Monday, August 18, 2008

7th entry - D.Grayman (part 3)

(Continued from Part 2)

The Exorcists of the Black Order

Now, the good guys… Exorcists are gifted super-humans compatible with Innocence, a holy power (with the appearance of a glowing green crystal) that can destroy Akuma. When Innocence finds a compatible human “host”, it can be controlled by the host and evolve as an anti-Akuma weapon. Simply put, new Exorcists are recruited by existing ones, as directed by Komui, an authority of the Black Order (science department supervisor), upon his detection of Innocence. The precise process is somewhat convoluted, but I had the impression that the evil Akuma are usually the ones who detect the Innocence first, and because they start congregating in the area to destroy it and stir up mayhem noticeably, Exorcists are dispatched to deal with the offending Akuma, and thus stumble upon the Innocence and the compatible hosts (potential recruits) in the process. New Exorcist recruits are brought to the Black Order for their Innocence to be assessed and crafted into anti-Akuma weapons (fused together with their compatible hosts). They are then trained to synchronize with their Innocence, as well as to engage in mortal combat.

Not all the potentials succeed in becoming Exorcists; I remember one young girl who was compatible with a powerful Innocence that could enable Exorcists to predict the future. Unfortunately it was destroyed in battle by one of the Ancient Family members (I think it took the form of a cat that could transform into a woman, but I cannot remember its/her name…). But so far at least 2 important potentials managed to safely reach the Black Order and be trained as Exorcists: Miranda Lott and Baron Aleister Crowley (introduced below).

While Exorcists are super-human, they are far from invincible; they can be killed in battle against powerful Akuma and Ancient Family members. In fact, numerous Exorcists are killed; some episodes focus on the tragic deaths of Exorcists at the hands of the enemy. For instance, Soman, an Exorcist who was recruited because he needed to provide for his family, died a painful and horrific manner. He made a pact with Tiki on one occasion to spare his life, and in so doing his Innocence rebelled within him and went berserk. Allen tried to save him but failed, and instead nearly lost his Innocence (pardon the pun) at Tiki’s hands.

The “Heroes” consist of:


1) Allen Walker - the protagonist of D.Grayman, a teenager with a voracious appetite (but who never puts on any weight...!), great fighting power and skill, and a big heart. Allen loves his friends and does his utmost to protect them; he also has compassion for the suffering souls trapped within Akuma and makes it his goal in life to free them. He is equipped with a "cursed eye" that automatically detects Akuma. This left eye turns red by itself when Akuma are near and enables Allen to differentiate between real humans and Akuma disguises. His Innocence is embedded in His left arm as a cross-shaped mark. Normally Allen’s hand looks like an ordinary one but when his Innocence is invoked, it transforms into a claw. At one stage his weapon evolved into a powerful cannon.

After his innocence was shattered by Tiki and his arm amputated, he managed to recover in a special hideout. There he miraculously develops the Crown Clown weapon by gathering the Innocence fragments around him, and acquires new fighting skills and abilities. In the battle with Tiki while inside the Ark (which Allen won), it was hinted that Allen was slated to be a new General (albeit he was rather young to be one). The latest twist (Aug 2008), however, is that he was supposedly linked to the “Musician” of the Ancient Family (the 14th who was for some unrevealed reason killed by the Ancient Family) who knew the secret 14th room of the Ark and this earned him suspicions from the Dark Religious Organization that he was allegedly a spy for the Ancient Family. General Cross Marian, Allen’s mentor and master, will be investigated together with Allen for these allegations because he was also unable to explain how or why Allen was recruited in the first place, and Cross’s mysterious and unconventional working style only fuelled further suspicions… His trial is a parody of Jesus Christ’s trial by the Jews and Romans – the savior of mankind was wrongly accused and ultimately sentenced to death. Will Allen suffer the same ill fate?...

2) Kanda Yuu


Kanda is a cool, highly skilled and highly tenacious Japanese Exorcist who wields a deadly sword. Although he appears unfeeling, frowning (or wearing a serious expression) all the time and rather unfriendly to everyone, he is attractive as a mysterious brooding who is always focussed, courageous and chivalrous (especially to his friends, whom he wanted to protect at the start of the battles in the Ark - he fought sweet-toothed Skin Boric). From time to time, there will be flashbacks about Kanda's mysterious past, e.g. a lotus flower suspended in a glass jar, adding to his aura of attractiveness. I also like his tattoo on his chest above his heart, not to mention his great looks.

