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Darling DGM community:

Because the light at the end of the tunnel has finally appeared (MARCH9THMARCH9THMARCH9TH♥) and I am otherwise unable to articulate how happy I am that the manga's gonna be picking up again, I figure now is as good a time as any to flail over the previous chapters! SO.

What's your favorite scene/arc/battle/moment/etc. in the series so far? Least favorite? Most intense/boring/pointless/freaking epic? Why?

I love pretty much every arc so far, but if pressed, I think the very first is my favorite--the one with Lala/Guzoru, Allen's first mission. I think it really defined and set the tone and mood for the whole series: Allen's line, "I want to be a destroyer who can save;" the necessity/importance of saving the innocence, at the cost of other people's wishes; Kanda's "SACRIFICES, THEY MUST BE MADE ~~goddamn beansprouts~~;" and the whole... well, kind of bleakness that came with Lala's and Guzoru's death. Ouch.

Allen's desire to protect everything, and how important that desire is, will later be crystallized when he realizes the true form of his innocence, but I liked how it was already pretty much scrawled out, bolded, and trip underlined as a defining part of his character in this arc. His little speech as being a small man moved by what's in front of him, and, again, "I want to be a..." line made me love him x10000 times. Allen is clearly not a stranger to despair and well aware of the consequences of stalling on taking away Lala's heart--I don't think he's so much naive as perhaps foolhardy, and that's an important distinction.

And on the side of also being a hopeless Kanda fan: I think a lot of people overlook Kanda's minute, infinitesimal, nearly non-existant soft side that is nonetheless present in this arc. Kanda makes it very easy for people to hate him or dismiss him as the archetypal "angry dark ~~Sasuke~~ rival with a veiled past"--and while he is--he isn't only that. Rude, yes, arrogant also, analytical, efficient, etc. etc., yet I think the fact he originally spares Guzoru--when he initially believed him to be the one carrying the innocence--his death, apologizes for "involving them in this mess," and how, considering his previous brusqueness, he treats Allen right before Lala's death is very telling of his character, and how he isn't ALL hard edges. ...Just mostly. I am also inclined to believe the "Isn't anything important to you?!" line is proof that Kanda has more depth then first glances lead one to believe.

...of course, that arc being my favorite is not counting Allen reunited with Timcampy because it's not fair to judge anything else on that level of baaaaawww.

It goes without saying, but this isn't an invitation to bash other people's opinions or anything. Aside from that: let's fangasm♥

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His little speech as being a small man moved by what's in front of him, and, again, "I want to be a..." line made me love him x10000 times.

Yes, yes, yes, agreed on all points. :DDD

For mine, uh. I'm not one to write as insightful a review as yours, but well. :DD

I will be bias and say the Suman arc (if it even is an arc), because not only does it introduce Tyki, and give insight into his character, it basically shifts the cast to a larger arc. Not just with the introduction of the Noah, but also the... darker? side of the innocence and the foreshadowing of shady Order business. :DD

Sooo Shoey, you be a Tyki fan eh? ;D

8DDD I love Allen, but Tyki's too sexy to not ignore. :D

Okay, EVERYTHING in the Ark arc made me squee with epic joy, but it was probably the piano scene that was the best for me, because I could literally feel the storyline shake. Besides the fact I think the piano controling the Ark was awesome in itself, it also made 20 things more clear and 1000 more questions available.

Besides, I like and want to know more about the concept of the 14th Noah. <3

My favorite scene is when Rhode jumps Allen and smooches him. /bias

Actually, I love the Ark arc. It was epic. I can't get enough of the fight scenes. My OTP kissing just made it better 8D

And I totes love that scene where Allen and Tim reunite. OH SO CUTE XDDD

There are several moments I love in this series...and all of them involve Cross Marian in some way (surprise, surprise!).

The first is that flashback scene of poor, hollow, little-boy-Allen, just after he's killed Mana, and Cross kneeling down in front of him and telling him he's special and that he can be an Exorcist.

The next few happen in the Ark, and actually, I'll go on record as saying that I liked the series before they went into the Ark, but I LOVED the series and thought it was one of the coolest stories being told in comics right now from the moment they got in there and started fighting the Noah. Anyway, I love that scene where Cross is impersonating a Skull, and the one he's just thrown into the magical forcefield around the Akuma Egg starts mouthing off about the Earl being a great and powerful Magician, and Innocence can't help you, and blah, blah, blah. And then Cross crushes it, and snarks, "The nerve! Lecturing ME about Magic!" and proceeds to start doing Magic! things in the air. Then there's his entrance into the battle with InsaneNoah!Tykki, where he catches Allen by the ankle as he's riding upwards on Maria's coffin, and his mask retracts back and we see that it's Cross. The smile on his face there--as if he's genuinely happy to see Allen in spite of his snarky words--is just breathtaking.

