D.Gray-man
Encyclopedia
is an ongoing Japanese manga
series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino
. The series tells the story of a boy named Allen Walker, a member of an organization of Exorcist
s who makes use of an ancient substance called Innocence to combat the Millennium Earl and his demonic army of akuma. Many characters and their designs were adapted from some of Katsura Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone, and Continue, and her assistants.
The manga began serialization in 2004 in the Weekly Shōnen Jump
magazine, published by Shueisha
under their Jump Comics imprint, and to date, 22 collected volumes have been released. It made the transition from weekly to monthly series in November 2009, when it began serialization in Jump Square
. There is also a spin-off
novel series titled D.Gray-man Reverse, authored by Kaya Kizaki, that explores the history of various characters. As of May 4, 2010, Viz Media
has released the first nineteen volumes in the United States. The manga has also been adapted into a 103 episode anime
series that aired from October 3, 2006 to September 30, 2008 in Japan. The anime is licensed by Funimation Entertainment
in North America.
The manga series has become one of the best-sellers for Shueisha. During its second release week, the 15th volume of the manga ranked as the second best selling comic in Japan. Although most reviewers compared it to other series from the same genre, they praised its moments of originality and its well-developed characters and their personalities.
, whose left arm can transform into a monstrous claw and destroy Akuma, evolving machines created by the Millennium Earl to help him destroy humanity. As ordered by his master General Cross Marian, Allen becomes an Exorcist
, people who can destroy Akuma, for the Black Order, an organization attempting to stop the Earl. He becomes a powerful asset for the Order because he can detect disguised Akuma with his left eye. Allen is sent to recover pieces of Innocence
, a substance that gives the Exorcists the ability to destroy Akuma. The Earl decides to call together the Noah Family, superhuman descendants of Noah who can destroy Innocence. Both sides start the search for the Heart, the most powerful piece of Innocence that will insure victory to the side that finds it.
During his search, the Earl begins killing the Generals, the Order's most powerful Exorcists. To protect them, the Order attempts to bring the Generals back to headquarters, and Allen and three other Exorcists are sent to search for the missing General Cross. During the search, Allen and Lenalee Lee are nearly killed and saved by their Innocence, leading the Earl and Bookman and his apprentice Lavi, who are chronicling the war, to believe one of them possesses the Great Heart. Meanwhile, the Order learns that Allen is to succeed Nea Walker, a Noah that betrayed and was killed by the Earl, as the 14th Noah. This leads the Order to suspect that Allen might betray them, and he is eventually confined. The Noah free him to rescue Allen from the Apocryphos, a sentient Innocence that guards the Heart, causing the Order to revoke Allen's rights as an Exorcist and treat him as a Noah. However, Allen refuses to receive help from the Order or the Noah, and he continues to exist as an Exorcist in his own way.
Hoshino commented that she got most of her ideas for the series while asleep in the bath for 6 hours. One exception occurs in the plot of the second volume, which she based on a story called Koi no Omoni.
, the chapters of the D.Gray-man manga series have been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump
by Shueisha
. Since its premiere on May 31, 2004, over two hundred chapters have been released in Japan. The series was put on hiatus twice in Japan due to Hoshino falling ill; however, the series continued a few weeks after each incident. In November 2008, Weekly Shōnen Jump announced that Hoshino was again putting the series on hold due to an injured wrist. Publication resumed on March 9, 2009. The series once again went on hiatus starting May 11. The series reappeared in the seasonal magazine Akamaru Jump on August 17. Following the release in Akamaru Jump, D.Gray-Man resumed serialization on November 4, 2009 in the monthly-release Japanese manga magazine, Jump Square
. D.Gray-man has been licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media
.
