Dantalian no Shoka

These days we take the written word for granted, but for the majority of human history this has not been the case. Over the millennia, those with the ability to communicate using these strange markings have been viewed with awe and suspicion in almost equal measure, and many believed that anything written was magical in some way. It's only logical then, that people would begin to think that certain works were holy writ handed down by a deity, held the secrets to immense power, or contained forbidden knowledge that would bring misfortune and death upon anyone who read them.

Eventually certain books were, for one ... reason or another, deemed too dangerous for the general public ...

Originally a light novel series by Mikumo Gakuto, Dantalian no Shoka (The Mystic Archives of Dantalian), takes place in England after World War 1. Hugh Anthony Disward (or Huey to his friends), returns to his ancestral home six months after receiving a letter informing him that his grandfather, Earl Wesley Disward, had been murdered by a burglar. According to the will, Huey can inherit the title, the estate, and everything contained within the mansion, but in return he must take over responsibility for the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian, and look after Dalian as well.

Magical books have long been a staple of the fantasy genre, but unlike the majority of tales dealing with them, the main focus of Dantalian no Shoka is to seal away those works that were never meant to exist, or have fallen into the wrong hands. It's a reasonably simple idea that can work very well with an episodic plot (Mushishi, Natsume Yuujinchou and Mokke use a similar method), but sadly that isn't the case here. The straightforward premise doesn't seem to have been enough for the writers, who have very clearly tried to cram as much as possible into twelve episodes. The story can often get sidetracked or bogged down in semantics, and there is a tendency towards over-explanation and melodrama. In addition to this, there are several characters who appear to have been included just to show how "good" Huey and Dalian are, and because of these issues it can often seem as though the narrative has been cobbled together with hobnails and glue.

Now it may seem as though there's little of interest to be found in the story, but that's not actually the case. When the plot sticks to the point there's a surprisingly nice balance between the mystery and supernatural aspects, and there's a good deal of imagination in the way certain phantom books are used or affect people. The series also ventures into darker territory that suits the main theme of the show very well, but these occasions tend to be spoiled by some truly inane humour.

That said, while there are some major issues with the storyline, Gainax have done a decent job with the visuals. There are several different art styles on display that reflect the nature of certain episodes, especially in aspects like design and colouring. There are also some rather nice effects that work well with the detailed backgrounds to create some very atmospheric settings and scenery.

There are some issues that need to be raised though.

For some reason the animation tends to be rather simplistic, and while this seems to fit with one episode in particular, it does become a problem during action sequences. In addition to this, there's a certain "stiffness" to the character movements that may be an intentional dig at British reserve, but it's more likely due to carelessness or time/cost constraints. The character designs are unoriginal and uninspired, and while the clothing is somewhat reflective of the period, viewers will be forgiven for thinking that Dantalian no Shoka is nothing more than a copycat of Gosick.

The opening sequence is a decent montage that features the more prominent characters, some rather pleasant imagery, and a little action, all to the tune of "Cras Numquam Scire" (Tomorrow is Never to Know), by Yucca (featuring Ono Daisuke), a hauntingly choral track that is slightly reminiscent of "Lilium" - the opening song from Elfen Lied. The ending sequence is a short film about a little girl in a horned mask and white dress, walking barefoot through the forest while dragging a large trunk, and alongside the music box stylings of maRIONnetTe and their song "Yes, prisoner", the overall effect is decidedly ... unnerving.

Dantalian no Shoka is generally well served in the audio department, and there's a nice variety of classically themed tracks available, although it should be pointed out that the majority of the series is actually devoid of musical accompaniment. The effects are well choreographed, but rarely overbearing, and it seems that a conscious effort has been made to emphasize the quality of the script and the acting.

For the most part the dialogue is pretty decent, although there is a degree of immaturity about certain conversations, and the explanations can sometimes sound pompous and overbearing. Then again, the latter may be nothing more than a reflection of each role, especially as the actors deliver some good performance throughout the series.

There's something puzzling about the characters as there's very little in the way of actual development, but there's also not much definition given to them either. Aside from being unable to write off the supernatural as mere superstition, Huey doesn't actually grow in any way, and Dalian remains the stereotypical tsundere loli for much of the series. There's also very little attention given to the supporting roles, in particular to the people using or afflicted by the phantom books, and one has to wonder if this was due to the attempt to cram so many different elements into the plot.

There's also the issue of Dalian's connection to the pink haired girl living in the "gourd", but that raises a lot of other questions, especially about Raziel and Flamberge, so if you really want to know, just ask (or Google it).

Aside from the similarity in the character design and the fact both shows try to wade through various mysteries, Dantalian no Shoka has surprisingly little in common with Gosick, but that's both a good and bad thing. The general lack of detail about the characters means that there's very little justification for their actions, and aside from Huey, the lack of any real back story means that many of the roles lack the necessary depth needed to take the story seriously. There's also a surpisingly pro-censorship message built into the narrative, and this isn't helped by the fact that the male lead is a lord, while Hal Kamhout, the Libricide officer, looks like a priest.

The biggest problem with the series is that it tries to do far more than it should, and because of that viewer's may be left with a feeling of incompleteness come the end of the anime. While the story is interesting up to a point, the morass of people and events mean that there are no outstanding moments, and nothing to really capture the heart. There is entertainment to be had from Dantalian no Shoka, especially for those who like shows laden with symbolism, but this is nothing more than a veneer of "intelligence" that overlays the shallowness of the series as a whole.

It's a shame that more effort wasn't put into making this anime work as the concept is actually pretty good. The basic premise is sound, and if Gainax, the writers, and director Uemura Yutaka had taken the show more seriously, then Dantalian no Shoka could have been something truly interesting and entertaining.

And for those of you wondering how an entire library can fit inside a person, here's an explanation from Sir Terry Pratchett's "Discworld Companion":

"Even big collections of ordinary books distort space and time, as can readily be proved by anyone who has been around a really old-fashioned second-hand bookshop, one of those that has more staircases than storeys and those rows of shelves that end in little doors that are surely too small for a full sized human to enter.

The relevant equation is Knowledge = Power = Energy = Matter = Mass; a good bookshop is just a genteel Black Hole that knows how to read. Mass distorts space into polyfractal L-space, in which Everywhere is also Everywhere Else.

