Dantalian no Shoka

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.

"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!

'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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

Some people agree that having all the answers in the universe our lives would have meaning, however some other people agree that ignorance is bliss. The only way we find out which ones make a better point is by experience.

The Story spins around these mysterious items called Phantom Books which contain forbbiden knowledge left behind by their writers. One could read them and tap into a well of unimaginable powers. Tempting as far as normal lives go yet forbidden knowledge comes with a great price. It is the job of the two protagonists to solve the mysteries that these books shroud and recover as many ... as possible.

Classical Artwork emphasizes this series and its characters yet notable would be the backgrounds wich act more like a cardboard greenscreen. From some points it can be better, especially when the caracters are still talking.

Japanese people have an inborn affinity for the piano and the intro of this series is proof of that along with many others and as well as the theme songs within the episodes themselves.

Characters have a stereotypical skeleton which adds a bit of backstory as the flesh. Their personalities of the protagonists complement each other and add up to the enjoyment of the series.

If you are a interested in a good story then this one is right for you, it does not have a lot of action scenes but the comments and cultural references are a great bonus.

[English and Spanish review]

[English]

Why you should watch Dantalian?
If you are a bookworm, like me, you must watch this show. The story, even though is simple and sometimes repetitive, leads you to increase your fascination about books, their magic and the wonderful worlds that are inside each one of them. Good short stories, with great character design, and the "lovely" Dalian, which is kind of my model to look up to.

The only thing I can complain about is that some of the characters are not well developed. I think it should have been a longer season, to fill up some holes in the story and ... in the link between characters, and to dig deeper in each one of them as well.

Why do I love it?
Because everyone makes fun of you when you are a chronic reader. This anime is able to represent visually how I feel when I read a book, the chill on your skin when you are touched by the story on that paper. Finally, the opening is one of my favourites, and I love Daisuke Ono!

[Spanish]

Por qué hay que ver Dantalian?
Si eres un ratón de biblioteca como yo, entonces debes ver esta serie. La historia, si bien es un poco simple y a veces repetitiva, promueve la fascinación por los libros, su magia y los mundos maravillosos que existen dentro de cada uno de ellos. Buenas historias cortas, con diseños de personajes geniales, y la "adorable" Dalian, que es algo así como mi modelo a seguir.

La única cosa de la que me puedo quejar es que algunos de los personajes no están bien desarrollados. Creo que la temporada debería haber sido más larga, para llenar algunos espacios en blanco en la historia y en las conexiones entre los personajes, así como para profundizar en cada uno de ellos.

Por qué me encanta?
Porque todos se ríen de ti cuando eres un lector empedernido. Este animé es capaz de representar visualmente cómo me siento cuando leo un libro, el escalofrío en tu piel cuando la historia en ese papel te conmueve. Finalmente, el opening es uno de mis favoritos, y me encanta Daisuke Ono!

l don't really understand how two shows so similar can be aired consequently. Of course you can say all shows are recycled copies of each other, but this coincidence this time almost seems intentional.
As a production of Gainax, I was hoping it would have something weird or grand, at least with the themes, but I haven't detected any stable themes yet. The story so far is about a proud girl Dalian with her protector Hugh fighting demons from books that cause humankind to turn evil. So far, the story is straightforward with no real twist to it, but I'm expecting more from this setting. ... I think it will give more.
The vast amount of vagueness so far makes a twist in the end highly possible, but then the atmosphere and how the characters behave give me doubts. Beside the stereotypical characters and their interactions, I find all the names given to the books, minor characters, and places difficult to remember and hard to put together. But aside from all that, the story so far is faintly engrossing.
However, I don't see the mysteries surrounding the girl and her library enfolding in the next several episodes, so perhaps the show within the next few weeks will disappoint more fans.
But I personally will continue watching it until I see some new layers.

I love the opening btw. It's very fitting.

Dantalian No Shoka is a Gainax anime. That’s all I really know about its background other than the fact it is based off of a light novel series, which seems readily apparent when watching any anime. It’s either based off of a manga, light novel, or visual novel. So either a book, a comic book, or a book with pictures that is a mixture of a manga and a book.

