i have to agree that dnangel is a good anime... and i reallie do like the drawings there are reallie niced draw and the
story line is
cute
D.N.Angel tv Review
On Daisuke Niwa's Fourteenth birthday, he decides to confront his crush, Risa Harada, with a love letter, although backing away from doing so at the very last moment. Daisuke become depressed when Risa told him that she always treated him as a friend. Since being young enough to train, Daisuke has been training and practicing under his grandfather's observation although he not knowing himself what it was for.
Later that day, Daisuke remembers that his mother had asked him to return early. When he got home, he found that Wiz had unwrapped his portrait of Risa. Daisuke starts to imagine how Risa would react if she accepted his feelings, suddenly his body began to undergoes a strange mutation; that transforms him into Dark Mousy, the legendary Phantom Thief, who's mission is to steal precious arts. For generations, all male descendants of the Niwa family has been possessed by Dark's spirit, gaining Dark's appearance and magical abilities, the transformation occurs every time when the host thinks of romantic feelings for their true love.
Daisuke must now fight his feelings for the one he truly loves while also being confronted by the terrible dangers of being the new host of Dark. Also, at the same time of keeping his mind appon these current complications, he is also being hunted down by his very own classmate, Satoshi Hiwatari, who vows to capture Dark and lock him up for his sins. Little did Daisuke knows that Hiwatari also carries a family curse similar his own...
This adventure runs across in what seems like a European type city, where action takes place with each corner you turn.
Edited from the synopsis by: toxictea23
Story & Characters
Shojo or shounen? I pity the fool (males) that don't watch (or read) shojo just because it's "for girls" because you're missing out on wonderful stories like this. Not the "best" out there, but if you want to be that picky... well, that's your prerogative.
Daisuke Niwa is about to declare his love to the girl of his dreams, when she declares he is her best friend. Shot down! But his life is about to get even more complicated. On his 14th birthday he inherits the Niwa's special lineage. He is also the famous phantom thief Dark Mousy. Why the weird name? They never say... but Daisuke must indulge Dark's profession unless he wants to stay transformed forever. Dark is a master thief who enjoys the chase more than anything. He is very "forward" to use one word. Everything is a challenge to him; be it the theft, his rival Krad, or the ladies. But there is a seriousness to him that exposes itself every now and then, which makes Daisuke wonder if he really is such a terrible curse.
Risa Harada is the girl of Daisuke's dreams. She has a twin sister, Riku. They couldn't be more opposite. Risa is pretty self-centered, worries more about what to wear than anything, and dreams of a "man" who is worthy of her. She's not very independent. Riku is more down to Earth; she enjoys nature and other outdoor activities. Some would call her a tomboy, but I don't make that connection. Regardless, she is much more mature than her twin, and is quite stubborn.
One of Daisuke's classmates, Satoshi Hiwatari, is a quiet, mysterious boy who is hiding a dark secret. I think he is one of the best characters in this series. There are other characters; Daisuke's quirky grandfather, sweet but equally odd mother, classmates and a few other characters that I will not disclose here to not ruin the story. One character that comes in later in the series, Mio Hio, is another minor character I enjoyed, but I unfortunately can't say much about her. Needless to say, all the characters have a depth to them you don't see too often in average anime, and it really makes this series shine.
The story essentially revolves around the relationships between Daisuke, Riku and Risa and it was quite good in my
opinion. Dark and his thieving take a backseat to the love story(s) between all the main characters and is more of a
supporting character than anything. Although in the last few episodes, the story focuses more on Dark's situation,
it still is more about Daisuke than anything. There were a lot of moments in this series that brought back the memories
of my own initial foray into the love and dating aspects of life; the awkwardness, anxiousness, not knowing what to do,
and not really understanding the feelings you are experiencing. D.N.Angel a sweet, simple, innocent story about first
love, true love, and growing up. All main characters are developed throughout the course of the series; and they develop
properly. Each character grows in their own way and ends a better person from where they started. There are a few
moments that made me feel like the creators were throwing girls at Daisuke, but they all end up being either interesting
side stories or a catalyst to the main romance of the series. A few aspects were a bit underdeveloped, but that's
getting dangerously close to being "nit-picky." Overall the story is and carries the anime and it was
refreshing to watch this series again.