All libraries are connected in L-space by the bookwormholes created by the strong space-time distortions found in any large collection of books."

Updated to Final Episode.

I personally had this anime recommended to me by a friend, saying I might like it. (He had read the novels I believe.) So I came into this show knowing nothing at all since I had decided not to try to get any background on it to be unbiased about it.

I was reasonably surprised by how good I actually found it to be.

Story:
Personally I normally don't like dark atmosphere anime, yet this one does it in a way that I wanted to keep watching since it kept pulling me in to want to know more about the story and these Phantom ... Books.

Ok, after episode two I find myself mildly lost. At first I thought that the Phantom Books were going to be a tool of destruction in the hands of people who could not control them. But if I understood correctly Huey used two in the episode as weapons. Guess they can be used as tools in the right hands.

With that said, the story feels a little rushed since there isn't continuity between the two episodes, so it looks like theres an overall theme, but different scenarios that don't continue on. Hopefully this doesn't persist and they take sometime to explain some more concepts or the anime is going to suffer with confusing concepts and butchered story telling.

Well, they never slowed down one bit the entire anime, they just kept on chugging by without taking the time to explain concepts. They decided to go on an episodic route, which I had hoped they wouldn't, since a good linear story would probably have made more sense for this series. But I still liked each episode for what it put out, each being interesting and unique in its own way. The finale was especially well done, making up for some of the confusion along the way.

Art:
Very neat realistic backgrounds. Pretty well designed cars and items from the time period the anime is set in. The backgrounds never cease to amaze me in this anime, they are extrordinarly well done, it looks very realistic for an anime that's for sure. The character designs go well with the backgrounds and settings. Huey has a nice design, and so does Dalian. Not much else to say about it.

Sound:
The background music so far is very appropriate to the scenes it is used in. It doesn't seem out of place and just fits with the anime in general. With episode two I saw the opening, they did use it in episode one, but without the opening sequence. I think the opening is very appropriate for the anime, it goes with its theme of being a dark mysterious anime, which the opening reflects with its mellow somber tune. I stand by my perspective of episode one; the ending... IS strange, the music was creepy and the video is just really really creepy, I didn't particularly like it one bit. So for me the opening and background music is appealing, very appealing.

Character:
Huey's character seems likeable to me. Seems like the kind of person that has an interesting past to say the least. Also seems to be well rounded, such as his knowledge with books and firearms, and piloting experience as well. Dalian, was enigmatic to say the least. She seems to be the kind of character you will learn more about slowly as the plot progress, but from what I've seen so far she is somewhat reserved and was brought up in a somewhat pampered state. I mainly say this because of the manner she bosses Huey around and her posture she witholds the air of someone that had been pampered or sheltered.

Enjoyment:
I oddly enjoyed the first episode much to my surprise. At first I had thought that I might be a bit bored since this isn't typically a type of anime I would try. But I said what the heck and watched the first episode. This was a decision I do not regret since I am already hooked on the story, and want to know more about it. And I honestly enjoyed the comedy between Huey and Dalian in each episode since it is played out nicely and just works into character development well.

Overall, I am mighty pleased that I picked up this show since it looks quite promising, I'm hoping that it doesn't disappoint me somewhere along the way. If the story picks up and pieces together some loose plot holes I still think this anime will be a fantastic watch. Sadly it didn't fill up every plot hole along the way, with certain things remaining murky. This seemed like the kind of anime that needed another 12 episodes to round itself off into what it could be. Hopefully a season 2 comes out to explain the loose ends, and instead of being episode by episode they chain it together into something that flows better.

This is an anime about a loligoth tsundere and her generic male sidekick romping around a historically inaccurate yet picturesque England looking for magical books. It is a story perfectly exemplifying the phrase “golden mediocrity”. You can actually see how everything in this anime is just mediocre. Not bad, or at least, not all the time, but mediocre. You can almost feel how a talented touch would have raised this above the slush. Oh, well, better luck next time.

Story:
The story format is episodic. This means that while there is a lot of diversity in tone and feeling, inevitably episodes will be hit or miss depending ... on their chosen subject. Some episodes really caught my interest while in others I was constantly hitting the pause button so I could go do some important stuff like watch cat videos on my Internetz.
Everything in this show has to do with books. Magical books that have some weird superpowers. This is a nice concept and I would have been very pleased to see it delivered with more gothic subtlety and psychological horror stuff. Instead, most of the time the writers are pulling shit out of their asses that looks like it was googled on the spot and then put in the blender. I have to give them credit, though, for presenting this random hodgepodge of ideas and names as though it was actually true.
I guess the worst thing about this show is that it is so ridiculously over the top and crams so much corny stuff when a more subtle approach would have worked wonders for it.

Characters:
Dalian: is a tsundere loligoth who loves reading and being snotty to others. She also has a magical lock on her chest, which makes for a pedo-creepy, sexual sequence that I guess the creators thought looked really cool but is actually pretty dumb. Anyway, Dalian is the keeper (one of the keepers? I don't know, I'm confused) of a mystical library of magic books. I must say, the most that can be said for her is that she is not as annoying as she first appears to be. But she is pretty annoying. Weak, too. She can neither fight nor cast any spells. To reduce the annoyance factor I suggest putting the magical lock on her mouth. Nothing interesting comes out of it anyway.
Huey McDuck: (demons in hell, who had the brilliant idea of naming this guy? I’ll just call him McDuck) is the generic male lead who does all the legwork. Aside from getting beaten up, shot at and drinking tea—which are all activities I enjoy watching characters do—there is nothing interesting about him. He is such a basic, unshaped mould of a character that he feels as bland as raw flour.
Random episodic characters: to make up for the lameness of the main pair there are a bunch of interesting side characters making random appearances. I just realised that the episodes I liked the most focused on these other characters, like the guy burning the books and his sidekick in a straightjacket. Or the perky cosplaying heiress. Once again we have a show where the side characters are much more interesting than the leads. I suspect this is some kind of trolling trend in Japan. Along with frozen highschoolgirl panties or whatever.

