B because of the confidence and guile that was put into this role. In some circles, I believe D.N.Angel was just a prequel into what would soon become Vic’s real breakout role from Full Metal Alchemist.

At the end of it all, D.N.Angel isn’t exactly the most well planned anime. From the animation to the voice acting, a lot of better choices could have been made to make the series even better! But it did give viewers the chance to look at the soon-to-be highly demanded voice actor, Vic Mignogna; and the budding romance between Daisuke and Riku was a fun one to watch. But, other than that, it’s an after-school-special and not very much of a stand out anime and can be completely forgettable. If you’re into cute romances and handsome thieves, then check it out. Be warned though, constant bleeding of the ears may occur.

DNAngel

Genre:Romance, Comedy, Action, Supernatural
Episodes:26
OP-Byakuya ~ True Light
ED-Yasashii gogo,Hajimari no hi, Caged Bird,Michishirube

Story-8/10-For most of the episodes othe series is really chill, after introducing the characters, most of the episodes after the first few are like fillers, but are fun to watch. The last couple of episodes seemed like a crash. The series became pretty serious, with the whole mood of the series totally changed. However, because of the ending it does feel like the series actually went somewhere in the end.

Animation-8/10-I really like the character designs, for everyone looks really good. The scenes look fine, with the CG art looking okay and not overly blocky ... or weird, they could of done without it though. The animation is average, but they did really well on the CG animation, which was not very blocky or unnatural.

Sound-6/10-The OP/ED and sountrack are average. Seiyuus are pretty good.

Characters-7/10-The characters are pretty likeable, there are no really annoying characters, even though some of them do annoying stuff. While there is character development, it isn't done that smoothly, their personalities just seem to shift all of a sudden. Its not that bad since you short of expect some things, but when it happens you are sort of suprised since it seems too early.

Value/Enjoyment-7/10-I really liked the coolness of this series. There is always action and intensity in the episodes, while there is always comedy to back everything up. There was a lot of times when the series the situations would of been really cliche or predictable, but because the comedy parts really make all those parts acceptable. This series is a good candidate to watch for some action, comedy, and light romance.

Overall-7/10

DNAngel is a kids' anime, not to the juvenile level of Pokemon/Digimon [US dub version] but it's a kids' anime nonetheless. It's a good show but it's just not at that intense level that I usually prefer my anime. That would be the main thing to point out so if you are looking for a show with more of a grown-up theme then you might want to skip this one. Besides not having the gore, blood, violence and adult subject matter the show was still pretty good and entertaining. This show does have it's merits for several reasons: it has a solid and original story, ... it has great art/animation, it's wholesome without being as annoying a Disney show [ugh], and lastly because I think Daisuke's English dub voice is simply adorable.

~ Art/Animation
Absolutely splendid!...10-TEN-10 all across the board! Very original and nice looking, well-proportioned characters, bright color palette for daytime and vivid hues of blue at nighttime, pretty special F/X and moderate use of CGI. There are some nice F/X with the feathers, it's not like you haven't seen it done before or with leaves, snow or sakura blossoms but it's always beautiful to watch and I was especially moved by episode 24 and the Hands of Time. The special F/X for that scene with the sword was truly evocative.

~ Sound
I watched this in the English dub and I would totally recommend viewing it dubbed. The English cast did a great job they were funny and kept the show light-hearted. I have to give props to the actor who did Daisuke's voice, Kevin Corn! Whoever this kid is [and I KNOW he has to be young!] Who ever this kid is, he's gonna go far. I'm so sure of it. He has a very distinct voice and it is so very cute, it's like he's a boy version of Chantal Strand....and you don't wanna get me started on Chantal, Miss Lacus Clyne! But getting back to Kevin and his voice...the whole reason I'm even re-watching this series is because I picked up on his voice subconsciously as Suzu in PeaceMaker Kurogane which I just completed and reviewed. That's how you know subliminal advertising works.
The music is OK with the OP being my least favorite of the three. I liked the acapella lead in but then when the music started I tuned it out and hit FF on that b*tch. I actually did like the first ED though, it's light and airy which lightens the mood...I'm just not sure if it goes well with this series, maybe a really girly series with lots of pastel coloring. The 2nd ED was mediocre. The best song was probably was the one for the end of episode 24. It was very heartfelt and tender and the singer sounds like Daisuke which makes it blend very well with the show.

