D.Gray-man, Vol. 01

We're starting with aptly named Chapter 1: Opening.
The first scene is of a dilapidated church, bringing along its very own ghost story. Many complaints have been made; landing two Victorian constables investigating the cause. There they find Allen Walker, and a nest of Akuma(Japanese~Devil). In this mangas purposes Akuma take the form of balloons with attached weaponry. Allen is an Exorcist, for this series this is an all right idea; different but still structured like many others.
When things get rough with Officer Moore, Allen is there to take out the living weapons, whom was hiding in the once brother of Moore. Allen then hurriedly explains that Akuma are chained souls for the Earl. (It's a funny play on words that his initials are show more M.E.) The segment on the birth of an Akuma is really twisted.
Throughout volume 1 Allen is solo and we learn all about his past in a matter of a few chapters. Nicely done!
Cheers! show less

I've been looking for some new manga to read, and a friend recommended D.Gray-man to me, since I like shounen and action/horror-type stories. The first volume introduces exorcist Allen Walker and his enemy, the Millennium Earl, with his army of "akuma." It's not a particularly original story -- seems as though half the manga out there are some variation on the "person with special demon-fighting powers" plot, but I found the characters appealing and the story fast-moving and interesting enough to want to try the next volume.

I have to say I'm very impressed with this manga. I have read quite a lot of different manga, everything from Naruto to Fruits Basket, but this one stood out from the rest.
I really love the artwork in this manga and the character design is outstanding.
Not to mention the gripping storyline, filled with tradgedy, action and a little bit of comedy too! This really is a fabulous manga with very few flaws.
I know I'm being very positive and not offering very much criticism, but I simply can't help it! I really love this manga and there is little I can say against it's name.
This first volume is a fabulous introduction to a fabulous series - it's a must-read!
You can find it on http://www.amazon.co.uk for a very resonable price, less than the show more normal £6.99 price of a manga volume! Awesome! show less

First manga I have ever read. I enjoyed the fast paced story and the artwork is good. I am intrigues by the storyline and will definitely read more. Is it formulaic- without reading more manga I won't know but I am guessing it is not a bad introduction to the manga world for me.

I bought my ENGLISH copy from the Hairy Tarantula at a discount. It was a dingy place but it was full of manga you'd never even dream of seeing at a mainstream bookstore. It took a while to find too. The important thing is that they had a cat.

It reminds me of FMA for some reason. Maybe it's Allen's hand. Or maybe it's the ressurection thing. I like the business of the world. Very hazardous and loud. And fun.

So far, I'm not extremely impressed with the storyline and the characters. I will probably read more books in this series, and until then, I should withhold my judgment, since it is difficult to rate a manga series solely by the first volume. Again, though, I'm not really impressed so far. It seems a little cliche at times...

At first I was reluctant to read this but after watching the anime I decided I would. I'm surprised at how detailed it is already and glad I read it.