The individual chapters are published in tankōbon
by Shueisha
. The first volume was released on October 9, 2004, and as of June 3, 2011, twenty-two volumes have been released. Viz released the first collected volume of the series on February 5, 2008, and as of February 1, 2011, twenty volumes have been released.
are directed by Osamu Nabeshima and produced by Dentsu
, TMS Entertainment, Aniplex
and TV Tokyo
. TMS Entertainment produced the animation and Aniplex was responsible for the music production. The episodes began airing on October 3, 2006 in Japan on TV Tokyo. The first season of the anime, known as the "1st stage", aired for 51 episodes, finishing its run on September 25, 2007. The second season, known as the "2nd stage", began airing on October 2, 2007, and finished its run on September 30, 2008, lasting 52 episodes giving a total of 103 episodes over both seasons. The English adaptation of the series has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment
.
As of February 2009, twenty-six DVD compilations have been released by Aniplex between the first on February 7, 2007 and the latest on March 4, 2009. The first thirteen compilations contain episodes of the first season, and all successive compilations have episodes of the second season. The first thirteen episodes of the anime were released in the US, dubbed, on DVD on March 31, 2009 and also Blu-ray on January 5, 2010. The final 52 episodes (seasons 3 and 4) have yet to be licensed, and are currently on hiatus.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
on September 6, 2010.
All of the music for the D.Gray-man anime series were composed by Kaoru Wada
, and so far three CD soundtracks have been released in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment
. The first, D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 1 that contains thirty-four tracks was released on March 21, 2007 with musical production and composition, which includes the first opening theme of the series and the first two ending themes as well.
The second soundtrack containing thirty-two tracks, D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 2, was released on December 19, 2007. It includes the second opening theme of the series, as well as the third and fourth ending themes. All opening and ending themes were also collected in a CD called D.Gray-man Complete Best that was released on September 24, 2008. Its limited edition includes an extra DVD that contains credit-less footage of the videos and a large number of anime illustrations. The third soundtrack, which contains thirty-one tracks, was released in Japan on December 17, 2008. It includes the third and fourth opening themes of the series, as well as the fifth to eighth ending themes and the insert song sung by Sanae Kobayashi
.
was released in Japan on March 29, 2007. The game is titled D.Gray-man: Kami no Shitotachi and was released by Konami
. In the game, the player interacts with characters from the series and destroys akuma using the touch screen and stylus
. A second video game titled D.Gray-man: Sousha no Shikaku for the PlayStation 2
was released on September 11, 2008. Additionally, characters from D.Gray-man are featured in the Nintendo DS game Jump Super Stars
and its sequel Jump Ultimate Stars
.
magazine. On December 31, 2008, Comipress reported that the first fifteen volumes from the series had sold 14,000,000 copies. During its second release week, the volume fifteen of the manga ranked as the second best seller comic in Japan, in that week. The anime DVDs have also been popular; they have ranked high in several Japanese Animation DVD Rankings. Zassosha's manga magazine Puff ranked the series as the seventh best long story manga of 2006. The series has also picked up attention in France as it was awarded the prize for best manga series 2006 at the Anime and Manga 2007 French Grand Prix, which was organized by Animeland. It was also awarded the prize of manga of the year 2006 by Webotaku. Even the novel adaptions were well-received. The second novel adaption was the third bestselling novel in Japan in 2006.
In his review of volume one, Carlo Santos of Anime News Network
stated that certain plot points "come out of nowhere" and that the story was kept from its full potential due to "generic character designs and sparse backgrounds." The quick moving story plot and the series' exposition and back-story received positive comments. A.E. Sparrow of IGN
also reviewed the first volume and compared the series' antagonist to three of Batman's villains. He also said that "Walker is a solid hero with a dark past, the Millenium Earl is a menacing villain you'll love to hate" and the supporting cast shows enough potential to hold interest into future volumes. Carl Kimlinger, also from Anime News Network
, gave his thoughts on the first episode of the anime. He stated the series was very derivative and there was "absolutely nothing original". However, Kimlinger said that it was not a boring anime. Mania.com commented that series becomes better as it continues, remarking that some elements seemed derivative but it has developed its own unique identity. However, they criticized several changes made in the Viz Media
edition, such as the fact that the Japanese sound effects have been replaced by ones that make fans detract while viewing it and some translations of the names of the characters that the reviewer deemed awkward.
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Katsura Hoshino
Katsura Hoshino
is a Japanese manga writer and artist from Shiga Prefecture. She made her debut in July 2003 with the publication of her first manga series Continue and is known for her work, D.Gray-man, which began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2004.The D.Gray-man manga series has been...