~ Story
Like I said this is an anime for a younger audience, I'm thinking probably more “Shoujo” than “Shonen” but it could be unisex since there is action and adventure. But above all DNAngel is also very much a romance series chronicling the angsty love-love relationships of prepubescents. Daisuke likes this one girl Risa and her twin sister, Riku likes him, this is what would appeal to the shoujo audience. Guys could probably get into the Phantom bandit part with Dark stealing stuff and fighting Krad....maybe, I'm not sure. This is a very light series and somewhat wholesome series so the violence and action is kinda toned down so I dunno....I would recommend it to younger boys or guys into non-violence and such.
The whole Krad thing, hmmm, HONESTLY? I found it to be kinda lame. Just the name alone turned me off, like could they not have come up with a better name? That's how you know this is a kids show, because they didn't want to beak the taboo of saying Dark is good and “Light” is bad although that's virtually what they did. That whole side to the story was lame. LAME! Also if he is Dark's other half and Dark is Niwa's other half then does that make Dark one-fourths of an individual?

~ Cast/Character
Daisuke is so adorable it's ridiculous! From his awkward, gangly limbs and body to his not quite matured voice. The fact that he's so meek, polite and sympathetic adds to the overall cuteness...Daisuke is truly the star of this show, I can't stop raving about him! Part of the reason why I am so fixated on Daisuke has to be the fact that it's the one anime I've seen where a younger male protagonist that isn't amped up on something screaming about how he wants to be bigger, badder and more powerful yadda-yadda-yadda. However the fact that Daisuke is more “mouse” than “man” is proof-positive this anime is actually Shoujo and not Shonen. Dark is your typical bishounen tall, lean and lot's of hair. Definitely a looker but the cockiness and self-importance takes away from his appeal. My favorite female is Mio believe it or not. She's very funny especially when she first appeared on the scene and busts out with that Valley accent [English dub] then makes a beeline for poor Daisuke! She has some great one-liners and overall makes the show more humorous and all the more compelling.

~ Worth It?
DNAngel is a good show to have as part of your anime collection, it's a show you can watch with your entire family and not get caught off guard by nudity, violence or adult themes. There is a hint of gayness in this series but it's purely on the Jr. High school level and nothing to get your knickers in a twist over. I would totally still recommend this show to kids and really get the next generation to appreciate anime, as well. Two thumbs up! Totally re-watchable and enjoyable every time.

Mixed bag and wasted potential are the major things flowing through my mind upon completion of DN Angel. Focused on Niwa, his alter ego Dark and their family of thieves, the series focuses on Niwa and Dark collaborating together in the theft of valuable artwork that is enchanted with various magical properties. The mystery of Dark's origins and the paintings were the major hook of this series for me as hints are dropped of who created them and a connection that one of Niwa's friends may have to them. The series does dabble into cliches and character archetypes related to shoujo and collect-them-all style titles, ... where the results tend to vary. Many of the major characters are fleshed out enough where there is more dimension to them than the archetype they are tacked on with and the series doesn't dabble heavily into the melodramatics that a number of shoujo titles like dipping into. However, the series does get stuck in a "artwork of the day" style plot for much of its first half as Dark goes about trying to steal various pieces of artwork in each episode and occasionally having to overcome the magical effects of the artwork before successfully stealing it. Also, the show implements a romance subplot (something many shoujo titles love to add to their titles) involving Niwa and the twin Harada sisters that is decently handled, though not as engaging as seeing Dark and the mystery surrounding him and the artwork. Also for villains, Krad and another notable character are rather shallow in their motives and personality.

