DN Angel Vol-1: The Dawn of Dark (1997)
Animation Production: XEBEC
Released by: ADV Films
Episodes: 1-4
By Kakumei Shojo

Introduction

The premise - Daisuke learns the secrets behind his family history when he transitions from a boy into a man.....literally. For whenever his thoughts to turn to his "sacred maiden" he becomes Phantom Dark- a legendary thief.

Story

Daisuke is your average, awkward, love struck boy, but on his 14th birthday he learns he is much more. He discovers the secret behind his family; that there is a gene that transforms him into Phantom Dark; a dashing legendary thief, whenever his heart is filled with thoughts of his most beloved treasure. The object of his desires is his best friend and schoolmate Risa; a sweet, feminine, romantic type of girl. Unfortunately, Risa's feelings are not reciprocated, and when Risa sees Phantom Dark she falls in love with him! Now to keep Phantom Dark at bay Daisuke must win Risa's love in return; while simultaneously fulfilling his destiny as instructed by his eccentric mom and grandpa. To make matters worse the entire police force, and Satoshi, a mysterious boy with a dark connection to Daisuke are all after him! Daisuke must steal magical items for his family as he attempts to win the love of his "Sacred Maiden".

Episode Synopses

Episode 1: Dark Reborn
Niwa Daisuke, a sweet, insecure boy is having a terrible 14th birthday. After finally getting up the courage to give the love letter he wrote to his crush Harada Risa, she tells him she loves him as a friend! Heartbroken, Daisuke rushes home and retreats upstairs into his room. Despair for Risa transforms him into Phantom Dark; the legendary thief. This ability has run in his family for generations and now as the next male to come of age he has gained it. Daisuke will turn into Dark whenever his heart is filled with desire for his "Sacred Maiden". His Mom and grandpa give him instructions to steal a magical statue. Will Daisuke be able to successfully complete his first mission while avoiding capture?

Episode 2: Rekindled Flame
Riku is Risa's older twin sister. Smart, athletic, and realistic Riku is nothing like her sister. As Risa dreamily watches Dark on the news Dark appears on their balcony and steals a kiss from Riku. Why is it that Riku sees Daisuke in Dark's eyes? Now Riku can't get Daisuke out of her mind. Meanwhile, Risa has convinced Daisuke to accompany her to the next place where Phantom Dark is expected to strike in hopes of meeting him. Daisuke agrees, but now life has gotten that much more complicated. How is he going to steal the next magical item for his family without Risa finding out the truth?

Episode 3: Whisper of the Unicorn
Something strange is happening around town. Girls are disappearing from inside their rooms. When Riku and Risa become the next targets its up to Dark and Daisuke to save them. Dark decides to challenge Daisuke; if Daisuke can save Risa then Dark will leave her alone, but if Dark has to help Daisuke then he will continue to steal Risa's heart. Determined to win Risa's affections Daisuke accepts Dark's challenge.

Episode 4: Between Light and Darkness
Tensions mount between Dark and Daisuke as feelings grow. But there is a new threat growing: Satoshi. Who is he? What does he want with Daisuke?

Review

Ok. To be honest I knew absolutely nothing about this series, but I thought the box looked intriguing. When I read the synopsis on the back I wasn't sure what to make of it...

I am still not sure. I have a feeling its too early in the series to see where they are going with it. It certainly has potential. The one non-sequitor episode Whisper of the Unicorn was probably my favorite because we see a lot of character development; especially with Riku, Daisuke, and Dark. I also really liked the 4th episode because it began to reveal the connection between Satoshi and Daisuke.

Personally, I think Daisuke is a likeable character. He is a sweet, insecure boy , but it is apparent there is more to him than meets the eye. Its easy to empathize with Daisuke as many of us have been in a similar situation. And yet, through it all he still remains a good friend, and a nice guy. Risa on the other hand, is not a character I particularly like. She is shallow, insensitive and really horrible to Daisuke even though she knows he has feelings for her. I like Risa's older twin Riku alot. She is perceptive, and although she seems rough around the edges she is really a sweet girl. As for Dark I have not seen enough of his personality to tell if I like him or not. He seems arrogant and good at self preservation, but I guess time will tell if there are other dimensions to him. I certainly hope so. Daisuke's mom and grandpa are your typical fun eccentric relatives that we know and love in many anime series. Both are caring and supportive of Daisuke, but it will be interesting to see more about Daisuke's past, and about what happened to Daisuke's father. Satoshi is the mysterious character, but seems to have a lonely life. He is probably the character I find the most intriguing.

The quality of animation and artwork is impressive. The opener of the first episode is like that of a movie. We see Dark and another angel engaged in battle, followed by a scene of Daisuke running thru the streets of a beautiful cliff side town. Clearly influenced by Europe, the backgrounds for DN Angel are breathtaking. From sweeping cathedrals to detailed museums, little villas on cobblestone streets, and glorious fountains on a majestic campus the scenery is definitely eye candy. As for the characters I think they match the style of the series very nicely. All of them have the stereotypical big eyes small mouth features, but the eyes are very expressive. The colors in the series are vibrant, with a distinguishable difference in the surroundings for Daisuke and Dark.

The quality of the DVD was very clear. Although the subtitles could have been outlined better. They would have been difficult to read at a distance. The picture quality was great! The transition from CG to animation was soft and subtle. Overall the DVD quality was very nice!

The symphonic music accompanying the scenes is appropriate, but nothing that particularly stands out in my mind. I do like the opener. Its a nice mix of symphonic and rock. In the extras there is a documentary about the making of the opener.

Overall, the extras were pretty typical. There was a voice actor commentary in which the american VAs for Daisuke and Dark watch the first episode for the first time and comment, but personally I thought it was too long. Other extras were the creation of an opening theme, and Japanese promos and TV spots for DN Angel.

As for the VAs chosen to play the characters; they were all good, but there were no earth shattering performances. Perhaps its because there aren't any complex characters. Of course, it is so early in the series that as now nothing detrimental has happened to them. Perhaps we have yet to see the scope of their acting ability.

Final Thoughts

I think its still too early to tell which direction this series is going to go. It has potential and as long as the characters continue to be developed and the story revealed I think it will be worthwhile to see. The suggested rating is 13 and up due to mature themes. As of now the violence is minimal, but I would imagine that might change as the story progresses.

Personally I am looking forward to the next DVD. Although the story is unraveling slower than I would have liked I am interested to see how it is handled. I don't know yet if this is a series worth owing, but in my opinion its definitely worth watching.

Kakumei Shojo