DNAngel Volume 1: The Dawn of Dark - Animesou
- Animesou
- Alpha
- 11/05/04
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"If you want a title with a great story, nice characters, amazing animation and adequate comedy, then this baby is for you. Go get it now!"
Synopsis
Being a teenager is rough enough, but young Daisuke?s got more troubles than any ten normal guys. Due to a strange quirk of genetics, Daisuke?s been cursed with an ancient family affliction that?s sure to put some major kinks in his relationship with the opposite sex. You see, whenever he becomes? enamored? with the object of his desires, Daisuke finds himself transformed into the legendary thief Phantom Dark! Unfortunately, the only way to return to his true form is for his true love to love Daisuke for himself; but when she?s only got eyes for Dark, how can Daisuke compete with himself? Stealing the heart of one?s true love has never been as complicated? or intriguing? as in The Dawn of Dark, the first scintillating volume of DNAngel!
Review
Approximately five months upon viewing D.N. Angel volume one, ?The Dawn of Dark,? I was recommended by a friend to read the manga. He said that one of his friends was crazy about it. My reaction at first? ?Yeah right.? But after viewing this first volume, I completely understand why his friend was crazy about this series. It is very smooth. Everything just works out so nicely. Nowhere would you be like? uh? I got to check that out again to understand it.
The story is wrapped around a boy who was born into a family where all the males inherit the ?Dark? gene. That is, the gene that will transform the person to Dark, the phantom thief. This sounds like a bad thing initially, as we all associate things that are dark to be evil. In this case, it is actually an opposite. Dark steals the artwork to seal off its evil powers. Krad, the angel looking dude, on the other hand seems to be the bad guy who tries to stop Dark anyway he can. So there you have it, a part of the story that is. The other part of the story is quite astonishing, hence be sure check that out yourself!
This series has a lot to offer. I especially like the ?no fluff? approach. Where there are hardly any useless scenes displayed. The animation is impressive. There is not an overly excessive use of CGs. Overall, D.N. Angel is a pretty complete package. It gives you everything you should expect from a top notch anime title, from comedy to action, action to story, and story to character development. This nifty title also contains great sounds that will surely grasp your undivided attention! In addition an extra bonus is that this volume alone contains four amazing episodes, what better deal can you ask for really for $29.98? A collector?s box edition is also available, look around for the best deal you can. I saw a good deal at DVDPlanet for only $27.97.
The Pros:
The story and characters have to be the greatest assets D.N. Angel possesses. The interest and entertainment factor never dips during the progress of this volume, which makes it an extraordinary feat to accomplish. D.N. Angel is a title you can certainly bet your money on!
The Cons:
Not really a con, but the anticipation to find out how Daisuke can make Risa love him for himself, and not Dark? that is some Jerry Springer right there? eh maybe not. :)
Genre: Action, Comedy
Language: English/Japanese Dialogue with English Subtitles.
Extras: Clean Opening and Closing Animation, Voice Actor Commentary, The Creation of an Opening Theme, and Promos and TV Spots.
Package: Nice two sided cover. On one side is Dark and on the other is Risa.
Likes: The pacing of this show.
Dislikes: Krad, he is too full of himself.
Animation ?9.5- Great animation sequence, with a little touch up utililzing CGs. The special effects are very detailed in this title as well.
Sound ?8- I am not feeling the opening theme, it just does not sound very good. As for the other materials that falls into the sound department; they are quite good.
Story ?9- Fun story, good pacing, but the most important of all, it is interesting and entertaining.
Recommend ?9- As much as I like this title after viewing it in advance, I cannot give it a perfect recommendation score. Something in my mind just tells me to input 9 instead of 10 :P.
The Breakdown
If you want a title with a great story, nice characters, amazing animation and adequate comedy, then this baby is for you. Go get it now!
Rating: 9.5
Posted on Friday, November 05, 2004 (Archive on Sunday, December 05, 2004)