Animation:
This has the sort of glossy animation that's become popular recently. To save money, the studio used filtered photographs for backgrounds. It has a slightly jarring feel to it but nothing as eye-gouging as badly done CG.
The thing that bugged me most about the animation was the style used at “magic” moments. Often, the visuals are totally inappropriate to the mood and setting. Enough with the stupid energy bolts and Technicolor seizure graphics! This ain't Power Rangers, dammit! Instead of going for dark, gothic and discreet they ruin the atmosphere and buildup with that wacky stuff. Hey, should I be expecting Ichigo to pop up with his new Bankai?

Sound:
The soundtrack is quite competently put together. It has a sort of melancholy choir vibe going for it and a kind of music box tune. The people working on this knew where to put it to good use, that's for sure.
OP: a quite pretty and atmospheric ballad that ties in nicely with the graphics. In fact, it makes you believe you're about to watch a much better show. Ha! Joke’s on you!
ED: some weird live-action sequence. I don't really like live-action in my anime so I never bothered to watch it to the end. I doubt it was something stellar though.

Overview:
It was a semi-chore to sit through this easily forgettable show. The best time to view it is when you're home and you are so bored out of your skull you have nothing better to do. Maybe some lazy Sunday afternoon. Not even loligoth fetishists would vote for this.

~ May the doors of wisdom open ~

In essence, Dantalian no Shoka, or "Dantalian" as i will refer to it from here on is an anime that made the best of an unfortunate situation. If anime production meant compacting carbon at high temperatures, then Dantalian is a diamond that refused itself the right to form...

A simple, yet vivid and interesting context of "Magical Tomes" makes up Dantalian, and allows it to attract an audience range primarily from both the mystery and fantasy realms. It's not revolutionary, though it's certainly a context that captures my attention much better than the majority of shows with similar paths. ... Literature is an important theme for Dantalian (not only due to the tomes), and generally the mystery genre as a whole. It serves to add some weight to this otherwise malnourished anime; allowing its slightly eccentric and expressive presentation to shine through, and so non-dialogue words also contribute towards Dantalian's distict "richness".

The implied scale of Dantalian's expansive fantasy context is just phenomenal. It's one that not only makes me curious enough to desire more, but the show as a whole is bathed in an ecstasy of wonderment. Behind Dantalian is an open-ended, unrestricted context, that is simply too much for a mere 12 episode production. I describe it as malnourished for this reason, and that is because the actual anime in question is plagued with unexplained concepts and gaping holes in character and plot development that rightfully throws viewers off course.

There are 2 ways to go into/look back at Dantalian. The first is to see the anime as a linear, chronological and summarizing plot line to represent the original "Dantalian Story" - a normal, continued story progression that you could expect from the majority of things you watch. Due to the massive imbalance of wonderful contextual weight that Dantalian brings, versus its minuscule 12 episode duration, seeing it in this way alone makes the anime not even worth watching.

Alternately, you can choose to look at the anime, in the way that it actually (though unintentionally) turned out to be: a particularly episodic, and engaging production.
For this review i have considered both viewpoints (slightly biasing towards the latter), and frustratingly concluded, that Dantalian as an anime is just upper-mediocre.

There are definitely some pull factors to be credited where credit is due, but for the most part: "a potentially brilliant story that isn't given the proper amount of episode-time to develop" will be the overriding message behind this review.

This leads me swiftly on to compliment Dantalian's presentation, and not only in terms of art and sound... The foreground animation is of a high standard, but it's the extreme realism of the softly and yet vividly represented backdrops, that contrast between each other; as though the characters' silhouettes dance effortlessly like an overlay. This artistic method emulates a macro photograph due to the varying contrasts i believe, and so Dantalian is certainly a feast for the eyes. In terms of audio: we get a really beautiful and warming, appropriately latin opening track for the "old-style" feel, that does well in the way it represents the mystery and literary ties of the show. Throughout, it seems to me that Dantalian maintains this classic-styled score, and uses audio relatively well to compliment the atmosphere of scenes. I'm not a big fan of the outro sequence, which for some reason seems to tell the story of someone being raped, through metaphorical and expressive presentation. The song sounds especially cold both with and without the visuals, and so in my opinion it is highly unfitting.

There is a good cohesion between art and sound in Dantalian, and so they don't act like separate unrelated entities. The show is really good at presenting the content in an organic way that comes across to me as especially immersive. This is definitely helped by the inclusion of "small-talk" accompanying the story development, which allows for a good contrast between light-hearted, and more dire situations. This contrast makes more prominent the show's drama, and so it does know exactly how to build up the appropriate atmosphere, and relaxed or heavy moody feelings in scenes. The presentation is perhaps the department with the least flaws, as i really do feel immersed in "olden times" when i watch...

The heart of any episodic mystery show, as i now identify Dantalian as, is the story.
Story being a reasonably formidable department also, i can safely say that there is a lot of substance, in the intricacies, and nature of the mysteries. It's quite clever how Dantalian stays away from deliberately overwhelming the viewer as some mystery shows have been known to do. Instead, Dantalian takes up some relatively straightforward concepts, and turns them into rather beautiful and wholesome "episode-long" mysteries, that slowly reveal their secrets, only to show how much of a morally driven and inspired story, the one of Dantalian is...

These are far from one-dimesional plot lines or tangents, as they also open up opportunities for us viewers to see the main duo develop, and deal with a range of situations. There is a definite sense of personality and passion in these "arcs", and this can even be felt from side characters. Perhaps this is thanks to the emphasis of morals, motives, and Dantalian's very able audiovisual ability.
As for an overriding story, Dantalian seems as though it must be a summary of the original, as it comes to an abrupt conclusion, which ties all of the open-ends far too prematurely. Nevertheless, a conclusion is given to at least package the show into a neat bundle. It's a rather eccentrically presented one which goes back on the very first scene to establish some feeling of a "journey", as we are given a prequel or "events leading up to the first episode" related conclusion.

I find it impossible to not be charmed by the character design, particularly the main duo. The many characters of Dantalian have a certain sense of realism, and a reliability to their plights in spite of the show's fantasy ties. When expressive presentation comes together with expressive and realistic characters, the viewers can attach themselves more to the stories, thus giving the show more power. The real development of Hugh, during one of the later episodes to give us some background to our male protagonist was quite good. It furthered the story's time-setting, and allowed me to appreciate him more.

