D.N.Angel, Vol. 2

D・N・ANGEL [ディー・エヌ・エンジェル] #2

by Yukiru Sugisaki

Long Falls and Close Calls

The annual midwinter hike is no walk in the park for the students of Azumano Middle School. Daisuke has been dreading the trek all year, but at least he gets to show off his rugged charms for his beloved Risa. But when Daisuke and Riku find themselves lost and alone on the frigid mountainside, it's Dark to the rescue. Can the Phantom Thief save the day without blowing Daisuke's cover?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Romance, Comics, Fiction, Comics Manga

184 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 1998

About the author

Yukiru Sugisaki (杉崎ゆきる; Sugisaku Yukiru in Japanese) is a Japanese manga artist. Her hobbies are dramas, video games, and "collecting rabbit things".
Sugisaki's face is rarely seen, as she prefers to draw herself with a rabbit face or mask in her manga profile images. She also seems to have developed a trait of leaving her series unfinished before moving on to different projects (Notably D.N.Angel, which has seen multiple month-long droughts between chapters. She has just recently done many Lagoon Engine installments, including the Japanese release of volume 7.
Previous to that, she completed a small series entitled Eden, which had its debut in the October 2006 issue of Shōnen Ace, and finished in February 2007. It saw a departure of sorts from Sugisaki's previous series, with a darker, sci-fi noir theme and older protagonists.

Currently, she finished D.N.Angel in 20 volumes (5 released only in digital).

Her work

She made her debut in "Asuka Magazine" with "Namaiki no N". Her other works include "D.N.Angel (13 volumes, unfinished) ", "Rizelmine (1 volume, finished)", "Lagoon Engine (7 volumes, unfinished)", and "Lagoon Engine Einsatz (1 volume, unfinished)". Her "D.N.Angel" manga and "Rizelmine" manga have also been adapted into anime series. Because the D.N.Angel manga was incomplete at the time, the anime has many differences to the original manga, most notably the ending.

Sugisaki is also the artist of the "BrainPowerd" and "The Candidate for Goddess" manga, both of which have been turned into an anime. Her "Neutral" artbook contains artwork from "D.N.Angel", "BrainPowerd", and "The Candidate for Goddess". Her second artbook, [FEDER:] (which is no longer available for purchase), contains newer artwork solely from D.N.Angel. She has also penned the well-known "Sotsugyo M", and created doujinshi for series such as "Tenkuu no Escaflowne", Neon Genesis Evangelion, Lets&Go , and King of Fighters.

Most of her works feature young, cute main characters and elements of Yaoi, though not considered Yaoi.

Her current project is D.N.Angel, which has finally begun serializing in Monthly Asuka again.

Reviews

[Lucinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

cute volume, though honestly the chemistry between Daisuke and Satoshi is way more compelling than anything between him and Risa or Riku, though Riku seems to like an actual person in Daisuke, where Risa seems to like an idea (they are kids though so I'll give them some slack, except Dark, what is he doing kissing that little girl?)

Also disappointed that my school never went mountain climbing in winter *sigh*

[Lynn Dubinsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sex god.



He's definitley my manga crush. Well, besides Inuyasha.

[Emi · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume contains Chapter 4 through to 6, along with a bonus story. A kind of disclaimer? I actually read this in October 2020 (it's June 2021 as I'm writing this), and I just quickly flicked through it to jog my memory for this review but I have forgotten what I wanted to originally pick out and write about in this.

As a kid, I had only read volume 1, but I have watched the entire anime, so some aspects of the story from this point onwards is entirely new to me, but some of it picks at distant memories I have from watching the anime.

The plot during the first chapter is a hiking trip up a mountain. From what I vaguely recall, this was one of the first parts I enjoyed watching as a kid so I was looking forward to reading the manga as an adult.
　I think I liked it because it combines a threatening situation with a chance for two characters to get quality time together as they overcome the situation; Riku and Daisuke slip off the cliff (the only injuries somehow only being Riku's sprained ankle), Daisuke works to get them both back to the rest of the group while the rest of the group (particularly Takeshi) stress over finding them.

Another part that believe I liked from this chapter is that you do get some foreshadowing of what's to come (which I only know is to come because I've seen the anime).

So, you're my rival now?

I'm going to be honest, I never really liked Risa all that much so I was glad that it seemed like Daisuke was taking notice of Riku a little more. That said, this is also one of the first times (I think) that the series shows Hiwatari's and Risa's dynamic, which I've always found to be quite an interesting one. She seems to be a little more mature and attentive of him (I think because he's attractive and mysterious to her?), and although he's still prioritising his work and personal goals over forming human relations with anyone (friends, etc.), he does seem to take notice of her and Daisuke more than anyone else (and does later have a use for her but that's in the next volume).

