| D.Gray-man | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Genre | Action, Comedy, Adventure, Horror, Gothic fiction, Steampunk, Violence |
| Manga | |
| Author | Katsura Hoshino |
| Publisher |  Jump Comics  VIZ Media  Glénat Tokyopop Panini Comics Tong Li Comics Chuang Yi Comics Grupo Editorial Vid |
| Serialized in | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Original run | May 31 2004 – Ongoing |
| Volumes | 13 (as of December 2007) 7 (as of October 2007) 5 (as of June 2007) 8 (as of March 2007) 10 (as of October 2007) 3 (as of July 2007) 12 (as of September 2007) 12 (as of December 2007) 1 (as of November 2007) |
| TV anime | |
| Director | Nabeshima Osamu |
| Studio | TMS Entertainment |
| Network | TV Tokyo Arts Central |
| Original run | October 3 2006 – Ongoing |
| Episodes | 64 (as of December 25, 2007) |
| Game: D.Gray-man: Kami no Shitotachi | |
| Developer | Konami |
| Genre | Action, Adventure |
| Rating | CERO: A |
| Platform | Nintendo DS |
| Released | March 29 2007 |
| Novel: D.Gray-man: Reverse | |
| Author | Kaya Kizaki |
| Publisher | Shueisha |
| Volumes | 2 |
D.Gray-man is a gothic horror manga series by Katsura Hoshino. It was first serialized in 2004 in Weekly Shōnen Jump (published by Shueisha under their Jump Comics imprint). It is an ongoing series and is currently up to 143 chapters. There is also a novel series called Reverse, authored by Kaya Kizaki, that tells the characters' backgrounds. As of November 6 2007, VIZ has released the first seven volumes in the United States. The anime series began airing on October 3 2006 in Japan and is still ongoing. Many characters and their designs were adapted from some of Katsura Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone, Book-man, and Continue, and her assistants. Earlier titles considered for the manga were Dolls, Chronoa, and Zone.
Contents |
Plot
The story of D.Gray-man takes place on a fictional Earth at the end of the 19th century. The plot mostly centers around Allen Walker, a young British boy who is a member of The Black Order; a secretive organization whose members are known as Exorcists. The Order's primary mission is to stop The Millennium Earl, an ancient demonic sorcerer who intends to 'cleanse' the world by destroying all life on it. Exorcists are specially chosen humans who are gifted with the ability to control and use Innocence, a divine substance created in ages past to combat the Earl. According to the Order's history, at the end of The Great Flood, 109 fragments of Innocence were scattered around the world. Once an Innocence fragment is matched to its compatible user, it can become a weapon or tool for the user to wield in the battle against the Earl. Throughout the story, Allen is introduced to more Exorcists, including Yu Kanda, Lenalee Lee, Lavi, Miranda Lotto, and Arystar Krory. Assisting Allen and the Exorcists is a team of scientists and handlers led by Komui Lee, a Supervisor of the Black Order and Lenalee's older brother. Allen's master and mentor is the enigmatic Cross Marian, one of the five Exorcist Generals of the Black Order, who at the beginning of the story has mysteriously disappeared. In the course of completing their missions, Allen and his fellow Exorcists are introduced to the other Generals: Kevin Yeegar, Froi Tiedoll, Cloud Nine, and Winters Sokaro. The Millennium Earl is aided in his plans by The Noah Clan, humans who are direct descendants of Noah himself. Each member of this clan is gifted with great power and each represent a different 'aspect' of Noah. They are identified by their gray skin and line of cross-shaped markings on their foreheads. As the story progresses, the members of the clan are revealed: Road Kamelot (The Dreams of Noah), Tyki Mikk (The Pleasures of Noah), Jasdero and Debitto - Jasdebi (The Bonds of Noah), Skin Boric (The Wrath of Noah), and Lulubell (The Lust of Noah). The Earl also utilizes an army of demonic creatures called Akuma to do his bidding. Akuma are created by taking advantage of someone's grief over the death of a loved one. The Earl tricks individuals into bringing their loved one back to life through a skeletal 'doll,' only to have that doll kill them and turn them into an Akuma with the soul of the dead loved one trapped inside. Akuma are able to evolve and with each new level grow more intelligent, powerful, and sadistic. Since Akuma can impersonate humans to blend in, Exorcists are routinely assigned to track down and eliminate them. Allen is the only exorcist able to actually see past an akuma's disguise, this because of a curse placed on him.
Characters
Terminology
Adaptations
Manga
Anime
Episode guide
Music themes
Opening themes
- INNOCENT SORROW (Episodes 001-025)
- Lyrics: Nishikawa Takanori
- Music: Shibasaki Hiroshi
- Arrangement: abingdon boys school
- Performance: abingdon boys school
- Release date: December 6, 2006
- Brightdown (Episodes 026-051)
- Performance: Tamaki Nami
- Release date: August 29, 2007
- Doubt & Trust (Episodes 052- )
- Performance: access
- Release date: October 31, 2007
Ending themes
- SNOW KISS (Episodes 001-013)
- Lyrics: Iwata Acchu
- Music: Iwata Acchu & Koki Ito
- Arrangement: NIRGILIS
- Performance: NIRGILIS
- Release date: November 22, 2006
- Pride of Tomorrow (Episodes 014-025)
- To the Continuation of the Dream [Yume no Tsuzuki he] (Episodes 026-038)
- Antoinette Blue (Episodes 039-051)
- Performance: Kitade Nana
- Release date: September 5, 2007
- The Reason Why You Are Here [Anata ga Koko ni Iru Riyū] (Episodes 052-064)
- Performance: Rie fu
- Release date: October 24, 2007
- Wish (Episodes 065-076)
- Performance: Sowelu
- Release date:
Soundtrack
- Music: Wada Kaoru
- Artists: abingdon boys school, NIRGILIS, & JUNE
- Release date: March 21 2007
- D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 2
- Music: Wada Kaoru
- Artists: Nami Tamaki, SURFACE, & Nana Kitade
- Release date: December 19 2007
Game appearances
Characters from D.Gray-man appeared in Jump Super Stars, but Allen was the only battle character representing the series. In the sequel, Jump Ultimate Stars, Allen and Lenalee are both battle characters while Kanda, Lavi, and Arystar are support characters. Recently, a D.Gray-man game for the Nintendo DS has been announced. The game is titled D.Gray-man: Kami no Shitotachi (D.Gray-man: The Apostles of God) and has been released on March 29, 2007. In this game, you interact with characters from the series and destroy Akuma using the Touch Screen and Stylus. A US release has yet to be seen.
External links
- (Japanese) Weekly Jump Official Website - The magazine which publishes D.Gray-man
- (Japanese) D.Gray-man Official Website - Contains several links to other official websites.
- (Japanese) TV Tokyo - D.Gray-man - TV Tokyo's D.Gray-man anime site
- (Japanese) D.Gray-man presents - Contains D.Gray-man goodies.
- (Japanese) Konami's D.Gray-man website - Contains information about D.Gray-man games.
- D.Gray-man (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- D.Gray-man (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- D.Gray-man Anime Screenshots Archive
- Exorcist HQ - A D.Gray-Man fansite. Provides information, downloads, image gallery, and more. Free registration required for most downloads
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