ADV Films DNANGEL: The Dawn of Dark

i got this volume and i was like.. yeah.. i need to get more of these so i got all 7 lol

"COOL!" That was the first impression when looking at the character designs on the DVD cover of the first volume of "D.N.Angel". I decided to check out "D.N.Angel" and usually when there are cool character designs, I have high expectations for the anime series and anime fans, I'm proud to say that "D.N.Angel" does not disappoint. It's definitely a series worth checking out! The storyline is about a teenager named Daisuke Niwa. He has been receiving stealth training by his mother and his grandfather his whole life and really is not sure why he is doing it. Daisuke has a big crush for a girl named Risa and to kick off his 14th birthday, he's prepared to let her know that he likes her. Unfortunately, that was until she tells him that she thinks of him only as a good friend. Daisuke is not exactly having a great birthday but unbeknownst to him, there is a surprise waiting for the new 14-year-old. All that training he learned was because he is the next person in the family line (in 40 years) to be the host of the legendary phantom thief known as Dark. It's all within his DNA and whenever he feels a desire for Risa (even through a photo), Daisuke will transform into Dark. And his family immediately has him on missions to steal an artifact. Of course, Daisuke wants only to be a normal teen and the last thing he wants is to become the phantom thief, Dark. One reason is because when he turns into Dark, Dark becomes somewhat of a playboy who has his eyes set on Risa and poor Daisuke has no recollection of it even happening. And to make things worse, Risa has falled in love with Dark. This sets up the storyline for "D.N.Angel" with a complicated love triangle, interesting characters and reminiscent to of one of my favorite mid-90's TV anime series, "DNA^2". The next two episodes feature Daisuke/Dark on missions to steal more artifacts but also the love triangle between Daisuke, Dark and Risa. But things get a bit more complicated in the first episode when Dark ends up kissing Risa's older twin sister, Riku. But when Riku opens her eyes to see who kissed her, Dark has already transformed back to Daisuke. The fourth episode introduces us to Dark's doppelganer, Krad (who looks like a blonde version of Dark, with white clothing and white wings) and despite the color of their wings, Dark calls Krad a devil with the face of an angel. And we get to see the two go face off against each other! The first volume of D.N.Angel is very exciting because the quality of animation is superb and to think that this is a TV series, the animation looks awesome and you will be impressed when you watch it on your television. Very well done! The voice acting in Japanese and also the English dub are also very well done. And to top things off are the special features available on this first volume. Included on the special features are the clean opening and closing themes, voice actor commentary by two of the English dub voice actors who play Dark and Daisuke, the Japanese promo, Japanese TV spots and also the creation of the opening theme which was cool to watch. As we approach the end of 2004, I was very pleased with the quality of D.N.Angel. The animation, the well-written storyline and the good voice acting thus far surpassed my expectations that I had for this series. I can't say how much I really dig the character designs and as mentioned, the animation, music, and storyline. It all meshes very well together and the result makes me craving for more. It's that good! "D.N.Angel" is one of the few anime TV series released on DVD in 2004 that has hooked me and caught my attention from the get go. I highly recommend checking this anime series out! It's all good!

Okay, the dvds aren't like the books, but that's okay. The story's still really good, and the theme is very energetic. Plus, there are subtitles. So, what is DNAngel? Basically, it's about a 14-year old boy, Daisuke Niwa, who inherits the "Love Gene", which basically means everytime he thinks about his love, Risa, he turns into his "other self", Dark Mousy. What's special about Dark is 1. He's an art theif and 2. The only way for Daisuke to get rid of him is to have his love, Risa, be in love with him too. There are other characters important to the story, like Daisuke's Mom, and his grandpa. There's also Risa's twin, Riku, his best friend Takeshi Saehara, and of course, Satoshi Hiwatari, a boy with many secrets surrounding him... The voice overs were excellent, and if you enjoyed the books, you'll love the DVD, it just takes a while to get used to the fact that Krad is introduced before Dad is. Oops...

I found DNAngel to be nauseating shoujo rubbish. I find Dark to be an obnoxious character. He's a pretty boy but I find him repugnant. This is only fangirl material not something animation fans would enjoy. I love shoujo but I recommend Snow Fairy Sugar over this rubbish. This show is rather cheesy and the romance is quite corny and sickening. It's about this loser named Daisuke who turns into Dark due to his feelings for some silly girl named Risa Harada who doesn't return his feelings. This girly is giggly silly over that heartbreaker Dark. Riku who in my opinion is the better of the Harada sisters. She is a grating character too but tolerable compared to her uber annoying sister Risa. In fact I wish Daisuke and Dark ended up dead and Risa with them. This show is repetitive and cornier than Sailor Moon and Cardcaptor Sakura combined. In short this show is a major stinker!