The beginning of the next chapter presents an example of why I have never liked Risa (I remember this being the reason even when I watched the series as a kid, anyway). She displays a selfish pattern of behaviour; she's inconsiderate of others (mostly to her twin, Riku, but on this occasion it's to Daisuke), and she's reckless in her pursuit of Dark, not only endangering herself, but others as well (again, mostly Riku).
　She vaguely asks Daisuke out that night. Not only he, but several people (his mother, Takeshi, and Riku), believe it's a date—not saying Risa owes him anything, but it is misleading and I have to wonder if this was by design. She clarifies at the meeting that it was to request that Daisuke helps her get close to Dark. I don't really understand the trail of logic behind that request, but perhaps that's more my memory than Risa's character motivation—is Daisuke to Dark what Peter Parker is to Spider-Man, do people think Daisuke's some sort of contact to Dark? It would make sense why she's asking him, in that case, but it doesn't after she reveals that he had sent her a note, so she already had communication from him anyway so what does Daisuke's presence matter on that front? This entire chapter is weird to me, I don't recall there being any mentions of art heists or whatever, it seems like it's just a little social call. Even Hiwatari showed up? I don't know, I'm definitely getting the feeling I'm forgetting something I thought about this when I first read it last year, some sort of purpose to it. Moving on.

The next chapter starts off rather domestically once again, they're at school and Risa gives Daisuke a packed lunch she had prepared. He's enjoying it until she reveals that she's practicing to make lunch for Dark. Oof. Tough luck, Daisuke. It at least leads to him standing up for himself and triggers some character developments and plot progression. Some elements of this series, while supernatural, is slice of life, so these moments are pretty important.

I also want to note that Daisuke does trip over and Hiwatari catches him. Even when I was young and unaware of same-sex couples (don't @ me, it was a different time, schools were censored from teaching anything LGBT+, and my first exposure to BL/same-sex relationships was Tokyo Babylon which I believe I read around the same time as this), I did pick up on how easily (and overtly) embarrassed Daisuke gets towards Hiwatari, and how tender Hiwatari is towards Daisuke: "Daisuke... next time don't let yourself fall like that..." 🤭 What's more, Hiwatari catches Daisuke on page 82, on page 86 he responds to a girl's love confession by saying "sorry... but I don't have time for girls" and then immediately (like, the girl he rejected is standing right there) says to Daisuke "let's walk home together," it's almost like it's by design 👀 Anyway, Hiwatari uses this opportunity to bring up a bet he made with Dark (if Dark manages to steal some sort of art piece, Hiwatari must promise never to touch "you-know-who"). Entrapping Daisuke against a wall with the classic hand-on-the-wall-next-to-his-head you tend to see in anime and manga, he gets in really close and asks Daisuke who he thinks Dark is referring to (though Hiwatari's sharp, he knows exactly who Dark means 😏) The rest of the chapter is pretty interesting, nothing I want to write about though.

The bonus story was also interesting, though completely unrelated to DNAngel.

It was a decent volume, even though one of the chapters seemed a bit bizarre to me, plot did happen, the hiking trip bit was in this one so that's a bonus for me, and there were some interesting relationship and character developments between the four main characters mostly.

[Sabrina Wannet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deze anime blijft leuk mijn eerste en enige manga in het nederlands :D

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some pretty cool love-triangle stuff going on here.

[Tyra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright I love this manga but it's still a little bit confusing!

I'm just gonna say it but I got a fictional crush on Satoshi Hiwatari! He so cool like his personality but!

[Nana Spark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone else use to ship Daisuke and Satoshi when they were younger? No? Just me? Ok.

[John Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

There really isnt much to say about this second volume.

Like I commented on in my first one, its hard to give reviews for manga when they are so short. Even more frustrating is that a quarter of this volume (at least in my edition) is taken up by a completely different novel. (I feel like that would be frustrating for the author)

But anyway, that didn't have any effect on the rating...