However, this was all still too little too late, as character development is always a department where it's easy to spot holes... For the most part, the character depth is limited just to their charm: the way they show unity as they go through this journey, and the way that their personalities shine through a little in the less eventful, atmosphere and character development committed scenes. It was certainly not enough to allow for the well-structured stories to pack pack much of a punch. There were many intense scenes for the duo, but asides from an internal gasp once or twice, i felt distanced from the characters. The anime was therefore unable to convey the extent of severity in situations, which you need to have, for viewers to be genuinely taken aback, and on the edge of their seats. The flaws are blatantly obvious, as i elaborated upon the show's restrictive time scale near the start. It means that all of the really good story design and effort into the presentation was quite wasted; as Dantalian wasn't given anywhere near enough funding for episodes that would be needed to provide some suitable coverage in relation to the wonderfully large-scale context. It also meant sacrificing character development, and therefore attachment, and therefore power and "umph" to the arcs.

Dantalian is a show that allows you "oooh" and "ahhh" at its context filled with wonderment, and really moody atmosphere. It brings you some well thought out story arcs which will have you questioning moral intention.
However, these 12 episodes only allow this anime with so much potential to stay knee-deep. There's no real power conveyed in this series of un-flowing arcs, that come to an abrupt end...

~ "There are things better left unknown", is this always true? ~

Danatalian no Shoka or the Mystic Archives of Danatalian looked very promising, but to my disappointment so far, hasn't shown us much of anything.

Story: Well, the viewer isn't really introduced to or given much information to the main characters. You pretty much are thrown in from the first episode in a world filled with books that can cast forbidden spells that humans want to get their hands on. Hugh and Dalian, the two main characters, some how from episode 1 the episode where they just met(yes from episode 1) just plain decide to go after the phantom books. WTF? I mean doesn't Hugh ... find this at all strange? I've complained about some very slow story lines, but man this one takes the cake for just moving along too fast. I honestly don't know if this happens in the novel, etc, but it just seems mighty unrealistic for someone just to jump in and so "okay Dalian let's go get these books now, when I just met you like 10 minutes ago." Yes the story has supernatural characteristics to it, but geez. Not only that. It turns out so far in 8 episodes we aren't really given much info about anything else other than there are other book holders like Dalian out there. Problem is that the format follows the "monster of the week" type and well, I'm pretty sure most people find that annoying and boring, I know I sure do. I give the story a 5. Weak.

Art. Well I can't complain about it. It's just plain beautiful, though at times it can be a bit dark and you just can't see anything. The detail to the architecture (that is the designs) of the buildings, vehicles, etc is very nicely done.

Sound. Opening and Ending songs are very reminiscent of 18th/19th century folk songs. Usually one person singing in a chamber style type of song with accompanying instrumentation. Depending on the mood, the songs really do come out strong, though I must say it is not my cup of tea. Still I give it a decent 7.

Characters. Well, the Characters aren't particularly uninteresting, they just seem extremely unrealistic and well they seem to rip off other characters from other animes like for example Gosick. We have Victorique from Gosick who's short, blonde, wears nice dresses, likes to read and is tsundere and on the other side we have Dalia, black haired little girl, who likes to read books, wears nice dresses and is as well...a tsundere. I mean seriously? Well at least the male main lead isn't a chump like Kujo from Gosick. At least Hugh can stand up to himself instead of making just ridiculous claims "I'll protect you, blah, blah" and then ends up getting beat up like Kujo does. We are introduced to other characters like those guys from the burn books society (or something of that nature) and the most recent character Fiona (who acts a lot like Elizabeth from Gosick???). So okay the characters aren't that original, but at least, AT LEAST Hugh is cooler and tougher than that other fool from Gosick. I give it a high 6.

Overall? Hmm...still kind of left wondering about this anime. It can be great, but it just seems to sit in mediocrity. It seems to copy a lot from another anime Gosick, which I didn't find particularly great (especially that terrible ending.) So I give this a fair 6. Maybe something else will come up in the next episodes, that might change my mind, but so far. It's pretty average.

"There are things better left unknown"-Dalian

At first glance, Dantalian no Shoka seems like a mediocre anime,which is full of mysteries but I think it's more than that.

Story: 8/10

Summary- The story follows Huey who inherits a mansion and a library with many valuable books from his grandfather but there happens something unexpected. He meets Dalian,the custodian of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian and he becomes Dalian's Keykeeper. Bibliotheca Mystica of Dantalian is not an ordinary library. There are books that should not exist.
Point of View- I think that ... the story was told pretty well. Even if the anime is episodic , the mystery is complex. The storyline is unique and interesting. I think the pacing is pretty good. The ending is good too but you must understand it.

Art: 9/10

The art is incredible and the style is very realistic. I think the art style is fitting for the story and I love the colours used. The animation is fluid and the backgrounds are amazing. The gothic style fits the main characters.

Sound: 9/10


The opening is amazing.It's one of my favourite and I love that the opening is in latin.
The ending is not my taste so I don't really liked it. The voice actors are great. I think that Dalian's voice actress and Huey's voice actor have done a great job.

Character: 8/10

Although the anime doesn't have much character development,you can easily love the main characters.
I think that Dalian is smart,brave and bossy. She's a typical tsundere loli but she has some special features. I think she's pretty interesting.
Huey is the most developed character in anime. His story is well explained. He's a kind character and he takes care of Dalian.
Their relationship is often funny and they care about each other. All the characters react to situations in a very realistic way.


Enjoyment:10/10

I really like the anime because it has so many good moments . All episodes are interesting and the anime has some emotional moments. This anime really impressed me.

Overall: 9/10

I think it's a great series. I am sure I 'll remember it in the future.
So if you like the mystery and the action,you should give it a try!

I had high hopes for this show, mostly because I love books, and it sounded like an interesting concept. However, that interesting concept was shunted into a villain-of-the-week formula that soon grew tiresome. While it is possible to do that formula well, these plots ranged from boring to inane. In addition to the stand-alone plots of the episodes was a feeble attempt at an overarching plot, which really failed spectacularly at tying anything together. The ending did little to actually end anything, or explain anything, or give even the least sense of closure.

