D.N.Angel

Let me lead of by first saying that I love D.N.Angel and its an amazing anime, however, I just feel that it had the potential of being so much better than what was presented with the final product in the anime. The story of D.N.Angel is relatively original as you don't see other anime shows adopting what D.N.Angel has - an angel stealing artwork in hopes of preventing world destruction, if you put it in very simple terms. In a nutshell, the Niwa family has long been the bloodline that holds the dark-winged angel, Dark, in their male children and every 40 years or so,it is time once again for Dark to re-emerge and once again steal the artwork or art pieces from the Hikari family, who also houses an angel of their own, Krad <-- Dark spelled backwards if you guys did not notice that immediately. The town that the story takes place seems like it was taken somewhere from Italy and they simply just inserted Japanese speaking people there. ^_^ But don't worry, the town setting perfectly suits D.N.Angel as soon enough, you will be wishing that you were living in that quaint, little town. A very important part of the plot is the triangle romance between our protagonist, Niwa Daisuke and the Harada identical twin sisters, Risa and Riku. At first, Niwa has a crush on Risa (the prettier of the two sisters) but as the anime progresses, we see a change in Daisuke's heart. And its rather very interesting how the change comes about. The romance is such an integral part because in essence, that is what brings out Dark from Daisuke - his love for Risa. To understand exactly what that is about would be giving away too much. You should watch the anime. ^_^ The animation is actually quite interesting. There are a few scenes in some of the episodes which you'll believe *have* to be computer animated, but amazingly enough, it isn't. In addition, the quality of the animation is crisp, clean and smooth and is up to today's standards, given that the anime is a few years old. The music to D.N.Angel is very good, however, it does fall short of being exceptional. There are many scores that you will find enjoyable, but some of them just sound too much of the same. The introductory song is fantastic (True Light), however, it is sung in the same pitch of voice, and if you're a big music person who understands that, it may or may not get on your nerves a little. Character development is a integral part of D.N.Angel as the relationship between Risa, Riku and Daisuke is the overall focal point of the anime. Satoshi Hiwatari is Daisuke's rival in a sense, however, as Daisuke embraces his counterpart in Dark, Satoshi is seen to reject his. The Niwa and Hikari families have been battling each other for centuries over these artworks and Satoshi is adamant in capturing Dark without his counterpart. Its interesting to watch his relationship with Krad throughout the series. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone who is looking for a cute romance and an interesting plot will enjoy this show immensely. The only qualms that I have with it is that there are not enough battle scenes in the show that is seemingly advertised by the introductory song and the pace of the anime seems a bit slow in some of the middle episodes. The ending was also very abrupt and easily could have been stretched a bit longer, given us more information and more battles. But looking back on it, once can say that it was sufficient enough. However, once you get passed those two or three episodes that do seem a little too slow, you're in for quite a treat. If you're a sucker for romance, look no further than D.N.Angel.

Just watch the first episode — that’s all it should take. There are plenty of lengthy reviews for D.N.Angel, so I'll try to be concise to save you some time: What makes this anime truly stand out is how the story, the characters, and the romance are all serious and pure. This is not another silly anime where the characters degenerate into loons or crack stupid jokes. They take their lives seriously, which in turn allows you to take them seriously, and eventually get sucked into their world. Though most episodes are captivating and fun, the show does stagnate in places.For example, I remember the snow painting episodes near the end being especially painful to get through. The beginning half also might seem a bit routine and slow, but just wait for the romance that eventually develops with Daisuke halfway through. It was presented very well with a lot of heart, and will keep you coming back for more. Wait for it. However, keep in mind that this was marketed toward younger viewers, so dialogue, scenes, and characters might come off a bit childish. If you’re young at heart though, you may actually enjoy this point!

CHARACTER/STORY: The plotline of DNAngel is really one of a kind. There are so many unique twists throughout the story that there is rarely a dull moment. Basically a boy named Daisuke Niwa falls in love with a girl names Risa Harada. On his fourteenth birthday he is basically rejected by Risa and later when he is thinking of her his DNA has some kind of reaction to Risa and he changes into the phantom thief Dark Mousy every time he thinks of Risa. To make matters difficult, Dark has the same reaction to Risa's twin sister Riku. But there is a problem- Risa is theone who likes Dark and Riku doesn't want anything to do with Dark. There is also a guy named Satoshi Hiwatari- he goes to school during the day and is the commander of the police at night. He is not only assigned to capture Dark but he has personal reasons to do so. Satoshi actually has an alter ego as well, Dark's all time nemisis, Krad. (notice Krad is Dark spelled backwards). Dark is the outgoing, flirty type but he does have a serious side. Daisuke is the innocent, average boy. Krad looks like an angel but has the heart of a devil. Satoshi is the genius, misunderstood character that thinks of nothing but capturing Dark. Risa is too preoccupied with her reputation and her "love" for Dark. Riku is the athletic, stronger twin. With (Wiz) is Dark's familiar and "wings". There are also characters like Daisuke's Mom, Dad, and Grandfather (I forgot their names >.>) that play important roles in some episodes. Anyways, the only way Daisuke can get rid of Dark is if his love (Risa) returns his feelings which is difficult because she is obsessed with Dark. ANIMATION: The animation is over-all really well done, in my opinion. There was nothing bad about it that distracts from the anime and there was a lot of effort put into it. Some of the images (especially at the end) look like they were done 3-d and it didn't really fit in to the rest of it, but nothing too distracting. SOUND: The music is really great- my favorite is the opening music. It brings out a lot of emotion and really fits really well with the anime. OVERALL/ENJOYMENT: I really liked DNAngel. I first saw it off youtube and I didn't have any speakers so at first I didn't get a good look at it because I was too bust trying to read the subtitles. When I was watching it I could think of nothing esle but it. I finally bought the box set and watched it for hours on end, once again thinking if nothing but it until I finished it and even after it was over. It is definately worth a look at, its a really great anime! ((its even better with sound (-^^)- )).

I really don't understand the raving about this series. D.N.Angel has a typical anime plot, and executes it poorly. The story starts out typically enough, based on the first two episodes it could have really been something good. Young boy who is a high school student by day, and a paranormal thief by night. Its just that the storyline itself develops slowly and never really built up much interest. The actual stealing was a bit interesting, in the style of Lupin the Third, but in the end D.N.Angel just fails to deliver. I'm not sure on the English dub, but I must say that the Japaneses voice actingcast for this series is probably one of the worst I have ever heard. The leading female was alright, but the main characters voice often lacked emotion completely. If the line was about how he was in great danger he would almost sound like he was being sarcastic because of how lacking his voice was in the sense of that danger. I'm not saying D.N.Angel is a bad anime. Remember, 5 is an average score. However, why watch a 5 when there are still unwatched 8's 9's and 10's?

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