D. Gray Man impressions (no spoilers) - Off-Topic Discussions

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-04 09:00:01 D. Gray Man impressions (no spoilers)

Just watched episode 70 and I gotta say I've been very impressed with this anime so far.

For those that aren't so far in yet, you are in for some really incredible stuff. Character development is very well done still and still getting better. Characters, even main characters, don't get the easy way out which I like to see. The story is so interesting and always keeps me at the edge of my seat.

There have been very few animes that have been this effective at stringing me along making me so desperate to see what happens next.

Nothing but praise.

It does one of the best jobs at keeping you interested in the various characters and sympathizing with their objectives than most other animes I've seen. A great deal of careful planning has been put into this anime and it's immediately obvious.

I love the fights. When these guys decide to setup a big fight, they REALLY setup a big fight. I've yet to be disappointed. I'm surprised I went this long without knowing how good this series was.

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October 20th 2007 (A good day)

Don't ask any questions just shut up and buy Halo : Ghosts of the Onyx one of the greatest books ever.

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Since 1051 Days

2008-08-07 21:46:48

I think General Cross is one of the coolest characters I have seen in an Anime for a long time, ep 95 was pretty cool, will be interesting to see what happens in the next one.

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-07 23:47:34 In reply to Jollipop (2008-08-07 21:46:48)

Posted by Jollipop

I think General Cross is one of the coolest characters I have seen in an Anime for a long time, ep 95 was pretty cool, will be interesting to see what happens in the next one.

I agree with you 100%. How long have they teased us with his true introduction into the Anime? We've had flashbacks here and there, but we never got to see the man in the present or had the opportunity to see him interact with Allen since he became an exorcist. Whatever the case, they were smart for holding off on his introduction because how they finally ended up handling his arrival into the anime was magnificent.

Definitely one of the most impressive characters I've seen in an anime for a long time as well.

Lets have a look at the genius behind these characters and this series, Hoshino Katsura!

more here.

http://www.dgraymananime.com/forums/index.php?show...

szaromir

Since 924 Days

2008-08-07 23:55:25

I'm around ep. 20 due to forum hype, but I'll give it up. Lots of filler stuff and emo characters. Terrible opening and ending. Overall BORING.

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"That just happened 'cause that was awesome" - Randy Pitchford, Gearbox

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-08 00:01:49 In reply to szaromir (2008-08-07 23:55:25)

Posted by szaromir

I'm around ep. 20 due to forum hype, but I'll give it up. Lots of filler stuff and emo characters. Terrible opening and ending. Overall BORING.

Trust me, this is one of the best animes I've seen in a long time. Don't give up on it so early, you will regret it. You have absolutely no idea how incredible things will become.

Trust me, just keep at it. Things will become amazing. I would put this up there as an equal or superior to almost any series out there.

Compared to what is going on currently in the anime or what has been going on for quite a few episodes now, the first 20 are extremely misleading as to where this entire thing is truly leading up to. I must say again, don't give up on it! Stick with it :D

I went back and glanced at ep 20. It's around the time they meet that dude in the castle. Keep going, keep going, keep going. It will become so much better.

Also, if you hang out for a bit, the opening and ending become way better as well. There are some truly epic things that take place in this anime and the characters, once you get to learn them, are some of the best I've seen. You are so close to a point where things really start to open up so it would be ill-advised to quit on it now.

I'm sure if you stick with it you'll find that the series takes a turn that you probably didn't see coming. Allen Walker, at the point that you are at now, is not anywhere quite as cool as what he's going to become.

He definitely has one of the better looking transformations that I've seen in an anime and that's all the hinting I'll do about how crazy he becomes :D He alone isn't the star of the show either because the other characters will start showcasing what they can do as well. It would be such a massive shame for you to not see how this one plays out.

szaromir

Since 924 Days

2008-08-08 00:13:24

I don't know man. Maybe I'll just be going faster through episodes by skipping things once I realize something is a random filler stuff.