Is this anime worth your time? Well, let me tell you.

Story
Dantalian No Shoka is twelve episodes long and when I think of twelve episodes, I think of a cohesive plot that has a satisfying climax. Dantalian ... No Shoka is like the polar opposite of that. While the series does have a small amount of cohesive plot (a lot more during the final episode), most of the series is episodic in nature. The plot revolves around Hugh Anthony Disward, a Keykeeper for a mystical library inside of Dalian, who I think is some sort of doll come to life or something. This all takes place in Post World War I England which does give us a really nice, fresh setting. Each episode Dalian and Hugh go after books that can be used for a myriad of bad things. And that’s about it. The plot never expressly explains who Dalian really is, why she has a library inside of her, where Phantom Books really came from. I get the feeling that the biblioprincess’s (as Dalian and another girl later on are called) are the libraries of the archangel’s, but this only comes up once and is never stated as a fact. The last episode seems to explain a bit about how Dalian became a Biblioprincess (something about Pandora’s box and we see the minotaur of Crete as well), but once again we are never told anything and I guess we are meant to make assumptions ourselves.

There are two episodes that I need to talk about. One features a guy who burns Phantom Books but has a biblioprincess like companion with him. Whether she is or not, I don’t know. There is another episode where we meet the red biblioprincess. Both of these episodes seemed like filler until the very end when our heroes showed up for the final face off.

The last episode should have resolved something but instead leaves more questions, doesn’t resolve anything, and makes me want a second season.

I also want to state that the vast majority of the episodes, maybe two are exceptions, focus on girls or women as the bad guys or as people taken advantage of. There are only two or three male bad guys in the whole show and the rest are crazy women. I don’t know why that bothered me, maybe it was the fact it made the show more predictable.

So it has a loose plot, but a good idea for episodic adventure. It’s just too short to be episodic.

Animation
If there is one thing this show has going for it it is the spectacular animation. While characters look average at best, the backgrounds and setting are amazing looking. The colors are bright and vivid and the I heard that this was the only place that Gainax had anything to do with. The characters don’t look like Gainax characters particularly, but then again, Gainax tends to change things up every anime they do. There is one episode where the animation changes into something out of an older edition of a Lewis Carrol novel and it looks amazing.

Sound
The opening theme is fantastic. The ending theme is also great. The music during the show is good as well. Voice work is good and sound effects are good. This sound section is hard to write a really long, compelling paragraph about most of the time…

Characters
Hugh and Dalian are fun characters to follow around, although they are both fairly generic and their personalities can be seen in dozens of anime, especially Dalian’s. There are very few recurring characters. There is a girl that I guess is the love interest, but a complete idiot. There is Hugh’s friend, a womanizing guy who at one point is turned into a tree and set on fire. There is the book burning guy and his white haired companion chick. The companion chick is pretty awesome, but doesn’t get enough screen time. The red biblioprincess is kind of there, as is the main bad guy. The characters are all pretty static.

Overall
Dantalian no Shoka is good. But it’s bogged down by the fact there are only twelve episodes, there is not really a cohesive plot, and the ending begs a second season that I don’t know if we’ll ever see. It’s a solid anime, it’s got a lot of redeeming factors and has a lot of cool ideas, but I just don’t feel like it really accomplishes anything. As a weekly adventure, it was a fun watch. If you were to watch the episodes one after another though, you’d probably be bored. There is never a To Be Continued moment that leaves you on the edge and makes you keep watching.

So it’s good as a weekly show, not quite as much something to watch over an afternoon. On top of that, quite a few episodes are rather dull, boring, or feel like an episode from before.

Dantalian no Shoka is about Huey, a young man whose grandfather died and left him his house supposedly filled with books from demons and Dalian a seemingly young girl found in his grandfather's home.

The anime gets right into things and explains everything right off the bat, almost smothering you with information. Despite this it still allows for you to understand what's going on and how everything works while giving hints of everyone in the first episode.

