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Reviewed by Michael Aronson “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?” Speaking of covers, I really like this one, but is that supposed to be Dark? Why are his clothes and hair white? I’m confused. As forehead-smacking as DNAngel’s love square may be (not a triangle; it involves Daisuke, his alter ego Dark, Risa and her twin sister Riku), some of its subtle twists have been pleasant. Risa and Riku’s affections aren’t lining up the way the boys would prefer – in fact each boy’s crush prefers the other. Dark and Daisuke find themselves forced into a passive kind of rivalry (not unlike some of the better Hulk/Bruce Banner conflicts), but it doesn’t really manifest itself until the end of the volume. It would be nice to see Daisuke throwing a heavier wrench into Dark’s thieving efforts and Dark wrecking Daisuke’s academic life, but the story doesn’t get that far. Perhaps next time. Part of the shortage of story material can be blamed on this volume’s bonus feature, The Demon Returns, another throwaway publication of one of Sugisaka’s early efforts. Whereas volume one’s bonus story came in at about 30 pages, this one takes up nearly 50 pages and almost a third of the entire volume. It’s about demons and magic, not quite in the same vein as DNAngel and forgettable because it serves to launch a series that was never continued. Seriously, nothing on the front or back covers indicates another about The Demon Returns, despite tapping a third of the pages dry. If the solicitations for this volume omitted its inclusion as well, I’d say there’s a decent case to be made against false advertising. 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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