Rating:
Art
The major complaint about this series is from people who read the manga and are unhappy with the character design changes. Having read the manga I can understand their position, but as an anime series I don't really have any qualms about the character designs. I personally think they improved the Harada twins design, although at the cost of Dark's. Overall the characters are designed quite well for the series. Each has his/her own feel that matches up with their personalities perfectly, and you can't really expect more than that. I especially liked Mio's design. Such a carefree character design!
The setting design/art design is quite refreshing as well. It seems like a Southern European city, with giant fans, along a coastline. I can't remember if this is an actual city, but it feels like more of a fantasy than a real city. There is an aura of magic to this series, and the art design reflects that. Everything is familiar, yet different. It ends up being very quaint and charming, almost out of a romance novel.
Like most semi-recent anime, there are bits of CG animation in this series. Unlike some, it is minimally invasive in this series. All in all it actually helps. Instead of blatant CG, they blend it with the design of the series and it turns out well. I don't like it when two completely different forms of animation are mixed together. They just seem out of place. D.N.Angel uses CG as a tool, utilizing it to create sweeping pans and more crisp and fluid static animations. And if you aren't looking for it, it just might end up looking like great cel animation. In the last 2 or 3 episodes, a CG "item" is introduced that isn't "blended" quite as well, but it's the end and it only gets about 8 minutes of screen time total, so no biggie.
Throughout the series the animation quality rarely dips, and even when it does, you'd have to be looking pretty hard to tell the difference. There are a few parts where the character's... what word to use? Distort maybe? It's not as bad as that word makes it sound. The eyes end up slightly farther apart, hair length changes slightly, etc. The only real oddity that most people I know have noticed is the Harada sister's necks becoming almost pencil thin which only happens in a few episodes. Again, overall the animation is vibrant and fluid, with nary a reused animation sequence. Pretty great for a 26 episode anime.
The opening and ending sequences are simple but wonderful. Everything is fluid and complementary to the feel and design of the series. Each of the main characters and important story elements are well represented. They did a great job with the opening on this series. It's one I don't mind watching every episode. The ending sequence is a bit more subdued than the opening. It focuses on the Harada twins and ends the series with a soft, storybook feel. Some of my favorite OP/ED sequences.
Rating:
Sound
First, the gushing. The opening and ending themes in this series are absolutely adorable, and that's not a word I use often. They encompass the feel of the anime perfectly, all five of them; and in their own right, they are sweet, soft songs. They make the opening and ending sequences that much more watch able. The first and second ending songs especially grasp the uncertainty of first love and really make for a great ending. They all really convey the emotion of the series.
The rest of the music in the series is classic shojo anime music. A sort of classical/fantasy feel, the score fits with the series perfectly, of course. There are a few moments where I would've picked a different song, but still overall everything was great.
Sound effects in this anime mostly revolve around magic or flying. Thankfully they are all fitting and not that generic "poof" magic sound effect you hear in a lot of anime. The comical moments have a few of those but it just adds to the comedy on-screen. Everything else is standard footsteps and clothing rustles. I'm pleased with the effects in this series. They take a backseat to the music but they are wonderful in their own right.
Voices. I'm pretty equal on the Japanese or American scale. Both casts perform quite well, which is crucial in this type of anime. I think the Japanese Hiwatari is a bit too subdued at times, but it's not too bad considering the character. *Fanboy ramblings* Hilary Haag is a great Riku. I just love her voice! It was made for anime dubbing I swear. My favorite English voice in the series *Fanboy ramblings over* Also, in contrast to the Japanese version, Hiwatari's VA did a good job, especially in the last few episodes when his character gets pretty intense. The Japanese Daisuke sounded more like a 14 year old (I believe a female did it); although the English did a pretty good job too. But both audio tracks are quite good so it comes down to what language you prefer. The English sticks pretty darn close to the original script/story, far as I can tell considering I'm not fluent in Japanese.