I'll be honest: Half of the anime is filler.

There is no exact goal established in the beginning so it's just them dealing with random situations involving the Phantom books, ... which grows tedious and boring. The story had much potential and could of been developed well--but, once again, because of the short amount of episodes it was compacted and had light focused in all the wrong places.

I found it intriguing and would keep up with the episodes regularly in the beginning, checking on my crunchyroll app, however I soon realized that the anime wasn't very enjoyable and switched to the manga.

If you're interested more in the plot and goal, then this would be the wiser of the choices.

Story:
It could of been much more memorable and interesting if there weren't so much filler. At times I felt a bit likes this was like FMA, just because of the atmosphere in the episode with the writer.

Art:
Art was beautiful and the animation was good. The environments were realistic and done well. The designs were unique and eye-catching as well.

Sound:
I love the music for this. It suited it very well--I was actually quite surprised with the ending theme but it felt suited to it. Not only was the music gorgeous, but it created a subtle environment that you could easily get into.

Voice Acting:
All the characters were well cast and fit into their roles with ease.

Character:
Although Dalian sometimes acts a bit like a tsundere, she isn't pushy or angry 24-7 and is--dare I say it--quite classy, able to carry herself 'like a lady' without embarrassing herself or angering the audience with stupidity. She is mature, although she has the tendency to get fired up (not blow up, mind you) and is calm and collected the majority of the time, though easily swayed by sweets.

Huey, the other main character, is a capable young man who did some service in the military. He's very similar to Dalian in some respects, having the same mannerisms but can be unexpectedly bold. He is intelligent and I don't think I've ever been irritated by his decisions.

His relationship with Dalian is almost sororal with how he treats her. He treats her like a woman, but cares for her almost like he would if she were his sister. Mind you, I said 'treats' not 'feels'.

Overall the characters were excellent and I reccomend the manga instead of the anime unless you're looking for something short with a bit of a 'no strings attached relationship'.

Mind you, I still have not finished the anime, but I have read the manga.

This history goes with Dalian (Black Biblioprincess) and Huey. It's about Victorian Age. The argument is acceptable, because is similar to another animes, so I liked it, is simple but curious. Both are connecting by Dalian's librarian. But nobody knows about that. Huey promised to the librarian rescue her. The relationship is cold and distant, but gradually they are approaching. The serie envolves you with the mistery and the tragedy -not much-, Dalian is a gotich lolita, in love with the books because grandfather's Huey adopted her when she was a little girl. I love this anime because mi favourite anime is Gosick and the ... genre is the best for me. You can apreciate the fantasy -little-, but is a magical and surprising. Temporarily the friendship is consolidated -but I think not only de friendship-, I think the anime needs more chapters, but they did the best of them -I hope so-, the anime has 2 extra chapters about another characters with a Biblioprincess.
And the Final Episode was unexpected -for me-, i really would Huey would find a way to save her. I loved that final.