The main reason for the 2 stars is Risa. Much like the first volume, she's unbearable. She is the epitome of all those "friend zone" memes. At first I thought it was just her being selfish and attention seeking (which it still might) but then her sister straight up tells her at one point "Its your fault Risa, you're not very bright."
But essentially this whole volume is her trying to get Darks attention while stringing Daisuke along, "asking him out" and stuff. And again, Im not sure why she's so reliant on Daisuke, we never got any establishment that they were friends before he asked her out and was rejected.
(My most logical assumption, and I may be giving the story too much credit, is that Daisuke is clearly a nice guy compared to the other guys. And Risa needs someone a night to walk around with/ a males point of view for like food and stuff? Idk, but Takeshi is literally a really good cook, and Daisuke is so cute the way he defends him. And instead of Risa asking Takeshi, she is still just going to make shitty meals for Daisuke. Like....WHY Daisuke?)

Risa is also constantly reading things wrong, like When Daisuke tries to say he doesnt think of her "only" as a friend. She calls him mean and runs off. I mean...even in the initial chapter, which should have been a nice Snowy Escape field trip, Risa loses her hat that blew away onto a cliff. She whines and asks Daisuke to get it, he tells her...nah fam, Im gonna die trying to get that.
So she cries some more about it, causing her sister Riku to get it, and both her and Daisuke fall off a cliff.

She's seriously such a terrible character. But at least its slowly starting to build up Riku, who I remember fondly, (but at this point its really just because shes the only girl that doesnt devote 100% of her page time to a boy she likes. And shes a saint in comparison to Risa)

Like I said, Risa consumes most of this volume, which is why I hated it. There's some interesting stuff going on with Satoshi, so him and Riku have me intrigued to continue. Plus Daisuke is just adorable and innocent as usual, so that's a plus.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Risa and Riku Harada took steps towards being a little more developed in their feelings about Dark and Daisuke, but something is missing, something which would make them blossom fully as characters. I’m beginning to wonder if Takeshi doesn’t have a crush on Daisuke himself the way he keeps interfering between Daisuke and Risa. Satoshi is giving me the definite vibe that he’s falling for Daisuke himself, which would complicate his hunt for Dark. He and Dark seem to have some sort of enigmatic understanding regarding Daisuke, one Daisuke doesn’t get and isn’t a part of. Dark is a bit of a mystery himself, declaring a rivalry with Daisuke over Riku, yet showing signs of being protective of his host as well. The most intriguing character, who got the most fleshing out in this volume was Satoshi. Readers got to meet his possessive adoptive father, sense the chemistry-laden antagonism between them, see how Emiko (Daisuke’s mother) is wary of Satoshi at first sight of him, and it’s revealed that he once had another name, Hikari. Since ‘hikari’ means ‘light’, it’s an intriguing name given his determination to catch Dark. With the name Hiwatari, however, comes certain expectations, which are slowly emerging. This conflict between the Hiwatari and the Hikari is one of the most interesting mysteries of this series, holding my attention far more than the Harada twins and Daisuke/Dark’s sentiments for them, especially since Daisuke’s feelings towards Satoshi appear to be softening, in spite of his wariness around this enigmatic stalker. I almost feel like the true love triangle in this series is between Satoshi and Dark over Daisuke. Those complex emotions swimming in all three of them, the conflict between Satoshi and perhaps his family versus Dark and the Niwa continues to hold my attention, even if the twins don’t quite succeed in this. There was a bonus story about the somewhat shallow granddaughter of a former hero whose the exact likeness of that hero, the hero’s companion demon, and a boy the demon possesses, but it didn’t quite catch my attention either. The art work continues to be stunning, bringing Daisuke, Satoshi, Dark, and the other characters exquisitely to life. For all the powerful relationships that do interest me and the lovely depiction of them, the plotines which I am absorbed by, I’m still giving this four stars, even if certain aspects of the manga lag behind.

[Cecillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just as cozy as the first volume, although there's definitely hints to some way darker aspects of both Dark and the Hiwatari kid. Speaking of Hiwatari... how is he even a part of the police? He's like 14 or 15 years old. Also at the moment I'm team Riku, because Risa is kind of giving me the ick to be honest.
Also there's a bonus story in the back of the volume, and it's really nice! I kind of wish I could read more about those characters. Which reminds me that there was also a short story in the first volume. That story was also really great and I would also read more of that.

[Madalina Banu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este segundo tomo me dejo con más dudas, algo en mi me decía que algo no andaba bien con el comandante. No se 😂 pero es que mes inevitable no shipearlo con Daisuke. Me encanta la mama de Daisuke, me da mucha gracia, que ya desde el primer tomo se la pase poniendo trampas para su hijo para entrenarlo. Lo que me molesto un poco el que una cuarta parte dela manga estava una historia, que no tenía nada que ver con la que se daba. (Personalmente ni la lei😂)
Pero quitando todo eso me gustó.

