D.Gray-man, Vol. 19

D.Gray-man #19

by Katsura Hoshino

Born of Love and Hate:

Following a brutal battle with a Level 4 akuma, Allen seems to be undergoing an odd and disturbing change. Meanwhile, a new breed of Exorcist is introduced at Black Order headquarters and, at Asia Branch, Kanda learns some disturbing things about his own status in the Black Order's Exorcist operations. Needless to say, Allen and his friends are ill prepared to deal with the simultaneous appearance of the servants of the Millennium Earl all over the world.

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Shonen, Graphic Novels, Horror, Comics, Supernatural

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

星野 桂

Katsura Hoshino ((星野 桂 Hoshino Katsura) was born on April 21, 1980, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, as the younger of fraternal twin girls and the second of three children. She drew her first manga at twenty-one. In 1998, Hoshino moved to Tokyo. She dreamed of bringing her mother to the city and was able to in 2006.

She made her debut with her comics 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.

Reviews

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Things are getting intense again. We’re introduced to a new type of exorcist the thirds who are part human and part akuma. This volume also starts to dig into Kanda’s past, finally! We are also introduced to like 6 more Noah. Plenty of the plot still has me confused but I’m digging it. The cover this time around featuring Allen, Road, and Tyki Mikk is pretty sweet. This is also the volume where D.Gray-man went from a weekly publication to coming out monthly.

Read 11/6/20 as part of a 3-in-1.

[Nocturnalux]

Hoshino-sensei has been through a lot. Over the years she has struggled with her health, to the point the manga went into a protracted hiatus and many feared it would be discontinued altogether. It is in this volume that she addresses the fans directly, thanking them for all the support over the years and reassuring that D.Gray-Man is very much alive. She does this with her usual blend of self-deprecating humor that hides an amount of courage that makes me admire her not just as a mangaka but as a person. I am sure working, at all, is extremely difficult and as the story becomes more and more demanding, the burden on her is sure to increase.

The manga transitioned to a monthly chapter format and right away one notices that each chapter is considerably shorter. I found it a bit jarring at first but it does not affect the flow, at all, and is a very small price to pay all things considered.

I had heard that the art style had suffered considerably but I found it, if anything, better than ever. Volume 19 is something of a turning point as several plot points start their inevitable convergence and everything becomes even darker. I have addressed this before, battle shounen can get very dark but D.Gray-Man stands out. Those who are only familiar with the anime, in particular the first one, very likely have no idea of the body horror and sheer suffering contained in what looks like your average Boy Fights Monsters manga. This schism is not that uncommon in manga, just take a glance at Alien Nine 1, but usually such titles become (in)famous.

D.Gray-Man, perhaps because it sort of fell out of the radar for a lot of people, never quite reached much fame as one of those soul shattering manga. But it is worth mentioning that Hallow, the second anime that covers the event of this and the following volume, for all its many problems, was actually censored when it aired. This is not at all common. It is not always clear what criteria are used for censoring something, it often has much to do with when the anime was aired, the timeslot, probably the channel and other considerations. Be it as it may, Hallow aired at 01:35 am, a very late timeslot. This may have something to do with fact the franchise had lost a lot of steam by 2016 (but never underestimate the power of devoted fans who support D.Gray-Man with all they have, with recent nendroids and other collectibles selling out regularly) but I am sure the violent content also factored in.

The reason why it works so well is that it is a completely logical conclusion to all we have been presented thus far.We finally learn just what The Third Exorcists are and while it is horrifying, it also not particular surprising. The Black Order simply cannot rely on Innocence given its scarcity along with the difficulty that comes from finding those compatible to wield it. So it started using Akuma cells, mixing them with humans in order to artificially create Exorcists. These, known as "Third Exorcists", receive their Akuma genes via Alma, the poor, poor, sacrificial lamb that managed to synthetize Akuma cells into his own body: Alma, along with Kanda, being "Second Exorcists". This volume does not yet show us how Alma came to as he now is, catatonic and disfigured but we do get to see him and Johnny's reaction cannot but resonate with the reader. Johnny is so horrified that he throws up. Not just at the state Alma is in, being in a kind of coma for years on end, but over how Kanda as a little boy kept hacking at little Alma who had gone on a berserk killing spree. Because Alma regenerates as Kana does, this meant Kanda had to rip him apart, over, and over and over again.

It is horrifying, it will only get more horrifying, but it is perfectly coherent with what Lenalee saw all those years and many volumes ago. The boy who was being "turned" into an Exorcist, the constant torture to get her to synchronize, we already knew the Black Order had a sordid past. That it turns out to be a sordid present is to be expected but it packs quite a punch. It puts a lot of Kanda's into perspective, too.