Which brings me to the characters. This was by far the most negative ... element of the show: the complete lack of character development. Dalian was your generic bitchy little girl who actually cares more than she lets on. Huey was just plain bland. Some of the side characters, such as Huey's friend with the strange wardrobe choices, were cute, but ultimately lacked any sort of depth. The mysterious figure with the braid who we kept seeing is another example of a character wasted: he shows up at the very end, does something crazy for no apparent reason, and then the show ends. Who is he? Why is he such a dick? We don't know. Nothing was explained. Not to mention the mysterious pigtailed girl in the library. We spent so little time with her that it was really hard to give a crap about her when she showed up again in the last episode.

The show's artwork, while polished, was as bland as the characters. I sometimes found it difficult to tell characters apart. There was an exception, however, in the episode with the apprentice medicine woman or whatever she was. The art in that was truly beautiful, and I wish the entire show could've looked like that. In comparison to that high point is the climax to the musical episode, which they chose not to animate but instead to just show us a bunch of stills of the "thrilling" conclusion. It was really jarring considering the quality of animation in the rest of the show.

Dantalian no Shoka had a lot of potential, but just failed to deliver in almost every aspect. I wouldn't waste my time with this one.

'Art thou mankind?' 'Nay. I am the world. The world inside the gourd.'

I came into The Mystic Archives of Dantalian/Dantalian no Shoka (Hereafter known simply as Dantalian) with no expectations. The very first thing I noticed about the show was the art. It was simply put gorgeous. My eyes were fully engrossed with the shows beautiful use of color and artistry. To be completely honest with you my readers, this anime is worth a try for the art alone. If that were all I would say this was simply another run of the mill anime and that's ... all, but not only that, but the music is simply fabulous. Orchestral pieces throughout the entire series fit the dark and enigmatic presence of the series as a whole. Making this a treat for both the eyes and the ears, where could this series go wrong?

I ask you to take the following with a grain of salt.
The story starts with Hughey Anthony Disward arriving at a mansion, inherittance letter in hand to take over his recently deceased grandfather's estate. With strict instructions to take care of the estate of the deceased bibliomaniac and his unfathomable collection of books, and to care for a being referred to in the letter only as Dalian. Assuming that Dalian is a pet of some sort, Hughey is surprised to find not an animal of some sort but a young girl.

As the story progresses you find that his grandfather was in a sense gatekeeper of a mystic and legendary library housing books tht no human should ever know the contents of, granting to some great power, but to the unworthy, catastrophe, misery, despair and death. Hughey proceeds to try to find as many of these books that his grandfather lent out as possible before they fall into the wrong hands or something horrible happens.

All in all, the premise is promising. The powers and the outcomes of using these books are quite intriguing and unique. But the series seems to rely on this alone as a driving point. Other than the two main characters, none of the cast gets much if ANY developement. And the only character that does seem to get any development is a very...unique character? In the sense that his driving force is to woo women...at all times. It introduces very unique themes and characters only to drop them or only include them in a few episodes. This is mostly due to the episodic way the entire anime works, but with no development the characters seem to be lacking in the final episode, which does try to link some of the questions together, but only adds more mysteries to the mix. Although I did love the two main characters, they both had...too little time to grow I suppose. Hughey doesnt seemt o change at all while Dalians changes are very small and hard to read and the questions of how she links to the other girl(s) they keep showing keep getting more and more relevant. I will have to say that if they don't add a second season, these questions will never be answered.

The only other qualm I have with this show is how hypocritical it is with the points that it makes. It makes a point of saying how 'some things aren't meant to be seen' or know...or something along those lines. Then saying about how the books are all meant for a certain person. Also saying things such as there being no such thing as magic or curses then having the character that made that point say about the curse on -that- family, or having a true sorceror suddenly appear in one episode out of nowhere.

All in all if you are looking for a treat for both the eyes and the ears, I definitely DEFINITELY suggest you watch this anime. I personally loved every minute of it and give it a 9 out of 10 as its good qualities are so outstanding that they far outweigh the bad. I hope that some of you find this review helpful and that you enjoy the show when you get the chance to watch it.

I've always had this habit of picking up stuff to watch and read on a whim, and lately I have been doing that quite frequently. Without giving it a second thought, I put Dantalian no Shoka on download. Not that I was expecting anything much from it to begin with but to be honest, Dantalian no Shoka is a letdown.

- STORY -
Adapted from the light novel of the same, Dantalian no Shoka (also known as Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian or the Mystic Archives of Dantalian) is set in the backdrop of England after World War I. Hugh Anthony "Huey" Disward, a young man ... and ex-Pilot inherits a mansion including a vast library from his late grandfather. He encounters and soon befriends a mysterious, petite girl named Dalian who is the guardian of the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian accommodating several thousands of 'phantom books'. Phantom books grant 'forbidden knowledge' which in the wrong hands can impose grave danger. Huey is proclaimed as the keykeeper to Dantalian's archives by Dalian, and together the pair must unravel incidents involving the misuse of the phantom books and restore peace and order.

The first thing that struck me is how similar its premise is to that of Gosick. Dalian, one of the two leads, is nothing more than just a copycat of Victorique. But that's not where the problem lies. The series is episodic with each episode dealing with a particular phantom book and the threat it poses to people including its owner, and the duo ultimately saving the day using their ability to access Dantalian's Archives. Most of the episodes are boring to say the least. I occasionally paused the video to check Facebook notifications. In other words, it failed to keep me hooked. To boot, some of the episodes felt absolutely stupid. For instance, the latter half of the eighth episode (Book of Relationship).
Another flaw is the ambiguity. Many of the things are either not explained clearly or they're left totally unexplained which results in confusion and you don't know what is exactly going on.
In the entire anime, the only episode I can call decent is the one involving the perfumer. Which episode was it again? Let me check. Okay, the seventh one. The rest of the episodes are not even worth mentioning. I remember having the urge to skip a few parts of them.

- CHARACTERS -
The cast failed to leave any impression on me. To a small degree, Dalian is interesting but then again, she is an imitation of Victorique from Gosick. Huey is decent. Among the supporting characters, Armand is easily the most annoying character following Camilla. There is nothing to say about the rest of the characters as they only appear in their respective episode, play their role and exit.

- VISUALS -
There are some instances when the art is gorgeous with rich textures and lighting effects. The backgrounds are pretty well detailed too. I remember there was this particular episode in which the art resembled illustrations from storybook. I liked that innovative art style. The character designs, on the other hand, are above average.

