Okay, I wouldn't say this is the best or the greatest but it surpassed my expectations. Did it surpass the original, no. I mean no matter how cool or awesome D Gray Man Hallow is, it can never compete with the original because I am already damned biased with it. Comparing the both is just plain unfair. It was my childhood anime that started my love for anime and it was it is one of the few that I'm still damn obsessed about. That original feeling of awestruck wonder and love cannot be replaced. But despite all this, this anime is still very entertaining and I really really really recommend people to watch it! Then again, these are just based on my very own personal opinion.
Okay! Enough with the long and boring introduction! Now let's get down to the details.
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| Credit: http://myanimelist.net/D.GrayMan |
1. First impression
It was meh...Who am I kidding?! It was AWESOME! SO FREAKING AWESOME, THAT OPENING, THE THEME SONGS THE...okay okay I'm getting too carried away. Ahem. What I was trying to say is that the overall presentation is very good. The art style not one of the best but still better than average. So for first impression it was great and I was immediately hooked. The only irritating thing is that parts of the anime seemed to be lagging as in the movements of the characters are not smooth. It's something like seeing it in frame by frame. This is the part that I hope will improve by the next episode because it can get really irritating at times.
2. Music
Firstly, I'm glad that they retained the original theme songs for the anime. When the exorcists were battling with the akuma and the theme song appeared I lost it! It was like watching the previous D.Gray Man all over again. It brought back so much nostalgia and I'm thankful for the studio in retaining the same theme songs.
Next, it is the ending song "Lotus Pain" by Ayano Mashiro. I feel the song name fits in with the theme of the ending which is heavily focused on Kanda. From the previous anime, we all know that Kanda owns a lotus and that lotus reflects his lifespan. Preciously we have no idea what the lotus meant and that he only wants to find someone before he dies. Now judging from the ending, the posters and the opening I'm sure these few episodes or even the whole series will focus a lot more on Kanda and (spoiler alert) Alma Karma. Overall, the ending song is both emotional and beautiful.
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| Ayano Mashiro. Credits: http://myanimelist.net/people/34399/Mashiro_Ayano |
Lastly the opening song is "Key-bring it on, my destiny" by Lenny Code Fiction. The moment I heard the song I got the vibe of "Innocent Sorrow" which was the first opening song for the previous anime. The rough vocals along with the electrical rock music layered with heavy beats is fitting for an opening song and especially for me helps to bring up the hype!
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| Lenny Code Fiction. Credits: http://lennycodefiction.com/image/145308027525 |
3. Characters
The characters I will be focusing more today is Kanda, Allen, Mana, Cross (duh!), Lavi and Leverrier. Before I talk about them let's briefly focus on all the characters as a whole. The characters all look sweet and the distinct personality traits in every character is present as well. The only one which I am not used to is Miranda Lotto. Her stuttering and nervousness is still there but she is the only one whose looks changed quite a bit. Before she had black hair and now she has brown hair. Not that I'm complaining, I think she looks beautiful! But then her face doesn't suit her voice. I mean her voice actress really brings out the personality of Miranda well and if it was the old Miranda it would be perfect but I guess with the new Miranda it seems off and weird.
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| Miranda Lotto. Credits: http://myanimelist.net/character/857/Miranda_Lotto |
Okay now, let's focus on Allen! He is the main star of the episode today. Allen is pretty much still the same Allen but as the anime progresses we get to see a more emotionally distressed Allen. From the start after he defeated the Akuma he prayed to "bring salvation to this akuma's soul". This is true to Allen's character where his Crown Clown is meant for both humans and akumas. However when he later rebutted Kanda by saying that "Is it wrong to have compassion for the (akumas)" because they were humans in the first place. I can't help but feel a little foreshadow going on here. This is because as the anime progresses Cross tells Allen that he is the fourteenth who was once a Noah. What this means is that Allen essentially is not a human at least not any longer if the fourteenth takes over him parallel to how an Akuma takes over humans. So I'm going to guess that Allen may be referring to himself or to the future. Later, we get to see flashbacks of Allen and Mana and his emotional distress on whether Mana loves him as Allen or loves him because of what's inside of him. This immediately develops Allen's character further providing more depth which I hope the anime will continue to bring in the future.