. The series tells the story of a boy named Allen Walker, a member of an organization of Exorcist
Exorcist
In some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
s who makes use of an ancient substance called Innocence to combat the Millennium Earl and his demonic army of akuma. Many characters and their designs were adapted from some of Katsura Hoshino's previous works and drafts, such as Zone, and Continue, and her assistants.
The manga began serialization in 2004 in the Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine, published by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
under their Jump Comics imprint, and to date, 22 collected volumes have been released. It made the transition from weekly to monthly series in November 2009, when it began serialization in Jump Square
Jump Square
is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine with a circulation of over 300,000. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for Monthly Shōnen Jump, another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. The magazine is a part of the Jump...
. There is also a spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
novel series titled D.Gray-man Reverse, authored by Kaya Kizaki, that explores the history of various characters. As of May 4, 2010, Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
has released the first nineteen volumes in the United States. The manga has also been adapted into a 103 episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series that aired from October 3, 2006 to September 30, 2008 in Japan. The anime is licensed by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
in North America.
The manga series has become one of the best-sellers for Shueisha. During its second release week, the 15th volume of the manga ranked as the second best selling comic in Japan. Although most reviewers compared it to other series from the same genre, they praised its moments of originality and its well-developed characters and their personalities.
Plot
D.Gray-man follows the adventures of 15-year-old Allen WalkerAllen Walker
is the main protagonist of the D.Gray-man manga and anime series created by Katsura Hoshino. He was created from the female protagonist of the D.Gray-mans predecessor Zone; Hoshino lengthened the female character's hair to create Allen's design....
, whose left arm can transform into a monstrous claw and destroy Akuma, evolving machines created by the Millennium Earl to help him destroy humanity. As ordered by his master General Cross Marian, Allen becomes an Exorcist
Exorcist
In some religions an exorcist is a person who is believed to be able to cast out the devil or other demons. A priest, a nun, a monk, a healer, a shaman or other specially prepared or instructed person can be an exorcist...
, people who can destroy Akuma, for the Black Order, an organization attempting to stop the Earl. He becomes a powerful asset for the Order because he can detect disguised Akuma with his left eye. Allen is sent to recover pieces of Innocence
Innocence
Innocence is a term used to indicate a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, sin, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence refers to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime.-Symbolism:...
, a substance that gives the Exorcists the ability to destroy Akuma. The Earl decides to call together the Noah Family, superhuman descendants of Noah who can destroy Innocence. Both sides start the search for the Heart, the most powerful piece of Innocence that will insure victory to the side that finds it.
During his search, the Earl begins killing the Generals, the Order's most powerful Exorcists. To protect them, the Order attempts to bring the Generals back to headquarters, and Allen and three other Exorcists are sent to search for the missing General Cross. During the search, Allen and Lenalee Lee are nearly killed and saved by their Innocence, leading the Earl and Bookman and his apprentice Lavi, who are chronicling the war, to believe one of them possesses the Great Heart. Meanwhile, the Order learns that Allen is to succeed Nea Walker, a Noah that betrayed and was killed by the Earl, as the 14th Noah. This leads the Order to suspect that Allen might betray them, and he is eventually confined. The Noah free him to rescue Allen from the Apocryphos, a sentient Innocence that guards the Heart, causing the Order to revoke Allen's rights as an Exorcist and treat him as a Noah. However, Allen refuses to receive help from the Order or the Noah, and he continues to exist as an Exorcist in his own way.