Daisuke is a middle school boy that has been trained by his mother and grandfather. His training is preparing him for the life of a thief. He has inherited the genes of the master thief, Phantom Dark. He can change into his alter ego at will when he needs the extra power and skill. He's not that thrilled about a high profile life of crime. Daisuke would rather focus on his crush toward classmate Risa. His arch rival in love is his alter ego. You see, Risa is infatuated with Phantom Dark. She cares very much for Daisuke, but she thinks of him as a best friend type of guy. Now the solution to this problem seems obvious to me. He should reveal to Risa that he is both Daisuke and Phantom Dark. But if he did that, we wouldn't have much of an anime series would we. This series has a very charming atmosphere. It's set in a Mediterranean style town. The music is fitting, but could be a little better. I like the animation and the voice acting quite a lot. Luci Christian, Hilary Haag, and Vic Mignogna play major roles in this series. Like many anime that I've ended up loving, this series starts off a bit slow. I can see a lot of potential in D.N. Angel, but it's too soon to tell how good this one is gonna be. I'll keep watching and write a review of all the rest of this series as I see it. So far I'm enjoying.

Okay, let me start by saying that I am a HUGE anime/manga fan! I LOVED the manga and I was walking around the anime section of Best Buy one day and I was like "OMG!!!!!!!!! THEY HAVE D.N. ANGEL!!!!!" Well, I bought the first three (that's all they had) took them home, and loved them so much I even got my mom hooked! Of course, there are things they could have done better (like follow the manga a little more) but if you really want to enjoy something you have to get over it's flaws. I mean, nothing's perfect! If you've read the manga you'll know the plot line doesn't go anywhere fast, so why should the anime? Isn't it better to be left guessing and obessing over possibilities until you finally get to see it? That's what I like but I can't speak for anyone else. Anyway, just get the first DVD and see if you like it and when you do then get the rest of the series!

I have been on the anime hunt for about 4 years now collecting the best that japan has to offer. D.N.Angel was in fact one of my favorites. It starts off with a boy named Daisuke Niwa and how he is introduced into the story. The beginning may throw people off because no one knows exactly whats happening, but as you watch later on you will understand. Niwa happens to fall in love with the younger of the two Harada's. Since Risa doesn't return his love Niwa now becomes Dark because thats part of his D.N.A. Her sister Riku isn't a bad character as well because she just happens to like Niwa and I won't say anymore otherwise I'll end up spoiling the whole dvd. So in my opinion I would definitely recommend this dvd to anyone who enjoys a relationship that is one sided even then I still hope for the best for Daisuke.

DNAngel: Dawn of Dark: Vol. 1 is the first DVD in the anime series. It contains four episodes, which are called "stages" in this anime. The stages are titled: "Dark Revived," "Rekindled Feelings," "Whisper of the Unicorn," and "Between the Light and the Darkness." All episodes in this volume flow more or less as one long movie, so there is no need to explain them separately. DNAngel is the story of young, short, shy, Daisuke Niwa. Daisuke is in love with cute Risa, who has no idea he has a crush on her. On his 14th birthday, Daisuke learns his family's secret: that he is the bearer of the identity of tall, dashing, winged Phantom Thief Dark. The setting for DNAngel is a seaside villa in Europe. The town police have received a warning letter that Dark is about to make his first appearance in forty years. Dark steals the hearts of young ladies in addition to artifacts. One big problem is that Dark has also stolen the heart of Risa! On his way back from a mission (given to him by his mother and grandfather), he accidentally runs into the twin of Risa, with unforseen consequences for all. Daisuke has someone dogging him at school - Satoshi Hiwatari. Could it be Satoshi knows Daisuke's secret? And why does Satoshi seem so malicious? There is another boy in class, an amateur detective very interested in catching Dark, but Satoshi seems to have a much more personal interest. The extras in this volume are fantastic. The opening song is so beautiful. The man who sings it sings like an angel, and one of the extras shows this seventeen-year old prodigy recording the song.

I have heard so much about this series from different magazines and thought I just had to try it out. Overall Feel: It seems to be set in Italy or Rome, so it gives a historic feel to it. The characters are drawn wonderfully. Also, computer graphics? This is one of the few series that the computer graphics look GOOD with the characters. Both the characters and the computer graphics look really well together, and one doesn't over shadow the other. A prefect match made in heaven. Characters: The character Daisuke is a very believable character. He deals with the problems of every teenage boy. You even start to feel really sorry for him when things don't go his way with the girl he has a crush on. He is also a totally spaced out. He is always falling all over the place. Most of the time that I spent laughing in the movie was at Daisuke. Dark is the kind of character that you either like in the beginning or grow to like later. I think hes great, although, he can be kind of full of himself. Which by the way, is funny to watch. Riku is a great character, I really like her. However her twin sister Risa...now she needs a good kick. If you watch the movie, you will know where I am coming from. Storyline: The storyline is alright. In the beginning you are like " What the heck is going on?" But, I think that is the whole point. It is to leave you wanting more. The whole thing really starts to pick up around the last epsiode (so you have to buy the next volume to see what happens ^_^') Anyways, enough of my talking. Buy the DVD, I think that you will like it. Its a great edition to any anime fan's collection!