Ties That Bind

Many anime are based on manga and are usually a mixed bag as far as remaining faithful. However, there are cases like D.N.Angel that take the foundation of an original manga series and turn it into something entirely different. In this case, the results are interesting but nothing worthwhile.

The first half of D.N.Angel is merely good for introductions of characters but nothing else. No great amount of character background is revealed, and there are multiple episodes that are self-contained and could be mixed around without harming the flow at all. In short, it is mostly unentertaining filler and nothing more; most episodes are "Crime of the Week" or Daisuke loitering around school. The building blocks for a plot are in place but are not acted on. However, the introduction of Hio Mio and the second half of the series turns everything around completely. Instead of the usual impotent characters and non-existent storyline, everything is finally kicked into full gear, and things begin to actually happen. Where it was impossible to actually place this series into any specific genre with the first half, the second half makes it known loud and clear that it is focused on action and romance. A plot surrounding Dark and Krad begins to develop, and information comes out about characters like water from a fountain. So that only took thirteen episodes to get to. It could have been worse.

This series manages to have some good music all throughout despite the variable quality of its contents. One piece in particular was overused quite a lot, but everything else was played sparingly and only in situations that fit. Also, the end theme songs for episodes 24 and 26, Caged Bird and Michishirube, respectively, are quite good and show off the vocal talents of Miyamoto Shunichi. While the music may flow well with everything, the sheer overuse of CGI does not. A lot of the CGI has objects seem to be slightly off color, not be shaded properly in relation to a light source or are too blocky.

Although the manga and the anime are like black and white, D.N.Angel manages to be interesting and keeps things going... if you get through the first half.-Anime Academy

Niwa Daisuke is your average teenager, until his fourteenth birthday. He tries to declare his love to the girl of his dreams, but fails. Suddenly, whenever he thinks about this girl he turns into the legendary phantom thief known as Dark Mousy. Daisuke's mother, very much aware of this,makes him turn into Dark and steal valuable works of art for a purpose unkown to Daisuke. As the story unfolds, he learns why, and about his classmate who seems to have the same ability.
    Niwa Daisuke, a 14 year old boy who spills his love to Harada Risa. When rejected, his DNA changes and is mixed with the ancient phantom thief Dark. As his life and Dark's intertwine, he is forced to steal the artwork of the Hikari. As time passes, mysteries are uncovered of Dark's past, the ancient battle, and the heart of Daisuke.

Opening Theme:
    "Byakuya ~ True Light" by Miyamoto Shunichi
Ending Theme:
    #1: "Yasashii gogo" by Minawo (eps 1-12)
    #2: "Hajimari no hi" by Minawo (eps 13-23,25)
    #3: "Caged Bird" by Shunichi Miyamoto (ep 24)
    #4: "Michishirube" by Shunichi Miyamoto (ep 26)

Japanese staff		Japanese cast
Director: Koji Yoshikawa Nobuyoshi Habara Script: Naruhisa Arakawa Storyboard: Koji Yoshikawa Nobuyoshi Habara Music: Takahito Eguci Tomoki Hasegawa Original Manga: Yukiru Sugisaki Character Design: Shinichi Yamaoka Art director: Yoshimi Umino Animation director: Hideyuki Motohashi Shinichi Yamaoka Cgi director: Junki Honma Director of Photography: Katsutoshi Hirose Animation producer: Kiyonori Hiramatsu Color design: Mitsuko Sekimoto Editing: Junichi Itou Music producer: Yuko Sakurai Planning: Shinichiro Inoue Takeshi Yasuda Tetsuya Watanabe Yukinao Shimoji Producer: Atsushi Itou Susumu Matsuyama Taihei Yamanishi Prop Design: Yasuhiro Moriki Series Story Editor: Naruhisa Arakawa Sound director: Yota Tsuruoka Theme Song Performance: Minawo (ED, ED2) Shunichi Miyamoto (OP, ED3, ED4)