Production
Some of the concepts in D.Gray-man first appeared in Katsura Hoshino's one-shot title, Zone. This earlier work includes the same concepts of the akuma and their creation, Exorcists, and the Earl's plans for ending the world. Allen Walker, the main character from the series, is also based from the previous series's protagonist, who is a girl, but Hoshino changed some of his characteristics to make him look more masculine. In addition, Lavi is based on the protagonist of one of her planned series, Book-man. Other characters such as the Millennium Earl, Lenalee Lee and Komui Lee are based on real people, although Hoshino has not confirmed who some of those people are. She has mentioned that some of them are famous scientists, while Komui is based on her boss. After beginning work on the longer D.Gray-man series, Hoshino considered continuing to use the name Zone. She also considered naming the series Dolls or Black Noah. The word "D.Gray-man" is meant to have various meanings, most of them being the state of Allen and the other main characters.Hoshino commented that she got most of her ideas for the series while asleep in the bath for 6 hours. One exception occurs in the plot of the second volume, which she based on a story called Koi no Omoni.
Manga
Written and drawn by Katsura HoshinoKatsura Hoshino
is a Japanese manga writer and artist from Shiga Prefecture. She made her debut in July 2003 with the publication of her first manga series Continue and is known for her work, D.Gray-man, which began serialization in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2004.The D.Gray-man manga series has been...
, the chapters of the D.Gray-man manga series have been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
. Since its premiere on May 31, 2004, over two hundred chapters have been released in Japan. The series was put on hiatus twice in Japan due to Hoshino falling ill; however, the series continued a few weeks after each incident. In November 2008, Weekly Shōnen Jump announced that Hoshino was again putting the series on hold due to an injured wrist. Publication resumed on March 9, 2009. The series once again went on hiatus starting May 11. The series reappeared in the seasonal magazine Akamaru Jump on August 17. Following the release in Akamaru Jump, D.Gray-Man resumed serialization on November 4, 2009 in the monthly-release Japanese manga magazine, Jump Square
Jump Square
is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine with a circulation of over 300,000. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for Monthly Shōnen Jump, another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. The magazine is a part of the Jump...
. D.Gray-man has been licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
.
The individual chapters are published in tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
by Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
. The first volume was released on October 9, 2004, and as of June 3, 2011, twenty-two volumes have been released. Viz released the first collected volume of the series on February 5, 2008, and as of February 1, 2011, twenty volumes have been released.
Anime
The episodes of the D.Gray-man animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
are directed by Osamu Nabeshima and produced by Dentsu
Dentsu
is one of the largest advertising agencies in the world. Its headquarters are located in the Dentsu Building in the Shiodome district of Minato, Tokyo....
, TMS Entertainment, Aniplex
Aniplex
, formerly known as Sony Pictures Entertainment Visual Works Inc. and Sony Music Entertainment Visual Works Inc., is a Japanese anime and music production and distribution enterprise owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan and established in January 1997...
and TV Tokyo
TV Tokyo
is a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
. TMS Entertainment produced the animation and Aniplex was responsible for the music production. The episodes began airing on October 3, 2006 in Japan on TV Tokyo. The first season of the anime, known as the "1st stage", aired for 51 episodes, finishing its run on September 25, 2007. The second season, known as the "2nd stage", began airing on October 2, 2007, and finished its run on September 30, 2008, lasting 52 episodes giving a total of 103 episodes over both seasons. The English adaptation of the series has been licensed by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
.
As of February 2009, twenty-six DVD compilations have been released by Aniplex between the first on February 7, 2007 and the latest on March 4, 2009. The first thirteen compilations contain episodes of the first season, and all successive compilations have episodes of the second season. The first thirteen episodes of the anime were released in the US, dubbed, on DVD on March 31, 2009 and also Blu-ray on January 5, 2010. The final 52 episodes (seasons 3 and 4) have yet to be licensed, and are currently on hiatus.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
on September 6, 2010.
Soundtracks
Kaoru Wada
is a Japanese music composer, music arranger, conductor, music orchestrator and pianist from Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture. He studied at the Tokyo College of Music. He is popularly known for his work on anime soundtracks. He became known to the West through his work on 3x3 Eyes and Battle...
, and so far three CD soundtracks have been released in Japan by Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. The first, D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 1 that contains thirty-four tracks was released on March 21, 2007 with musical production and composition, which includes the first opening theme of the series and the first two ending themes as well.