The second half to the series is where many of the revelations concerning the origins of Dark and the magical artwork are revealed. The latter is decently handled, but the former is sloppy in its handling where brief and sudden details get revealed at points in the second half of DN Angel without any foreshadowing or solid buildup. This is mainly because DN Angel's manga source material was still ongoing at the time of the anime's airing (and still ongoing as of this review), thus the series cobbled together a poorly-written ending to resolve its dangling plot developments, for better or worse.

Visually, DN Angel is of standard quality for a 2003 anime having nicely designed scenery shots, conventionally drawn character designs and CG animation that is roughly rendered and sticks out like a sore thumb from the regular animation. Music consists of upbeat and moody tracks that do their part to enhance the mixture of comedy and serious moments that DN Angel gives off, but don't really do much to stick out or be memorable.

As it is, DN Angel has some interesting ideas for its premise that did engage me yet fall flat into later episodes thanks to the shoddy development of the villains and some sloppy writing in revealing the origins of Dark and the magical paintings. The series is still worth a watch since it avoids being too cliched and overly dramatic with its storytelling. But I wouldn't be tempted to give it a second watch anytime soon.

I hate to sound like a manga purist but i do think that the transfer of D.N.Angel from print to video has left out a lot to be desired. I could see that they were trying to squish an awful lot of story into only a few episodes. So in that sense i found that it was a bit lacking, and the character development that i saw so clearly in the manga seemed to be rushed through in order to finish up the story.

BUT! if you take this story without reading the manga you'll surely find an enjoyable and really beautifully animated story ... just waiting to be discovered.

D.N. Angel is a unique twist to the whole "angel" story presented in most anime. In it, both angels are male, and both exist for two very contradicting reasons. Dark Mousy exists to steal artwork created by the Hiwataris to prevent the sinister power in each one from causing destruction. Light Krad, on the other hand, exists as the second form of Satoshi to oppose Dark and continue the legend of the Hiwatari masterpieces.
The story itself is unique, but it disappointed me that the anime lacked in the thrilling approach I thought it would have, based solely on the plot itself. Yes, it was a ... unique thought to use angels as thieves so they can sneak into the night, but there was something I thought had gone missing.During the first few episodes, it seemed as if the same things would happen again and again. Dark would steal artwork, and prevent different disasters from occurring.
But as it progressed, the story seemed to change, first with the arrival of Mio Hio, pretending to like Daisuke only because she wanted to take his soul, next with the appearances of Towa, the story of Freedert, and Kosuke's ring. There were also certain twists, like the grandmother of the twins being Dark's real first love, and even Daisuke's change in romantic interest.
So I rate it as average in the beginning, a little above that in the middle, and the end as a great turn of events. Though the ending with Riku and Daisuke's kiss didn't satisfy me, seeing as it left things unexplained, I still give it a good rating because it passes as something I would like to rewatch.

DN Angel is the first anime I have chosen to watch myself.
Funnily enough I knew only my mother tongue, so I was pretty much guessing what was happening in the anime (I still understood most of it, since the plot it quite easy) so I decided to rewatch episodes I am most found of to check if I nostalgia lenses aren't blinding me too much.

Story 7/10
As I said, the story is quite easy to follow and actually differs quite greatly to manga. The manga is still on-going since Sugisaki Yukiru have more Orphaned Series than completed ones, so the anime creators took liberty to go ... in the own direction. Is the story worse than manga? Yes, but it's true for many other anime.
How does it hold up then in general perspective then? It's a romantic comedy than anything else and it has rather stupid moments, like Risa (who is 14 years old mind you) wanting to meet her crush Dark, which means wondering the streets at night, and the fact that Main Protagonist's pet cannot say his master's name correctly and in stead say "I love you" in Japanese, it was bound to result in some silly situations.
But is comedy the only thing this anime has in store?