After finishing Gosick, I instantly went to it's MAL page and looked at the recommendations for similar series. I'm a huge sucker for Gothic/Victorian-esque anime that take place in the 1920s or late 1800s. Especially ones with a mystery element to it's story. I saw Dantalian no Shoka, or The Mystic Archives of Dantalian, and became really happy. It looked almost just like Gosick. Though... the only way it's similar to Gosick is the time it takes place, and the small mystery elements thrown in there. As well as characters.
This series is fairly episodic. It's about a man named Hugh, or Huey, who inherits ... his grandfather's mansion. His grandfather was a book-addict, and had his own personal library. When Huey enters the library, he encounters a girl, whom he thinks to be a doll at first.
He learns of mysterious entities known as "Phantom Books", which are like a piece of literature that causes magical happenings whenever they're read. Though, in this case, Phantom Books can come in the form of basically anything, even sound. Huey becomes this girl's, whose name is Dalian, Keykeeper. She explains that she is the gateway to a bookshelf of Phantom Books, keeping them away from humans. This way, they won't cause any harm.
Thus, begins our series of Huey and Dalian as they search for these entities known as Phantom Books so they can store them away in Dantalian's Bookshelf. They don't travel much, so it's not an adventure series. Basically they hear or learn about mysterious happenings and then choose to investigate it to see if the cause of said happening is by a Phantom Book.
Now that I'm done summarizing the base of the plot, here is the actual review;
Story: 8
Now, as much as I absolutely LOVED the concept of this story, there are some flaws. Mainly the only flaws are events or characters that aren't really explained. This girl that Huey wants to save... who is she? What is she? Why is she in that empty space, trapped for all time? You'll never know. (Unless you read the LN... if it is an LN. I believe it is.) It doesn't tell you. How did Huey meet her, as well? Another flaw in the story is certain characters arrive and never really... do anything drastic or important. Well, they do, in the last episode. There's an entire episode based on two characters; Hal and Flamberge, who are similar to Huey and Dalian in terms that they're both a Keykeeper and Gate to a bookshelf. They only come in during that episode, and then make one last appearance in the final episode. The final episode is when they actually do something important to the story. Same goes for another Keykeeper and Gate. None of these characters are really explained or don't really do anything important to what's happening around Huey and Dalian.
Other than these flaws, I loved the story. Very unique and creative. The story-telling style is similar to Mushishi in the sense that every episode is a new story where Dalian and Huey get involved and solve with their power and knowledge of the phantom books. Each story has something to do with a phantom book as well... obviously. The stories are creative and interesting, and I definitely wish the series was longer to show me more of them.
Art: 10
As I said before, I am a sucker for the time this anime takes place in. It takes place in Europe. The show has an overall dark-ish Gothic feel to it, as well as some beautiful backgrounds of Victorian style buildings or castles. There is one episode, I believe episode 9, where the art changes drastically. Though, there is a reason. I found it kind of funny, actually, the reasoning behind the art change. At first I thought the studio was just lazy for that episode, but... I was wrong. You'll see.
Sound: 10
Oh my goodness. I can't really explain how much I am IN LOVE with the music for this series. The opening... oh my, the opening, it's beautiful and it fits the show perfectly. It's a very unique opening. The background music, or OST, is also beautiful and keeps that Gothic feel to it. I'll definitely be looking into the soundtrack later. It may even become one of my favorite soundtracks ever.
Character: 10
Now, there aren't a lot of repeating characters in this series. I'd say there's four important repeating characters, as well as 4 others I mentioned before that don't get much background. The two main characters, Huey and Dalian, are very similar to the ones in Gosick; Kujou and Victorique. An ex-soldier, who comes across a small girl dressed in a Gothic dress in a library. Both Dalian and Victorique are very similar in terms of their personalities. Hell, they're both even similar to Shinku in Rozen Maiden. Both also are tsundere-ish who thinks they can tell the male character what to do, and they get cute when they see sweets.
Either way, enough comparing characters. Huey is an interesting one. He doesn't really have a personality I can explain, but it's most definitely not a boring one. Watching him and Dalian interact in front of other people is extremely precious and awesome. I loved seeing them talk back and forth with each other. You can clearly see that Huey learns how to deal being with and talking to Dalian more and more. There is some romance between them, but it's not really emphasized. Armand and Camilla are two other repeating characters and friends of Dalian and Huey. They come to them for help when dealing with phantom books, especially Armand. Armand's a fun character who calls Huey "lieutenant" and is always trying to find a girlfriend. (He's not one of those dudes who go after every pretty woman he sees, though.) Camilla always approaches Huey and Dalian dressed in "strange" outfits from other countries, and Dalian's opinions on them are always entertaining to hear. There are a bunch of other characters for each story, as well, that appear in one episode each.
Enjoyment: 9
The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this series is the missing explanations in certain characters and it's length. If this show was 24 episodes or even more, I probably would have marked it as one of my favorites if it managed to keep up it's amazingly unique feel throughout the entire show.
And the show is actually a bit more action-packed than it seems. It's not too crazy, but there are a good amount of well-animated fights with monsters or people. There's also a good amount of blood and gore, too! Which is always a plus!
My Overall score is 9. If you like Gothic-themed Anime with a supernatural element to them, then give the show a try! I highly recommend it!