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| Allen Walker. Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXPdSTEBdhE |
Next, we have Kanda. I'm glad to see the character still staying true to his original personality. He still is cold and distant. Although not much about Kanda is really revealed here but with this series revolving around Kanda I hope to see more character development especially during the Alma Karma arc. The line I would like to pick out a particular scene where Kanda seems to grit his teeth after Allen said that Akuma used to be humans and it is only right to be compassionate for them. The look that Kanda gives is a bit out of his character who usually is indifferent. Like I say in my Allen character analysis, there is a foreshadowing here and I am going to predict Kanda will be in Allen's position and he will have to choose between Allen or the Noah in him. (Hey it's just my personal thought.)
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| Kanda Yuu & Alma Karma. Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXPdSTEBdhE |
The other prominent character is Lavi. I guess the most changes I see from episode 1 is Lavi. Lavi still retains his carefree persona but there are times in this episode where I see him being more mature than the previous anime. In this episode he seems to be embracing his identity as a bookman more and this is the first time I see him in action as a bookman. He states in the beginning that "I'm a bookman, whose duty is to record everything." This is very telling because he is stating his neutrality and also foreshadows that in the future where either he would not help out his friends or betray his identity as a bookman. Furthermore, he goes on to say that "And I'm so good that I wouldn't even miss trival changes." This is a reflection of Lavi's intelligence and perception. This trait is later seen when he realises something wrong when his grandfather asked him to stop thinking too deep about the upcoming war. This part is also another foreshadow and because I've read the manga so I kinda know what may happen. All I can say is that because he is a "Bookman" and they are neutral people so they will constantly shift their alliance to whom them deem will be more favourable to win.
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| Lavi. Credits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXPdSTEBdhE |
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| Cross Marian. Credits: http://www.gogoanime.com/d-gray-man-hallow-episode-1 |
Mana is next. This episode reveals quite a bit about Mana. On the surface Mana seems like your everyday clown trying to make people laugh but when I really invest into the flashback a second time, I somehow find it very disturbing. When Allen asks why Mana can't cry he states that "I can't cry and i wonder if I've exhausted my tears". This feels like he may be referring to his depression for Neah has overwhelmed him so much that he can no longer feel anymore sadness or it can also mean that Mana is apathetic. He seems to care less about death. Moreover Cross states that "Mana was never the same again" after Neah died so this may be another factor to his apathetic nature. The whole atmosphere just seem a little uncomfortable especially with Mana's actions and his look. Maybe it's just me but I really really hate clowns and Mana's behaviour reminds me of the Earl. Hopefully we get more flashbacks like this so build up the atmosphere.
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| Mana Walker. Credits: http://www.gogoanime.com/d-gray-man-hallow-episode-1 |
Lastly, we have Leverrier. Okay not much his known about him in the previous anime but here we get a glimpse of his character. He seems to be higher than Komui but still under the Council. He seems to be following the order of the Pope and in this episode alone, he is the antagonist. The Order may not see Allen as a threat but he sees him as. He raises some good questions which again is a foreshadowing of the future. He questions the reason to why the fourteenth wants to kill the Earl and that having the same goal does not mean he is not evil. I can already foresee Leverrier's words coming true (spoiler alert).
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| Malcom C. Lvellie. Credits: http://www.gogoanime.com/d-gray-man-hallow-episode-1 |
4. Highlights
Most of the important scenes I have mentioned them in the character analysis already so here are some scenes that I really love in the first episode.
This scene is where both Kanda and Allen were having a glaring contest. We all know that Kanda and Allen are rivals but the addition of their golems being rivals as well is cute and funny. In this episode, Tim seems to have a more distinct personality where rather than just flying around he expresses several actions as well. I think that is pretty creative and sweet. A good hero always needs a good sidekick.
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| Staring contest. Credtis: http://www.gogoanime.com/d-gray-man-hallow-episode-1 |
The next scene is definitely the fighting scene where the gang fought several akumas. The akumas can bleed in this anime as compared to the previous one where they just explode. This brings the anime into a more darker tone where we can expect more bloody scenes in the future. It is also pleasing to find out that they create different akumas with different shapes and sizes rather than just plonking down all the level 1s. The new variety of akumas seen here is refreshing and I do hope will continue in the future episodes. Also seeing the respective exorcist's power is pretty cool especially Kanda's one who seems to have an upgrade. The Eight Flower Mantis Slicer looks awesome! Of course, Allen has to come in at the end to finish off the scene and seeing his sword slicing the akuma so effortlessly is thrilling.
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| Akuma fight scene. Credits: http://www.gogoanime.com/d-gray-man-hallow-episode-1 |
Overall, great episode with great characters, music and story line. I really can't wait for the next episode to come out!! Hope you enjoy the review and let me reiterate again that this is just based on my own personal view. Till then!
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