While love is the reason is in the very center of the story at most time, the conflict between Main Protagonist family of thieves and the "creators" family is the main story.
Niwa Daisuke is part of the family of thieves who courteously sent away notices whenever they are going to steal something, but they are not stealing just anything. In fact they specifically aim at artworks created by Hikari family. The males in Niwa family are rigorously trained since young age to become great phantom thieves. Daisuke is not so eager to take over the family business but is basically forced into the roll when one day he returns home and his physical appearance changes. His mother explained that this change is normal as it happens to all Niwa boy once they reach the age of fourteen and once they inherit the title of "Phantom Thief Dark". Soon enough he realizes that the title is not the only thing that being "Dark" is about.
Of course Niwa family's tricks are too much for the Japanese police, but luckily for them they have another fourteen years old kid to help them out, namely Hiwatari Satoshi. Hiwatari is skilled at predicting Dark's moves and prepares multitude of traps in order to capture him.
What makes this series great, however, is the stories between each artwork. Very few have none, such as Sacred Maiden from episode 1 or the golden bird (I believe it has no name) in episode 2, but the rest stories have lovely and compelling stories with Second Hand of Time having the most advanced story, spanning across multiple episodes.
It has similar vibe to Kamikaze Kaitou Jean, except that the romance part is said in a way better way (unless you count season two of KKJ).
I also give the anime credit for giving viewer heads up what will be happening in the episode. "Double Cooking"? Okay, episode about cooking. "Menou's warning letter"? Oh, this episode will be about stealing another artwork. "Barbecue Panic"? Okay, this is about Barceque XD
So it's easy to navigate if you are not really that interested in bounding between characters and just want to see the artworks, which is great.

Art 6/10
The art sadly is not consistent as the signature Sugisaki's eyes gets butchered in certain episodes and the character design gets sloppy. The artworks, however, are always beautifully drawn like Towa no Shigure, double dragon figure, the unicorn, Agate Link, the statue of Poseidon and so on. There are also couple CG shot displaying city and it's truly saddening that the anime didn't have bigger budget to flesh certain scenes out. The animations are wacky at time, but since it usually happening for the more comical scenes it simply increases the funniness of it. E.g. Hiwatari caught Daisuke red handed as he was looking up information about him but Risa showed up out of the sudden so he run to her in four jump cut frames as Hiwatari stands frozen in time. Simply hilarious. For that I gave it a rating of six, if it wasn't used in this funny way I would give it a five since animation is average when compare to current anime.

Sound 10/10
The sound is amazing. The soundtrack contains truly memorable songs that fit into the settings almost too perfectly with a mix of accordion, flute, piano, violin and choir.
Foreboding scene? - Takurami, Kugutsushi
Lonely scene? - Another World, Toki no Byoushin, Frozen Flower, Ice & Snow
Day to day scene? - Good Morning, Everyday, Sutekina Hitotoki
Heartwarming scene? - Freedert, Soshite Hitotsu Ni, Mitsumeru Saki Ni Wa, Shooting Star, Someday Sometime
Comical scene? - Shinning heart, Double Trouble, Summer Beach, Eccentric Girl (this ones makes me laugh just hearing the upbeat tune and weird background noises), Chatty
Dangerous scene? - Versus (this one is my favorite)
Depressing scene? - Toki Wo Koeta Omoi
Build up? - Tenpenchii, Kokuyoku
Final Showdown? - Yami VS Hikari ~ Epilogue and Prologue
The Vocal Collection has jewels such as Kodou ~ Whenever ~ (Dark character song) and Paradise ~ Fanatic ~ (Krad character in them), both of which having one of the most intoxicating lyrics I have seen thus far in my short life.

