Review for D. Gray-Man: Series 2 Part 1 (Review)
Wednesday, 25th August 2010, 16:58

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Picture
D. Gray-Man comes in a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen flavour, as all modern anime are wont to do. It's an NTSC-PAL conversion of course, although it's a relatively benign one, light on ghosting and judder, although you can't get away from the softness of image. The animation itself lacks the sophistication and detail that shorter series usually get. On the other hand it's certainly not as crude or limited as long running shows like Naruto or Bleach. Certainly there is a far more robust continuity in character design, and the action sequences aren't scrimped on. All in all, D. Gray-Man is a very pleasant watch. And the creepy, spooky nature of the story is well reflected in the atmospheric world design and darker palette. Although with seven or six episodes to a disc, you won't be surprised to see a tad more compression than usual, especially in the frenetic action sequences and the opening credits.

Sound
You have a choice between DD 5.1 English, and DD 2.0 Japanese with optional translated subtitles and a signs only track. The surround is quite nice in an action show, but the dub is nothing too spectacular. It consists of energetic and lively performances of the sort that you find in anime aimed at a younger demographic. Although I have to admit that my gratitude is infinite for the blessing that is the absence of the usual Dick Van Dyke accents applied to anime set in Blighty. In fact, most of the denizens of this alternate British Isles are thankfully neutral American in accent. Of course I opted for the original Japanese dialogue as always, and while the stereo isn't as emphatic as the surround track, it does its job well enough. There are new themes book-ending the episodes in this collection.

Extras
Both discs get static menus and a jacket picture to look at when the disc isn't spinning. The only extras this time around are the new textless credits on disc 2.

Conclusion
The second instalment of D. Gray-Man was a bit of a disappointment after the explosive debut, settling for repetitive tedium instead of pushing the story along apace. Of course given a run of over a hundred episodes, you can see where the repetitive tedium comes from. This is hardly Fullmetal Alchemist when it comes to a convoluted and expansive storyline. But that second volume did perk up at the end, as the story seemed to change gear, offering something of a little more import and gravitas, by introducing the first of the Black Order Generals, Yeegar, and also revealing something of the Millennium Earl's plans.

With this third collection of D. Gray-Man episodes, we hit the ground… sauntering. Yes, it is more of that repetitive tedium that was so wearying in the previous set, but somehow given the greater background to the story, the impending danger of the Millennium Earl's plans, there is a greater sense of momentum to these episodes, even if they are just as stand alone and ephemeral as before. For much of the run, it's still a case of an exorcist arriving at a certain location, and having to deal with an Akuma flavoured menace before allowing the end credits to roll. This collection of episodes then is used more to catch up with those characters that we met the last time around, as well as introducing more of the exorcists who will play a part in the episodes yet to come.

There is a deceptive air of haste and panic in the first episode on the disc, with Komui and the other members of the Black Order realising the meaning behind the General Yeegar incident, and extrapolating that danger to the other generals. You'd be forgiven for thinking that the next episodes will involve protecting those generals from the Millennium Earl, getting straight into the thick of the fighting. But actually, the exorcists have to find the generals first, and Allen's own mentor, General Cross is particularly talented at remaining hidden. You won't be seeing him any time in this collection, hence all of the episodes with exorcists wandering and searching, and dealing with Akuma as they go. Allen's own search for General Cross takes him to Liverpool, the Lake District (for a two part Akuma mystery), an unnamed port town, and then to Barcelona.

We also get a couple of episodes catching up with those exorcists that were recruited in the previous collection. We see that Arystar Krory, the Innocence derived vampire has qualified as an exorcist, and he has as his first assignment a mission that reminds him of his own circumstances. He's still a terribly annoying character I find, but the episode does have this collection's sole appearances from Lavi and Bookman as well. The episode is pretty interesting too. Then we meet up with Miranda again, and while Arystar has been through his training and qualified, Miranda is still searching for the Black Order, and we join her on journey through England, morose and bemoaning her fate, wavering over her commitment to becoming an exorcist. I did get one moment of glee, as it sees the return of Moa, the policewoman from the first episode, although her appearance is fleeting, and not as impressive as before.

Yu Kanda gets an intriguing two part story, which on the surface looks like another 'visit village, deal with Akuma infestation, and move on' episode, but it does introduce an interesting and craven Finder in Goz, and it has at its heart a pretty tragic tale of twin sisters that results in a rather unique Akuma. Then we meet a new Exorcist named Suman Dark, a rather forbidding and silent figure, whose heart typically melts when a little kid's lower lip wobbles with a hint of tears. He and Lenalee have to deal with a pack of wolves, led by Akuma. This is also an episode that I just couldn't take at all seriously. Suman Dark is an exorcist who wields the power of the wind. His special move is "Break Wind!" It's not what you think, but the poor voice actor has to yell it out loud every time he unleashes it.

As I said, these episodes are pretty much par for the course when it comes to D. Gray-Man. It's when the final four-episode arc begins that we get a glimpse of where the story is heading, with the Millennium Earl's plans beginning to unfold, an army of Akuma unleashed on the world, and the exorcists of the Black Order hard pressed to defend. We get a full on battle sequence over Barcelona, a magnitude greater than anything we've seen thus far, and the show takes on something of an epic air. We also get to see something more of the Millennium Earl and the Clan of Noah plotting and scheming away. The Noah clan member Tyki Mikk is certainly an interesting character at this point, trying to exist in both worlds simultaneously, with a dark Tyki and light Tyki. His day job is world domination with the Millennium Earl, while when he's slumming, he's a factory worker, with a bunch of human friends that he likes to spend time with. It's a question of whether he has a psychopathic personality disorder, or if he could potentially be a weak link in the Millennium Earl's plans.

The third collection of D. Gray-Man episodes is marginally better than before, and the story is beginning to show something of what the first collection promised. There's not a lot to it, it's still only a fun little shonen action show. But the operative word here is fun, which is reason enough to give D. Gray-Man a try.

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