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Reviewed by Michael Aronson “Daisuke Niwa is an ordinary middle school student with an extraordinary genetic “condition.” Whenever he starts longing for the girls of his dreams, he transforms into the legendary Phantom Thief, Dark! The only way to lift the curse? To have his love returned, of course. But how can Daiksuke win the heart of a girl he can’t even romance?” Much more so than western comics, manga titles are infamous for their bizarre high concepts, but DNAngel really pushes the limit on incredulity. Not only does 14-year-old Daisuke transform whenever he’s feeling anxious about Risa, his crush, but his alter ego, 17-year-old Dark, transforms back whenever he’s anxious around Risa’s twin sister Riku. And, of course, this curse will endure until Daisuke (and probably Dark too) find romantic success with both the girls. Cue contrived situations and you’ve got one series that overcompensates so much in high concept that the stories themselves seem to be set on autopilot. To be honest, the various aspects of the plot aren’t bad at all. Daisuke being the latest in a long line of supernatural thieves is a concept rife with potential, and I’d like to see more his family play a role in his activities when he’s in Dark mode. His rabbit Wiz seems to act as a sort of deus ex machine in its ability to change shape at will, but this also leads to interesting scenarios in which two Darks (and sometimes two Daisukes) appear at the same time. And though it’s the most forced aspect, I like the fact that Daisuke now has a greater motivation to win Risa’s heart, and a more selfish one at that. But I’m not sure the book is the best place to combine all these various aspects. It’s all too contrived at the moment. Keep in mind, though volume one runs 176 pages, DNAngel takes up only 144 of them, with the rest featuring creator Sugisaki’s first published work. This trend of sacrificing the main story for backup features seems to be a prevailing trend in manga lately, and I can’t say I’m fond of it. If I’m picking up DNAngel, I want to read about DNAngel. This practice would be less shady if, perhaps, a cover blurb indicated, “includes backup feature: ‘N’ Is For Nishiki!” Not everyone likes surprises. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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