And the opening song Byakuya is a wonderful opening, which simple yet well made animation showcasing the main cast. The acoustic version as well as piano versions are even more incresible as Miyamoto pours all his emotions into both of them. Same goes for the end credit song for episode 24 called Caged Bird.
Both end credit songs are catchy and I can't help to sing when I hear them, the animation remains the same for both mostly showing different Risa cards spinning and the two Harada twins in still image. Simple yet elegant.
I am not a big fan of Michishiribe which is used as the end credit song for the last episode, as it's not my cup of tea, but is very fitting as the end song for DN Angel. The accoustic version, however, is a honey for my ears.
If anything, I suggest looking for the soundtrack as it's one of the most memorable ones out there and listening it over again in the episodes just made me love even more after more than ten years.

Also, don't listen to dubbing. It's atrocious.

Characters 8/10
I give them overall an 8 since the Risa's characters in the anime is way more annoying than she is manga and Dark's key character traits also have been altered, considering his attitude towards Daisuke in the later manga chapters.

Niwa Daisuke 8/10
Daisuke is an naive and goodhearted main character, who is often clumsy and gets pushed right and left by characters with stronger character traits such as his friend Takahashi or Riku. He is also madly and innocently in love with Riku's younger twin sister Risa. As the anime progresses he learns that his affection towards Risa was very shallow as it was mainly looks based and with her growing affection towards Dark he slowly gives up on ever asking her out. At the same time he becomes closer to Riku, appreciating her more for her character than her looks until he develops deeper feelings for her. Anime starts with Daisuke's failed attempt at confessing his feeling to Risa, since he got verbally friendzoned by Risa just as he was going to. Overtime he become a bit more mature (considering that anime takes couple months at best, to big changes wouldn't be expected anyway) and is able to successfully confess to Riku later on, although he probably still is a bit of a pushover XD
One can't help but sympathize with him, since we were all in this awkward stage of our life at some point, so he is all anyone can expect from a fourteen years old on the surface. The is more to his character, like his difficult relationship with his mother, as he feels like she cares more about Dark than she does about Daisuke, the lack of his father in life to the point that he initially doesn't recognize him when he shows up in later episodes. The anime manages to skillfully show those relations and how Daisuke deal with them with some difficulty. Another interesting part of Daisuke's character is that he doesn't want to take over his "family business" and is the first member of Niwa family to creates art of his own via painting (which he is really good at). His animosity probably mostly caused by his family keeping him in the dark all the time. He knows that he is trained to be a thief but he knew nothing about Dark, that he will HAVE TO become a thief when he is fourteen, why Dark exists in the first place, why Hikari's artworks are dangerous and needs to be sealed. This lack of proper communication between him and his family further amplifies his difficult relation with them. Even his grandfather keeps him mostly in the dark, despite not having any serious problems with him.

Hiwatari Satoshi 9/10
Hiwatari Satoshi despite his young age is a prodigy who pays close attention to Daisuke even before he "inherits Dark's title" and apparently graduated from high school when he was eight and then studied abroad, eventually graduating from Lagoon University at the age of 13. Talk about an overachiever. After his graduation he returned to Japan and started working for the police under his adoptive father Hiwatari Kei. Satoshi is mostly calm and collected, mostly showing anger during...his encounters with Dark. (He would also make a great cross dresser, but only manga shows that :p )
Satoshi is also popular among girls at school but he mind is too occupied with thinking about Daisuke, lol. Also his eyeglasses are a prop.
Hiwatari doesn't live with his father but in an apartment showed greatly in detail in episode 4. While Haradas' and Niwas' houses are open and warml, Satoshi's room, while also with an open structure, feels confiding and cold. Multiple books decorate the shelves with some scattered on the floor, while computer mouse and keyboard are hanging of the edge of the desk. The one unusual item in his room is white sculpture chair that can be seen in the opening, which casts a forbidding shadow on the floor as Frozen Flower plays in the background. While I don't associate any OST with Daisuke, Frozen Flower seems to play a lot when Satoshi's is around, giving a very lonely tint to scenes he is in. Certainly loneliness is a great part of of Satoshi's character and given his relationship with both his mother Rio who passed away at a very young age as well his adoptive father, who clearly have very dangerous aura about him and the fact that he is way more intelligent in comparison to kids his age. Those thing only add up his family history and the burden he has to shoulder alone as the last living descendant. It's interesting to see how from obsessing over Daisuke because he is part of Niwa family he slowly starts to care about Daisuke (who, with his good nature, started almost immediately when he realized how much pain Hiwatari was in due to his condition) despite their obvious differences in maturity, intelligence and character. They bounded over the burden that their families have put on the shoulders after some ordeals with one another. The way their relationship surfaced seems very organic and not forced, which is not something that's often seen nowadays. Hiwatari is definitely the most tragic character in the whole story.