Rating:
Presentation
Every element in this series is well planned, and executed wonderfully. From the setting to the character designs, animation, the sound and music, and most importantly, the story; they all mix together to create a sweet anime about love and growing up.. and a winged thief. Such is anime. There isn't much to put here that I haven't said already. I recommend this to anyone who is up for a love-ly story.
For some reason, this is rated "TVPG." The young viewers might not get the story, so they'd be disinterested. But anyone 13 and up wouldn't have a problem with the content in this anime. The only violence in the series are a few brief fights between Dark and his rival Krad, which involves them shooting feathers at each other. There isn't even a drop of blood that I can remember. The girls and even Daisuke, trip every now and then, but if that is too much for you, you shouldn't leave your house. There are a few scenes at the very end that get a bit intense, but if you're old enough to understand the story, then you're old enough to watch it. I would give it a 13+ rating solely because that's about the age I'd guess you'd be able to understand most of the emotions and story carrying this series.
I recommend this to anyone really, unless you're heck bent on watching only your "gender" of anime. If that's so, then you should be watching DBZ and Naruto for the 6th time instead of reading my review.
Rating:
Final Verdict
8.5000 (very good)
Reviewed by NovaProspekt, Apr 23, 2006
Comments
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sakaji22 Apr 24, 2006
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iwasthere Apr 26, 2006
Yes, this anime is extremely cute ^^
The love pentagon between the characters is really interesting You can usually predict what would happen next, but someimes you can be caught off-gaurd by an unexpected twist. The twins, Dark, Daisuke -- wait, that only four people! Well, I like to include Hiwitari to make it a love pentagon.
Speaking of Hiwitari, this anime hints at yaoi from begining to end making the Daisuke, Dark, Krad, and Hiwitari rivalry even more interesting. While, Krad and Dark are sworn enemies, they are also at battle with their hosts who are yaoi towards each other somewhat. = )
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saph737 Apr 27, 2006
yah i love this show the plot is somewhat predictable and the design of the eyes is wonderful...mainly the whole bad guys good and good guys bad thing is confusing but the outlook of the story line is great i really like this anime and i wish it never ended ^.^ that would be so cool anyway i recomend it for anyone.
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royaldarkness Apr 27, 2006
yay, that's a great review of DNAngel ^.^ i love that anime!
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KOROU1234 Apr 28, 2006
Great!
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midsummer May 01, 2006
dnangel is nice... i love the story but the art section...is it really true?
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chi89 Jun 09, 2006
I loved DNA ANGEL Dark was the best great review
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wade Jun 16, 2006
sorry but i don´t think that the anime worth that much...the story is nothing special, and the characters the same...
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PinkPanther35753 Jun 26, 2006
I LOVED it but i hated how it all ended [i literally CrYeD they are soooOOooo cute .... if u see the last ep. and pay attention you would cry too!]
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Melanie1993 Jul 04, 2006
I'm a big fan of DNAngel! I have read almost all the manga volumes and watched all the episodes. They all rock! DNAngel rocks! Your review rocks! I think you get the point that it rocks...*Cough* Anyway, good review! ^_^
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aznprianime Jul 31, 2006
DNAngel is one of the BEST manga ever. the anime was just ok, but i loooooovvveee the manga the best. in the anime Risa acts lik a totally anoying little brat. sometime i just want her 2 die. plus....Krad in the anime only had ONE look! in the manga, everybody had there own looks(meaning different clothing) in the anime, eveybody stayed the same. although the ending was a bit interesting ~_~ i still perfer the manga
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Rhyme097 Sep 14, 2006
only one thing i don't like in DNAngel is ... that girl ^^"
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kanon14 Apr 21, 2007
D.N. Angel is among the best anime I had ever saw..It is touching and sorrow when Dark disapper.I juz hope Dark won't disappear forever! I luv Dark so much!
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rukasu04 Mute Member Apr 28, 2009
Nice Review lol
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KenAozoraKaguya Jul 28, 2010
hmmm
DN Angel is my favourite anime
harada riku is the best kanojo in this anime
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