For my review of episodes 1-4, click here.
What started out as a mediocre series is starting to look up a bit- though not nearly enough to attract new viewers. Though D.Gray-man has tons of potential, its execution and art is lacking, though a comedic episode 8 actually helps make up for that.
Episode 5 ends the Ghost of Mateel arc on a decent note. There’s more action, and it’s more believable than in the previous episodes. The end of the episode cuts out an important detail about Kanda that’s introduced in the manga, which makes the whole arc feel a little pointless. The inclusion of artistic details from the manga, though, is a welcome addition.
Episodes 6 and 7 forms the second manga arc (The Tombstone Of Memories Arc) but it’s heavily modified to fit the anime better. The modifications aren’t unacceptable, but like previous anime episodes, it’s the execution that sucks. For example, Lenalee gets knocked almost unconscious at one point, but several seconds later she’s fighting as if nothing happened. Details like this make everything less believable. To make matters worse, the anime adaptation of this arc is seriously rushed, which detracts from the beauty of it. Though I originally branded the manga version of this arc as semi-filler, I seriously prefer that to the anime.
Episode 8 is the aforementioned comedic filler; Komui creates a robot to help the research department in their daily tasks. After drinking Komui’s coffee, the robot goes on a rampage and tries to turn Lenalee into a super-buff exorcist of d00m and l33tn3ss. This, of course, throws Komui into a panic, and the results are hilarious. This episode was based on a similar manga chapter- except the manga chapter actually served to introduce Lenalee’s powers. While the anime version is just pointless fun, it’s still … well, fun. The anime takes itself a bit too seriously at times, and this is a fairly welcome break from that.
D.Gray-man hasn’t improved very much yet, but the introduction of Lavi and Miranda in upcoming episodes will hopefully help. You’re still better off reading the manga, though, even if it did get licensed in the U.S. by VIZ.
CJ’s rating: 7 out of 10 California rolls
Possibly objectionable content: More violence, intense scenes and Komui moments, but the religious content is reduced. Still a 14+ series, 15+ if you’re picky.
0 Responses to “D.Gray-man anime review: ep. 5-8”