The Absolute Beauty of D.Gray-man

Every once in a while, we come across a series that deeply impacts us and alters the way we view things. This is a love letter to a series that did just that for me, Katsura Hoshino's D.Gray-man.

This review will be rather lengthy, but I believe it neccessary to properly convey the greatness and beauty of this series.

Quick note, I will keep spoilers to a minimum, however, there will be direct spoilers for only volume 1 as to better depict aspects.

The Plot

D.Gray-man takes place in a Halloween themed setting containing, for the sake of simplicity, 2 sides. We view the story on the side of a religious organization, the Black Order, and their battle against the Millennium Earl.

The two are engaged in a battle to obtain an essence known as Innocence, which has a great deal of power. The Earl has the ability to utilize the weakness in the human heart, and raise the dead into a killing machine called Akumas. The Earl uses this ability to march forward in his goal to destroy all of humanity. The Black Order must prevent this, and it collects Innocence and people who are able to wield it as a weapon, known as Exorcists.

In my honest opinion, D.Gray-man boasts the strongest plot in Shounen, and it's not close at all. This series has an unparalleled layer of mystery, plot twists, complexity, and overall presence that I have yet seen to be matched. It is among my favorite plots in all of fiction, and once it gets going, it can't be matched. The ball does, however, take some time to get rolling. About the 130 chapter mark, a serious turning point is set, and from there on, buckle up and prepare for a hell of a ride.

The Cast

Supported by such a strong plot, the cast are truly allowed to shine. The cast is well fleshed, with each character having their own goals, passions, burdens, backstory, and relationships.

D.Gray-man does a phenomenal job of giving time to its cast rather than focusing solely on Allen and expecting him to single handedly carry the series. While Allen is a cut above the rest of the cast, by no means is he the only FIRE character.

I also believe D.Gray-man has the greatest antagonist in shounen that I have read. The Earl is an absolute S tier character, no doubt about it. Once you learn more about him, you will find yourself utterly blown away and captivated. A goated protagonist and antagonist, supported by a very solid characters makes for a memorable cast.

The Utter Beauty of Relationships

This is where I believe D.Gray-man truly shines. If I were to describe relationships in this story using only one, I would say Beautiful. However, if you were to ask me to spare such an overused word in this review, then I would opt for Enduring. The way D.Gray-man tells of human relationships, as something truly special and important to the characters, is absolutely moving. It depicts bonds so powerful that it affects them their entire life. Something so important, it defines who they are. It would not be an understatement to say that such bonds are what give all the characters their meaning, importance, and ultimately, their beauty.

Just as in our own world, relationships are bursting full of complexity, and carry immense weight. Seeing each relationship develop, unfold, and blossom is truly a work of art, one so moving it compelled me to simply write this for that sole reason. These relationships are well supported by Hoshino's GENIUS paneling ability, making every scene all the more impactful.

Let me take some time to exemplify the impact of relationships in D.Gray-man, in all their splendid beauty. My absolute favorite relationship in all of fiction, Allen and Mana Walker.

"I swore to Mana, That I'd never stop no matter what, that I'd keep walking until I died, I'm the one who swore!" - Allen Walker “Finally… I have come here, Mana. Finally, I am at the starting line." -Allen Walker

A boy and a Pierrot, son and father, fellow travelers, fellow grievers, those who are lost together, and so much more.

As we slowly learn of their relationship throughout the story, we begin to see how impactful Mana was to Allen. As time goes on, we see Allen's resolve, and the importance he places onto a promise he made a Pierrot a long time ago.

Very early into the story, we see a glimpse of Allen's pain, as he is tempted by the Earl to resurrect a man named Mana Walker. The exact details of Allen and Mana's relationship, especially the distant history, is spoiler material I shall not get into, but the essence of their relationship is one that can be understood with little context. Allen loved Mana. For many, many reasons. As the story progresses, we see more glimpses of their past together, and it comes to paint a beautiful story of tragedy, love, growth, and an undying will.

The Brilliance of Allen Walker

"God? I don't care about that. I...! I've made my own oaths! To myself, that I would destroy the Akuma...! To my friends, that I would fight alongside them! To this world, that I would save it! To my father, that I would keep walking till the day I died... I MADE AN OATH TO THEM ALL! Open up...! Damn it... This is the only path I can take... so that I can feel alive." -Allen Walker

Allen's character is one that you will not find elsewhere. Through the twists and turns of plot, as Allen's mysterious character is fleshed out and unfolded, what he brings to the table is only among the best of the best. Given plenty of brutally honest monologues, we are given a well drawn out picture of his mental state as he develops and grows.

Allen, alongside character's such as Gintoki and Guts, is the perfect depiction of perseverance. Mana's impact on Allen pushes him forward, with an unstoppable will throughout all the grief, uncertainty, and fear.

The other thing that sets him apart from the rest is his complexity and mysteries. I can assure you, there's a lot going on with Allen and the plot. If you think you know him, think again. The series constantly tangles with the question, "Who exactly is Allen Walker?"

The Bad

Now lets unforunately talk about the bad. D.Gray-man, despite its utter peaks, is not perfect. I mainly have 3 gripes with the series.

1. Early Paneling is confusing
2. Early plot is overall lack luster
3. Cast focus switches at a pivotal point

So, the early paneling is confusing, what exactly do I mean by that? Well, fights tend to be cluttered. Many, many, many things occupy the space in a panel during a fight. You have at least 2 characters, although its often more, a THICK scenery, the special effects and weapons, speed lines and smoke, dialogue and monologues, and more causing an absolute clutter. I think Hoshino didn't have a great grasp on the flow of fights at first either, because I often found myself seeing the start and end of a move, and looking at the results to determine what happened, not so much "seeing the fight" that was taking place. This made for some really confusing moments because I hadn't known where to look or everything else cluttered what was important and heavily hindered my early read. This problem is fixed fairly late into the series, I'd say about volume 6-8 it becomes much more manageable, and it slowly transitions into MASTERFUL paneling.

Plot overall, as I said, is somewhat lack luster. This is obviously comparing it to the GENIUS plot of the last couple arcs. It's just standard. I believe I gave the series a 7 early on, but mostly for the characters. Early on its just standard: Allen and gang go help people, slay akuma, come back. I did find each arc very enjoyable, and found that characters heavily carried the early series. Hoshino had a fire cast from chapter 1 with so many beautiful introductions and set ups for later plot and backstories. HOWEVER, I do believe Hoshino had EXCELLENT exposition, and from the start SETS up a plot you KNOW will be good, so I always had faith, I just knew it'd take some time to kick in.

Lastly the cast switch. This is the least of my issues and isn't necessarily a huge issue, I just feel the cast has a swap in focus. I'm gonna get into a bit of spoiler stuff soon, but for now I'll say this. My top 5, other than Allen, all changed after about chapter 180. Around here there is such a huge shift in the series, in tone, plot, and overall atmosphere that the series feels entirely different, yet not because of how well it was set up. Due to plot reasons, many new characters got drastically increased "panel time" and exposures, but the old ones not so much.

For those who have read

Spoiler, click to view

For example characters like Crowley and even Rinali have been somewhat left in the dust due to recent events with Mana

Closing

All in all, D.Gray-man is a series that touched my heart, and Allen will always be one of my favorite characters of all time. The way everything is portrayed, and is still releasing, is setting up for one of the best animanga of all time in my opinion. Hoshino's excellent world building and plot is setting up for one hell of a ride that I wouldn't miss for the world.

Also if I convinced you to read, PLEASE message me. I'd love seeing and knowing I was able to get someone else to read this series I love so much. Thanks :)

Never stop, keep on walking.