Kanda has an amazing ability to heal rapidly, and even when his sword was broken he manages to muster his Innocence with his blood to bring the sword back and continue fighting. His famous stance is Mugen (Six Illusions, lit), but he also has a mass attack stance Kaichuu Ichigen which unleashes horrific bugs against the enemies.

3) Linalee


One of the few female heroines in the anime, Linalee is the adorable younger sister of Komui. Linalee has been at the Order with her brother since young, as their parents were killed by Akuma. She seemed to have had many unhappy experiences as a child, although she had good memories of happy times with her brother and other childhood friends in the Order. She is kind, considerate, thinks of her friends all the time, and cares a lot about Allen. Her innocence is syncronised with her legs which enables her to kick some enemy ass, but sadly they were injured very early in battle (she was kidnapped by the Ancient Family and trapped in the Ark until her friends rescued her...)

4) Lavi and his grandpa, Bookman (Senior)


Lavi is a hothead with loves fun and friends. The successor of his grandpa, Bookman, Lavi is particularly close to Allen. His weapon is the Big Hammer Small Hammer; when dormant, the hammer resembles a little kid's toy kept in a holster on his thigh. The hammer is versatile, however, and can be used to smash his enemies when enlarged or invoke incantations: Hiban Gouka Kaijin - fire; Tenban Raitei Kaiten - lightning; and Mokuban Tenchi Bankai - ability to control nature. The hammer handle can also extend rapidly at will to bring him to safety or closer to his enemy.

Bookman (Senior), Lavi's grandpa, is a name as well as title for the one who records "hidden history". Bookman is an expert healer using acupuncture. He manages to heal many Exorcists along the journey. His attack is a scroll which destroys his unsuspecting enemies with spells, as well as Heaven's Compass, where thousands of needles are thrown at the enemies to immobilize or destroy them.



5) Miranda Lott and Baron Aleister Crowley
Miranda was initially a pitiful woman ostracised by her townsfolk because she’s clumsy and freakish. Her life changed when she was blessed with Innocence from an antique grandfather’s clock that was abandoned in an antique shop. With it, she could control time but only temporarily. Her weapon, Time Record, a disc-shaped device attached to her arm, was made from her clock. When Miranda invokes her Innocence, she is able to create a time bubble in which the effects of time (such as past injuries) could be stopped or reversed, albeit temporarily. Another stance, Recovery, enables her to create a protective field that causes all physical damage to vanish.

Baron Aleister Crowley is a vampire, except he drinks Akuma blood. Interestingly, he has shown himself to be highly emotional and sensitive, almost wimpish, when not engaged in battle. But once he is angered, especially when his friends are injured, he fights to the death. His teeth resonates to the presence of Akuma, and his Innocence allows him to regenerate and his strength to increase tremendously when he drinks Akuma blood.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

6th entry - D.Grayman (part 2)

(Continued from Part 1)

As with all "evil" characters, the story of the Ancient Family is much easier to narrate than their "good" counterparts. And as with most anime with a zen-Buddhism subversion of Christianity theme, we are led to ponder eventually whether the bad are absolutely ALL bad and whether the good are REALLY that good, because it would seem that everyone in this world have both good and bad qualities.

The “Baddies”, aka Ancient Family, consists of:


1) the Earl of Millennium - the leader of the Family, a fat man with an evil broad grin and glasses. He wears a tall hat, carries an umbrella and dresses in a 3-piece suit with a large coat. He resembles Victorian middle-class capitalists in the 19th century who exploit the poor, except his “factories” make only Akuma and bring nothing but misery to humanity. Initially portrayed as a hard and heartless person, he gradually reveals a softer, emotional side to his character, such as crying uncontrollably when members of his ancient family are killed in battle by Exorcists.