- AUDIO -
The best thing about Dantalian no Shoka is the OP 'Cras Numquam Scire'. Besides that, I don't remember any other soundtrack. Did anything even play in the background in the entire anime? Maybe it did but I failed to notice. The ED 'Yes, Prisoner' is so-so. Sawashiro Miyuki as Dalian's voice actress did a good job.

- CONCLUSION -
I am at a loss of words here. I can't seem to find anything else other than 'mediocre' to describe Dantalian no Shoka because, well, that's what it is. Judging by the synopsis, you may expect something intriguing but to put it bluntly, that’s not the case. Well, you can still give it a shot if you can’t find anything better to watch.

The Mystic Archives of Dantalian has to be one of the most Jungian and unique animes ever, and if I were to describe this anime in one word, it would be "Poignant."

The premise reloves around books of unknown knowledge that grant supernatural powers to the readers and the reactive nature of what happens when you give a human forbidden knowledge and power.
Battles are fought using ancient poetry from various historical sources. Many of the "conflicts" are inspired by mythology and its interpretations, ideally suited for people interested in Carl Jung's psychoanalytic theory being heavily influenced by mythology.

This anime asks the viewer what they would ... do with such power and provides examples of possible outcomes in an episodic fashion; the results are often mixed; some people choose the path of destruction, while others attempt to help their community/friends.
Each choice has its consequences and advantages, and this anime isn't interested in debating what is right or wrong but more so with the result of the actions.

So with that being said, I ask you, the reader, if you were to obtain such a book, would you destroy or improve the world?
Would you delve deep into selfish desires or selflessly attempt to help others and their communities?

Philosophy aside, this anime has problems, which is why it's not rated highly.
The main issue observed is that this anime is too damn short, and because of that, the pacing feels rushed and inconsistent.
12 Episodes are not enough for what should have been a slow-burn type of anime.
Another factor is that some of the "conflicts" feel unnecessary and are there to push the plot forward. Because of that, many questions are left unanswered and open, such as why is that one random guy with that other chick burning books and why is he so fixated on it?
We can also ask, what is the overarching plot, and why do these books exist in the first place?
So many plot holes and questions are unanswered; I believe this leaves a bad taste and is one of the main reasons this emotionally moving and sublime anime is rated so low.

Despite its flaws, it's an impactful anime, and I suggest it to anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the world of mythology or wants to be philosophically challenged. However, if these topics don't interest you, avoid this anime because you won't have a good time.
Final score 7/10 (Could have been higher if they had more episodes and took their time with completing the story)

I started this series with high hopes and an understanding that they may not be met. Unfortunately they weren't on all levels but were on a few. An above average series for some, disappointing for most, but still something that I, in the end, enjoyed and liked, though I would only recommend to a niche audience.

Overall: 7
Read Below

Story: 7
The idea in it's very basic form is nothing new. A guy-girl duo out to save people from things they don't understand/are misusing to hurt others. Despite this, I found it interesting still that "phantom books" were chosen as the tools. ... It's something different and in a sense, philosophical, to see that words are chosen as the weapon. Anyways, the story starts off rather episodic with very little tying one episode to the next other than the main characters. There isn't much plot development till the last few episodes which left me wondering why they either didn't attempt to turn this into a longer series or just start integrating the plot sooner. There is a set of characters that don't make an appearance till the last two episodes and another set that are briefly glimpsed earlier than revisited in the last few episodes. Also, an entire history/relationship between Huey and the pig-tailed girl is pretty much left unexplained. In short, the story was generic yet refreshing at the same time, however, the plot development was weak and rushed. Unless there is another season or a movie to be released, this is a big weakness in the series.

Art: 9
As the rating suggests, I liked the art. In all actuality, the art and animation deserves an 8 but I am rating a 9 for two different reasons. 1) Baby The Stars Shine Bright's and Alice and the Pirates was involved in designing costumes for Dantalian and the cast. I am a huge fan of Goth Loli (one of the secret reasons I picked up this series to begin with) and anyone who even has remote interest in Goth Loli should know this name or look it up. 2) Episode 9. Watch it. The art is fantastic. The rest of the series has great art design and above average animation though at times stiff, thus the deserved 8 rating, but these two things pushed it to a 9.

Sound: 8
The OP and ED are both good choices with the OP being the better of the two. The ED was a little strange for most people though I enjoyed the live action perspective and thought he video was interesting. The OP, however, is a beautiful number that really captures the mood with a somber score that is also, surprisingly, serene. The voice acting was good other than the fact that I kept finding myself being irritated with Dalian's pronunciations. For some reason, the way she strongly pronounced the ending syllables of her sentences rubbed me the wrong way and wore on my ears after a while.

Character: 7
The lack of plot development resulted in a general lack of character development. We see Dalian and Huey go through various adventures with each other but I never once really felt that their relationship had matured. There standing seemed the same in episode 2 as it did in episode 11. Only in the last episode do we see some emotion/connection between the two, but this is lost within the whirlwind of plot being flung at the viewer. Other characters are either abandoned or relegated to a mere mention in the closing episodes. There is never a strong tie connecting main characters to side characters and thus everything feels loose and unorganized. Also, as a personal note, I found Dalian to be a little too much tsundere, border-line childish. Scratch that, she WAS childish. Just not cute enough to overcome it.

Enjoyment: 7
I mostly enjoyed this anime for the art and the idea of books being used as weapons. This was somewhat lost in the chaos that was the last episode, but none-the-less, I still found this enjoyable enough. I wouldn't recommend unless I was sure someone else had the affinity for Goth Loli/Victorian style that I have.

Back in the days of post-WW1 era, books and written words were the main medium in passing down knowledge from one to another. However, some books contain knowledge that are too dangerous to the world.
These books were known as ‘phantom books’, and should be returned to their rightful place.

Story – 6/10
The story revolves around Hugh Anthony Disward (Huey), a retired WW1 soldier who inherited his grandfather’s Bibliotheca Mystica no Dantalian, made contact with Dalian, who happens to be the library herself. They are to find those misplaced phantom books, and return them to the library.
This sets up to an episodic plot. Each episode features a ... different phantom book which is and affects its user and the world in various ways. The common issue of an episodic plot remains, some episodes may be absolutely genius, while some can be notably inferior, depending on the viewer’s taste.
The story of Dantalian no Shoka can be so vast, as in there are too many things that a book can do. However, with only 12 episodes, there are many questions left unanswered, and there is no real resolution in the end.
Otherwise, the story would’ve been much more complete.