The second soundtrack containing thirty-two tracks, D.Gray-man Original Soundtrack 2, was released on December 19, 2007. It includes the second opening theme of the series, as well as the third and fourth ending themes. All opening and ending themes were also collected in a CD called D.Gray-man Complete Best that was released on September 24, 2008. Its limited edition includes an extra DVD that contains credit-less footage of the videos and a large number of anime illustrations. The third soundtrack, which contains thirty-one tracks, was released in Japan on December 17, 2008. It includes the third and fourth opening themes of the series, as well as the fifth to eighth ending themes and the insert song sung by Sanae Kobayashi
Sanae Kobayashi
is a voice actress who was born in Shizuoka Prefecture. She is affiliated with Production Baobab.-Television Animation:*.hack//Liminality as Mai Minase*.hack//Roots as Ender*.hack//Roots as Pi...
.
Video games
A D.Gray-man video game for the Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
was released in Japan on March 29, 2007. The game is titled D.Gray-man: Kami no Shitotachi and was released by Konami
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
. In the game, the player interacts with characters from the series and destroys akuma using the touch screen and stylus
Stylus
A stylus is a writing utensil, or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example in pottery. The word is also used for a computer accessory . It usually refers to a narrow elongated staff, similar to a modern ballpoint pen. Many styli are heavily curved to be held more easily...
. A second video game titled D.Gray-man: Sousha no Shikaku for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
was released on September 11, 2008. Additionally, characters from D.Gray-man are featured in the Nintendo DS game Jump Super Stars
Jump Super Stars
is a 2D fighting game for the Nintendo DS. It was developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo. The game was released on August 8, 2005 in Japan and accompanied the release of a red Nintendo DS...
and its sequel Jump Ultimate Stars
Jump Ultimate Stars
is a fighting video game developed by Ganbarion and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Jump Super Stars, also released for the DS. The game was released in Japan on November 23, 2006...
.
Books
Three novels, one fanbook and two art books. Based on the manga series, three novels titled D.Gray-man: Reverse and written by Kaya Kizaki are published by Shueisha. The first of them was released on May 30, 2005, while the second one was released on July 4, 2006.The third one was released on December 3, 2010. The D.Gray-man Official Fanbook: Gray Ark was released June 4, 2008. On September 4, 2008, the TV Animation D.Gray-man Official Visual Collection: Clown Art was released. They were followed by an illustration book titled D.Gray-man Illustrations Noche on February 4, 2010.Reception
The D.Gray-man manga has been highly popular in Japan; as of 2007, the series ranked as the ninth best seller series of the Weekly Shōnen JumpWeekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
magazine. On December 31, 2008, Comipress reported that the first fifteen volumes from the series had sold 14,000,000 copies. During its second release week, the volume fifteen of the manga ranked as the second best seller comic in Japan, in that week. The anime DVDs have also been popular; they have ranked high in several Japanese Animation DVD Rankings. Zassosha's manga magazine Puff ranked the series as the seventh best long story manga of 2006. The series has also picked up attention in France as it was awarded the prize for best manga series 2006 at the Anime and Manga 2007 French Grand Prix, which was organized by Animeland. It was also awarded the prize of manga of the year 2006 by Webotaku. Even the novel adaptions were well-received. The second novel adaption was the third bestselling novel in Japan in 2006.
In his review of volume one, Carlo Santos of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
stated that certain plot points "come out of nowhere" and that the story was kept from its full potential due to "generic character designs and sparse backgrounds." The quick moving story plot and the series' exposition and back-story received positive comments. A.E. Sparrow of IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
also reviewed the first volume and compared the series' antagonist to three of Batman's villains. He also said that "Walker is a solid hero with a dark past, the Millenium Earl is a menacing villain you'll love to hate" and the supporting cast shows enough potential to hold interest into future volumes. Carl Kimlinger, also from Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, gave his thoughts on the first episode of the anime. He stated the series was very derivative and there was "absolutely nothing original". However, Kimlinger said that it was not a boring anime. Mania.com commented that series becomes better as it continues, remarking that some elements seemed derivative but it has developed its own unique identity. However, they criticized several changes made in the Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
edition, such as the fact that the Japanese sound effects have been replaced by ones that make fans detract while viewing it and some translations of the names of the characters that the reviewer deemed awkward.