A year and a half is a really long time in-between volumes, but such is the way of D.Gray-Man.
Creative Staff
Story: Katsura Hoshino
Art: Katsura Hoshino
Translation/Adaptation: Lance Caselman
What They Say
Allen, now joined by two companions, is still on the run and trying to deal with his demonic alter ego, the Fourteenth. This means avoiding erstwhile allies as well as overt enemies. He also has to prevent one of his companions, fellow Exorcist Kanda, from trying to destroy the Fourteenth while keeping the Fourteenth from destroying his other companion, Johnny, whose zealous devotion to Allen is gratifying but not much help in a fight!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
With Allen wounded from the vicious battle in volume twenty-three, the battle against the Fourteenth has started in earnest. Allen is weak from the battle and the Fourteenth has begun taking over his body with more consistency and strength. However, the Fourteenth has some strange plan that will allow him to take over Allen completely and this utilizes the help of the Fourteenth’s old servant, Timcanpy? The book starts off briskly and urgently with this revelation. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense yet, but we are given glimpses into the Fourteenth’s past that are extremely intriguing and look to play an extremely large part in the overall universe of the series. The Fourteenth is violent and vicious, yet there are seeds planted that look to transform him into a sympathetic character. We can never judge a book by its cover and this conflict looks to be working its way towards the grande finale it needs.
The main section of this book deals with Allen’s discovery by Aprocryphos whose mission seems unclear: return Allen or kill him? It’s a very mysterious plot line because there are so many different parties involved that want different things. To some Allen is a threat, to others a potential weapon, and to others still he is of zero worth, only desired for the Fourteenth residing within him. The action is fast paced and the art work extremely detailed. D.Gray-man’s action always works well when the scenes are focused. The series has a tendency to make the action incoherent either by way of overloaded art or by too many things happening at once. This book handles both of those aspects very well and it makes the book a pulsing read.
The arrival of the Millennium Earl at the end of the book serves the cliffhanger prerogative of making sure we come back whenever the next book comes out. I can’t blame the work because it is serialized and this is the very nature of the beast, but now that we are caught up with Japan, the wait has become excruciating. Thankfully, we have the series continuing to be strong in its multiple facets to keep the readers engaged. The plot continues to thicken and the series is just as exciting as its always been. The downside to this book being that we don’t make any real strides in forwarding the narrative. There’s a lot of pages in this book but it is all bridge pieces. The lack of overall momentum, despite being an entertaining and successful book, coupled with the long waits between volumes really damper the overall experience here.
In Summary
I just cannot believe that a year and a half passed between this volume and the last. The series is still good and I want others to read it. I just can’t recommend it as strongly anymore. This book has good action, intriguing ideas, and delicious breadcrumbs for us to continue following; it just doesn’t accomplish anything. Paired with the upcoming volume 25, whenever that gets released, this book will make an excellent bridge. It’s just not very strong as a standalone volume. The wait also makes the series really feel as if it is padding itself out. It’s all perspective and relatively unfair criticism. Still a good book! If you’re reading the series still, you will enjoy this book.
Content Grade: B-
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: August 5th, 2014
MSRP: $9.99