Daisuke's family 7/10
It's unusual for the anime protagonist to actually have family, lol, and the fact that they are actively helping him out in different ways. Of course they are not just helpful as Daisuke has some unresolved issued with his parents that get resolved as the show progresses. Daisuke's father voice actor is very soothing as well.

<Spoilers>
Harada Risa & Riku 6/10
Both of the girls are a bit generic, with one being the pretty one who cannot cook while the other one is sporty type who has difficulty with being honest with her feelings. Manga gives them a bit more depth, but as far a anime is concerned they don't have too many dimensions to them which normally would be fine as the conflict between Hikari and Niwa is the main plot and the involved love interest is a plot device but since the anime doesn't offer even half of information about the conflict as the manga does, this simplicity of those two girls is quite glaring. Having Risa use pseudo tarot cards was interesting, as it was even used as plot device in episode 11. It's also nice to see that she eventually come to terms that Dark is still in love with her grandmother and accepts that she will have to lay her feelings for her to rest. Riku's sense of insecurity towards her sister is quite apparent and she comes to terms with it only after she and Daisuke starts to go out.

Dark Mousy 5/10
I am looking quite harshly at him since he was turned into a playboy in anime XD
They are some playboy character that are done well, such as Han Solo in Star Wars, but here it was not the case. It was a bit weird that they linked Harada's grandmother with the story from manga perspective, but it did add a bit to his character as his playboyishness towards Risa was somewhat justified. At first he challenged Daisuke but soon enough they can count on one another. It took some time as they have issues such as love interest, mother's approval and general who get to have to body deal but since anime could use only part of Sugisaki's story, the last part was resolved without any serious issues. The problem in the manga with hosts and Dark/Krad run much deeper and was had much darker elements. In the end Dark pretty much becomes someone akin to Daisuke's big brother and Dark does everything in his power to save Daisuke even when he can have his body for himself if he leave Daisuke alone long enough on two different occasions. Dark has certain level of animosity towards Satoshi, mostly because he is Krad's host.

Krad "Sadistic Creep"/10
Krad is abusive and sadistic in every sense of the word. On one side he claims to care about Satoshi and calls him "Master" and at the other he is making him suffer physically and claims that the body is his alone. He also closes away his consciousness to play with Dark as much as he wants, which results in their constant struggle of control. Dark calls Krad "a creep" as well as "a devil with a face of an angle", both of which are accurate.

Hiwatari Kei scumbag/10
Hiwatari's father gets clearly more abusive as the show progresses, mostly by ignoring the physical pain Krad puts Satoshi through and even increasing it by giving him Rutile in episode 12. It's revealed in the last episode that his soul was corrupted when he saw Satoshi's drawing and is most likely reason why he obsessively seeks out Hikari's artworks, even if it means harming Satoshi. It's difficult to say what the real story is from manga perspective, but the corruption is cannon in the anime.

Freedert 9/10
Secod Hand of Time was my favorite part because of how interesting the story was and Freedert was the tragic heroine, worthy of respect. Her character is actually very similar to Daisuke's with her naivete, kindness and innocents. But I think that the words she had told Daisuke right before her death had great impact on the ending. She told him that no matter what do not chose death for the one you care about, which in the end were the word Daisuke threw at Satoshi during the final episode.