Art – 8/10
Made by the animation studio GAINAX (Neon Genesis Evangelion, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), the artwork in Dantalian no Shoka is beautiful. The backgrounds were drawn in detailed, animation is fluid, and the character designs which are reminiscent to the post-WW1 setting are pleasant to see.

Sound – 7/10
Most of the soundtracks in Dantalian no Shoka are classical pieces which featured instruments such as violin, piano, etc. They aren’t particularly memorable, but fits into the scenes they are inserted into.
The OP is a soprano latin song and the ED is a rather eerie and creepy song, both adds to the mysterious and ominous feel which reflects the nature of the phantom books, which is nice.
The seiyuus did a great job in bringing the characters to life, particularly Miyuki Sawashiro, who really fleshed out Dalian’s character very well.

Characters – 6/10
Dalian happens to be your stereotypical tsundere loli, while Huey is a kind, strong-willed and hardened man who has lots of resolve. Both are presented rather well and their relationship is enjoyable to watch.
Not much character development happens in Dantalian no Shoka, perhaps the most obvious would be Dalian becoming more and more concerned about Huey when he was exposed to danger. Huey himself, however, does not develop much.
The problem with Dantalian no Shoka is that the side characters did not get enough screen time. While those minor ones which are shown in one episode but vanish thereafter were featured just enough to develop them well; those major ones such as Hal, Flamberge, Raziel and the unnamed Professor, we all know they are very important characters, but the lack of screen time did not disclose them enough, and viewers are left puzzled by their intentions and motives.
Not to mention the viewers would be guessing the mysterious identity of the girl inside the library world, who is frequently shown from time to time in the anime, but was never given an answer to her real identity.

Enjoyment – 8/10
To me, watching Dantalian no Shoka is almost as if I am reading a book. The anime itself is like a literature art. The subs were brilliantly written in Dantalian no Shoka, and this alone gave me tremendous enjoyment. Following the detective manner of the plot is great fun as well, with all the mystery and suspense going on. Too bad the anime did not end well and left a sour note into my account.

Other Thoughts
Dantalian no Shoka is akin to literature, and as such, book lovers may love it, while those who are not fans of heavy words may not like it so much.

Gothic and Lolita themed stories often present that vampiric charisma atmosphere that charms an audience so pleasantly. With a story of both Gothic and Lolita elements as Dantalian no Shoka, the remaining ingredient for a charming series lies in the characters. And yes, they did deliver. Although not on their own. As individuals, Hugh is only our calm, cool-keeping lead and Dalian is our standard tea sipping, pastry loving, tsundere loli. The key to the show's success was the interaction between these two as they developed through their journey.

Spice and Wolf fans (and not for the furry aspect of the show), will enjoy Dantalian no ... Shoka for the chemistry between the two lead characters. As a shift from the romance genre, Dantalian no Shoka steers clear of any suggested innuendos of perversion, or romantic love. That's not to say however, the character have no love for each other; in fact, not only do the characters share a strong bond, they also value others as human beings. Even for villains who are destroyed, Dalian and Hugh neither cheers nor turn a cold shoulder. Instead, an episode would takes a moment to reflect upon the moral dilemma caused by the Phantom Books and usually closes leaving somewhat of a melancholic atmosphere.

While the chemistry of Hugh and Dalian does developed, expecting any slice-of-life action through the series may be a tad misleading as the characters themselves remain relatively unchanged from start to finish. The audience does however grow to love Dalian and Hugh in the process as they open up more to each other. Through the introduction of Hugh's friends and events of the Phantom Books, we learn that Dalian is less cold than her appearance and title, the Black Bibliopricess, may suggest. With the heart for those who have been misfortunated by the effects of the Phantom Books, and a soul of a child for sweets and pastry, Dalian becomes less monotonous as a character as the audience witness the multiple sides of her personality. For Hugh, rather then personality display, we learn about him through his past events as a soldier. Namely, his persistence to help and fight for his friends.

But the charm of merely two characters doesn't quite bring a show up to "recommendable". Particularly for an episodic series as many fall into that pitfall of each episode simple being a rehash of each other. Isn't that right, Hell Girl? For Dantalian no Shoka, the core formula for an episode remains unchanged: Something is amiss. A Phantom Book antagonist is suspected to be behind the corruption. Stop said antagonist. Go home. Drink tea. Enjoy some mild sauce tsundere. However, the Phantom Books themselves acts as a convenient plot device for altering this generic formula. Due to the various nature and power of each book, they cause one to question the value of life, the morals of deceit and white lies, and the limits of justice. Although such questions were subtle, an each episode leaves the viewer with some food for thought.

As enjoyable as Dantalian no Shoka may be, it's difficult to place any title equal to "spectacular" for the show. For the show itself did not lack any particular elements, it also was not outstanding in any particular elements. It's comedy and dialogue were kept at a minimal, for it was not a comedic based series. It's drama was not striking and sudden, for it was not a drama. It's mystery served just enough to create its enigmatic and dark atmosphere, for it was not Death Note. Conclusively, it was only a very enjoyable, charming, paced, and amusing series.

Dantalian no Shoka: Ten reasons why.

1. Great anime.

2. Great concept.

3. Spectacular characters. (Although, the development of some characters lacked that oomph.)

4. Great storyline.

... 5. Plenty of action, plot twists and books.

6. Loli AND tsundere. Lol. I know tons of people who would watch this anime for that.

7. Blonde guy in trenchcoat + book ftw.

8. Is it just me, or is the part where he sticks his hand into her chest amusing?

9. EPIC AND DAZZLING EFFECTS, AUDIO AND ART.

10. Hey, what's not to love about a dramatic ending?

And that's my story. (Your cue to say, "Cool story, bro.")

Dantalian no Shoka is a show about of books. Therefore, if you don't have an interest in literature (e.g. poetry, books, etc), this show probably won't resonate with you. The story progresses at a relaxing pace which can also throw people off. Has a soundtrack that I am very fond of. That art style isn't amazing but is still done well.

If you're wanting to see a "Should you watch this show" type of thing, then I would say: watch the pilot and see for yourself Mr.I'm-to-cool-to-watch-the-pilot-of-a-show-that-I-don't-know-because-I-read-MAL-reviews.