There are scenes of graphic violence in this volume that would not be out of place in something like Attack on Titan. Manga is a lot of times a matter of detail. An average mangaka can produce violent material but there is real artistry in rendering it- or anything, for that matter- with actual detail and attention to movement. D.Gray-Man graduates to a new level in this volume, with a combination of more typical energy blast battling and limbs sliced into bits and contorting as they snap, viciously, from within. It is truly a lot and even though I knew it was coming, I still gasped.

The Noah clan is back and we learn quite a bit about them too. We are introduced to the whole gang, including newly awakened members we see for the first time. "Wisely", a Noah with telepathic powers and a very cool design with several eyes on his forehead, is awakened. And it turns out the twins are actually alive, I thought they had died at the Ark but no. Skin is actually dead but not for long as the Earl is already talking about finding his next reincarnation. So all that fighting on the Ark was almost for naught. Tyki now suffers from weirdly intermittent insanity. For the most part he remains the smooth debonair rakish person we have come to love to loathe but occasionally he relapses to berserk mode, a result of his latest encounter with Allen. And Road is 35 years old.

Not all is perfect, though. The action is split across many different places with each group fighting a horde of Akuma but only two of these really stand out. It feels somewhat scattered and characters keep falling out of focus. This can and probably does, result from the volume format, not to mention almost every single long running manga eventually runs into this problem. It can be fixed by future chapters, its the bane but also the saving grace of serial fiction.

The volume ends on a cliffhanger that sets the tone for what will be the most disturbing arc D.Gray-Man had produced up but to that point: it may very well have reached existential despair horizon levels by now. And I am here for it.

[♚ alice · Rating 5 out of 5]

editor: hoshino-sensei, d.gray-man is losing popularity... do something, for the love of God!
hoshino: *draws an impossibly sexy, long-haired, skimpily-clothed tyki with a scar on his chest* this will do, i guess.
editor: YOU'RE A GENIUS!!1!



and this, kids, is how we got to see tyki's abs in volume 19-20 and it's not like i rated the volume five stars for tyki's bare chest. NOT AT ALL
should i mention that he'll be animated in 2016? *fangirl mode*

[Dxdnelion · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOWW JUST WOW.

So much anxiety I felt throughout reading this volume. This is a full attack from the enemy.

We also get new characters and another new exorcist type, which is Half Akuma. Interesting.

And we finally get to see a bit of Yu Kanda backstory!!! And uh oh its going be another emotional damage for the next volume. Am i ready for that i wonder?

[Samantha wickedshizuku Tolleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume starts off with Chapters 182-188.

I'll write more when my editing mode hits.
Happy Readings!
Fly my Pretties! Fly!

[gabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe this is finally taking a turn for the better? This is super intense. You can't just stop a story right there! That is terrible!

[Thelma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pausing my reading of this serie in the middle of a fight was not my best idea. I started this volume very confused, but figured it out. This serie is very good, and I know that the next arc will rip my heart out.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The art style has really changed in the last couple volumes...and the storyline has become a bit darker. I'm not really certain how I feel of the series, now that the Ark storyline has wrapped up...I think it will probably take me a few more volumes until I settle into the new story and art style on the series.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful battle, such an ugly display of gore, but beauty in how much Kanda and Allen were in synch. I’m afraid it interested me far more than Timothy and Emilia’s resolutions and agreements with the Black Order. After which I forgot everything, utterly sucked into the next arc which was breathtaking. The Crows are fascinating in addtion to their connection to Kanda. They certainly caught the attention of the Millennium Earl and all the Noahs. Or is it Allen Walker they’re so fascinated by? There’s a lot more to the Fourteenth than what’s being said, things only Road and the newly born Waizurii know. The interaction between Earl and Road kept me rapt as did Waizurii’s response to Tyki. Tyki himself is wondering what’s happening to him after interacting with Allen. This culminates in a reunion I’ve been eagerly anticipating as well as some intense scenes between the Noah and the Crows. Allen’s connection with Tyki remains as curiously intimate and complex as ever, but it looks like Allen may have a connection to the Earl himself which is equally complex. Not to mention Kanda has an intimate connection of his own being revealed by the Noah of all people, a connection the Black Order has been quite secretive about. All this ended with an invasion, a crisis, and a cliff-hanger, all deeply character driven which leaves me drooling for the next book.

[Natilin Alpaca Saurio · Rating 4 out of 5]

AL FIIIIINNN!!!! AL FIN SABEMOS ALGO DE KANDA! me gustaría que lo expliquen más ☹que se tomen el tiempo para desarrollar bien esa historia, además de la de los noe, siento que todo aunque sea entretenido queda algo vacío y sin tanto sentimiento como en los tomos anteriores, nose, me da esa sensación.

Por otro lado espero con ansias los siguientes tomos.

(Por fin desde este tomo empiezan a poner páginas a color grandes al principio, o bueno, una)
P.s. ????? Pera, me estas diciendo que Road es una mujer adulta que toma la apariencia de una pequeña niña y con ella acosa a un menor de edad ?! K?!