Personal Enjoyment 10/10
I obviously love this anime, considering the level of attention I gave it in this review, ha ha. Definitely music and story board being the biggest factors. I am willing to give certain characters a pass since Daisuke and Satoshi are the once the story is about. Also I could watch episode 20 to episode 25 over and over again simply of how well written the Second Hand of Time arc is.
Anime takes the darker undertones in a way different way than manga have but it's well rounded for the times it was created in.

If you like anime about thieves Kamikaze Kaitou Jean could interest you, especially if you want more romance but if you just want to see something lighthearted about thieves Jing: King of Bandits and Magic Kaito are a blast.

This was the first anime I ever watched (excluding Pokemon / Yugioh, which even non anime-fans can't avoid, haha!) and I've re-watched it time and time again (well, about 4 times). It's great. I'll only touch upon a few of the topics listed above.
Character [10/10] - Great character development throughout, the romance scenes are so great!
Enjoyment [10/10] - No matter how many times I watch this, I'll always love it
Sound [9/10] - tbh I only gave a 9 so it looked like I wasn't dishing out brainless 10's, the OST in this is brilliant! I listen to it for fun sometimes!
Overall [10/10] - So amazing, ... such a heartfelt plot and group of characters, great OST, beautiful anime.

Binge watched this anime all day and do not regret it one bit!! Loved this anime from the very beginning due to it's story. The story is actually very immersive as it's constantly adding to itself with new elements being added every episode. The characters were also great as they added to the story with background stories. The MC going from one girl that didn't care about him to the actual girl that cared made me smile. Although the progress risa made towards the end helped her character development. The boii white angel was actually really helpful throughout the season which did surprise me. As ... in most anime villians tend to stay on the bad side. All in all this anime was great along with it's story and characters. Riku was best girl and i'm glad she won!! D.N. Angel 9/10

D.N.Angel is a series that truely does get better later. Too bad its kind of annoying getting there.

Story 7/10

I think that the story of D.N.Angel is a very interteresting concept. A boy (Niwa) who on his 14th birthday has another being awaken inside him (Dark) who then preceeds to go on an art crime spree. But early on in the series the main plot is bogged down with some stupidity. For example Niwa is only suppose to change into Dark when he sees his unrequited love Risa but they drop that later on and Dark pretty much shows up whenever he wants. They also do ... way too many early art robberies that have nothing to do with the main plot and it really detracts from the overall feeling of progression of the series, its almost episodic in nature making it feel like the series won't amount to anything which actually is queit wrong. They dwell way to much on the sub plots that the main plot is kind of burried until around halfway through the series. BUT the series main plot does kick in expecially near the last 6-10 episodes it really does make up for the early on lameness and left smiling

Art 8/10

Now seeing as this series is getting up there in years the animation is kind of a bit out dated not looking as crisp and clean as newer anime. But this series does impliment some pretty impressive CGI that really does add a new demension to the visuals. but the problem is that the CGI is not really used often enough or effectively enough usually just being used for the occational building.
Sound 8/10
FYI the english dub of this series is pretty much horrid. The person who does Niwa is absolutely terrible at conveying emotions. Watch it in Japanese its way better. The music of the series really pretty and does a very good job emphisising the emotions at the time leading to some pretty memorable moments, but again they don't do it often enough and i feel it really could be used more. The opening song is also really great. One thing I noticed early on is that the series sound fx were really quiet lacking, just didn't have any weight to them, and in some points it really detracts from the action going on on screen.