Next, there's the battle with the Level 3s during Lulubell's attack on HQ. My hands-down, favorite, Cross-Is-The-Ultimate-Badass moment, is when he's walking out on this thin rail of scaffolding, and four or five level threes have the nerve--the nerve!--to try to think they can sneak attack him from behind. And without blinking, Cross cocks Judgement once over his shoulder and fires--And. They. All. DIE. At. The. Same. Time!

However, my favorite "epsiode" in the manga has to be Allen's "final" meeting with Cross and the immediate aftermath. That wonderful moment when Cross takes Allen into his arms and hugs him. I wept. I also love the moment in flashback when Allen remembers walking into Cross' room and seeing all the blood and Komui's face as he watches Timcampy lament the apparent demise of the scientist-magician that created him. That is some of the most dramatically beautiful stuff I've ever seen in a manga.

So, there you have it. My favorite scenes. :)

Well. As a sign of how much I've been keeping up in the D.gray man fandom, I just saw the news about March 9. ^__^;;

So far my favorite battle has to be the Kanda vs Skin Boric. Right up to the point where both got... well... Unfortunately, I think I read the manga first and was kind of put off by the colored verson of the battle in the anime. Not that the episode wasn't good, it just digressed from the mental image I had in my head.

My favorite arc EVER has to be the Rewinding Town, followed closely by the Edo arc. I adore Miranda so hard, so that may have something to do with it ^^;;. I also loved the Zombie arc and the Komurin II chapters~ But...I'm also a Komui fan. Wow, I'm so predictable.

I found the Ark Arc to be dull in a lot of places, but I think that this unresolved most current arc is my least favorite. Besides, I like saying "Ark Arc"~ ♥

Also I hate every Marie/Miranda scene ever. Don't hurt me ;__;

I'm still very very new to this fandom and I haven't exactly finished reading the manga yet (not to mention the animated series) but so far I'll have to go with

firehawk05 :)

The Ark arc (LOL say it out loud and it sounds like you've got some kind of weird speech-related compulsion) rocked my socks. I sort of loved how every one of the team got their 'fifteen minutes of fame'. And I may have been pretty devastated when they each went down :(

I practically inhaled the part of Kanda's fight against Skin Boric. But that might be my obsession with mysterious guys + sharp objects talking ;)

I also liked how Lavi and Allen stood together and fought alongside each other towards the end of the arc.

My favorite arc is definitely maybe the Ark Arc (it sounds like something a Muppet would say!). I have a hard time choosing between it and the Edo Arc. My reasons are 1) Every Exoricist Has His 15 Minutes (as

amcw177 said) and 2) Noahs. You're finally introduced to everyone's respective style, plus a majority of them level up and it becomes even more epic. I especially loved Jasdevi's battle, from start to finish, not only because I find the two to be annoyingly endearing, but because Crowley finally gets to shine. And by god I think his blood ability is BAD ASS.

Episode/chapter wise, my favorites are Delete, when we're properly introduced to Tyki--I'm a sadist who loves Allen to death and enjoys seeing him tortured >.<; when Jasdevi first appear and the interactions between the twins, Skin and Tyki; and Lavi's internal battle with Road, for flashbacks and insight into his character, and because it shows how bad ass he can be with just a dagger and his eyes closed. ♥

My favorite arc was when Allen was confronted by Tyki Mikk in China. I was shocked at first, thought it was the end of the story - but then he was revived and while his words surprised Bak (disregarding God and wants to keep moving forward because his promise to Mana was much more important than anything/anyone else) his progress became visible. He became much stronger. Then again each time I watch some scene in that arc, I can't stop having teary eyes. I pity Allen. His situation got a strong impact on me.

And yes, I love the reunion of Allen and Timcanpy and their dorkiness when they all reunited.

Still, there are a lot of mysteries going on. I'm mostly pointing out on Kanda and Lavi. Kanda and his past, Lavi and him being a bookman. Crows, too. And.. what will become of Allen? (Just like you, I can't say how happy I am to know that the series will return soon)

to add:

Just like lovely fatima, I also wept: When Cross hugged Allen. It was really tearful scene. I can't stop pitying Allen.

My favorite arc so far is the Krory and Eliade one. It took you through such a range of emotions, from silly humor to tragedy - the ending is pretty gut-wrenching, even if you see it coming. Plus, this was the first time we truly got a hold on who Lavi is as a character - we see him both at his most serious and his most silly (the notorious "STRIKE!") His chemistry with Allen in this arc is amazing, too (I'm a bit biased here, though, being a LaviXAllen fan).