After watching a couple of episodes of Dantalian no Shoka, I thought this series has a lot of potential as it is an anime with philosophic story-lines and fairy tale feeling in it. But even with more and more episodes coming out, Shoka couldn’t win my praise and sympathy for some reason; I still thought of it as a show with unopened potential. And now it is over. It could be good, but failed. And in my review I will try to understand why this happened.

So, the plot. Hugh Anthony Disward, the protagonist of the story, inherits a mansion from his suddenly deceased bibliophile grandfather. ... In this mansion he meets a girl named Dalian, who is the custodian of the Mystical Tomes. These magical books have varying powers: some can bring people back from the dead, others can turn the person who reads them insane, and so on. Lord Disward, understanding the danger the Mystical Tomes hold, joins up with Dalian in a quest to find and seal the Tomes away.

Dalian is a typical tsundere character, who is lovingly done with all reference to ISO 15129 Female Leads of the Anime Shows. She sips her tea, enjoys various sweets and cakes (oh man, excuse me for thinking about K-ON for a second) and scolds Lord Disward to work off her tsundere position. Nothing really new or inventive here. On the other hand, Lord Disward seems to be a lot more interesting character. He participated in war (not a soldier, merely a pilot, as he claims himself), and that’s actually a really attracting trait. When one think about a military pilot and books, the associations are quickly led to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Or maybe Richard Bach. That kind of people. Nevertheless, Lord Disward gets a certain romantic aureole right from the start with just one phrase.

Whole nature of Dantalian no Shoka is episodic. All episodes are standalone stories, and most of the secondary characters appear only in one episode, so the cast is pretty much limited to Lord Disward and Dalian. The stories are usually very metaphorical and deal with a number of philosophical questions. The common themes are what can happen if the Mystical Tome falls into wrong hands, and the drawbacks of the magical books’ powers.

And now pieces are set. As you can see, all those things make Shoka a promising anime. What can possibly go wrong, huh? Firstly, the pacing of the series is terrible. Shoka goes strictly with “one story — one episode” formula, so most episodes seem too rushed and messy with their stories being crumpled and not detailed. I can see this series tries to make the viewer think, but it just doesn’t give him time to reflect upon what happened, and it limits the plot to just “fancy things go around in Victorian England”.

Secondly, the character development. Dalian, as ISO 15129 recommends us, is never affected by any events. Her character remains static during the whole run of the show, but that’s not an issue, since I never expected anything from her. The problem lies with Lord Disward. He is a capable protagonist at first glance, shooting enemies and all that, but he turns out to be really plain and undeveloped, usually just saying something trivial about episode’s outcome and not getting impressed with anything happened in it. Remember that stuff I said about military pilots and romantic aureole? It kicked only in one of the last episodes, and because of pacing problems even that episode failed to show the development of Lord Disward’s character.

Let’s take Kino no Tabi for comparison. (I know it’s bad to compare anything with one of my favourite anime of all time, but please, bear with it for a second.) Kino no Tabi is episodic, was based on ranobe and has a lot of philosophy too. However, Kino no Tabi’s stories are wonderful and well-balanced. Its protagonist, Kino, seems to be emotionless, but one still can feel how various events have an impact on her character. Oh, and I think I got an idea why Shoka failed. The person in charge of Kino no Tabi was Nakamura Ryūtarō-shi, one of the most talented and distinctive anime directors. And the director of Dantalian no Shoka was Uemura Yutaka-shi, a newbie. I’m not saying he is a bad director. He was trying to tell us a good story, but he is just not experienced enough to do so. Probably, this project was too much for him to handle in right way.

Okay, now I’m done with this review. Dantalian no Shoka could offer a lot but has too many issues to do it. I rate it 7 points, because the director actually tried and because it has beautiful violins in its soundtrack.