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"That just happened 'cause that was awesome" - Randy Pitchford, Gearbox

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-08 00:16:00 In reply to szaromir (2008-08-08 00:13:24)

Posted by szaromir

I don't know man. Maybe I'll just be going faster through episodes by skipping things once I realize something is a random filler stuff.

Even the joke around episodes are good, but it's best to be careful so as you don't miss anything because some of the episodes where they joke around will actually be real episodes. This anime does have legitimate joke around episodes that aren't filler, but it never overshadows the more serious stuff. It becomes so unbelievably badass if you push on. Trust me on this one, it's easily one of the greatest animes I've ever seen. I can vouch for that.

There are many epic fights ahead, many amazing plot twists and some awesome character development. Be very careful though not to instantly underestimate an episode even if it appears they are messing around because there is one in particular that I'm thinking about, that comes up soon, that has a very big reveal at the end of it.

Since 1051 Days

2008-08-08 10:02:07

Where I didn't see any/many fillers :S

Szaromir you think everythings Emo :S, isn't that what anime is about anyway ? both Ichigo and Sasake for example are pretty emo.

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 493 Days

2008-08-08 11:30:32

Read a plot summary (instant fail on the story) and well, the fact that there are obviously over 100 episodes leads me to believe that this is utter crap. Seriously, no goddamn series can keep good character development and story for 100 episodes. It's just not possible. Generally anime has terrible character development (especially shonen crap) and the few ones who does have some thought behind the characters generally does not span more than 13-26 episodes imo.

Oh and just for the record, gaining some new fantastic power to defeat baddies isn't character development.

But yeah, i know that my taste is not on level with most people...since most people that watch anime like one piece and naruto :P

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Since 1051 Days

2008-08-08 13:12:55

So you made a judgement on a summary and not even watching 1 episode, I think you are the one that fails.

I think its fair to say if you don't like Naruto, One Piece or any of the main stream Animes then your not going to like this one either, but giving an opinion on something you haven't even experienced is the most bizarre thing I have seen in a while.

Perhaps you should actually watch it before you make a judgment, but then I guess its too late for that.

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 493 Days

2008-08-08 13:46:06

Jolli: i never said it was bad i said that the plot summary and the outrageous amount of episodes leads me to believe that it is not good. Also when someone with Marumaru as his avatar says that the character development is awesome my doubts skyrocket ;)

Then again i know that plenty of animes have stories that seem completely infantile to begin with but that then develop into something worth watching (latest example of that is Tenjou Tenge that starts out really crappy and then takes a turn towards being decent for like 13-14 episodes and then goes back to being pretty average again. Watched the last ep yesterday.).

At any rate, this particular one anime doesn't seem to be the kind to hold my attention for very long.

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Since 1051 Days

2008-08-08 14:49:10

Just out of curiousity what anime would you recommend to someone, based off what you think is good ?

I do like short anime series, but I find myself wanting more when they finish and then its always hard to find something new that I like.

The good thing with the likes of Naruto and One piece is yea they are a little thin on the ground sometimes and the fillers can drive ya nuts, but they give you an epic journey of a story which you continue to progress, same for D gray-man, I don't paticularly think the character development is all that good in D grayman but nor do i think its bad, its what you expect from this type of anime.

I like animes with lots of humor in them to be honest and I feel D grayman is quite good at mixing the humor with serious stuff, Naruto used to be like this but it has kind of grown up a lot now and the funny bits are less, I still like Naruto but its nowhere near as good as it was when it first started IMO.

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 493 Days

2008-08-08 15:02:30

Some anime that i'd recommend? Haibane Renmei, FLCL, 2x2 shinobuden (seriously, this is possibly the funniest anime i ever saw), I my me strawberry egg, Onegai teacher and even though i'm not proud to admit it i really liked Eureka 7 a bunch too. I guess i liked GTO as well...i'm pretty susceptible to most humorous anime. Also Slayers is pretty funny.