Character 7/10

Now the characters are a bit of a mixed bag. Niwa is kind of a dope yet kind and likeable young man coming of age. The biggest problem i have with him is he is portayed early on to have been training for his days as Dark and is actually quite competant but later in the series he becomes pretty much helpless. His alter ego, Dark, is a very powerful entity that have been living in the DNA of Niwa family for a while now. He is really quite smooth and he's really quite entertaining and steals the spot light everytime he's on screen. but halfway through he kind of gets thrown to the back and is ignored which i didn't like. Risa is a pretty young lady that Niwa has a massive crush on early on. She is kind of shallow but still likeable. Riku is Risa's twin sister. She is very different from her sister Risa being a Barbie and Risa more of a tomboy but she is still a likeable character. These 4 kind of have a love quadrangle going on but it doesn't really get all that well established, being pushed to the back by more pointless things, before its blatantly obvious what's going to happen in the end. Then there is Hiwatari, Niwa's classmate. Hiwatari is a smart young but he has the same problem as Niwa that he also has an alter ego Krad who, unlike Dark, is much more molevolent and Hiwatari is constantly fighting with for control of his body. Now Hiwatari and Niwa are suppose to be portayed as great friends and Dark and Krad are bitter rivial fighting whenever they see each other. But Hiwatari and Niwa's relationship never really gets well defined, again falling victum to sub-plot crap, so their relationship seems a bit forced and Dark and Krad are both very powerfull entities that make for really awsome fight sequences but the series never really makes the best of it most potential fights never happening and every fight being cut short by Hiwatari. I would have liked them to actually use this for some long and interesting fight sequences but they kind of ignored it which is disappointing.

Enjoyment 8/10

The front half of the series is really marred by all the early heists that really do nothing for the overal plot. Its very boring and kind of discourageing to the point that i would have gave the series a worse score than i did. But near the end all of the relationships are well defined and the action sequeces are awsome with good use of CGI and were so awsome that when it was all over i was really queit satisfied.

Overall 8/10

Although the series suffers early on from a major case of not really focusing on the main relationships and plot which makes it feel like almost nothing is moving forward at all which can lead some people to drop the series, it really does get truely good with moments that i felt were true memorable. These good parts come way to late in the series though which makes it very hard to give a recomendation. I'm being very nice with my ratings but if you can put up with the fairly slow and pointless first half to 3/4th of the series i think that you can truely enjoy the end which i found to be a real treat.

one of the best animes ever. lots of romance, and the music was awesome. it starts out a bit slow, in the first episode, i almost felt like i didnt want to continue. i continued anyways because i was bored. then i started to watch a bit more episodes and they got better and better. i dont understand why this anime got a 7 score. it deserves to get a better rank

Story - 9 (Great) It Was Very Original. Including All The Lines. I Had Fun Watching This And I Was Very Excited To Know What's Next.
Art - 9 (Great) Like The Story, The Drawing Is Also Original. It Was Not Bad Actually. They Made Some Characters Good Looking And Very Fun.
Sound - 8 (Very Good) Well It Depends On What Player You Are Watching On But Some Of The Scenes' Sound Was Very Loud Or Soft, But It Was Still Understandable
Character - 8 (Very Good) I Loved Daisuke And Riku, They're Really Fun Characters Though I Didn't Much Enjoy Risa (No Offense). All Characters Have ... Their Own Personalities So I Quite Loved Them.
Enjoyment - This Anime Is Satisfying To Watch But There Might Be Some Things You Might Not Like Since Not All Anime Ends The Way You Want. But, You Will Be Interested To Know What Happens Next.

I Hope You Find My Review Useful!

since I start to know DNAngel from anime. I say it was very good, but something missed there, story development. but since I start to read the manga, I saw the big holes in the anime.
the problem of the animes they started way too soon when the manga was and is ongoing, I hate when this happens, they screw up the story, and don't fullfill it's purpose, is such a waste, when can be even better, could be almost awesome as the manga.
most of the episode are fillers. is very enjoyable the anime until you read the manga...
I love the art they did in ... the series is really well done, no complains there, the voice character well done,soundracts being good,make the characters move, that's the only good points and compensations in a anime when they screw up the story and character development based on a manga that is ongoing.