Interesting dark 'n' mystic atmosphere. Perhaps I should say *this* is reminiscent of Amnesia (rather than Another) due to it being placed in a similar (I think?) era and with supernatural frights. Nowhere near as spooky, though I'm still with Diablo II's necromancer: I enjoy the darkness.

We of course need the ill-fitting, tsuntsun loli to bring in a wider audience, too. Mouthy, dinky and childish? Pedopaaaanderiiiing.

The gothic storybook ambiance makes it easy for me to forgive this being formulaic & monster-of-the-week (even if they weren't always "monsters"). Harder to forget this having Angel Beats!-levels of disjointedness, though.

Could have been a lot better had they tied ... things together, did more digging into the interesting and potential-filled world they created, and relied much less on a bog-standard tsundere to charm the viewers and carry the show. (Charm the viewers and carry the show! Charm the view-- sorry, that line made me wanna SING) And she *was* charming, don't get me wrong, but we need more than that. They certainly got the FEEL right, now they just need an appropriate personality to match the looks.

Dantalian no Shoka is a perfect representation of what history actually is. History can be beautiful, serious, mysterious and sometimes down-right brutal. This show does not hide its colors, but emphasizes them. To truly know history you must know every nook and cranny and even the stuff you wish you had never found out. Dantalian no Shoka, shows no mercy.

This is pretty much a random story line, but still has some underlying connections (like relationships). As a young boy Huey, finds and befriends a lonely librarian who watches over a library filled with more than 600,000 books, but that catch is that the library is ... mystical/magical. Then the show starts with Huey being an adult and befriending another young lady named Dantalian. She and Huey go through many adventures both happy ones and gruesome ones. Will they survive?

Story 8/10
I don’t usually like historical stuff, but this really hit the spot for me. I really liked the full tone art-style and the historical feel that is so beautifully presented. However, on some of the adventures, I often found myself getting a little upset or queasy. I directly recall episode four; there was a scene where some of the characters were continuously killed over and over and to make it worse, it was execution style with a bullet in the head. That is something I definitely didn’t want to watch, but that is also a representation of how history isn’t always happy and fun. Overall, there was a slight romance tone, but there really wasn’t anything that connected everything together. And of course the series ended in a way that would allow a second season to be made if ever warranted.

Characters 7/10
The characters are not very unique. Quite frankly, all of them seem a bit dense. You have your usual short-cute tsundere girl in an amazingly complex looking dress, an idiot girl who loves to dress up, an annoying friend who can’t find true love and Huey, a man who was once an army pilot and killed his best friend.

That doesn’t sound very different from other characters does it?

Art 8/10
The art is fantastic, there is a great blend of colors when action happens, but overall the colors are usually dark and the art style is usually full toned (no missing borders, no missing backgrounds etc…).

Sounds 10/10
The OST for this series is just amazing. The opening scenes have a great song that I just had to have and the music that was played throughout the series was just amazing. The focus on instruments was tremendous and I really loved the episode where a famous instrumentalist played in a concert. (Seeing how I am a violinist, this can be very bias).

Enjoyment 8/10
Besides the gruesome-brutal executions, I think the series was pretty enjoyable. The show has a perfect blend of mystery and action while introducing a couple unique aspects that hasn’t been put in an anime before. I commend the use of music and the dialogue is also quite good, but if the brutality is any worse than it was so far, I might not watch the second season if it ever gets made.

Story & Characters:
• Generic and basic story. Characters without any tension, climax, or development.
• Uses all the cheesiest plots for each episode with random supporting characters lacking depth and purpose.
• Some of the poems recited by the main character are very heart touching in relation to the plot and I appreciated that different writings were used for each episode. For that, I admire the historical and artistic value brought by the narrative.

Art & Sound:
• The art is beautiful, especially the environment art and early 20th century European atmosphere. The lighting is used appropriately and the colors are mesmerizing.
• The design of the episode pause is ... also stunningly captivating, one of the best that I have seen in all anime - it reminds me a bit of Shoujo Kakumei Utena
• I enjoyed the music very much - it has a classical, melancholic, and elegant quality, which is fitting for the European setting and supernatural themes.

Overall:
Terrible story and plots, however, the series will give enjoyment to niche audiences who like historical European elements, poetry, elegant and experimental music.

This is a must watch anime. Everything is so perfect here. I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie. I love to read novels like Agatha Christie's Poirot and Miss Marple. I would gladly recommend this anime to any fan of Agatha Christie or anyone who likes detective novels and movies. But I have to say that it is not so good as Gosick and Death Note. Those two are on the top of my list.
First I'll start with the story. I give it a 9/10. It has a really interesting plot. After Huey's grandfather dies he was told to take the custody of ... the Bibliotheca Mystica de Dantalian in order to inherit his estate. He was also given a key. He later meets Dalian who is the Black Bibioprincess. It is also known that Huey's grandfather was a Keykeeper. So after his grandfather's death he becomes the keykeeper. The archieve contains Phantom books which stores forbidden knowledge. Both Dalian and Huey set out on a journey to stop people from misusing the Phantom books in order to restore peace. Those two really have an interesting relationship. I can't say that there is any romance in it though. But I ship them anyway. I will not go any further because if I do they may contain spoilers.
As for the art, I give it a 10/10. There's nothing much to say about this. I just have to say that the art was great.
For the sound I'll give 10/10.
I'll give a 10/10 for character.
I'll give a 9/10 for enjoyment. The story just keeps you wondering what is going to happen next. You will be entertained until the last minute.
Overall I give this anime a 9/10. I just loved it! I would recommend this anime to anyone.

This is my first review. Be gentle guise.

P.s I'm only on the second episode.

I'm really liking this anime for the art and story. beautiful character design, intresting plot so far. Young male inherets grandfather's Mansion and large collection of book's. Not as thurough a reader as his grandfather but seeming still intrested. Apon ariving at the mansion, he walks inside to find that the library is completly of books. >.> where could the books be. End's up being led to an underground celler where his grandfather apprently kept his books close by at a table and a chair. And siting in this chair is ... the next chapter in this man's life. Great anime, I reccomend it to anyone who loves a story that isn't exactly outlined in the begining. Thank's for reading.