8 years later since D.Gray Man finished and we have FINALLY gotten a continuation to one of LA's most nostalgic anime, so did Hallow live up to the original or did the sequel curse fall upon it???
The plot say the least have some major problems with it's pacing, mainly it being inconsistent, however it can easily be compensated for it's tightly woven character development to some of our main characters, Hallow especially focuses on Yu Kanda, Allen Walker, the Millennium Earl as well as some newer characters like Alma Karma and the short arc with Timothy. Nonetheless with all these characters moving around along with the MANY new villains' plans and motivation can rather make this anime's plot feel rushed but do take it's time when trying to unravel character development to these characters and take it's time in doing so. Hallow also seemed to skip a certain portion of the anime so it can quickly move to the Timothy arc, what LA think about this, well LA didn't read the manga til that point so LA really didn't know until a character handwaved the missed plot...ehhh if it was the get to the better plotlines or wasn't as crucial that TMS Entertainment did leave it out for a reason, LA didn't mind. What Hallow also comes into light is the Order isn't what it seems as the good two shoes organization trying to eliminate the Akuma as it really isn't the entirety of the Order who are at fault, but more like two certain members *cough* Lveille you bastard hypocrite *cough* and the Alma Karma arc not only develops what evil deeds the Order did and how magnificently it backfires on them with the Third Exorcist Project but simultaneously gives Alma Karma and Kanda the development they needed (Kanda especially as he really didn't get much development more or less hints in the original). Finally Allen goes into the crossfire of ALL of this plot and becomes a rather unique case of a main protagonist, sure it brings into light that both the Order and the Millennium Earl might as well be both evil and yet in brings up "who is the TRUE evil" and this statement goes straight back to Allen as a character. Yeah the plot has pacing problems to say the least and takes more of a focus to certain characters and the rest becomes either plot devices or supporting characters, but if it character development and world building (TRUE world building) you want Hallow gives it to you.
Well since the plot is interwoven by it's characters...LA already talked about the characters. Well there's one thing LA missed. LA's favourite character?..it has always been Lenalee Lee and always will be and she was the MAIN reason LA came to love the series in the first place, sure it doesn't become Lenalee Lee's story in Hallow, but just seeing her again was so nostalgic (new hairstyle and all...as for the new voice actor...well that a bit later).
The soundtrack felt like a blast to the past, keeping the original soundtrack for the most part just under a lighter, softer tone remix. Nonetheless, having this soundtrack with that slight remix gave LA a quick approval to this soundtrack. Call it nostalgia blindness...but LA loved the soundtrack even if is a remix.
In terms of voice acting, well there is actually alot to talk about this as Hallow gave us a entirely new voice cast. Allen's, Miranda and Kanda's voice actor (Ayumu Murase, Ami Koshimizu and Takuya Satou respectively) fit in to both the characters and their original counterparts, LA didn't really have a problem with Lavi's new voice actor Natsuki Hanae (though LA thought he's missing something), however LA had something that irked on Lenalee Lee's new voice actor Ai Kakuma (now LA will say that LA could actually see Ai Kakuma voicing Lenalee, heck for LA it made sense as LA thought that Ai Kakuma would be something like a spiritual successor to Shizuka Ito, however Ai Kakuma had something of a higher pitched voice but that wasn't LA's problem with Ai, it was that Lenalee lost her "ojou-dereness", however LA quickly grew with Ai Kakuma's voice acting for Lenalee, though LA just kept thinking Shizuka Ito voice her better and why Lenalee was LA's favourite character in the series in the first place. If there was anything Ai Kakuma could have done to properly fit into Lenalee Lee, she could have projected a bit of Isuzu Sento from Amagi Brilliant Park (for her maturity and her deadpanned ojouness) and less Hanabi Ayase from 12-sai.: Chicchana Mune no Tokimeki, Ai Kakuma thankfully got better...by the final episode, but still, SHE GOT BETTER. LA will emphasis this for the voice cast, for the most part, the new cast fit it quite well in some regards, as for Lenalee Lee's new voice actor, LA doesn't hate Ai Kakuma voicing her, she just had to adjust from being a squeaker kind-hearted character to an ojou-kind hearted character. Now onto some better news, LA quite enjoyed Millennium Earl's new voice actor Yutaka Aoyama who replaced Junpei Takiguchi and thought that Yutaka's replacement was ok in LA's books. Now for the best voice actor in Hallow however goes to Yui Kondou for LA, where Yui voiced Road Kamelot who replaced Ai Shimizu, same psychotic yandere and anti-villain charm she had in the original and the change of voices didn't change it. Wow LA talked ALOT about the voice actor section..moving on...
In terms of animation, done once again by TMS Entertainment to say the best it feels really polished from the original (to be expected), the characters are alot shinier in design and the battles move more smoothly than before, also the eldritch abominations that appear in this anime (and no not JUST the Akuma), it's amazing what detail they put into it. The comedic moments also bring up the typical anime emoji what little comedic moments it has considering the VERY serious tone it starts and ends with. Overall, Hallow had some very decent animation across the board and LA can overlook the few rare times of animation errors.
LA won't tell much about the ending as it still has lots of plot threads left and it just feels like that Hallow has only just touched the tip of how D.Gray Man could have turned into. There is SOO much more left and LA obviously wants another season.
D.Gray Man is such a nostalgic shounen anime which LA wished and begged for another season and LA wished has been fulfilled, yeah Hallow has several flaws that it can easily be subjected to sequelitis, but for an anime sequel LA has been waiting ALMOST HALF A DECADE for, LA can overlook these flaws and see why it even exists. LA is soo happy to even see a sequel to D.Gray Man and call this nostalgia blindness (similar to LA view on the soundtrack) but LA doesn't care. Hallow you have your problems from it's controversial new voice cast to it's inconsistent pacing in it's plot but LA doesn't care. Come on just seeing a sequel to such a nostalgic popular shounen anime that took 8 YEARS to get made again as well as an anime that was HUGELY influential to LA as an anime fan even now is amazing to see again, nostalgia is a high factor for LA especially from D.Gray Man and is essentially what drove LA into still liking Hallow.