[Alexis Hubsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Character 4| Setting 5| Plot 4.5| Art 5| Enjoyment 5

Rating: 4.7

This volume really starts to show Nea starting to show up in Allen. I loved seeing it, and poor Allen! It was so interesting to see the two different reactions to seeing these characters not be themselves.

We get to see more about the Order experiments with the Third Exorcists, and I can't wait for the next volume because we get Kanda lore!

Excited to continue on!

[Sedna Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a volume that brought a shocking end to one fight with more humor in this one, which feels more like a calm before the storm. Yet it also seems to be the beginning of something bigger than the last few arcs. But I would say the reunion that Allen had with that one guy that almost killed him was a good highlight.

[Kaojoua · Rating 4 out of 5]

Johnny is such a soft boy. My heart hurts for him.
I love Kanda. T.T
Allen is so beautiful; I love him.
The Black Order really can't keep up, and all these crazy attacks and OP-ness of the Noah Clan are making me scared for my favorites.

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things seem to be ramping up in terms of what the Noah clan is willing to do to win the war. But what are they planning? I'm sure we'll find out in the next volume!

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda info-dumpy.

[Daniel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Being a manga based on fighting, the author has allowed power creep to have a large effect on the story, rather than quality storytelling. It's unfortunate, really.

[aj · Rating 3 out of 5]

HEY KANDA YOU ALRIGHT THERE BUDDDY

[Kaitlyn]

4/5
This is the beginning of the Alma arc
“ha ha I’m in danger”

[Lauren C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Al Capwned · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series is losing me even more as the volumes go by. I had some hopes because of volumes 4-6 but I think I lost interest completely.

[lobelyys · Rating 4 out of 5]

omg what the fuck is going on? i’m so confused but also hyped up!!

[The Reading Ghost · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.25⭐

[Saija Unique · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars:
So much is happening. It's a bit hard to keep up with. A lot of things are coming to light. But I am still enjoying this series.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fight against the level four akuma, Allen’s body takes a weird turn and he’s injured by his own anti-akuma weapon which shouldn’t have hurt him. As he recovers back in at the order, we get a glimpse of Allen not looking like Allen but more like one of the Noah.

Things start coming to a head in this volume. The Noah group and attack the order directly. Allen and crew find out that the order has created something called third exorcists, half human half akuma fighters and in the midst of all the battle, we start getting Kanda’s bizarre past. While it’s all good stuff, I have a nagging feeling that some of this is just a bit dragged out. The Noah are so strong, so almost perfect as warriors that it’s hard for me to engage with them.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

All 13 Noah have been revealed! If this isn't a scream that chaos is about to happen, then I don't know what is. A big throw down goes on in this volume, the Earl personally goes to the Order in North America because he knows Alma is there and he knows that Alma is the womb that created the 3rd exorcist. Since he knows that, he knows that he can ruin the Order with it's own members. It's such a devious volume with it's fair share of gore like it's counterparts (it proves that the Level 4 akuma CAN get uglier...) and it's the leading point into Kanda Yuu's past, something a lot of reading have been waiting for since volume 2!

[Jasmine Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy info dump.

It seems almost as if the move from weekly to monthly made Hoshino step up the pace of the story. For a long time it's just been little hints with a bit of revelation sprinkled in, then BAM it's all "we shall now explain the entire premise of the upcoming arc.

Obviously, an info dump isn't the most graceful way to tell a story, but I don't generally find it very bothersome. It's just that it was such a change from the usual pace of the story that it was a bit shocking.

Also, why is Timcampy so huge now?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly pivotal volume in the DGM series - not only for plot progression but also because this becomes the point DGM switched from a weekly to a monthly publication. I imagine Yu Kanda fangirls are gonna LOVE the next volume. All the foreshadowing for Allen's own story arc is awesome as well. Tone is a bit uneven and there is a lot going on, but overall an ace volume of D.Gray-Man.

[nidah05 (SleepDreamWrite) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I took a short break from this and thought, eh might as well catch with the rest of the volumes. Otherwise I might not get around to reading this like with most manga series it seems. But I do try to at least catch up, unless I'm not in a reading mood. Anyway, another good volume. Story taking an interesting turn.

[Maëva Catalano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un de mes tomes préférés depuis longtemps. Les graphismes sont magnifiques j'en tombe amoureuse à chaque fois! la pression est à son comble, les noés sont plus fort que jamais. On explore les parts d'ombre de la congrégation qui n'est pas toute blanche loin de là! On va rentrer dans un arc centré sur Kanda et j'adore ça! (il manque juste mon petit Lavi!)

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

:) So good.
Johnny is growing into being a main character. Yay!

The plot is thickening. The Noah secrets & Second Exorcist Project.

& the art has been getting better ever since volume one.
Heh heh!