But my top 3 is probably haibane, shinobuden and FLCL.

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Since 1051 Days

2008-08-08 15:35:41

Will check them out :)

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-08 21:27:37 In reply to Jollipop (2008-08-08 13:12:55)

Posted by Jollipop

Totally agree. I'm stunned he made an assumption based on a plot summary. D. Gray Man's plot, when carelessly explained to someone that hasn't actually experienced the content itself and what the characters have been through and the overall progression and execution of the events in the anime's story, would have a particularly hard time impressing anyone with the on paper details.

There are many animes that you look at the overall plot summary, they don't sound the least bit interesting. It's when you watch it for yourself and get to see what the various characters are all about and how they develop on their own terms and how they interact with other characters in the anime or how they react in tough times or good times that tell you best what you need to know about them as characters. What kinds of things do they dwell on, what kinds of things don't they dwell on?

My example of character development Megido isn't at all as simple as a character gaining a new fantastic power to defeat baddies with. My idea of character development is what I perceive to be a really nice build up during or after an event in which a character either re-evaluates the path they've chosen to see if they've been on the correct path or introduces a brief moment hopelessness over their current situation or begins to question their real understanding of themselves or what keeps them moving down the path they've been going down or whether they are even interested in continuing to do so.

I feel that a lot of very cool motions or experience are gone through in D. Gray Man for the various characters before any significant power up. This is especially true for the main character and it's true even for other characters. What makes it all even better is that when they do eventually touch on a lot of the details that they touch on you'll have noticed right away that they are things that were already hinted at earlier in the anime and so the planning and execution of the anime ends up coming off as extremely impressive.

I especially enjoy how the main characters aren't let off too easy. In most animes, it would come almost immediately or whatever outside or internal struggle wouldn't be much to write home about at all. I feel, in D. Gray Man, the main characters really do earn their keep and fight for every inch, especially the main character. With any anime you watch, you fully expect certain things to never happen to a set of main characters or even THE main character of the entire anime. When something does happen to the main character in another series, usually they are never truly bad enough to actually feel any true remorse for the character. There have been quite a few times when I've said "wow" or "holy shit" out loud at some of the things I've seen happen that I didn't expect.

The various events in the anime really do a fantastic job of shaping the overall landscape for the story that is attempting to be told in D. Gray Man and I feel D. Gray Man accomplishes this a lot better than many more talked about anime series. For example, as it concerns Bleach or Naruto, as much as I like those, I enjoy D. Gray Man a great deal more and with the current state of Bleach of Naruto, I feel that D. Gray Man, in it's current state, is the superior series.

Jolli you hit the nail on the head when you said D. Gray Man is good at mixing the humor with the serious stuff. I really couldn't agree more. It's also done so in a way that it doesn't hurt or take away from the serious stuff in my opinion. It only makes you appreciate the serious stuff even more because you understand the kind of relationship these people have.

I also feel that characters in D. Gray Man have cool complexities about their character that aren't at all as well explored in many other anime series. There are many examples of this that I could point to, but I wouldn't want to ruin any of the best stuff.

The number of episodes D. Gray Man has, medigo, says absolutely nothing negative about it's overall quality. D. Gray Man also gets praise from me for surprising me with a turn in the series that I honestly wasn't expecting. Originally what I was looking at through the first 20-30 so episodes, I thought this was generally the jist of what I was going to get out of this anime or I, for the most part, had a pretty good idea of what things would be like and I was totally fine with the path it was taking, but I hoped for some business to pick up. So when some say they aren't impressed or thought this was boring, there is most definitely a bright light at the end of the tunnel, but you have to actually get to it and it doesn't take too long to get to the good stuff. Just be patient and try to enjoy the characters and the world.

When all is said and done and you are caught up, you'll know why it receives so much praise. I'm totally impressed with this anime and feel it's one of the best I've ever seen, but that's just my take on it.