2) Lord Camelot (or “Road”) - an eccentric teenage girl with spikey hair and striped socks. She possesses the ancient family's "Dream" and the power to penetrate the minds of humans and creates illusions to kill them. She is also able to enter easily into different dimensions and camouflage herself so well that she cannot be located easily and killed (unless the person has extraordinary strength of will and intelligence). Interestingly she has a soft spot for the protagonist and her enemy, Allen Walker (there is even a scene in one episode where she steals a kiss from him). Lord Camelot is accompanied by a talking umbrella, Lelo, who has a Jack Lantern face and makes comical relief.

3) Sir Tiki Mic - a proud, well-dressed young gentleman who is really a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”. He possesses the lethal ability to penetrate anything. He is also a master of disguise; he appears initially as a geek to Allen and even befriends him. I feel that he is one of the most fascinating to watch in the anime because he sometimes broods about Allen although he would only admit that he respects Allen as one would a worthy opponent. In battle he fights with uncanny high speed and agility; sometimes he sends out a swarm of killer butterflies and sometimes he uses his hand like a spear. At the battle in the Ark he transformed into a terrifying monster (after apparently losing to Allen) but he was nearly killed by General Cross (Allen’s master) if not for the Earl’s timely rescue …


4) Jasdebi - a bizarre member of the Ancient Family. Very little is known about the pair of non-identical twins, Debitt (impatient and smart) and Jasdero (good-natured but crazy), except for their incompetence (they were assigned to locate and kill one of the Generals but kept failing their mission), until the battle in the Ark. They are the “Trouble” of the Ancient Family – known for unpredictability and swiftness. To become Jasdebi, they needed to shoot each other in the head with their pistols; their bodies then merge into one long(golden)-haired deadly fighting machine. Jasdebi’s hair can pierce through anything and has amazing strength and endurance.


5) Skin Boric - a large muscular man who likes sweets. Like Jasdebi, Skin was virtually unknown until the battle in the Ark. He possesses the “Anger” of the Ancient Family. He is a man of limited intellect and words (his famous line, “Unforgivable, absolutely unforgivable”). Like the Incredible Hulk, Skin transforms when agitated, but that’s where the similarity ends: ultimately he is merely an oversized golden monster able to blast its enemies with an incredible amount of electrical power, but having no depth of character (unlike Tiki and Camelot). Before his memorable showdown in the Ark, we see a glimpse of his past, how he developed the painful, cursed crosses on his forehead (which all the Ancient Family members have) as a human, which no human doctor was able to cure, and how the Earl managed to find him and reveal to him his identity as an Ancient Family member.


6) Lulubell - the "colour" of the Ancient Family, armed with the skill of metamorphosis, Lulubell is the cool butler lady who slashes her enemies using her arrowed whip. Like a chameleon, she can disguise herself as any person to avoid detection. She appears sometimes as a cool black cat, but she is not at all cute.

(to be continued in Part 3)

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

5th entry - D. Grayman


One of the Japanese animations that I enjoyed very much is D. Grayman. This animation is in some ways a typical Good-Battles-Evil adventure animation set in imaginary 19th century Europe. The Good is represented by a group of super-human heroes known as "Exorcists" of the Dark Religious Organization (supposedly linked to the Vatican), formed to counter evil forces and save humanity from destruction. The Evil is represented by the Ancient Family, which is headed by the Earl of Millennium who vows to cleanse the world of humanity with a "flood" (a subversion of God's destruction of sinful men in the great flood during Noah's time) and dominate it.

The anime (also available in manga) is very popular around the world, and the latest episodes (#90+) are telecast on Arts Central in Singapore the same week in Japan. I suppose the main attraction of this anime is the colourful and complex characters, as well as the way the plot gradually reveals.

The Millennium Plot

When a loved one dies, those left behind are often filled with unbearable grief and loss. Like Satan, skilled in the art of deception and exploiting human weakness, the Earl will appear to these people who are at their most vulnerable point and make them an offer that they cannot refuse: to bring their loved ones back. Unknown to them, by accepting the Earl’s offer, he will have power to call back the soul of the deceased and create Akuma. The soul is eternally trapped in the Akuma and compelled to do the Earl’s bidding. Ironically, the first victim that the Akuma claims is usually the loved one who gave the Earl the authority to call them back; after the murder, the Akuma will assume the form of their loved one and hide among the living to destroy more humans and create mayhem.