Edited 2009-02-17 18:08 (UTC)

As a Komui and Li sibs fan, my all-time favorite anything in the entire series is chapter 152. It makes me cry every time. Just... how hopeless everything is for the pair of them and how yet, they somehow make their little slice of the world okay, just by being together.

Runner-up is in the 160s, I forget which chapter, when Komui cites the very long list of names from memory. I really enjoy seeing the serious side of the character, but it seriously freaked me out that he actually had all those memorized -- and presumably the horrific circumstances that went with each name were also fixed firmly in his mind. It really hammered home that, I think... hidden way down in there, there's a real aspect of darkness to Komui's character. (That he tries very hard to smooth over with rainbows and bunnies and giant robots. *cough*)

I have to agree with you about the darker side of Komui's character. I'll admit to being more than a little curious about some of the less-than-savory things that he, Reever, Cross and some of the other "older" characters have done in the name of Innocence and the Order. I'm hoping that now that Hoshino's introduced Central and some of the politics involved there, that we'll get to see more about the back-story stuff in the Order's creation and just how much Komui Li knows.

...curious about some of the less-than-savory things that he, Reever, Cross and some of the other "older" characters have done

God yes this. I am insanely curious too. Especially, for instance... at first I always kind of thought there was no way Komui could have been involved in the Togaochi experiments; my initial impression was simply that he came to Headquarters, he was made Supervisor, he had them stopped (or maybe even that they'd already stopped happening by that time). But the further we get in canon the more I wonder if this wasn't a wrong assumption on my part, especially with the reciting of all those names and the absolutely crushing sense of duty and guilt he seems to have over the whole thing... (well, okay, that's also mixed in among all the other understandably massive guilt issues he seems to have going on as Supervisor, but) Anyway, I still have that niggling uncomfortable feeling of... holy crap did he? Did Reever? Were our lovable comic relief supporting cast in the Science Department helping torture human beings earlier in their careers? Even for DGM it seems a little crazy to think about.

I thoroughly agree with everything you just said, especially the bit about Komui's serious side. I hate that people write him off as comic relief when he's just as dark and messed up as the rest of them - he just hides it for his sister's sake. Those scenes are the best. <3

Not even just for his sister, I don't personally think -- with his whole mission of looking out for the Exorcists and trying to make Headquarters "home" for everyone, of course keeping morale up would be a big part of that, and I really think part of the way he goofs off is just because his silliness can be a needed distraction for people/can put them all at ease a bit more. (And then I also think part of it is because he wants to be underestimated [especially by the Vatican overseers who are watching], and of course another part of it is just because of his very personal interest in shiny mad-scientist-y things 8D;) But yeah, I agree with you -- there are few things that irk me more than seeing Komui dismissed as the funny guy who likes coffee, although... in a way that means he's succeeded. That is to say, as a character I think he projects an image like that because he doesn't want people to get beyond the surface of him. He's basically the direct commander of all the Order's forces who are actually going out onto the field, and we know he's somehow been involved in all this shady stuff in the past, and there's just got to be so much going on in his head that we're not privy to... and he doesn't want us to know about it. It also occurs to me that even the whole reciting-names incident was done at a time when literally no one who could ever call him on it in the future was (mentally, at least) present to hear it. He's a character who keeps secrets very, very well...but yet we know just enough about him to drive me crazy with wondering.

Well, apparently I'm the only one, but the Suman arc is my absolute favorite. It is the only arc so far in both anime and manga to have made me cry. I simply love Allen's desperate determination in this, and of course also the part where Tyki appears (especially in the manga where it's more of a surprise), and I also preferred the comment in the manga that Allen slapped Tyki for. The whole Suman arc, including Lenalee's fight, are all good, but as of the moment they get to Japan and up until the Ark arc, it's less interesting for me. I think Suman is perhaps the most relatable character in the entire series. Who hasn't gotten involved in something and then had major second thoughts about it, especially when it involved the very real possibility of dying. I think the Suman arc is the only one to have seriously covered the concept of death for an Exorcist.

Second favorite arc is, quite frankly, the one with the Level 4. That includes everything that had happened since Allen returned from the Ark with the others. I think that considering everything he's been through up until that point, he's coping very well in that arc, not to mention he's still steadfast in protecting people among which some must have still been having suspicions about him. I also loved what we discovered about his "body armor" Innocence. This is pretty much the only battle he's fought until he could literally not move anymore.

Aside from that, I also liked the Lala arc and the few episodes relating to the novel stories, though of course I prefer the novel versions.

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