In 19th century Europe, a man known as the Millennium Earl capitalises upon the grief that people go through whenever they incur a tragic loss in order to create beings known as Akuma: self-aware puppets for the Millennium Earl that not only bring a soul back from the afterlife, but also forces them to live in torment as they are forced to do the Earl's bidding. Those who are wrought with grief get paid a visit by the Millennium Earl with the opportunity to bring back a deceased loved one, not realising that the Earl is nothing more than a cruel and sadistic genie who won't grant their wish the way they want it to turn out. The end result is a tortured soul forced to do the bidding of a complete and total monster without any say in the matter.
On the other side of the spectrum, we have the Black Order: an enigmatic organisation of exorcists that whilst unknown to the general public, work to destroy the Akuma and defeat the Millennium Earl. These exorcists are able to wield a mystical substance known as Innocence: shards of was known by an ancient civilisation as the Crystal of God. Innocence has the power to destroy Akuma and free the tortured souls that inhabit them, but only those who were chosen by God himself can wield it. Those who are revealed to be accommodators of Innocence must abandon everything they once knew so that they can train to become exorcists. In the process, they disappear completely from the lives of their loved ones. When they die, their deaths are kept a secret from anyone outside the Order so that new Akuma can't be made. Though the Black Order aims to do the world a service, their actions make it evident that they're not infallible nor are they the epitome of morality.
The exorcists we see over the course of the programme like Allen, Lenalee, and Lavi are also shown to be more than just your standard protagonists. Yes, they want to destroy the Akuma and defeat the Earl like anyone else does but exorcists are human too. They have their own struggles and inner demons to battle against, but they must ultimately deal with that on their own as the primary goal of the Order is to destroy the Akuma and defeat the Millennium Earl.
For example, Lenalee is someone who was forced as a child to abandon her brother to become an exorcist. As such, she harbours such a deep-seated resentment toward the Black Order and yet is terrified of standing up against them. In spite of this, she keeps fighting because the friends she made at the Order are what comprise her entire world. Of course, they're all fighting a dangerous battle against an enemy that grows stronger by the day. Who's to say what would happen to Lenalee if her closest companions fell in the line of duty?
In Lavi's case, this is even more evident. Even though Lavi is an exorcist, he's the heir to a clan that takes it upon themselves to document history as it unfolds whilst minimising their own impact on history and remaining as neutral as possible. Lavi cares deeply about his comrades but his role as Bookman's successor means that he's obligated to detach himself from those around him for the sake of maintaining neutrality.
These struggles that the characters go through along with the very conflict that exists between the Millennium Earl and the Black Order is what makes D.Gray-man such a captivating show to watch. However, it's not without its flaws. Unfortunately, the programme is marred by flaws that would otherwise hamper one's ability to enjoy the programme. Like many long-running programmes, D.Gray-man suffers from something of a slow start and these earlier episodes, whilst decent enough to watch, can come across as heavy-handed to many as they try to reinforce the tragic nature of Akuma. There's also the matter of filler to discuss. Toward the end of the second season and the beginning of the third season (Episodes 29-36 and Episodes 41-50 to be precise), D.Gray-man ends up going into some filler episodes that don't particularly mix well with the feel of the earlier episodes. They can be skipped, but it's still something to be mentioned. Speaking of which, there's also the matter of the way the anime ended.
The source material has a tendency to go in and out of hiatuses due to Katsura Hoshino's poor health and TMS Entertainment ended up pulling the plug on the adaptation because at that point in time, they would've caught up to the source material but Hoshino wasn't able to push out timely chapter releases because of things like her own arthritis and whatnot. Whilst the anime's ending works just fine as a conclusion, there are many loose plot threads left hanging because it's an adaptation of an ongoing manga. If you're the kind of person expecting total resolution from your programmes, you might as well look elsewhere because D.Gray-man won't satisfy you in that regard. This is a shame because there's so much that this series does well. Regardless, there's a lot this series does well and I think that there will come a time when there will be a continuation of the adaptation.
In terms of production, D.Gray-man is quite lovely to say the least. TMS Entertainment, the ones responsible for this show have proven themselves time and again to be capable producers. Their rather extensive catalogue consists of things like Lupin III, Detective Conan/Case Closed, and the film adaptation of Akira. It's safe to say that these guys have a remarkable track record for quality, with few (if any) slip-ups. With that said, the production values may not hold up to everyone's standards. This is a show that started out in 2006 and ended in 2008, so the animation quality itself is a touch dated. Thankfully, it still looks rather nice and the atmosphere is as good as ever. The entire series has this sort of dark and Gothic feel to it which is quite befitting given the subject matter. Yeah... as much as I enjoyed shows like Soul Eater and Blue Exorcist, I was put off by the lack of a dark and (mostly) serious tone throughout the entire narrative so D.Gray-man was the perfect fit for me.
Sound-wise, D.Gray-man doesn't disappoint. The background tracks are all quite lovely and fit the tone of whatever moments that they're being played in. However, the OP and ED themes are where this show really shines. It's rare for me to actually like all the OP/ED themes in a show but it's even rarer for me to like them all equally. I can't choose which one I like above all others because they all sound incredible to me. Then again, your mileage may vary but whatever. The dub is also some really good stuff, although Funimation was only able to license the first 51 episodes so you might wanna stick with the sub if you want consistency.
All things considered, D.Gray-man is a show that's definitely worth your time and is something that everyone should give a chance at some point or another. It's a shame to see people give the time of day to lacklustre programmes that ultimately end in disappointment for all when quality is easily within one's reach. It's weird how people who viscerally despise shows like Naruto and the second series of Fairy Tail keep watching those shows despite hating them so much and yet don't give good shows like these a chance. Do yourself a favour and go on Hulu or KissAnime and watch this show. Trust me, you won't regret it.
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First review of the New Year! Wow, am I late to the party...