Akuma have the ability to evolve (like Pokemon) into more powerful and “intelligent” monsters. As it does, the human soul trapped within it becomes consumed until it is merely supporting the existence of the shell. Fortunately, the tormented souls within Akuma can be freed if the shell is “exorcised” by Innocence, the power of Good. One might wonder how the Earl will come to know of humans whose loved ones are dying. Well, the Earl makes use of human conspirators who notifies him of such people. These heartless people may even pretend to be friends of those grieving for lost ones. So much for trusting people who appear to be nice … The “blood” of Akuma is evil and contagious. Only those with Innocence (e.g. Exorcists) do not get infected by the blood.

The big question is: can the power of Innocence overcome and power of evil as represented by the Millennium Earl and the Ancient Family who want to destroy humanity with their undead Akuma army?
For more info on this anime, visit animenewsnetwork or dgraymananime (I owe most of the facts about the characters through this website).

Here's a video clip from the recent episode where Allen Walker miraculously plays the piano and saves his comrades and the Ark. I like the music - it has a dreamlike quality and the vocalist sang with much feeling. The plot now revolves around how Allen can play the score of this music on the piano when he has never learnt it. Could he be a spy for the enemy, or a maligned savior of mankind (subversion of Jesus Christ)?


(To be continued in Part 2)

Thursday, August 07, 2008

4th entry - Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl)




About 9 weeks ago, Arts Central started showing a re-run of the first season of Jigoku Shoujo (Hell Girl), a 26-episode Japanese anime about a mysterious girl who has the power to carry out revenge for people. Those who have been wronged or suffered injustice, or who have witnessed others suffering injustice, can log into a website at 12 midnight and send the request. Hell Girl will then assess the situation with the help of her 3 companions - a kimono-clad prostitute, a trendy young man in jumper suit and an old man wearing a hat, and respond to the requesting party.

Are her services free? Not really. So what are her terms?

Hell Girl will exact revenge on behalf of the requesting party provided that he or she makes restitution to her. She will recite the following words to her requesting party:

"When a person is cursed, 2 graves are dug..."

Basically, both the requesting party and the target of vengeance will both end up in Hell. The target will go immediately, of course. The requesting party will go eventually when he or she dies. To ensure that the requesting party knows in no uncertain terms what Hell is like before the mind is made up, he or she will go through the "appetizer" first.

A straw voodoo doll with a string tied around its neck is presented to the requesting party to let him/her "think about it" carefully. (Incidentally, her 3 companions are actually her voodoo dolls: the black one is the old man, the red one is the prostitute, and the blue one is the young man. Bizzare...) Once he/she decided to proceed, he/she can pull the string and enter into a contract with Hell Girl. A mysterious voice will announce that Hell Girl will execute the revenge immediately.


The standard modus operandi of Hell Girl in executing her vengeance is in my opnion really fabulous. She will go to the target and enact a scene with her companions. This scene is related to the target, choreographed specially to make him/her realise the wrong that he/she has done. The targets are allowed to confess the sin and repent but they usually don't. Thats when Hell Girl will proceed to say...

"Pitiful shadow cloaked in darkness... Do you like to see what death is like?"

The next scene will show the target lying in Hell Girl's boat, being ferried personally by Hell Girl, through the Gate of Hell. The river is full of eerie lanterns, and sometimes hands of tormented souls will appear to torture the target. Gruesome ......

What happens to the requesting party?

Back in the "real world", the situation will mysteriously improve for the requesting party. Not only will "justice" be restored for the requesting party (or the person for whom he/she had exacted vengeance), sometimes a windfall may be experienced. The requesting party will then bear the sign of the Hell Girl: a tattoo marked on his/her chest. Hell Girl will carve that the name of the requesting party onto a lit candle to remember that she has to ferry his/her soul to hell when he/she dies, eventually...



What I like about the anime is the vibrant colors and beautiful artwork. The stories tend to be quite similar, evolving around pitiful situations where people become desperate enough to go to hell so as to have their revenge. I've always been brought up to think that revenge belongs to God; we are to leave it to God to "take care" of moral justice. While I don't agree with Hell Girl's concept, I relish the joy of seeing evil people get what they "deserve"... heeheehee ...

Read more about the anime on animenewsnetwork.

The Japanese website for this anime can be found here.

This is one of my favourite anime theme songs (the full version of the ending song for season one).