Since 1051 Days

2008-08-08 22:18:18

I actually didn't feel the anime picked up the pace until around episode 52, I can't remember what it was, but I remember thinking to myself damn this is getting good. :)

Which was around the time i mentioned it in the Naruto thread.

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-08 23:24:00

Early on, it was merely just a new anime with similarities to full metal alchemist that I found I could enjoy and definitely stick with in addition to all the other animes I was watching. I got a very pleasing impression from some of the characters early on ,especially due to Komui's antics.

As it continued though, how fantastic this anime is really began to creep up on me and it just kept getting better and better to the point where it's now one of, if not my favorite anime series ever. Oh and it doesn't get anymore badass looking than the Crown..... well Jolli already knows what I'm talking about so I don't need to say anymore :)

Then again, there is Cross!

Just took a quick glance at Ep 52 again and I really loved that one. That for me, was definitely one of those times where things started to really pick up bigtime. I thought it was good even before that, but it clearly got MUCH better around that time. It's also around the time when we got our first glimpse of allen's further improvement in the OP.

I like how Lenalee's past was brought into the equation the way it was and it fit so perfectly because it was touched on earlier One of the many reasons why I like the anime so much. Ultimately, the more you learn about the universe of D. Gray Man, the more amazing it gets. D. Gray Man has took priority over every other series for me personaly.

Since 493 Days

2008-08-08 23:46:21

Optimus: Now in all fairness i haven't seen this anime and i won't because i simply won't start watching a ongoing series, especially not one with this many eps. From what i've seen/read though, it seems like a pretty standard shonen. Now i don't know how much anime you've watched but from where i'm sitting now something in line with One Piece, Naruto, DBZ and perhaps Elfen lied would be my guess and tbh those are not great series to measure anime by. Maybe you are a seasoned anime fan, but if not i'd advice you to go out there and watch some of the more obscure* stuff to find those really good ones :)

*obscure meaning stuff that perhaps hasn't been licensed in America yet. And even some of the licensed stuff compared to afore mentioned series.

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Since 1051 Days

2008-08-08 23:57:23

I downloaded Haibane Renmei but im finding it hard to get into, its very slow and a bit normal for my tatse.

If you want obscure though (and don't laugh at me) try pani poni dash, I frikkin loved that anime, and is one of the most amusing animes i have seen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQbD4YGX5hI

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 493 Days

2008-08-09 00:10:14

Jolli: yes Haibane renmei is a very slow moving anime, far removed from the light hearted and action packed stuff that people usually associate with anime. What makes it interesting is how the story is told. Unlike most other stories you'll encounter this one simply focuses on exploring the new and unknown world and it's inhabitants. You never know more than what Rakka knows and, at least to me, that makes me connect with her as a character and as a result the whole experience feels kind of personal in a way that i've never felt with any other anime or movie. I'll admit that it took me a while to get through the whole thing, but after i had seen all of it i just fell in love with it. I guess you can call it an acquired taste :)

But Haibane renmei is clearly not for everyone, i'll admit that.

I'll check out pani poni dash ;)

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Since 1060 Days

2008-08-09 00:34:48 In reply to Megido (2008-08-08 23:46:21)

Posted by Megido

I've seen more anime than I care to list currently and have watched some pretty obscure ones myself. I'm most definitely a seasoned anime fan, but tend to talk more about the ones that others are more likely to talk about since they are more popular and are usually easier to get a discussion going about them.

Since 493 Days

2008-08-09 00:52:31

Optimus: To each his own of course. Shonen just really isn't my cup of tea.

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Since 1051 Days

2008-08-11 19:07:45

Real Drive: Sennou Chosashitsu is quite a good anime thats i've just started to watch, the HD version looks pretty awesome too :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Drive

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Marumaro for the WIN !!

Since 1060 Days

2008-08-11 20:45:29

Will be sure to check it out.