[Stacey Adams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the first volume better. This book didn't seem to make sense to me. I had a harder time following the story. Not sure if I'll continue reading the series.

[Pearl · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot is okay. Nothing big happens. Daisuke likes Riku too but he doesn't acknowledges it. How long did Dark live? Did he have a seperate body before taking others body?

[Charlie Ronayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

a great story filled with action and love, this one dark and diaske begin to fight but they need to work together and form a relationship for this to work

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nostalgia central. I find the love square between the two sisters, Daisuke and Dark hard to keep up with at times, but rereading this series is so comforting and fun!

[Ali's Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amo a Riku, odio a risa. Listo, lo dije.

[Niko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great continuation to the story. I love the love development.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daisuke se encuentra en conflicto con sus sentimientos, en medio de todo eso ocurre un viaje escolar donde el quedara atrapado con Riku

[Lailah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read 👍

[Sue Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

great series

[☆ mar ☆ · Rating 2 out of 5]

no gays no like

[Ace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Daisuke's exploits as the Phantom Thief Dark continue in volume two of D.N.Angel, but most of the volume expands the love square: Daisuke's crush Risa wants him to help her meet Dark and Riku wonders if she has feelings for Daisuke, especially after he saves her during their school's mid-winter hike. The downside of focusing on middle school romance is the rather inane nature of it - it's silly. Risa remains shallow and cruel; her character is in need of some serious development because I'm honestly not sure why Daisuke likes her (unless his crush is based purely on physical attraction).

On the positive note, the artwork is gorgeous. Out of everyone, Satoshi is the most interesting and developed - his adopted (?) father puts him under a ton of pressure yet he never cracks from it. I wish this manga focused more on him and his relationship with Dark; the art-stealing is what makes the plot line interesting, but it needs more attention and development to make a truly compelling story.

[Ravyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

Once again, I felt like this volume was very confusing and poorly written. I had a very difficult time understanding what was going on in certain scenes. I don't think I will be continuing on with the series. Also, this volume also had a large amount of the end of the book devoted to a random short story that has nothing to do with the actual series. I read the first few pages of it before I decided to just give up. The author doesn't seem to be very good at all at introducing characters and situations in a well enough way to make it understandable. I not know if I am just not experienced enough in reading manga, but I feel like the author could have done a MUCH better job at explaining what is going on just by adding a few extra drawings or text bubbles. But anyway, like I said, I won't be continuing With the series unless I get extremely bored and desparate for something quick and mindless and there are no other options.

[Ashira (Savannah) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the Christmas' of 2007 and 2008 were where a good chunk of my manga collection came from, but most of them weren't the copy of the manga I needed. This is one of them.

I'd watched DNAngel for a while and I really liked the anime, so on my wish list was where the manga first appeared for me. My parents got many of the manga I wanted (which I'm quite happy about still ^-^) and among them was DNAngel volume 2...I just hadn't ever read volume 1.

It didn't take me long to get into the manga despite my little skip-ahead seeing as the beginning of the anime described what was happening and why. So I already knew who Dark was and such.

For now I've shelved the series to be read another day, once my Loveless series has been read through, but I'll be reading it again all the way through this time once I decide to read it with other anime series' one by one.

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The drawings really get me down. I don't find reading or rather understanding them an easy thing like I do newer manga. I was hoping to see if I could get used to them but am finding it difficult.

I love the story and find myself drawn into Daisuke's circumstances. Of course, its Dark you like! I'm not really into Risa at all despite the cute hike chapter. I really am interested in Satoshi lurking about in the shadows playing games. The bet was a nice touch on Dark's part.

BOTTOM LINE: A decent story...

[Jody Mena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more confusing than the anime, but a lot more interesting too! The relationships are a lot more complex, and especially the relationship between Satoshi and Daisuke seems richer. In a perfect world, Daisuke would ditch Risa and Riku and run away with Satoshi, but I doubt it will happen. Until that happens, lets just enjoy the drama! Great manga!

[Celina S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about a boy named Daisuke Niwa and his dark side form named Dark. Daisuke is a 14 year old boy that has a dark side form that is about 17 years old. The girl he loves doesn’t love his 14 year old self, but his 17 year old form. While dealing with Dark, Daisuke also has a rival named Krad who is a white angel. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes anime.

[Aleina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an interesting book with a very confusing relationship line. XP ^_^ I like it but the end part....confuses me.... I'm not quite sure why that last part isn't part of the book (or is it? 0.0) but it's good and worth the read!

[Nikki Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very nice art. Rather boring and childish in the storyline.